The Sacredness of the Mundane

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the “sacredness of the mundane.” It was the topic of a recent message at my church that focused on how God’s restorative and transformational power is often experienced in mundane moments. We think that an explosive, life-changing event will cause us to see God in our lives, or maybe we expect a “quick fix” rather than something slow that we can’t even see working. Oftentimes, our lives and the lives of those in our spheres of influence are quietly changing behind the scenes and we don’t even see the results until much later.

As a stay-at-home mom, my life is filled with the mundane and explosive events typically include blow-out diapers. As my husband and I eat dinner each evening to the melodic sounds of my son’s favorite music, he asks me what I did with our little guy during the day. I struggle to find something worthy, something significant to share.

“Ummm…I did a load of laundry and we went to Costco!”

He nods appreciatively (because he is genuinely appreciative) but I feel like my end of the conversation falls flat. I still struggle with feeling that going grocery shopping, doing laundry, and putting dinner on the table has the same weight of contribution as bringing home a paycheck. There’s only love and appreciation from my family, and I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home and watch my son learn, discover, and grow. But our cultural expectations make me feel like I need to be doing more for a “worthy” life.

So I’ve been guilty of filling the calendar with activities and not being fully present in the mundane moments that I do have. Cringing when my son wants to read a book five times in a row. Scrolling Facebook on my phone while he is distracted with a toy. It’s not that I have to be engrossed in his every activity, especially as he becomes more independent, but I have a deep desire to feel significance in a life filled to the brim with the mundane.

I’m reminded of a song by Steven Curtis Chapman called “Do Everything”:

“You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the fifteenth time today
Matching up socks
Sweeping up lost Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip
Color on your lips and head out the door
While I may not know you
I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all?”

I’m reminded in the song, like I was hearing the message at church, that it does matter. It matters to God; it matters to my family. And if I focus on how God changes me in mundane moments, I can make each moment intentional, infused with gratitude and grace.

Because reading a book five times in a row to my son brings joy to his face and to my heart.

Going to the grocery store means my family can afford to put food on the table.

Focusing on the beauty of the mundane means that you don’t have to prove yourself with anything more “worthy,” because nothing is more worthy than approaching each moment with an open and receptive heart.