Being a wife and mom is a great job, isn’t it?  It’s a tough one for sure but often comes with rewards like sticky hugs and adorable smiles. 

Sometimes we I seem to focus on the part of the job that isn’t so marvelous though… the daily grind of the mostly mundane stuff… wiping faces, fixing meals, the constant picking up after everyone else, and an ever growing multitude of other tasks. 

Early in our marriage I read something in a book by Beverly Lahaye that has stuck with me all these years. She told of her own frustration with her husband and the daily task of having to repeatedly pick up his dirty socks.  She began to resent it each day until the simple job of picking up stinky socks had grown into this huge thing she detested.  That is, until she met a woman suffering through the unimaginable grief of having lost her husband.  It was an obvious lesson for the author.  She decided in that moment to be thankful that she had a husband to pick up after at all. 

Gaining  a bit of perspective is everything sometimes.  Not that we all don’t want our husbands and kiddos to pick up after themselves for crying out loud, but… we can choose to react to those moments with thankfulness and even joy.

I read a devotional on serving with joy and enjoying your family last week that was such a good reminder for me…

“But she got up while it was still dark to make breakfast for her family and for those who served her.” Proverbs 31:13 tells us she worked with “eager” hands. The literal meaning of “eager” is “in delight or in chosen joy.” In other words, she chose to serve with joy, which means we can choose to serve our family with joy as well.  Jesus teaches the truth that service is a natural result of love.

These reminders to serve with joy and enjoy my family really hit home.  What a difference simply adjusting my focus could make on those challenging moments I face. 

I wanted to give myself a more permanent reminder and  thought about just sticking a note on the fridge, but decided to create a ‘pretty something’ to frame instead! 

I want to see it every day and remember to gain some perspective when I’m picking up yet another proverbial sock.  :)

 

I don’t claim to be an awesome or even mediocre graphic designer, but I do know enough to be dangerous.  I’m a firm believer in SHARING the LOVE, and I get giddy when others share their free printables, so I wanna do the same. 

All I ask if you would like to use it,  is that you share the love and follow me!  :) 

Here’s some instructions for you since I know some of us are technologically challenged, and I’m just so very nice, you know.   :)

 

1) Right click the image and choose save image as.

2) Name your file and save {Remember where you saved it so you can find it in step 3}.

3) Open your file and click print.

4) If you’re using Windows Photo Gallery, you’ll need to unclick the “fit picture to frame” option.

4) Choose the size but remember that the resolution will be much better in a smaller size since this is a small file.

6) Click PRINT & you’re done!

 

Enjoy!