Some thoughts from Spurgeon, applied to motherhood

The other morning I was reading Spurgeon's daily devotional and it struck me as a powerful thought that I hadn't really considered before. For the purposes of expounding on it, I'll share it here:

"The Israelites in the wilderness were continually exposed to change. Whenever the pillar stayed its motion, the tents were pitched; but tomorrow, ere the morning sun had risen, the trumpet sounded, the ark was in motion, and the fiery, cloudy pillar was leading the way through the narrow defiles of the mountain, up the hillside, or along the arid waste of the wilderness. They had scarcely time to rest a little before they heard the sound of "Away! this is not your rest; you must still be onward journeying towards Canaan!" They were never long in one place. Even wells and palm trees could not detain them. Yet they had an abiding home in their God, His cloudy pillar was their roof-tree, and its flame by night their household fire. They must go onward from place to place, continually changing, never having time to settle, and to say, "Now we are secure; in this place we shall dwell." "Yet," says Moses, "though we are always changing, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place throughout all generations." The Christian knows no change with regard to God. He may be rich to-day and poor to-morrow; he may be sickly to-day and well to-morrow; he may be in happiness to-day, to-morrow he may be distressed--but there is no change with regard to his relationship to God. If He loved me yesterday, He loves me to-day. My unmoving mansion of rest is my blessed Lord. Let prospects be blighted; let hopes be blasted; let joy be withered; let mildews destroy everything; I have lost nothing of what I have in God. He is "my strong habitation whereunto I can continually resort." I am a pilgrim in the world, but at home in my God. In the earth I wander, but in God I dwell in a quiet habitation." 

Later in the day, I was really struggling with feeling discouraged. It feels sometimes like I am constantly trying and not able to ever get to a point where I've finally got everything all caught up at once, and I'd really like to feel like I've gotten to the point where somehow my home is the perfect restful, decluttered, spotless haven, AND all at the same time I feel like I haven't been neglecting spending time with Ezra to get it that way. It's discouraging when I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep on top of things (though I freely admit I could do better) and yet, I'm never quite there. But Spurgeon's devotional for the morning encouraged me to look at this struggle in a different way--to not feel downcast or despondent over my inability to "arrive," but instead to view it as the daily reminder that I am not home yet, and no matter how lovely, how peaceable, how welcoming I can make this home, all that would be in vain if I don't point its residents onward to their true home. And so I hope my imperfections somehow can be seen by them with graceful hearts that look heavenward too.