Postcards from the Mess #5

learning to serve with joy

Happy Friday, friends!

I cannot believe we are in our second week of July.

This week has been full of getting back to normal after a couple of weeks of travel: laundry, checking things off the house list, restocking the pantry, and trying to get back in the habit of eating meals at home.

And I’ve noticed something.

Summer has a way of turning the volume up on everything: the noise, the mess, the neediness, the laundry that somehow multiplies when school isn’t in session. And if I’m being honest, “serving with joy” doesn’t always come naturally when I’m picking up the same monster truck for the fifth time before noon.

But that is exactly what God calls us to do in Scripture:

“Serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:13

As moms, service is at the core of what we do. From the moment we wake up to the moment we lie down, we are in some capacity serving our families. So if you need a little summer reminder that serving is part of your calling and that there really is beauty to be found in it, you are in the right place.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, working for the Lord, not for men.

Colossians 3:23

This came to me while I was cleaning up dinner the other night. I had fixed a meal that, once again, didn’t please everyone at my table. I was grumbling in my mind and had begun my spiral into all the things I attempt to do for my family that go unnoticed or unappreciated.

And I felt God redirect me.

I remembered the little framed verse of Colossians 3:23 sitting on my desk. I have it there for a purpose, reminders in moments just like this.

I turned off the sink, walked to my desk, and picked up the little frame. I closed my eyes and said a little prayer. I gave thanks for the privilege of cooking my family dinner, for having food in our pantry, and for having time in our busy lives to sit down and eat together.

I also asked God to forgive me for forgetting that when I serve my family, I am ultimately serving Him.

And when I looked around my house, here is what I noticed: the monster trucks, the blanket forts, the Nerf bullets, the snacks, they are all signs of a life well lived.

This mess is not something to survive. The exhaustion isn’t something to grumble over. It’s all something to receive.

When I remember that I’m not just tidying up a house or boiling water for dinner but crafting a childhood and connecting with my family, something shifts. The service stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like a privilege.

Not every day. But some days. And I think that’s what Colossians is asking for… not perfection, just a willing heart.

As you fold away the day’s hustle tonight, breathe it in. You are doing the best thing you will ever do.

Until next week, Blair