Building Cathedrals

I remember when I was a younger mother. (Yes, it was a long, long time ago. But, no, my ancient age hasn't affected my memory that much.) I remember feeling isolated, alone and at times I thought, "Now, remind me why am I doing this?" I understood those feelings so much that when the kids got older,  I began speaking at MOPS to hopefully help other young Moms who might be having the same feelings. Then my kids got much older, and those feelings faded into distant memory.

Lately, those distant memories have been getting closer and closer... 

Now, compounded by the fact that none of my friends have the same situation as me... They are either my age and don't want to hear about sleepless nights, discipline problems or potty training,  or they only have little ones and can't relate to teenagers' or young adults' issues.  I'm experiencing those feelings all over again.

Don't get me wrong, I love staying home with Elijah and Abbey. I love doing little kid things. I love watching them grow and develop. But, every now and again, I look longingly at the time when I could read a book undisturbed for an hour (without falling asleep),  go and have coffee with a friend without arranging a babysitter, go window shopping without four little hands pulling things off of the rack as they go by, or just be able to schedule a Dr's appointment without rescheduling because of babysitting conflicts.

The other day, I found an article that was e mailed to me quite a while ago, that I thought was a great encouragement. It is taken from,  The Invisible Woman, by Nicole Johnson.  Here are some excerpts from this article:

"No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. 
 
A legendary story told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. 

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."


Yes, that's it!  Sometimes moms can feel invisible. But, as this article says, God sees what we do. Not only does he see, he approves.  Keeping those facts in mind combat my feelings of isolation. I am living out what God has called me to do. No matter that the world says I shouldn't be doing so at my age, God has called me, and He makes no mistakes. He is waiting for me to come to him with my feelings and he will meet me there. I'm not at all invisible to the God who made the universe. What a wonderful thought!