It’s been a year. Like a long clip going back 12 months for many trials and suffering reasons in my space of parenting young adults. Of course, an abundance of blessings also fueled the recent journey, but none of us can side-step the pre-packaged challenges of raising kids at every age and stage. Just when we think we know something, the universe reminds us we don’t. So, there’s that.
But the beauty of having to tough our way through life sometimes is knowing every 24 hours a new day comes along. God guarantees this truth. And the creator of time whispered a message about all things rising and setting of the sun in relation to momhood and asked me to share the insight forward.
First, I sat with the concept myself and breathed the wisdom into my world for a bit to see if my perspective on the ebb and flow of motherhood changed. The early results are in, and all signs point to a better outlook. I suppose I could have guessed God would be right.
How often do we wish away minutes in the chaos when our days are long and nights are longer? Then how quick are we to shake a fist at mother time for erasing years behind our back, leaving us longing for days of old?
When it comes to the ticking of the clock, we often linger in one of two schools of thought: the ‘never enough’ or the ‘never ends” frame of mind—depending on our circumstances. But God reminds us the happy medium is to live in the NOW. To accept, enjoy, deal with, appreciate, and pray through what is right here and right now–no matter what cards are on the table. Doing so guarantees us freedom. Freedom from entanglement over the regrets of the past and worries about the future. Now is all we have. One now moment after another Click & Tweet! Each second of life a precious gift.
So, what are we missing when endless narratives about what could have been or might happen muck up our now moments instead? A lot. Sara Young’s, Jesus Calling, has a devotion which says, “God created a day in 24-hour segments as a gift.” For the first time in 48 years I think I get this. And what a magical blessing this is.
Whether God chose 24 hours or 4 to represent a day makes no difference. The glory is in the dawn. An opportunity to start over when the sun comes up no matter what was wreaking havoc in our world when the sun went down. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Imagine how difficult life would be if our hard days actually ‘never ended.’ Thankfully this will never happen…at least not in clock time. God guarantees a finish point. But worrying will ‘never end’ in our mind if we allow our thoughts free reign. And that’s where the power of now comes into play. When we live in the now, trusting God around everything that is, we will experience hope, joy, and love by default. And even when our now is challenging, we always have an opportunity to regroup when the sun blazes back into view.
I’ve been practicing this mindful nowness in small chunks over the past year. It works. Like magic. My goal is to ditch the training wheels soon (another phrase for giving up control which I CAN’T STAND!) and dive deep into accepting, enjoying, dealing, appreciating, and praying through whatever God puts before me with gratitude and love. I pray you can experience something similar.
We moms work hard. We deserve a clean slate each day. And no matter what happens during each 24 hour segment, God promises to have our back, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34 (NLT)
Let’s live in the NOW, crazy Mommas. Now is all we have. And in the end, isn’t it everything?
If you missed out on the 40 Days to See, Free, and Be LOVE devotional, grab your free copy today!
Photo credit: By Bigroger27509 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Do you or a fellow Momma need some heart encouragement? Subscribe to Shelby’s monthly Grace Notes and receive 3 FREE Chapters of her new book with Lisa Leshaw, “How Are You Feeling, Momma? (You don’t need to say, “I’m fine.”) The two of them share short reflections on their perspective of 31 motherhood emotions, each tied to a specific Psalm. The cool thing is, Shelby is a Jesus groupie and Lisa is a Moses devotee!
Shelby Spear
Shelby is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, Certified Meditation Teacher (CMT), author, freelance writer, speaker, and love enthusiast who is passionate about helping others ‘change the way they look at things so the things they look at change.’ She has numerous stories featured in the national publication, Guideposts. She also has over 160 featured articles at online publications, including Her View From Home, Scary Mommy, Parenting Teens & Tweens, For Every Mom, Love What Matters, and Today. Her book, How Are You Feeling, Momma? (You don’t need to say, “I’m fine.”), co-authored with her dear friend, Lisa Leshaw, recently won the 2020 Publisher’s Weekly Book Life Prize as the finalist in the Inspirational/Spiritual category.
