Are You Noticing Wonder?

Before I had kids, I thought I would hate to see them growing up. Even when they were just little, I thought I wanted them to stay preschool and under forever. Sometimes I still do, because baby time is one of the favorite seasons I’ve had in my life. Change arrives, though, even if we hope it won’t, and my boys have grown up more quickly than I ever thought possible.

I know I’m not the only one who feels like this life is but a blink, and I marvel at how not only my sons have grown, but at how I have as well. I still enjoy having boys in their younger years, but I delight in the growth of my bigger boys.

One of my sons walks around making noises all day long, sometimes singing and sometimes making bee-bop noises all his own. Tonight, I heard him humming “Great is Thy Faithfulness” while getting ready for bed. We memorized this hymn in our homeschool this year. I wondered if my boys would enjoy hymn study when we began with it. Over time, though, I realized they experience unexpected enthusiasm when we sing the hymns together. It surprises me every time. Hearing my boy humming a hymn made my heart light with joy.

What a Mother’s Day gift!

Our kids bring with them an element of wonder that matches no other relationship or experience in this life. I forget that sometimes. I forget to watch for all the wonder. The ironic thing is that wonder is easy to see in the early years. Our kids grow and develop every day, doing new things so often it seems we shouldn’t be able to miss them. Yet our heads are spinning so much from that fast pace, and we are so busy going from one thing to the next that we do miss them. I love that the frenzy of change slows down a bit when kids become more self-sufficient. I feel like I can slow down myself and watch the wonder. I can experience it with them, even, because they realize I’m a whole separate person. Our children can see the wonder in us as well.

If your experience has been like mine, Mother’s Day hasn’t always been the picture of perfection. I tend to not verbalize what I would like to happen, but that’s not the point. The point is to celebrate motherhood—my own motherhood, my relationships with my kids, and the splendor of this appointment given to me by God. The beauty is in the everyday affection shared among the family, not just on this one, labeled day. So whether the day encompasses all our hopes realized or is a complete disaster, we only need look at our children and appreciate every little thing about them we already love, and look forward to everything about them we have yet to know.

This year, I’m setting aside my expectations for any particular kind of day. Maybe I’ll make a big breakfast and let all the kids help in some way. Perhaps we’ll plan a picnic at a park and enjoy God’s awesome creation. Maybe we’ll start the weekend by having our usual lazy Saturday when I stay in pajamas until noon and just play with my boys and do a couple loads of laundry in between. In any case, my choice is to notice the gifts that are built into my kids because of the way God made them, no matter what our day involves. I plan on letting the wonder of my kids into my own heart, rather than worrying about having the perfect day or being disappointed that intricate plans weren’t made in my honor.

Here’s how I’m going to do it:

I will make a special list with a few things about each of my kids that make me pause and marvel at the God who created them. If I can remember the following year, I’ll do it again and make it a tradition! I love having things like that to look back on and remember year to year.
I will make a second list of all the ways motherhood has been my joy over the past year and record how I’ve seen God’s hand in the details of my relationships with my boys. I aim to write down memories and joys so when my heart is weak or when I have doubt, I can look back and remember God was there, and that he remains with me always.
I will make a point of spending a little individual time with each kid that day. It could be sharing a quick board game or reading a chapter in a book, but some time to snuggle and drink them in is never a waste. Because it will be Mother’s Day, I might not even have to beg them for some snuggles!
I will pray that God gives me eyes to notice my boys. I long to love them like Jesus!

I hope to make a constant practice of noticing all the wonder the Lord has built into my life through my kids. Mother’s Day 2018 seems like the right day to begin!

Carla Clemens enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband and four sons. A baby and toddler interrupt her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.