Easter Sunday I sat between my two daughters while we sang knowing full well that I would be leaving before the sermon started. There have only been a handful of times that my daughters both stayed in the nursery. Church is exhausting for me.
As Annette and I slipped out the back I was a little discouraged and tired. Two things came to mind encouraged me.
The first is something I’m pretty sure Carolyn Mahaney said (though I can’t remember exactly where I read it–probably on her blog somewhere). She wrote about how she had her three daughters close in age but their son was born much later. She had been discouraged when she had to miss sermon after sermon with her daughters but when her son was born she knew just how short the season of walking up and down the church hallways would be. It wasn’t just that the inconvenience of a screaming baby on Sunday morning would soon pass but also that there was a short opportunity to love him in the way he needed love for that season.
The second was from an article Gloria Furman wrote recently. She has some great insights and perspective about the value of being part of the Church as a young mother, but I was particularly encouraged by this part:
My particular season of life as a mom to young kids is a blessing not only to me but also to others. Among other things, this time is a visual, tangible, audible (and sometimes olfactory) reminder of our helplessness and need for our heavenly Father to care for us in every way. This unique season is not an inconvenience to me or to others, but a gift that serves to point us to depend on God for everything we need.
So if you find yourself wandering around the hallways and wondering if it is worth it to get to church on Sunday morning, be encouraged, it is.