Monday, January 14, 2013

God gave me a story, so go find a toy to play with because Mommy’s busy

God gave me a story, so go find a toy to play with because Mommy’s busy

And he said to them, “Do not hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.” Genesis 24:56 

The Bible has a great way of speaking right to my heart and this verse caught me the other day. Sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—I let the pressure of family responsibility and my desire to write write, write, write get all muddled in my head and stress me out.

“God gave me a story, so go find a toy to play with because Mommy’s busy.”

Alarm bells ring. That little nudge of the Holy Spirit that says my priorities aren’t straight. Because while I might not have actually SAID that to my kids (and my husband!), I’ve certainly thought it.

I love that I have a story to tell, something to focus on at any given moment. I have a career flexible enough to fit around my life to such an extent it still feels like fun, even though recently I’ve actually earned some money doing it. (Gasp!)

But there’s still a danger zone where sometimes I’d rather be writing than making dinner or changing a diaper. I have to refocus my mind and remember what my priorities are. That doesn’t mean I have to set ‘work’ aside, I can read a book about the writing craft while I hang out and the kids are playing school, packing their pretend backpacks and getting on an imaginary bus.

And like most things, it’s not so much the ‘doing’ but the heart behind the doing. That’s what God has been teaching me lately. Mostly it doesn’t matter if you’re volunteering in ministry, serving food at a soup kitchen or sitting in your living room having your arm bandaged because you have a pretend owie.

What matters is where your heart is…

Is it right there in the moment?
Or is it off in your story, or your dreams for tomorrow, or the better days already gone by?

Following those well-known verses, Proverbs 3:5-6, is this:

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones. Prov 3:7-8
That’s the key, I think. To not be wise in your own eyes, your own opinion. Let how you see God be the filter through which you look at your life. Stressed out people aren’t healthy. Nor are people who rush, worry, dither, fret or run around trying to do everything at once. People who have their priorities straight sleep better. 
I guess I'm a work in progress!!

How about you?
Have you tried looking at your life through who God is to you? How do you stay true to your priorities when you really want to be doing something else?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. :)

Visit Lisa Phillips... http://www.lisaphillipsbks.com/


3 comments:

Jennifer K. Hale said...

Love this, Lisa. I struggle with the constant tug-of-war between writing and family, too. Sometimes I can balance it, and sometimes I realize that my kids have watched entirely too much TV for the day.

Until they are grown and have all moved out, I don't think I'll ever find the perfect "balance", but I believe that if God has given me the story now, it will still be there later, when I can get around to it. The kiddos will only be little once. :)

Heather@CreativeFamilyMoments said...

Great post. How do I stay true to my priorities? Reminders like this one. And frequently. Thank you!

Fliterary said...

Thank you, ladies!
It is a struggle, especially since right now I have one in part time school and the other not yet old enough for preschool. That will be a great gift of time, later when they're both full time school.
It's all seasons, isn't it!
And now is a precious time.

God bless you both!

Lisa