I was literally elbow deep in a pile of dirty laundry, sorting out the towels from the whites and darks. My inner dialog was spiraling downward fast. I was bemoaning the amount of time it would take me to wash and fold this mountain of inside out clothing all to see more dirty clothes in the hamper tomorrow.

Then I remembered a recent episode of “This is Us” where Rebecca (the matriarch of the family) is washing baby clothes belonging to her grandchildren. She’s all smiles and declares how much she is enjoying folding the tiny baby sleepers and matching the pink and yellow booties. Her daughter, Kate, begins joking with her mother about how no one likes doing laundry. I’m firmly in Kate’s camp… laundry is not a fun activity. But is it possible to one day enjoy folding laundry? If so, how?

Many of my daily “Mom” responsibilities, laundry included, are mundane and require little skill. My senior year of high school I was voted “Most Likely to Succeed,” a great honor for this type A personality. My 18-year-old self never imaged I’d be measuring success by the number of dirty dishes washed in a 24-hour period.

I’m not suggesting Motherhood is all laundry and dirty dishes. I get overwhelmed by all the things Moms are told we should do, things like volunteer at school, lead family devotions, read aloud daily, etc., etc., etc. Most of the time my feelings of being overwhelmed move me to throw up my hands in surrender before I’ve even started.

Yet it is in these daily tasks where God has placed me to love and serve my family. Mothering my boys is one of the most important jobs I will ever have, and it is uniquely mine. No one else can love and serve my family the way God has called and equipped me.

But how do I get from overwhelmed to rejoicing over dirty laundry? A change of perspective.

Years ago, I was introduced to the idea of approaching my responsibilities as “I get to” instead of “I have to.” I honor my children and my role as their mother by reminding myself I get to serve them instead of viewing my work as something to be completed and checked off a list.

Changing my perspective retrains my brain to identify and name the numerous blessings I have and to practice being grateful for them. When I remind myself of all my blessings, I am acknowledging God’s abundant faithfulness and provision in my life.

So here I am folding my now clean laundry, trying to shift my attitude to, “I get to fold these cute Paw Patrol undies.” It reminds me of all the stages my kids have already outgrown that I wish I would have cherished more, like nursing babies falling asleep in my lap and little hands reaching for mine to help them navigate a set of stairs. Instead of wishing for the next stage, I want to embrace the unique joys and challenges of my current mothering stage. Instead of begrudgingly attending to my family’s needs I want to delight in serving them. I want my boys to feel loved, cherished and seen by me which ultimately reflects God’s feelings towards them as well.

And when I find myself creeping closer and closer to feeling overwhelmed, I will remind myself to take one teeny tiny step at a time and let go of my lengthy to do list. I don’t want to measure my success by how much I accomplished. Instead, I want to measure my success by how well I loved God and loved others (Matthew 22:37-40).

So today, I’m going to cherish my responsibilities. Today, I get to help my son finish his homework. Today, I get to wash my family’s dirty dishes. Today, I get to wait in school pick up line and sort through backpack paperwork. It’s just like the Trace Adkins country song says, “You’re gonna miss this. You’re gonna want this back. You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast.”

Finally, a happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms and spiritual Mothers out there. You are seen. You are valued. You are loved more than you will ever know. We get to do this wonderful job, what a high calling!