This January, my wife Rachel and I had our first child, a little boy we named Daniel. We are so thankful for the opportunity that God has given us to be parents to a happy, healthy baby. There was a time we thought we might not get the chance, and we know so many other friends who have also walked long hard roads on their way to parenthood.
Being a first-time dad has lived up to all the hype that I had heard from all those parents who volunteered advice. The past few months have been full of sleepless nights, lots of snuggles, spit up, new depths of love and lots and lots of dirty diapers.
Recently some friends gave us a copy of “A Liturgy for Changing Diapers I” from the book Every Moment Holy, and while it is too long to include in its entirety, I’d love to share a couple small parts:
“Heavenly Father,
in such menial moments as this–
the changing of a diaper–
I would remember this truth:
My unseen labors are not lost, for it is these
repeated acts of small sacrifice that–
like bright, ragged patches–
are slowly being sewn into a quilt of
lovingkindness that swaddles this child…
So take this unremarkable act of necessary
service, O Christ, and in your economy
let it be multiplied into
that greater outworking of worship and of faith,
a true investment in the incremental
advance of your kingdom across generations…”
I love this idea that Christ takes the small (sometimes mundane) things we do every day and changes and multiplies them into a beautiful work that advances His kingdom across generations. It’s an idea that’s at the heart of LLYC and Family Camp. We have a canyon full of staff doing a thousand “unremarkable acts” every summer, and God creates something amazing out of them. We have another name for these unremarkable acts: spiritual development.
I am so excited to be the new Director at Singing Hills. My time there as seasonal staff in college shaped me as a follower of Christ and as a person. I also take great comfort in knowing that God is the one stitching His work together this summer, and I get to be a part by doing lots of small things and encouraging our staff to do the same.
Maybe you are out of the changing diaper business. Maybe that business is not even on the horizon for you. Whatever the little things in your life, I hope that you can lean into both the mundane and the exciting, knowing that Christ is multiplying your actions and using them for His good work.
– Dayton Whites
