It was one of those mornings here. I was frustrated, feeling inadequate. I set my alarm early to get the best start:
to read my Bible and do a bit of planning and maybe even do a bit of exercise
before the masses required my involvement.
Suddenly though it was 9am, breakfast was still in the works, the
kitchen a mess and the dining room table strewn with bits of oatmeal, a dry
half of a sticky bagel and several school books, including my lesson planner! Who got into that? Well, my diligent older students had looked
through the planner and were asking for work that I hadn’t prepared yet. My younger more playful kids were trying to
figure out how to sneak out into the new snow before they had to attack their
work without me noticing.
Do you ever feel like there’s so much to do that you don’t
know where to start? That was my
morning. In fact, I often feel that
way.
Then a sweet friend texted.
She reminded me to pace myself, that I wasn’t expected to get it all
done before noon on Monday. I don’t
expect that of the kids; I don’t expect it of anyone else. Why would I expect it of me? In fact, I get over excited about all that I
want to get done so often and with so much more than just school
assignments. I wish I had blogged more,
I want to fix so many things on my website, I want my storage room to be at
least passable, if not somewhat tidy. I
have so many ideas about how I could better serve the Awana programme which I
run at our church. Sigh.
But then, I remember that there are 25 hours in a day on
Mars. If God wanted us to fit more into
a day he would have made us Martians.
I am reminded that there are a few things that I do need to
do a better job at fitting into my overcrowded schedule. I need to take the time to prioritize, to
play, to pray.
God, in his infinite wisdom, ordained 24 hours for each day
that I am alive. He wants me to spend
those 24 wisely each day, to prioritize.
I need to respect that limitation that He has placed on me and make sure
that I am a good steward of that gift of time that I have been given. When I think of it that way, I realize that I
have often misspent my time. Have I
spent it on useless things, or on things that have eternal value? On running myself to exhaustion or on taking
care of own body, getting the rest, rejuvenation, and nourishment that I need
to be able to care for my family and others?
On connecting to Him and His life-giving Word or on things that might be
very good but aren’t necessarily the right things for me to pursue right now?
It’s often hard for me to stop and play. I know that I tend to be driven. I know that it is a common personality trait
for us homeschooling moms. I get up in
the morning with a long to do list and am not good at taking the time to stop
and take in a new card trick or piano tune that one of my young performers wants
to share. Why do I sigh and reluctantly
sit for a game of Skipbo when the world isn’t going to end if the chores get
put off a bit longer? If I put my time
into perspective and start to pursue God’s priorities, I know that
relationships are far more important that lessons checked off on a planner or
chores completed to perfection. The
moments that impact my family are the ones that draw us together, and play time
is a key part of that.
Finally, I need to pray more. I need to pray in the moment; I need to pray
in private; I need to pray when I am perplexed or happy or upset. I need to take the time to quiet my heart so
that I can wait on the Lord and learn His priorities so that I can pursue what He
wants me to run after and have confidence in cutting out so many of the busying
activities that only serve to pull me away from what I should be doing.
Friends, as we embark on another day, I wish you moments to
play and to pray and the wisdom to seek His priorities for your days. I wish you peace that transcends the usual Monday morning rush.
Peace and blessings,
Cori
www.mapletreepublications.ca
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