I have a love/hate relationship with
summer. Actually, it is more like a love/dislike relationship because there is so much I really do LOVE about summer! On the one hand, I love not having to get up and rush the kids off to
school on the bus. I’m thankful to not be packing lunches every morning (to
only have them return at the end of the day…mostly uneaten). I look forward to
time away with my family, bonfires, smores, swimming, and barbecued hamburgers.
There is so much I just LOVE about summer!
On the other hand, sometimes, I actually MISS
the structure and rhythm of the school year…largely because I despise hearing
the words: “I’m bored” or “What can we do now mom?” and “What are we going to do
tomorrow?”
Here is what my son ended up doing the last time he complained of being bored...
I haven't heard as many complaints since.
While I am happy that my kids have tons of glorious free time, I still have things I need to do...which leaves me
with a feeling of torn loyalties. I have appointments to schedule; exams to
study for; errands to run; weeds to pull; grass to cut; people to see…You get the
picture? Even though it's summer, I still have a lot of things I need to get done...but I love my kids and I want to spend time with them too.
Sometimes, I fear dropping a ball or
letting someone down. I don’t want to fall behind on the course I'm taking. I want to make
sure I’m pulling my weight on the job front. I want to be available for my kids. I want to make sure my house doesn’t look like a
war zone. It's sometimes hard to prioritize what to do first!
“Teach us to number each of our days so that
we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm, 90:12).
I used to think it was a little morbid
to “number my days”, but since I’ve hit the big 4-0, I find myself doing that
more and more! The truth is that life is really short…crazy short! As a mother, all I need to do is look at how tall and old my kids are getting to realize that time is flying by...maybe a little more quickly than I am comfortable with.
Numbering our days actually makes us wiser (according to this verse)! I
think that’s because our priorities become crystal clear when we stop to think about how many days we have left.
Just today I was at a funeral for my cousin's baby boy. There is something about untimely death that quickly puts things into perspective. He was born with a heart condition so his parent's cherished every day with him and saw it as a gift. This principle is true for each of us; every day is a gift. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I think sometimes we just take for granted that we will have many tomorrows.
Even if God is generous with the amount of days He gives us on earth, life is too short and precious to waste it. It's a gift to be cherished and thankful for; it should be invested...not just spent. I think we'd be wise to slow down just a little. It would be a shame to spend our days stressing about to-do lists and fail to do what really matters.
Written by: Esther Allison
Just today I was at a funeral for my cousin's baby boy. There is something about untimely death that quickly puts things into perspective. He was born with a heart condition so his parent's cherished every day with him and saw it as a gift. This principle is true for each of us; every day is a gift. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I think sometimes we just take for granted that we will have many tomorrows.
Even if God is generous with the amount of days He gives us on earth, life is too short and precious to waste it. It's a gift to be cherished and thankful for; it should be invested...not just spent. I think we'd be wise to slow down just a little. It would be a shame to spend our days stressing about to-do lists and fail to do what really matters.
Written by: Esther Allison
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