Life gets tiring. Doing the same thing every single day can seem useless. I get it.
Recently I fell into the mindset of feeling trapped. Cleaning the same messes, changing the same diapers, having the same responsibilities each and every day seemed like it would never end. And it won’t for a while.
This is the season I am in right now. And there is a reason for that.
But what does cleaning the same messes have to do with living for the Kingdom?
It has everything to do with it! Through the mundane days and seemingly useless responsibilities I am leaving a legacy for the Father.
How I live and react to every situation will reflect either the Lord or myself, my wants, and my life. So I decided to ask myself some questions over the past few weeks to truly see where my heart was.
If you are feeling lost or trapped in your current season and are wanting to shift your focus to see the Lord and His big picture, ask yourself these following questions.
They helped me, and are still helping me each day, turn my focus to a Kingdom mindset instead of one that is focused on myself. I pray that they help you too!
1) Who am I doing this for?
Who am I cleaning up the living room for the fifth time today? Who am I hanging up my husband’s towel for? Who am I cleaning the kitchen for at ten o’clock at night?
I can answer “me” to each of those questions. And in a way I am doing it to help myself out. But if that’s all who I’m doing it for I can fall into a selfish and bitter mindset.
Instead I can think of it in the long term. I am cleaning and hanging and washing all for the Lord. Doing these things with a thankful heart of a servant will leave a greater legacy for my family than a bitter heart would.
And if your answer to this question doesn’t clear up your mindset, let’s go on to the next one.
2) Does this merit getting upset over in the long run?
Will complaining about picking up the living room serve any purpose in the long run? Does starting an argument about my husband not hanging his towel up benefit our marriage? Will growing bitter about washing dishes a little later than I would have like to leave the legacy I am wanting for my family?
No to each of those questions. It will take me just five minutes to pick up the living room. Why get upset about that? It will take me ten seconds to hang my husband’s towel up for him. Why allow the enemy to come between us for something so silly? I don’t need to become bitter for doing dishes late at night. Why not change that mindset to thankfulness for having this quiet moment to commune with the Lord?
It’s all about focus. And a lot of the things that you can get bitter and angry over lose their purpose when you start thinking about them in terms of the bigger picture.
3) Will my reaction in this moment reflect God’s heart or mine?
Now comes the action. When it’s time to react to one of these situations, who am I reflecting?
I can get upset about my toddler breaking a pot. Or I can let him know that he matters more to me than material things. What does getting mad at something broken do? It doesn’t unbreak it. It doesn’t help my mood. And it certainly doesn’t help him feel any better about his mistake.
I can grow bitter about hanging up my husband’s towel each day. But what does that do? It takes ten seconds to hang it up for him. Why cause strife for something so meaningless?
Some things will need reactions. And some things will need to be confronted. But pick your battles. And choose to pray first.
How you react in the mundane ups and downs will either reflect a Kingdom mindset or one that is full of yourself.
What legacy do you want to leave? Which mindset do you want to live each day with?
If you can relate to some of the examples above, start there. Or find one area this week that you can make that shift to a Kingdom mindset.
Ask the Lord to change your heart and refine you. Pray for patience and grace. And you will soon be seeing that mindset shift for one that reflects that of the Lord’s.
In His amazing love,
Hannah Marie
