Underneath

I found an old box spring today. It’s been tucked away for awhile now. It served our family well. It has provided support for any number of people in this family. It has been a constant structure through the rough adolescent years and the ever-tiring teens and tweens.

It did not cost a lot. It is very basic. It has not needed any special attention in order for it to do the job it was designed to do.

It has been right there as the seemingly invisible step-sister of the mattress. It is needed, but unseen, overshadowed by the beauty of what is on the surface.

It has been good to this family. It has kept many a person from making their place of rest on the floor. It has struggled under the weight of the heavier years. It has rested during the lighter times.

It has had its cover marred by lack of attention, overuse and sometimes neglect.

It has been shoved away, out of sight, when it was not needed and it seems like it has come to a time when its job might be seemingly done.

It has done what it was designed to do and it has done it well. 

So, today, it was almost handed over to the trash heap; discarded and useless.

It felt like the time for it to be a necessary part of the picture was over. 

And then, right when it seemed its purpose was fulfilled, I remembered what I had saved it for.

I started tearing away at the covering.

It had to be cut and ripped.

It had to be pulled upon and clipped away at.

It required effort and struggle and pressure and intense frustration at times.

But, I knew what was underneath. 

 

Momma friends, this is what I need you to know:

Some of us have been tucked away for awhile now.

We have served our families well. We have provided support for any number of people. We have been a constant structure through the rough adolescent years and the ever-tiring teens and tweens.

We have not cost a lot. We are very basic. We have not needed any special attention in order for us to do the job we were designed to do.

We have been needed, but unseen; overshadowed by the beauty of what has been on the surface.

We have been good to our families. We have kept many a person from making their place of rest on the floor. We have struggled under the weight of our heavier years. We have rested during the lighter times.

We have had our covers marred by lack of attention, overuse and sometimes neglect.

We have been shoved away, out of sight, when we were not needed and it seems like, maybe, it has come to a time when our job might be seemingly done.

We have done what we were designed to do and we have done it well. 

Often we feel like we have been handed over to the trash heap, discarded and useless.

We have felt like the time for us to be a necessary part of the picture is over.

But, hear me out, Mommas.

Your time is not over. Your purpose is not fulfilled. Your number has not been called and your contributions to this world are not over.

You are not washed up, used up, finished up or laid up.

You are not done, over, ended or unnecessary.

It’s right when our purpose seems to have been fulfilled that we find what we have been saved for.

Sometimes, we have to be cut and ripped.

Sometimes, we have to be pulled apart and clipped away.

It will require effort and struggle and pressure and intense frustration at times.

But, what is underneath is beautiful, Mommas.

You are still valuable.

You are still needed.

You are still important and loved and desired and admired.

Walk away from comparison. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated by what possibilities are still out there. Chase all your big dreams and follow your heart and do all the things that have been put on hold while the little people have needed you.

You are more than enough. You have always been, and forever will be, more than enough.

Step into tomorrow boldly and without reservation.

That, my sweet friends, is how you find the beauty that is underneath.

and so there is that…