Seasons: Daily Truths to Refresh the Weary MomExemplo

I am always so inspired by my friends who simply walk briskly through life, who take the time to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively, to enjoy the moments with their children and to embrace the day. Me? I rush. I rush to finish my to-do list. I rush when I drive. Efficiency is best and multi-tasking? I am the queen. I am determined and disciplined, which is a strength, but it is also my greatest weakness. And this is something the Lord is convicting me of. What do I choose, a puzzle with my daughter or cleaning the dishes? Do I let them watch one more episode of Daniel Tiger so I can clean the bathrooms, or do we stop and go for a walk? I rush when I'm in the shower. I rush when I am walking, and I rush when I am eating. Oh, but if only I would slow down and enjoy my life, my kids, and my husband, how different would my life look? It might be a little messier, but I would be truly living it, and I would be fully in the present instead of striving for perfection. What am I rushing for and where am I rushing to?

The Lord has been opening my eyes to this truth that I rush because I think I have something to prove. I rush because I think it will be better once I complete this, or things will get better once I get to this place. I’m sure a lot of us agree. Especially in our social media world where everyone is posting the best of the best, photoshopping and cropping, and using the best filters; it’s easy to feel like you are missing out, or that your life is just a little shy of everyone else's. Your home will never look like theirs, your body will never be that perfect, and your children will never be like that. The rushing leads to comparison and the comparison leads to discontentment. Suddenly you are longing for a different home, different body, different hair, different season, or even more a completely different life.

I believe that for your children, your husband, yourself, and your relationship with Jesus, we must fight to be present. There is so much in this very moment that we will miss if we are too busy rushing or looking ahead. Sarah couldn’t see the promise in the present season and she let fear take over. She laughed at God and thought, “What good could come out of this?” Dear Mama, so much good can come out of your darkest and coldest day if you choose to stay present and in pursuit of Him. The past has become a part of us; the future is unknown to us, but today...today is a gift to us. That is why it is called the present. Do you live like it is a gift?