This can be a sobering moment in the life of a woman, when you believed that you could “do it all”. It sure was for me. I believed that I could have a career, a family, and successfully manage it all–a husband, children, a clean house, a beautiful home, etc–without anything falling through the cracks. I was devastated by the reality that this was in fact impossible because I had declared that I would accomplish all the things.

As I started to work less as my husband and I had more children, I found myself struggling to accept that caring for young children was meaningful work. I tended to put my stock in my productivity in the home (and I can still fall back on this mindset) rather than the children that were in front of me.

Fast forward nine years and three more kids later, I know that my work in the home is the most important work. It’s the highest good that I do. It doesn’t mean that it is easy, in fact it’s the most difficult thing. It’s hard to always be pouring myself out for the other. But, this call is easier if I do it all for Him. It is His will for me. He wants me to read all the books, wash all the clothes, pick up all the toys, change all the diapers, pick up all the goldfish, and kiss all the boo-boos. It’s the task he has called me to. It’s my Lady Poverty.

We can be poor in the monotony of our day. We can be poor in the surrender of our day. We can be poor in the repetition of our day. We can be poor in the chaos of our day. We can be poor in the solitude of our nights.

We can answer God’s call to His will in our lives by loving and caring for what is in front of us on every given day. Every day with children is different, crazy, and filled to bursting with items that we will never be able to fully cross off our to-do list. But you know what? That’s alright because we are called to the poverty of the moment–the mess, the destruction, the joys, the children, our husband. Let’s try to remember our call to the poverty of the moment the next time goldfish are spilt all over the floor you just swept.

About Samantha Marugg

Samantha Marugg has been married to her husband for 10 years, is a homemaker to four little ones, and a part time writing teacher for Chesterton Academy of Milwaukee. She is happiest when she has a book and a hot cup of coffee in her hands.