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Rejoice in Your Toil

I just finished re-reading Rachel Jankovic's Loving the Little Years*, and thought you should all hear this quote from her last page:

From Ecclesiastes 5:19: Everyone to whom God has given wealth, and possessions, and the power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

"[I]f you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil, God will give you the kind of overwhelming joy that cannot remember the details. Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here. Those are their faces. Enjoy them. The days of your life are supposed to be full of things like this. But joy is not giddy. It is not an emotional rush--it is what happens when you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil. So rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you."

*Rachel Jankovic is Nancy Wilson's daughter.  And while reading Praise Her in the Gates at this time in my life had me in tears over all the things I fear I'll never accomplish, Rachel's tiny, 2-pages-per-chapter book is refreshing, motivating, practical, and downright funny.  I highly suggest it.  I recommend Nancy's books as well, but apparently, for me, I have to be in the right frame of mind to read them!
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