To be known

This past weekend my mom and I were able to hear Beth Moore speak for the very first time. I have been going over all that she said since we left the studio Saturday afternoon, in my mind and in my heart. She shared an abundance of rich information, and I have had a difficult time narrowing down what I would like to post.

One of the (many) things Beth talked about was our desire to be known. Everybody wants to feel accepted. We all want to feel important, to know we have a place in this world and that we matter.

I guess this message really touched my heart because that has been a great desire of mine over the years. Every stay-at-home mom knows that their job is one of the most difficult and important ones on the planet. (I dare anyone to argue with that!)

But we also know that it's a pretty thankless job.

My husband and children do thank me often, so I really have nothing to complain about. But I guess sometimes I still have a hard time believing I'm making a difference. I mean, how life-changing is cooking dinner every night?

Not many people really see what stay-at-home moms do. They don't see the dirty diapers and the piles of laundry that disappear (and reappear) or the stocked pantries or the cooked dinners.

And yet each of those tasks are very important to keep our households running smoothly.

Over the years, I have tried a few times to get a job outside of the home. It was always when my kids were in school, but I often thought I needed the satisfaction of accomplishing something bigger than managing my household.

I am amazed at the women who can work full-time jobs and still do everything else for their families, because this mama just can't. I would feel too scattered to think that I was any good at either job, and I don't know that the sense of fulfillment I was looking for would ever really be there.

But I still have had that desire to be known. To think that I'm doing something good in this world.

So I was very encouraged to hear Beth's message. She reminded us that God knows us. He knows everything about us-- and amazingly He still loves us.

Psalms 139:2 says that "He knows our sitting down and our rising up." Beth asked, "How many times a day do we do that?" I can't even keep track. What about a mother of small children just trying to sit down to dinner? How many times does she get up and sit down for another drink or for the spoon that the toddler threw down or to answer the phone?

God knows how many times. He keeps track of even the simplest details of our lives.

I am so thankful that God knows me. I am thankful that He knows my dreams and the desires of my heart. He knows what goes on every minute of my day, and He loves me and wants to be a part of each one of them.

Beth read Psalms 139 to us and told us that it was one of the most personal psalms in the Bible. Please read it and be encouraged, because YOU, too, are known.

Originally posted October 2008 @ Mom in Transition