Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 06:21AM

We all have bad days. I had one of those on Monday. The details don't matter. Suffice it to say, it just wasn't my best day.

On Monday afternoon, there was a quiet knock at the door. Standing there was a young mom from my church with one of her three little girls. In her hands, she had a plate of freshly baked Hot Cross Buns. They were still warm. She brought them over, she said, because she knew I was discouraged. It wouldn't have mattered what kinds of gifts she came bearing (or if she had come with nothing), the fact that this busy mother of three children, one whom is an infant, took time out of her day to encourage me was precious. I remember what it was like having small children. Getting a meal for my family was work, never mind taking baking to others.

Yesterday, another young mother stopped by with her three children to use my scanner, and when she got to the door, her little boy was holding a loaf of banana bread, which was for me, he said. Yet again, another young mother with a busy life, taking time to bake something and give it to me. This is not the first time she's done this.

Young women who stay at home with your children, hear me: the scope of your service is not what makes it valuable; bigger is not always better. You don't have to do elaborate things to serve and to encourage. The smallest of gestures can encourage someone more than you can possibly know. You may not be writing books, going away for weekends to speak at conferences, or traveling across the world to minister to someone, but you can be an encouragement right where God has put you.

If you are at home with your children, and you feel like you are lacking somehow because your sphere of activity is small, stop feeling like that. You are raising your children for God's glory. It is trite, but it is so true that they will grow up, and you will wonder where the time has gone. Seeing your desire to raise godly children is an encouragement; it is just as much of a contribution to the kingdom of God as any big scale ministry. Raising godly children takes a lot of work, and if that is your priority, don't feel like you're not doing "enough." Parenting is your vocation from God. It's work that is valuable.

Serving doesn't have to be grand and glorious. It can be quiet and steady. Sometimes, the anonymous service, done without any fanfare is far more meaningful to me. Little things matter. They matter a lot.