When you’re covered in dried spit-up, and there’s no time to shower, or you live in the same two pairs of leggings, and your house is anything but Instagram-worthy, it’s hard to feel like you have distinction or, as Cambridge Dictionary puts it, “the quality of being special or different.” Instead, you might feel invisible and unappreciated. I know because I’ve been there.
When my first book was published, writing was my side hustle. Honestly, it still is. I had four daughters under 11, and I was homeschooling three of them. So, I wrote every day from 4 a.m. to around 7 a.m. and during what we called our afternoon “quiet time.” Coffee was my fuel. I also opted not to start traveling and speaking to promote the book, which meant saying “no” to the distinction it may have brought. I’d committed to being home with them, and I didn’t want to miss this time in their young lives.
There’s a popular online quote about how you are replaceable at work, but irreplaceable at home. I’ve read posts and articles where some writers pick this saying apart and debate its accuracy, but think about it. Someone else may not fill a work role exactly as you would, but they most likely could fill it. You might find some distinction in an office for what you accomplish. However, as a stay-at-home mom to the kids God has given you, you hold a special and distinct place. No one else can do what God has purposed for you to do there.
Does that mean you’ll do it perfectly? Absolutely not. None of us do, and that’s okay. What matters is that you embrace a humble, teachable heart as you look to Him for help.
After you finish reading this, it’s likely you’ll have multiple moments today where you’re tempted to feel insignificant. I get it. I’ll probably have those moments too. Yet, your feelings are not facts. They are real, but they don’t define you as an individual or as a stay-at-home mom. Today and every day, without even leaving your house, you have consequence, influence, and distinction. You are significant!
One day, you may be that mom on a plane who just said, “See you later,” to your young adult child. If I happen to be the woman next to you in 7B, 11C, or maybe even 24A, and I ask about your travel plans, know that it’s okay if your tears come quickly. I’ll understand.
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