Every morning my 3-year-old wakes up and asks two questions 1) Is it morning? 2) Is it Friday? And then those six days of the week where I have to disappoint him with the “No, it isn’t Friday yet” answer he gets very disappointed. Being only 3, he has very little concept of time other than knowing when he waits a long time, then a lot of time has passed. My guess is he knows the weekend starts with Friday when Daddy doesn’t have to work anymore…or when I let them watch cartoons in the morning. Either way, he lives for Fridays (don’t we all) even without really grasping the concept.
Wishing Away The Present
Are you living in the present or are you living in some sort of constant cycle of longing for what’s next? Your next “Friday” so to speak? I know I have been guilty of this many times in life. I am really good at saying, “I can’t wait for __________ ,” and looking right past the present.
When I was graduating from college and set to get married that next Fall, I couldn’t wait for school to end so I could move on to the next chapter. In all of my 3 pregnancies, I counted down every second until I would meet that precious baby. When my husband and I were dating in college we went on separate summer-long mission trips where we couldn’t see each other or even talk. I had a countdown to our reunion going the whole time. And even now, as I write this and we wait to sell our house, I CAN’T WAIT to see what home we will live in next. I hate to think of all the precious moments and blessings I missed at those times because I was only looking at the future.
Don’t Wait For Friday To Love Your Right Now
Being totally satisfied in the present moment does not come naturally to humans. We live in an era of instant gratification. We want something, we add it to our cart, and it arrives at our doorstep 48 hours later. Or we hop in our car and head over to Target and find what we are looking for, and then some. When we have to wait for our “Friday” we get frustrated and miss out on the present blessings. Pregnancy is a long wait, but God designed it that way on purpose. We mothers (and fathers) need that wait. We need to grow that perfect baby miracle and if it comes out too soon, there are complications. The wait is often hard, but it is always good.
Today I was listening to the radio and the Jeremy Camp song, “Keep Me In The Moment” came on and it was perfect:
Throw away what I’m chasing after
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me (what you have for me)
Oh, keep me in the moment
Keep me in the moment
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me (oh)…
Look For Silver Linings
I pray we can all make an effort to “keep me in the moment”. Every season is hard. I remember wishing away toddlerhood with 3 boys, ages 4 and under because I just want it to get easier. But you know what I ‘ve learned? The newborn stage and ages 1 and 2 have been some of my most fun parenting moments so far (and busiest!). And I KNOW everyone that was stuck in lockdown during COVID-19 spent a lot of time talking about, “When this is over…” I did too. A lot. But I also took it all in and really enjoyed the family time and having my husband around to help. Waiting is hard, but don’t miss out on God’s present blessings. Look for those silver linings, I promise they are there!
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)