While I love to eat, I do not love to cook. With four kids and one on the way, dinnertime is really about getting food onto the table and into hungry bellies.
Dinnertime at my house is also a battleground in my heart. We adopted a sibling group from foster care five years ago, and their rough start in life means that food-insecure behaviors linger, no matter how many times food shows up on the table. And we have a two-year-old. If you’ve ever had dinner with a toddler, you’ll know mealtimes are crazy! So often, I just don’t want to sit down with these little people while our messy hearts bump into one another.
I usually have a thirty-minute-or-less tolerance for cooking, but every so often I get motivated to make honey-lime chicken enchiladas. They’re lick-the-pan good, but they’re also time consuming to make.
A few weeks ago, my sister and I made a triple batch of these delicious enchiladas. I looked forward to dinner all day, but I was not expecting the effusive excitement of my kids when I pulled the pans out of the oven.
“Mama, this is my favorite meal you make!”
“I want these again on my birthday!”
“Thank you for making these!”
In our tumultuous post-adoptive life, I often wonder if my children have attached to anything in our family. Does my mothering matter? While I try to pursue my children day after day, I never know if my offerings of love make it past the walls that surround their hearts, hearts that grew in chaos for years before I knew them.
But when I served up these enchiladas, I didn’t know they meant “family” to my kids. Or that they valued our simple tradition of choosing a home-cooked meal on their birthdays. I was ever so grateful for this glimpse into their hearts, ushered in by what seemed like just another meal.
Can I encourage you today, that your labors of love are not in vain? The meal you cooked, the laundry you folded, the smile you gave, the kind word you offered: they are not wasted. Your people, whoever they are, notice your actions even if their noticing is hidden deep inside. And more importantly, our Father notices you and your offerings of love. May you know His love for you and for your sacrifices offered in faith.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” {2 Corinthians 2:14-15, ESV}
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I certainly needed this today. Even with adult children, you can’t help but wonder if the things you have worked so hard on for them, are noticed or matters to them. Beautiful reminder…now…can I have your recipe? LOL!
Love this!!!! Great encouragement!
Beautiful post, Katie. As the mother of two adoptive boys, there are those days when it seems like nothing matters to them. Of course as a preteen and a teen, that may have something to do with it. 😉
Thank you so much for the reminder that we create family for our children. We get to pursue them. And even when they don’t seem to notice our efforts, they notice. As my guys begin to pull away from me more, I’m having to let go, and remember that they see . . . and even more, God sees.
Thank you.
What a great reminder! Everyday I remind myself that I live, move, speak, and love for an audience of One. Thank-you for your words!
Moving into the parenting of teens, these words resonate for me! It used to be so easy to get a “WOW!” The appreciation is much quieter now, giving me opportunity to remember that I play to an audience of One.
People who can really should foster or adopt. There is such a need. I help my mother with her two and it’s a handful. It’s a shame there are children who don’t know Jesus Loves Me, we have to look to Him to turn the chaos into peace. He sees what we do and rewards our efforts, and eventually the children will notice too.
Katie, I praise the Lord and thank you for this great reminder that what is done for the Lord makes a difference and builds His kingdom. May each of us be loving kingdom builders today for Jesus, be it at rest or in loving acts 🙂
Katie,
I remember reading the scripture about your children one day rising up and calling you blessed. There were times (toddler days, teenager days, moody days) that I thought this might be a cruel hoax. My babies are now almost 28 and 23. The notes they write me in my birthday or mother’s day cards are confirmation that they were actually paying attention when I thought all my efforts were in vain. It may be awhile before your children speak words of affirmation to you…decades even. In the meantime, I just clung to the fact that I was living my life to an audience of One and He noticed the love and care I put into what I was doing and even though I screwed up a lot…my desire was to introduce my children to His lifelong love.
What beautiful ministries you are involved with…God sees! And so do your children…
Blessings,
Bev
Thank you so much for sharing. I can relate to cooking not being my favorite thing, especially when it comes to deciding what to have. Thanks for the idea of Honey Lime chicken enchiladas! I am always more encouraged/ motivated to serve my family by cooking when I’ve got a good idea and a new recipe!
I loved this post, Katie! And I smiled when I saw honey-lime chicken enchiladas, because they are my FAVORITE. I wonder if we have the same recipe from Pinterest. 🙂 I use my stand mixer to shred the chicken, make four batches at a time, and use them as my go-to for when I’m taking a meal to someone. My kids actually don’t care for them, but I could eat them every day. Now they’ll remind me of this encouragement that what I’m doing in my home matters. Thank you!
WOW!! Thank you, Katie! I needed this today! 2 of my 4 adult children have built such high walls around their hearts… I do hope that they remember the simple traditions of their favourite meals on their birthdays, sitting around the table together and laughing until it hurts, treasured memories as a family… It’s hard as a single Mum to know if all the hard work and selfless sacrifice to give them the best I could was appreciated or noticed.
I was hoping I wasn’t the only one that was also thinking we need a link to the recipe 😉
Thanking God with you for this glimpse into your kids’ hearts, Katie. What a wonderful post!
Katie,
Your labors of love are not in vain; our Father notices you and your offerings of love. Thank you for this reminder. Caring for an aging parent is a labor of love. There are times & days when you wonder if anyone notices your efforts–especially dad. I was surprisingly told by another resident-(assisted living) that God will reward me for my efforts. After all we’ve been through I can feel a sense of joy & happiness that he is doing so well and that God & I played a big part in this!
Blessings 🙂