One mediocre step at a time

And now….the misadventures of mediocre mom. Striving to be above average, but falling short far too often, this mom has come to the conclusion that she is not a great cook, not a great driver, not a great writer and basically, not that GREAT at anything.

She ponders this, sighing deeply and knowing she loves her God, her man, and her kids with all she’s got….even if it isn’t quite as big as what someone else has got. She’s not politically savvy, not especially witty, and especially not very good at the technical stuff, although she tries….

She’s not afraid to work hard, does the dishes, makes the meals, makes the bed, does the laundry and prays with the children almost every day….and that’s really not so bad, is it? But is it enough? Is it all there is? Should she be doing more? She’s got a good heart and she belongs to Christ, striving to please Him every day.

She realizes she is grateful for all she’s got all the time, has a good attitude about life, and loves to encourage others to do their best. She knows she is deliriously happy and blessed and wonders rarely about the mediocrity/averageness of her life, except for a few occasions where she tries to use it as an impetus for improvement rather than the path to pathetic. To be growing is the goal…stagnant is the enemy.

Today is one of those days. She reads scripture and prays it will sink deep into her psyche. She knows she is an individual and she acknowledges her maker regularly, especially on these days, these humbling hubris days when the weather is not especially all that great or all that terrible. These days will come, these days are necessary, dependable and …mediocre.

Perhaps I need my thousand things list…you know, listing a thousand gifts from God, as Voskamp does in her book of the same name….today…Every list starts with one item. It’s reminiscent of the proverbial journey of 1,000 miles beginning with one step. So today is the first step and I wonder where and when step 500 will happen.

The unknown looms, but not terrifyingly so, just looms...unknown. So I begin, one mediocre meter at a time…although I am certain, like Much Afraid In Hinds Feet on High Places, there will be mountaintops, valleys, and interesting companions along the way…

1. The ability to move my lips and read good literature to the boys. They love the Squire and the Scroll and I love its message---keeping your way pure.

2. The warm, crackly heat as it comes through the metal vents upstairs—feeling the toasty metal of the grate on socked foot bottoms as you press in for warmth.