Today while folding the babies clothes, I stopped for a moment and just stared at my hands. My fingers are awkward and tired. They haven’t seen a manicure in I don’t know how long and I’ve basically given up the thought of getting one anytime soon. Today these hands have:

• packed my husbands suitcase for an overnight trip
• changed the babies diaper
• fed the baby a morning bottle
• fed the baby his morning cereal
• prepared myself breakfast
• played pat-a-cake
• got the baby’s bag together to go visit my mom
• changed another diaper
• bathed the baby, brushed his hair and teeth
• semi-dressed myself
• half put makeup on
• rocked the baby for a nap
• woke the baby up
• drove him to my mom and dads
• drove back home
• washed clothes
• folded clothes
• took out trash
• stocked the babies supply closet
• fixed lunch

and that’s just the first half of my day. Should I continue? 

   Picking up toys, wiping runny noses, washing dirty dishes, changing poopy diapers, and cleaning crumbs out of every nook and cranny is inevitable..unless you are “Supermom” and just in case you are, please tell me what your secret is! It’s easy to pick a mother out of a crowd…just look at her hands. They are the ones that usually have chipped nail polish that’s pushing a buggy full of things that are for everyone other than herself while holding hands with the cutest baby boy who is screeching loud enough for everyone on the other side of the store to hear! Yes, I might have been describing myself just then.

   By looking at the palms of a mothers hands, the daily demands that her hands face are evident. Yet what some may fail to see are the willingness that God designed these hands with. The strength to keep going when she’s too tired to pick up another toy. The super hero power of getting a knotted shoelace untied. The ability to pry open your child’s crocodile strength jaws when they’ve managed to place a pen top in their mouth.  What I see are the tiniest hands that intertwine their fingers around yours and never want to let go. When I see dirty bottles and dishes, I see that I am blessed to feed my family. When I see the toys scattered and the laundry mounting, I know I’m blessed with a place to call home. When I see my husbands muddy work boots by the door, I know I’m lucky to be married to someone who provides for his family and leads by example.

    These hands are the ones that reached down to feel every butterfly kick when my baby was still being formed in my womb. The ones that rock his precious soul to sleep at night. The ones that held my husbands tight as we said “I do” and began a life together. The ones that pick fresh flowers to grace the table we gather around as a family. If you look at your hands, you may see rough around the edges. I encourage you to look closer. Because the two hands that rock the cradle are the hands that change the world.