When Your Vocation Seems Mundane

"Sometimes she must leave God at the alter to find Him in her housekeeping." -St. Frances of Rome

"It is necessary that the heroic becomes daily and the daily becomes heroic." -St. John Paul II

"...vocation is played out not just in extraordinary acts--the great things we will do for the Lord, the great success we envision in our careers someday--but in the realm of the ordinary. Whatever we face in the often humdrum present--washing the dishes, buying groceries, going to work, driving the kids somewhere, hanging out with our friends--this is the realm into which we have been called and in which our faith bears fruit in love." - Gene Edward Veith, Jr. (via my friend April)

Last night while I was up feeding BB at 2 in the morning, he spit up. It ran down my back. And I thought "Well, at least it's not poop on me this time."

Immediately I wondered,  "What happened to my life?"

 I used to live in an apartment overlooking San Francisco Bay.  Not so long ago I sipped lattes in Venice. I spent my days working on multi-million dollar lawsuits. I had a near death experience on a white water rafting (actually in a river after falling out of said raft) in Costa Rica. I wore cute heels and rode a trolley to work and won half marathon medals.  

And now, I celebrate puke on my pjs?

And in that moment I was reminded that sometimes, our vocation seems mundane. Sometimes God calls us to holiness by having us wash dishes and do 2 am feedings and burp the baby for the 157th time today. Sometimes we serve His kingdom and find our purpose in washing the never ending piles of laundry and making dinner again and paying the household bills.  

It is not sexy work.  Most of the time it is a thankless job. But it matters. It matters to my little family and to the world and to God.  

It's easy to forget that serving Him doesn't always look like a mission field in Africa or leading worship on the stage or driving around the country in your car sharing the good news. For some people, it does, and I am grateful for their calling. 

But for some of us, it looks like puke running down the back of our shirt at 2 am. Thanks be to God for that.

May we serve Him well.