Titus Chapter 2:9-15 Part II

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” Titus 2:11 (NASB)

Prayer Over Our Children

May my child labor well for those she serves, working to please, speaking respectfully, and showing trustworthiness. Teach her to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, but to live in self-controlled, upright, ness, and godliness. Oh Lord, redeem her from all wickedness and purify her for Your very own. Bless her with an eagerness to do what is good, oh God, and help her to teach, encourage, and rebuke others to do likewise. ...

Sunshine poured through my tall wall of windows. It broke through in welcoming rays after two days of miserable, messy weather. Sweet pea and I biddy bopped at home, surrounded by familiar objects and the comforts of old. It was not an exciting day filled with new activities, nor was it one where we interacted and socialized with other counterparts. Rather than play with friends or new toys, we cleaned the kitchen. Instead of flying on swings and racing through playgrounds, we organized and sorted toys. We played pretend instead of watching fun movies or TV shows. We picked up bits of trash, cleared toys off the floor and laughed in the process. Puzzles and stamping filled our morning and crossing items off our list created a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It wasn’t fancy or extraordinary, but peaceful and pleasant in the making. 
     
​“This goes here, and this goes over there,” directed Sweet pea, proud of her ability to assist and organize. “Look at me clean!” she exclaimed, holding a wet, blue cloth in one hand and my cane in the other, “I’m helping!”

​Then, as we sat beside each other like two peas in a pod, with our backs to the window putting away little plastic toy pieces, the sun finally broke through the gloomy gray. Warmth and light infiltrated the room as a friendly companion, adding to the enjoyment of the day. The sun smiled down on Sweet pea as she threw and kicked her blow up soccer ball. It even joined us on the butterfly blanket we picnicked upon at lunch as we shared our humus and pita chips with two stuffed lambs. Our afternoon did not consist of gymnastics, dance, or piano lessons but was filled instead with the pasting of tiny bits of colored paper to form a collage and tea parties. It was nice, it was pleasant. It was beautiful. 
     
Beautiful because of the joyous sunshine and heartwarming morning in a day that was not packed to the brim with activities. Beautiful for the one-on-one interactions and time spent between mother and daughter. Beautiful because it was just an ordinary day, one that was filled with mundane, every day things to do at home – cleaning, organizing, playing with old toys, engaging imagination, and snuggling on the couch together. The beauty was not in the extraordinary but rather in the everyday. Where we find peace in the calm, excitement in the chores, and satisfaction in doing things together. 
     
As parents, our lives are not filled with glamour, luxury, or the extraordinary, but rather our lives are bogged down in the daily, every day, and mundane activities that make up the whole of our life. But, be encouraged for beauty exists in the everyday, contentment lies in the ordinary, and peace flows from just being present in the moment. Let us not be robbed of these simple, everyday joys found in the very makings of our days for it is the very inner workings of each layering task or activity that make our days special and our joy complete. For where else can I experience the giggles of a little girl attempting to kick a soccer ball between my legs? With whom can I share the joy of consuming the very meal I just threw together? Where else can I know the satisfaction of organizing and sorting toys with my daughter? 
     
Allow me to encourage you fellow parents to look with fresh eyes upon the mountain of chores and tasks that so often loom before us. Be thankful for the lives of the little ones with whom we are so privileged to raise, shape, and mold. Know the gratitude of each possession or toy we clean up and put away, for it is only God’s grace that we are fortunate to own such an item. Glory in the love that binds us to our loved ones that spurns us to do for them as Christ does for us. We are richly blessed. Our lives are only enhanced and made more beautiful by our daily experiences, storing away what refines us and defines us as individuals, spouses, parents and friends, and as children of the Highest King. 
     
It is not the task itself, the activity, or chore from which beauty lies, but it is in the heart, spirit, attitude, mind, and eyes of the very one performing it that offers matchless and one of a kind joy. For no one else does what you do exactly the way you do it and the manner of which you undertake it. No one possesses your eagerness, your joy, and the love that you bring to each task or person with whom you interact. You are part of the beauty too. You play a part in the making and shaping of each beauteous and glorious moment. For when we open our hearts and minds in full submission and surrender to our Heavenly Lord, then we can be used by God to do His good and beautiful work through us, with us, and in us. It is then, in this juxtaposition where full surrender, complete submission, and trusting obedience meet to warrant the favor and blessings of God, that our faithfulness in the normal ordinary is then transformed into the extraordinary and beautiful. So, may this day, your everyday, mundane, ordinary be transformed into the fullness of God’s beauty and grace.

A Parent’s Prayer

Oh God, open my eyes to see the ordinary as the extraordinary. Transform the everyday into the beautiful and infuse what is stagnant and stale with joy. Give me Your eyes so that I may experience the fullness of Your grace, love, and joy this day.