by Jennifer Vose

Created on: January 02, 2008

As a new mother, I have realized that the complexity of parenting causes your entire life to become simplified. Your hairstyle must be simplified, for a lack of time and the presence of busy drool-covered fingers. Your daily routine must be simplified to a quick shower and the donning of comfortable, loose, baby-proof clothes. Your meals, work schedule, and even trips to the grocery store must be streamlined so that you can do it all and still keep your sanity intact while caring for this completely dependent, and utterly charming little one. Everything coalesces into one compact little world that revolves around your love for your child. This includes what you prioritize and what you value.

For me, as a new mother, my priorities have drastically changed. Being a mom has caused me to re-evaluate my life. In motherhood, God has led me to see a big picture that has been there for years but I have covered up with small concerns. Underneath the things I use to value, like maintaining my teenage weight, having the nicest set of matching dishes I could find, and keeping the house spotlessly clean, was a picture that should have been shaping my life all along. In giving birth and becoming a mom, the small items were swept aside and I began to see a new pattern for my life.

For years, I have professed to love God, but haven't been living my life for God. I have also professed to love nature, but have not bothered to take the time to work on preserving it. These two values, my Christianity and my environmentalism, were back-seated to the everyday tasks and pleasures I had let take over my life. In my daughter's eyes, I have now started to see the responsibility I have to prioritize what I value, and make it the central theme to my life. In as much as she is the main focus of my days, God should be the main focus of my life. Taking care of the beautiful world he created should be the main focus of my life. The many small concerns have been brushed aside to make way for these streamlined, simplified focuses.

So, what does this mean for me now? As the new, improved Christian mommy who loves the Earth, how am I going to re-design my life? Well, it starts small. I have begun going to Church again. More importantly I am reading God's word and praying each day that it will speak to me. I am reading "Purpose Driven Life," which my mother gave me years ago and I simply stuck on a shelf. I am going to stop using the plastic grocery store bags and begin using re-usable cloth bags instead. I am going to stop letting the water run while I brush my teeth, which I used to do in order to avoid the "toothpaste goobers" in the sink. I am going to celebrate Earth Day by doing something kind for the environment.

In the big picture, it means more. Simplifying my life around these central values means I will live them and be a living example to the people around me. It means I will raise my daughter with integrity. It means that in living out my love of God and the environment, I will pass on those values to her. Becoming a mother has caused me to not just simplify and streamline, but clarify and prioritize. I am so thankful for my daughter because she has not just shown me the joy and beauty of motherhood, but because she has led me to live my life for God and not for myself. She has taken away my self-centered approach and I have now re-focused my life on what is truly important.

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