Did You Accomplish Anything Today?

I think many moms get to the end of their day and think, “I did not get anything done!” But is that really true?  

I think in order to know if our day was productive or not, we need to ask this question: What does a productive day look like in the life of a mom? 

I believe these are the questions we should be asking ourselves at the end of the day: Did I make time to spend with the Lord? Did I spend time with my children? Did I show them the ways of the Lord by my speech and actions? Was I patient with them when they were nagging me or when I wanted to get angry with them? Did I discipline them with diligence and grace? Did I take time to listen and understand them, to put myself into their little world? Did I make sure my children were clean, clothed and fed? Does my husband and family know that I care for them by my doing housework such as the laundry and dishes?

These, among others, are the things I believe are most important and these should be the principles by which we define the productivity of our days.*

What if you had all these plans to clean out your house or to get some organization done or to make a huge, delicious dinner? But the day flies by and you realize you accomplished nothing that was on your to-do list. You look back on your day and wonder what you did instead... Then you realize you changed diapers, took care of a sick baby, did laundry, made sure you and baby were fed, put baby down for nap, spent time with the Lord, did the dishes, cleaned up the living room, showed grace when your spouse made a mistake, were patient when your child nagged you, showed understanding in a situation that you wanted to get angry at, read your child his or her favorite books, did a family bible study, and then more. Did you ACTUALLY get nothing done? On the contrary!

So what if you made simple and easy tacos for dinner instead of what you originally had planned? So what if all you did was the basic household work instead of organizing your closets and spring cleaning your house? 

We only have so much time before our children are up and grown. I don’t want to be so focused on a clean house or accomplishing everything on my to-do list that I miss out on what truly matters!  

One thing I think about often is how one day, Bella Grace (and any other children the Lord may bless us with) will grow up and leave our home. But right now, for a few short years, my daughter is little. She needs me to teach her many things about Christ, life and the world. She needs me to give her a biblical worldview. She needs me to point out how we have all fallen short of God’s grace, but that He has made a way for us to be redeemed through His Son. She needs me to be intentional and involved in her life. 

Our culture pushes us to go go go and to stay busy, moving from one activity to the other. But is that really how life should be? I don’t think so. I don’t want to be so busy that I miss out on the important task that God has given me.  

For now, I will do the home projects and other activities that I’m able to do. But for those that I just don’t have time for, I will wait. And that’s okay. I have a more important task that requires much time and devotion, and I need to prioritize that over little things here and there that are not really as important as they seem.  

So if you get to the end of your day and wonder, “Was I productive at all?” ask yourself the questions listed above. Ask yourself if you glorified God with your thoughts, speech and actions and by how you treated those around you. If the answer is yes, then rest assured: You did all that you needed to do.  

*I realize that there are times when we have activities that are pressing and need to be done on a time schedule. That is not what I am referring to, as I realize that for the most part, daily life is not full of activities and requirements that are time-sensitive enough for us to put aside the things mentioned above.