Lighten' Up

 

Mom, are you too busy? Are you too focused? Are you too scheduled?

 What in the world do I mean? Isn’t it a good thing to be focused and scheduled…to a point, yes. But as I have heard said before…”too much of a good thing, can still be…well, too much.”

I tend to be an eclectic personality. I like to schedule activities, but I also like to be spontaneous. I like to plan our homeschool lessons, but leave a little wiggle room for an extra activity. I like to have a clean house, but I want to be realistic…I have kids with toys, shoes, and “stuff”.

The other day I was starting to get a little OCD (obsessive compulsive). I was becoming so scheduled that that I was leaving little room for the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart and rearrange plans. Well, I guess the Lord decided to give me a little nudge in the right direction…so all of my plans for the day started to unravel rather quickly.

We were supposed to meet up with friends at the museum, they canceled. We were supposed to start school that morning by 10 a.m., but it was already 11. On top of that, my youngest Doodlebug had just had a potty training accident on the floor…which he accidentally stepped in and tracked down the hallway and to the living room. Let’s just say that God had my full attention by this time. I needed a…

TIME OUT! I needed to readjust. I needed to slow down. I needed to breathe. I made a decision to let God take control of my day. I decided to let go of my own plan and embrace HIS.

So, away went all the school stuff and lesson plans, and outside we went. The kids and I played “The Great Googly Moogly”, we had pretend track races, we played “Duck Duck Goose”, and finally we lay down in the grass and found pictures in the clouds. My oldest Doodlebug exclaimed, “This is the…BEST DAY EVER!”

“Thank you God for rearranging my day. You know I was tempted to flip out and get frustrated…and take it out on everyone in the house. But thank you for your playful, yet divine interruption.”

Have you ever had a day like that? When things started to get out of control quickly. Have you considered that things were never really in your control to begin with? Consider the following verse: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

You know what the funny thing is: I did in fact end up accomplishing all of my goals for that day…just not in the order I had planned. I pray I remember this day the next time things start to get crazy on me (which I am sure will be soon). Mom, will you join me in releasing each day to the one who holds us and our days in His hands?

Challenge: Next time you are tempted to freak out, stop and pray for God’s Word and his Holy Spirit to minister to your heart. Allow the Creator of our days to take control of your day.

Prayer:                                                                                                                                                                       

Lord God, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your grace, for when we are weak, you are strong. Thank you for having a perfect plan for our lives. When we start to get unraveled, please remind us of your peace, your sovereignty. May we know that you are in control, and find joy in your presence.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.