Right now I feel like I am on a hamster wheel built of laundry and dirty dishes and cleaning up rooms and phonics battles and whining sessions and teething sessions. Throw in the occasional bathroom scrub and frantic vacuum session to round it out and it is E.N.D.L.E.S.S.

I’ve said this a few times to a few people. Convicted even as I say it because it is so whiny and not-thankful-not-even-a-little-bit.

I’m trying to jump off … read more books to J Girl. Choose not to yell. Choose joy in the moments. Slooooooow down. Stop rushing the J Girl. Dive deeper into the Word.

It’s discouraging.

Not very grateful, right?

Two days I was cruising ye old interweb and now I can’t remember where I saw this [a blog referencing this verse], and I’ve seen it before, read it before and loved it, but it was fresh remembering.

“For who has despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10. 

I immediately flashed to my days filled with small things. Then I read further in the passage. The greater context is a vision of the temple being rebuilt. This particular section references the foundation.

Building a foundation. Setting the cornerstone, the capstone. Began on a day of small things. 

My day of small things is building a foundation for these wee ones for the rest of their lives.

It is incredibly arrogant of me to dismiss and complain about my day of beginnings as endless repetitions of distasteful tasks. Who am I to determine the tools, the tasks, the moments, the Architect of Souls will use to build my babies?

I read and re-read this tonight to make sure I am understanding it right. Fleshing out the idea of foundation-setting in my childrens’ lives.

….. Wait. Now I am panicking a little. That is an enormous responsibility, one I feel woefully underprepared for. I mean, instead of eucharisto in the beginnings, in small things, my selfish heart is whining over dirty dishes and lack of sleep.

Read it some more … even looked up a commentary … (I know, the big guns, right!?!)

This is Matthew Henry’s take …

“Note, In God’s work the day of small things is not to be despised. Though the instruments be weak and unlikely, God often chooses such, by them to bring about great things … Though the beginnings be small, God can make the latter end greatly to increase; a grain of mustard-seed may become a great tree. Let not the dawning light be despised, for it will shine more and more to the perfect day. The day of small things is the day of precious things, and will be the day of great things.”


Well, I don’t know how he did that, but he knows me …. “Though the instruments be weak and unlikely” …. yeah, he nailed it.

For a split second there I thought the foundation-building was dependent on my towering strength of character and shining example of womanhood and those babies were in TROUBLE.

Then, once again, I am reminded of how God coats every moment-every dirty dish, snotty nose, laundry load, nuclear blowout, pee puddle, pitched battle-in a protective layer of grace and uses my imperfect, unlikely attempts at mothering to build these babes up brick by brick.

Look at what he writes at the end …. “The day of small things is the day of precious things, and will be the day of great things.”


 …. Aaaaaand full circle back to being thankful. Gratitude for precious things. Shedding the burden of disdain. (By the way, have you noticed how wearying it is to be discontent?)

Balm to my weary mommy soul. The wherewithal to fold another basket of laundry. Deconstructing the hamster wheel, making bricks instead.

~M.