Grateful For My Ordinary Life

I spent most of my Friday night catching up on laundry. I had reminded myself after work that day that if I could wake up on Saturday with one less thing to do that I would be so happy. After driving one of my kids to and from practice, I then decided to conquer one to-do item on Friday. Laundry. Sure enough, when I woke up early on Saturday to go on my weekly grocery run, I was so happy with myself that I had already caught up on it.

It really can be the little things in life that spark joy.

As moms, our lives don’t always look particularly extraordinary or glamorous. Days are filled with laundry and reheated coffee, layered with the steady rush of a working mom’s life of deadlines, drop off and pick up and everything in between.

It’s so easy to compare ourselves to others or think that the grass is greener in someone else’s household. Someone is always going to have it more “together”. Someone is always going to seem to “have it all.” I have to actively remind myself at times that comparison truly is the thief of joy.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

I struggle with comparison so it’s been something I have been reflecting a lot in during this first part of 2026 as I work to set intention for the year (not a giant list of resolutions). For me, it helps when I keep honest with myself with the things I struggle with so I can remind myself it’s an area I need to keep praying on and asking for strength in.

In my current season of deep reflection, I keep being reminded of the most wonderful fact.

I don’t want an extraordinary life. I want this one.

This life. The one I have been given. Not the one I may imagine at times. This life holds everything I care about.

I didn’t need a glamorous Friday night to wake up happy on Saturday. I needed my kids to be driven where they needed to be and for laundry to be done. It really was that simple. These ordinary moments bring me such joy.

After unloading my early Saturday morning grocery run, it was off to sit on bleachers to watch my daughter play basketball. Then it was off to get in the car with my 15-year-old who has his driving permit so he could get some drive hours in.

At the end of the day, you could absolutely say there was nothing extraordinary that happened. No big moments, no wild stories worth re-telling, maybe not even anything we will remember long term.

But at the end of the day, I was completely satisfied and grateful. It might not be a big moment, but my daughter scored the most points she ever has in a game. My son gained more confidence as a driver.

Those are amazing things. Ordinary, maybe. But amazing.

It’s important to remember that when we fall victim to false comparisons like a picture of the “perfect family” on some dream vacation. I say false comparisons because one picture is just that, one moment. Who knows what else is going on in their lives or the fight they may have had right up to the perfect picture being snapped.

There have been many moments for me lately where I have felt overwhelmed. I guess if I think about it, there are likely countless moments in life where we feel overwhelmed. Being a mom means that days will blur together. Calendars, commutes, commitments. Repeat. It’s impossible to not sometimes crack under the pressure or the feeling like we are failing somewhere.

In those moments where we think we are not enough or we are failing or someone else has it “more together” than we do, think about the ordinary moments that spark joy for you. Maybe it’s laundry on Friday night. Maybe it’s sitting on the bleachers watching your kid play a sport they love. We are blessed to have these ordinary moments.

God, thank You for this ordinary life. The routines, the responsibilities and all the moments in-between. Thank You for the days that don’t feel extraordinary but are steady, full and good. Help me to be present in what I have been given.
Amen

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