This last week didn’t quite go exactly as planned.

I’m guessing that’s happened to you too in the recent past.

You plan to stay on schedule. But the only thing that sticks to its guns is a blasted headache that ruins your day.

You plan to work out and get outdoors more. But the only thing that takes a hike is your productivity.

You plan to get everything checked off your to-do list. But the only thing you’re checking is your child’s temperature, WebMD, and Instagram (because let’s be real, one needs to check out of reality every now and then).

Here’s how my week went.

Sunday night, 1 a.m.

Sunny boy comes into our bedroom and declares: “Mama, I threw up.”

We settle him into a different room and then go to tackle the, ahem, “copious” results of decidedly stale Chinese food.

Let’s just say there was a lot of disinfectant spray, kitchen towels, and controlling of gag reflexes involved.

Monday morning, 8 a.m.

After a night of spending more time in the loo than outside it, Sunny Boy has bounced back like a ping-pong ball in a table tennis match played by southeast Asian Olympians on a sugar high.

His mama, however, has a different tale to tell. A tale of nausea, migraines and bloating. Not exactly a romantic Shakespearean story.

Tuesday night, 9 p.m.

 The little miss calls out to me: “Mama, I threw up.”

Déjà vu is not all it’s cracked up to be.

We spend the next seven hours frequenting the bathroom, and in-between bouts of being sick, my anxious mama mind runs to endless scenarios involving viruses, their variants, and various other problems that appear larger-than-life when it’s the middle of the night.

We spend all of Wednesday recovering from a sleepless Tuesday night. By Wednesday night, I feel like I’ve “done nothing” all week.

There’s nothing to show for the fact that I’ve pulled an all-nighter or two.

There’s nothing to show for the fact that I prayed like crazy (yes, while I googled virus symptoms).

There’s nothing to show for the fact that I just sat with sick kiddos or held back their hair while they bent over the potty or looked over to see if they were too cold, or… you get it.

On the other hand, if I had gotten in that workout, if I had made that Instagram reel, if I had written an article, if I had made a little bit of freelance money, I would have something to show for it.

But while I was pondering this, God whispered something to me that may help you too:

Even if your work is not visible, it’s still valuable.

Mic drop moment in my heart right there.

Your work doesn’t need the spotlight to be significant.

I don’t know what kind of work you may be doing in the darkened wings of the stage.

Perhaps it isn’t always appreciated. Perhaps it doesn’t earn you a raise or even recognition.

But, friend, what you do makes a difference. And God sees you.

Your ministry may be doing the mundane thing that’s right in front of you — and doing it well because you’re doing it for God.

Maybe for you, it’s sticking with a mind-numbingly boring job because it pays the bills. Or taking care of an aging parent. Or making a meal for a family in need. Or dealing with a particularly “independent” child.

Or staying up nights with your kids when they’ve had too much Chinese hot and sour soup.

Sometimes, it’s the imperceptible things that are the most important.

So, if no one has told you this recently, listen up: Even if doesn’t “count” by the culture’s standards, what you do makes a difference. It really does.

Keep on keeping on.

 

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Photo by Aditya Romansa on Unsplash