Where’s My Gold Medal?

It’s 10pm and I’m making sandwiches. You read that right…sandwiches at 10 at night?!

Why might you ask.

Because I’m a mom. A mom of four.

A mom of four who just placed all four of her kids in school for the first time. And it’s kinda a shock to our system.

See for the last 7 years I have been homeschooling. Which of course has its’ own challenges and difficulties, but for the most part I could control the environment. I could make my own schedule and not be in the car at 7:00am driving the kids to school. Not making lunch at 10pm. And certainly not studying for tests on a Thursday night for 3 hours on the first week of school.

Feels a little like herding cats at times.

So here I am making sandwiches at 10 at night thinking about how I want to just lay down and go to bed. Thinking about how I could just get up early and make lunches and clean the kitchen, but let’s be honest who wants to do that.

I continue making sandwiches thinking about all the other moms. Not just making sandwiches. Doing laundry. Cleaning dishes. Picking kids up from practices. Cooking dinner. Sewing buttons. Giving baths. Tucking children in. And the list goes on and on.

All the while the Olympics play in the back ground. All the while gold medals are being given out to extraordinary people doing extraordinary talents. They deserve them, without a doubt.

I begin to ask the Lord, in self-pity really, “Where is my gold medal? Where is my recognition for accomplishing extraordinary tasks on a daily basis?”

Sometimes your just having one of those nights where you ask Him questions out of anguish. It’s ok He can handle your stress. And He is always so sweet to answer me in the middle of my pity parties.

He began to speak ever so softly into my spirit.

Right now you are seated with me, given full access to the kingdom. Everything you need is yours. Including a gold medal. Whoever sits at my table is crowned in gold and honor. Now start living as one who has a seat at my table.

Yeah, pretty much stop belly aching– because we are all “seated with Christ.”

And yeah, we can have our moments of pity and our days of stress, but somewhere along the way we need to remember we are seated with Christ with a gold medal around our neck.

Love paved the way for us all to have a seat at His table. Instead of a race being raced, or a gymnastic routine being done, or even a swim relay being swam,  Jesus went to the cross for my gold medal. And for yours too.

Love sacrificed for us all and love is what keeps us all seated together.

Which is the reason why there is no silver or bronze medals in the Kingdom. Only gold.

And I am able to hold my gold medal tightly, and look around the table at my fellow sisters and brothers fully celebrating their success. Because who needs to compare when we are all wearing gold medals.

As you are seated at the table gazing into the eyes of your Father, remember you need not to worry or fret. You can stop fighting for a “higher” position. Fighting for peace. Fighting for prayers to be answered. Fighting for rest for your weary soul. Even stop fighting for His presence.

The war has already been won. The event has been accomplished and the gold medal has already been given. No longer do we need to fight, but simply step into all that God has already done through His son Jesus Christ.

As a fellow mom, hold your head a little higher as you sit in the car-pool line knowing you are seated with Christ with a gold medal around your neck.
And take a moment to encourage someone else in their race today.