Validation

Most days, we are going through the motions, trying to succeed in our everyday tasks. And yet, even though we accept and participate in the ordinary, we don’t want to settle for mediocrity. We want our duties and service to be meaningful. Usually, we go about this striving without much confirmation on whether or not we are excelling in our vocation. For example, I never hear, “Way get that toothpaste out of the sink, mom!” Or, “I really appreciate how you made me do that for myself. I see the wisdom there in how you are preparing me for adulthood.” Nope, I’ll never hear that one. However, we do occasionally have those beautiful moments when we are encouraged that we are doing well where the Lord has placed us. There’s a handful of times that I have really felt validation in my life:

When I received my NTE (National Teacher’s Examination) test scores.

Critiques by art and creative writing professors

When my husband asked me to marry him

When I nursed my first child

When I got published in Modern Reformation

Signed my contract for my first book

Some of these are more self-explanatory than others. When I took my NTE’s I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher, but I wanted to have that to fall back on. After all, I had already invested my first three years of college in the education department. And yet, six hours of testing made me feel too dumb to even recall my own name. The scores validated my vocation as a college student more than as a teacher. With Modern Reformation, that was the first writing I had ever submitted to anything. I thought I’d just test out my thinking and writing skills to see if they would float. But when they published my essay, it was more than a validation to me as a writer. It was an authentication that this organization stood for what they said. I was just a housewife theologian, but they included me in the conversation. It validated for me that these highly educated professors value a housewife theologian. We all want validation. Isn’t this part of the appeal of some of the reality talent shows? My kids were watching The Voice on TV the other day. There is just something about an amazing, undiscovered talent causing competing, professional singers to turn their chair for you. I get that knot in my throat when an ordinary person who never knew if they were good enough belts out a beautiful song in front of who knows how many people. And maybe this is why some find it compelling to announce all their accomplishments on social media. “Just power washed the house.” “Made the kids bacon, eggs, and hot apple cider for breakfast this morning.” “Off to the grocery store…” I think the principle, if a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it, does it still make a noise?, is at work here. We have a longing to know that we are in the right place, doing the right thing, for the right purposes. Most of the time I need to preach to myself that my sufficiency is in Christ, not how well I can pull off my housewife and writing gig. We know that we aren’t working to earn salvation, and that our labors should be in grateful response to all Christ has done. I don’t make a loaf of homemade bread for a great voice from the sky to announce, “Yes, I see the extra effort you put into your calling as a mother and a wife. You may have let them eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch this morning, but they aren’t going to have processed bread in their lunchbox today! Way to go!” Yet in thinking about the emotion that validation brings, I remember that there is a reason for this longing—-we will be validated in Christ. One day, all those covered in his righteousness will hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” We crave validation because we should. We hear that blessing every week in the covenant renewal ceremony of Sunday worship. But on that great day, we will hear God himself say he is pleased with us. And he will be our great reward.