Sometimes people say they don't know how I do it. I get embarrassed because so many things get left undone in the course of a day. I love my life but a lot of the time I feel like I'm failing and doing a terrible job at what I'm supposed to be doing. Somehow, I think acknowledging that it is the hardest thing I've ever done might take away some of the glory from God or make me sound like I'm complaining, which I don't want to do, so I don't often talk about the hard parts of my job.
There are dishes, floors that constantly need to be swept, fights to break up, lessons to teach, clothes to wash, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, diapers that need changing, nails that need trimmed, piles of paper, meals to be planned and shopped for, toilets that need attention, I could go on and on but you get the idea.
Yes, it is a lot. It is a busy life. Several years ago a couple of my friends gave me the best advice that has stuck with me and come to mind so many times.
My friends told me not to look at other people and feel condemnation because I don't think I could do what they do. They said that line of thinking is wrong. I probably couldn't do what you're doing because God hasn't given me the Grace to accomplish those specific things. He has given me the Grace to accomplish what He's asked me to do and He's given you the Grace to accomplish what He's asked you to do. His Grace fills in the gaps where our human hands leave holes.
Creating spaces that fill me up is something that I can do even in the midst of the busyness and messes. This morning my son looked at me and said, "Mom, are you OK? Do you need a drink?" I'm assuming he was asking if I needed some coffee but I also know it's 5 o'clock somewhere. Funny moments like this are part of each and every day of mine.
Keeping God's Word and encouraging books near are also part of my every day. I think it is so important to stay encouraged and to continually be filling my thoughts with pure and holy things. The hard stuff fights to crowd out all of my thoughts. Replacing it with the good and lovely takes me being proactive. It comes in 5 minutes here and 10 interrupted minutes there.
