Wooden Spoon Motherhood: Finding Joy in the Simple and Functional

Posted on November 28, 2023  •  3 minutes  • 517 words

In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary.  All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.

• 2 Timothy 2:20-21

   We all have that one spatula, or set of tongs, or wooden spoon.  We’ve all got that one utensil that is our go-to.  For me, it’s my spoonulas (I have two).  They’re black and white, and they both have little teeth marks on the ends from a particularly chewy phase my oldest went through.  I use them to prepare almost every meal.  I use them for baking.  I wash them multiple times a day by hand because I use them so frequently.

They are functional, but they’re not particularly beautiful.  They’re not ugly, just utilitarian.

   A lot of times, motherhood feels that way.  Functional but not beautiful.  We’re making it work, but it’s not necessarily “aesthetic.”  Which, in the age of Instagram and Tiktok and influencers, can be a bit of a sore spot for a lot of moms who are already stressed about everything else.  We just don’t have time and energy to make ourselves, our homes, our everything look perfect (and there’s a lot to unpack about why that’s our job anyways, but I’ll leave that for a later date).

   Motherhood feels like we’re always using the utensils made from wood and clay, the ordinary, everyday utensils that we don’t mind scuffing up.  We may turn to the same tools all the time - wearing the same basic outfit, or serving the same few meals.  As long as it works for us, that’s the most important thing.  But we may long for the days when things felt a little less chaotic and a little more polished.  A little less wood and clay and a little more gold and silver.

   Remember, that even though our days often look like wood and clay, they are in fact, gold and silver.  Even though we might look ordinary and mundane, we are actually made of the finest materials.   The work we are doing, with our children, with ourselves, in our homes or outside of them, is the most important task we have.  The work of guiding and coaching children into adulthood  is so intrinsically valuable that it’s hard to overstate.  No matter how we go about it, it’s good and holy work.  It may feel mundane a lot of the time, but it is priceless.