As mamas of little ones, our time is stretched thin, isn’t
it? The demands are many. We are busy with a myriad of roles: mother, teacher,
housekeeper, nurse, cook… Our time
alone is scant. And while I have learned to fully embrace this season with joy
and to delight in the moments of chaos, I still often lament the lack of
quiet. I ache for quiet mornings to
spend with my Bible and my God. I miss
reflective cups of tea and hours of journaling and prayer. I was perusing The Power of A Praying Parent
and wishing I had the time to pray the many prayers included in the book.
But, you know what? Maybe I do have the time. Maybe you do,
too. Maybe we mamas need to recapture the time we’ve been given. I read a quote
by John Piper, whose writings I love. He said, “One of the great uses of Twitter
and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from
lack of time.”
Personally, Erik and I don’t use Facebook. But, that doesn’t
mean I don’t catch myself lamenting my own prayerlessness while blithely
wasting time in other ways. I realized
the other day that in a space of restful afternoon quiet, I had squandered
fifteen minutes looking at Land’s End school uniforms. I can easily follow a blog link a friend sent
by email and waste precious moments in idly scanning. I can pick up a novel instead of my Bible. I
can choose cleaning over Christ.
It is not wrong to relax by looking at Facebook, or to
connect with a friend by reading a blog. It isn’t wrong for me to work
diligently at having a tidy home. But I
am realizing how often I choose something other than prayer. Something other
than Jesus. I complain because I don’t have time – and then I don’t prioritize
the time I do have. When my big girls
rest for thirty minutes in the afternoon, I race around doing chores. Maybe I
should brew that tea, open that journal, and meet with Jesus for a few minutes.
And then- invite them to help me with the chores I missed.
I want to recapture my time and keep my priorities in their
proper alignment. Will you join me? :)
