Reese and I walked hand-in-hand toward the playground. To our right, the tiny lake shimmered in the sunlight as a flock of Canadian geese waddled along the shore line looking for the perfect spot to enter the water. “Look, Mommy, those geese are working.”
Working? I asked if she meant to say “walking.” She corrected me, confirming that in her mind, those geese were hard at work. Trying to wrap my head around her logic, I challenged myself to answer the question - if they’re not working, what are they doing? Well, they’re just doing what geese do. They're just… being.
It took me a minute to fully process the beauty of her statement. Somehow, she had come to understand that to engage in your “work” is simply to be as you were meant to be, to fulfill your basic purpose.
That moment has completely changed the way I see my daily routine and the way I think about the “work” to be done in my life.
I walk the aisles of the grocery store like an eagle in flight.
I empty the dishwasher like a bumblebee gathering pollen.
I dust my furniture like a rosebud turning its face to the sun.
And I sit at my computer spilling the contents of my heart like a flock of geese waddling along the sandy shores of a shimmering lake.
Now, I can stir a pot on the stove, fold laundry, or pay bills without wishing I could stop and just simply be. And I can read a book, paint my nails, or write my heart out without feeling like I should get on with more important work. In every action I am working, fulfilling my purpose, turning my own tiny gear in the giant wheel of creation. I'm just doing what moms doing. I'm just being.
And when Reese is constructing her tallest block tower, splattering soap bubbles on the mirror as she washes her hands, or picking up her toys at the end of the day, she's just doing what toddlers do. She's just being. But she tells me she's working, and I just smile and agree because I've forgotten that there was ever a difference.
This is a Bigger Picture moment.
Share with us today at Corinne's.
I dust my furniture like a rosebud turning its face to the sun.
And I sit at my computer spilling the contents of my heart like a flock of geese waddling along the sandy shores of a shimmering lake.
Now, I can stir a pot on the stove, fold laundry, or pay bills without wishing I could stop and just simply be. And I can read a book, paint my nails, or write my heart out without feeling like I should get on with more important work. In every action I am working, fulfilling my purpose, turning my own tiny gear in the giant wheel of creation. I'm just doing what moms doing. I'm just being.
And when Reese is constructing her tallest block tower, splattering soap bubbles on the mirror as she washes her hands, or picking up her toys at the end of the day, she's just doing what toddlers do. She's just being. But she tells me she's working, and I just smile and agree because I've forgotten that there was ever a difference.
Share with us today at Corinne's.
I love that perspective!
ReplyDeleteThere's a verse... I can't remember what book of the bible... about your work filling you and seeing God in all of it. Not work, like sitting at a desk in front of a computer, but work like your daily movements and life duties. John maybe? Proverbs? Hmm... but this resonates with me, and reminds me of that verse :)
Yes! I don't know what book it is either (I am terrible at that) but Hy and I talked about this and I did a post on it in regards to being a Proverbs 31 wife. I don't have to enjoy cleaning toilets, but I take joy in honoring Him by taking care of my family...
DeleteThat's what I was thinking about, too! We work out of who we are ... the being. So often we confuse our being as *just* our working, but there's more, like Reese was saying. There's just simply more to it.
DeleteDon't you love the lessons from children. They are constantly teaching me.
ReplyDeletemmmmmm...I love it! And isn't it such a blessing to not only have a purpose but to fully understand and embrace it?
ReplyDeleteWow! Kids just have a way don't they. So wish I had that perspective all the time, but glad I have two little guys to remind me everyday. I'm going to need that perspective when I clean our bathroom this week. ;-)
ReplyDelete"To engage in your 'work' is simply to be as you were meant to be, to fulfill your basic purpose." Wow. What a fantastic thought, and a lovely way to put it. Thank you for sharing. That's something to think about.
ReplyDelete