Mundane to Marvelous

There's this photographer that I just adore, she is amazingly talented and very giving with her talent. I have furthered my photography education through her online workshops and editing courses. One edit in particular (which I have not personally viewed) is titled "Mundane to Marvelous" and I love the idea of this. Ultimately she takes an image that to most would seem so-so and transforms it into something amazing. It isn't a composite, there is no adding things that aren't actually there it is all about a enhancing what is there, having a vision, and bringing that vision to life. Honestly overall that is what drew me to her as a photographer in the first place. She has a vision and she brings it to life.

I'm sure by now you are either not reading or wondering what in the world this post is even about. Well I haven't been able to get that concept, mundane to marvelous, out of my head. For months now it has influenced the way I photograph my children. The simple snapshots are now more thought out. My photography has become more intentional. Then it hit me this morning while on a run. Mundane to Marvelous. That's life. Or at least it should be.

I'm a mom and I'm fairly certain that all moms (work at home moms, working moms, stay at home moms, homeschool moms, all moms) can agree that there are times when our days, weeks, months even feel a little so-so, lackluster, mundane? Am I right? Its so easy to get into a grove, get stuck in a rut, or just go through the motions of motherhood. Wake up, get ready, get kids ready, make breakfast, feed kids, clean up, work, laundry, make lunch, feed kids, clean up, work, clean house, make dinner, feed family, clean up, bath time, homework time, bed time, finish everything you didn't get to during the day, prep for tomorrow, sleep, repeat. Quite frankly I got bored and tired just typing that out. It is so easy to get caught up in these tasks. To look at our lives as the never ending list of things to do or to think what we do is boring or not important.

Now please don't be mistaken I like getting things done so this is not a suggestion to drop everything to do something for yourself or to play with your kids instead of tend to the house. Although I do think doing something for yourself is important and time with you kiddos should always trump a to-do list but that is not the point I'm trying to make.

What if every mundane task on your daily list of things to do wasn't actually mundane? What if it was in fact marvelous, you just need to have a vision?

As moms we are the givers of life. We have been blessed to grow God's precious children in our wombs and in our hearts. We have been blessed with the nurturing instinct to provide sacrificially for our children during their infancy to the point where we don't always get to eat, sleep, or even bathe. We have blessed with a bond with our children that cannot be broken. We have been blessed with the amazing marvelous responsibility of leading the way in shaping them into who they were created to be. You see God has created each and every child for a specific purpose. The three main purposes of all of God's children is to know Him, love Him, and make Him known.

How on earth are children going to know Him, love Him, and make Him known? They are going to learn through us. How you take care of yourself teaches them self worth and value. How you wake them up has the power to influence how they start their day. When you feed them a meal you are doing so much more than you know: you are fueling their bodies to grow and learn, you are teaching them that love is shown in service and caring for others needs, that when you have your provide for those who need, and that God provides for you and you in turn provide from them. When you clean and do laundry you are teaching them to care for the provisions you have been blessed with. When you do homework you are molding their minds and showing them they are valued for their thoughts. When you get them ready for bed you are guiding them in how to end their day emphasizing the importance of rest and helping them to end even bad days on a good note.

But you can't teach them these things and many others if you are just going through the mundane motions. No, you can only teach them these things when you have a vision, when you see your role as mom is to be a joyful servant of God who is blessed to care for His children while they are on this earth. My dad always says children are blank tapes just waiting to record anything and everything around them. And it's true. So what is your child recording? Are they recording a joyful spirit who serves with the love of Christ and finds value in her marvelous role as mother or are they recording someone living the mundane life?