There seem to be two reoccurring situations in my life where the phrase "just a minute" becomes a never-ending mantra to which I cling desperately.
The first is with my kids. When the inevitable chant of "Mommy, I..." begins...oh, you know the one. It goes something like this: "Mommy, I'm hungry. Mommy, I'm thirsty. Mommy, I want to watch a movie. Mommy, I want to go to the park. Mommy, I want a fruit snack. Mommy, I need to go potty. Mommy, turn the light off. Mommy, open the door. Mommy, close the door." When that begins, my answering lifeline is "Just a minute."
Now, I'll be honest. When I say "just a minute" to my kids, what I really mean is, "I'm hoping I can finish up whatever it is I'm doing before I get to grabbing that third sucker that's going to end up on the carpet or the glass of milk that will end up curdled under your bed." That minute means a currently undetermined length of time that might stretch to infinity if I'm lucky. I'm usually not.
The second is with my workouts. Twice a week I do a high intensity interval training session in which I do a one-minute-on, one-minute-off routine of high intensity exercises like jumping jacks or speed skaters. And when I'm in the one-minute-on, all I say over and over is, "It's just a minute, just a minute, just a minute." And I struggle to not glance over at the timer every two seconds to see just how much of that minute is left.
What amazes me is how the same amount of time can be so different considering the situation. When I'm delaying responding to the constant (and often unnecessary) demands of my children, those sixty seconds race by faster than the speed of light. When I'm working out, struggling for breath and dripping sweat, those sixty seconds are interminable. They never seem to end.
If you're looking for an overall point to all this, well, there really isn't one. Just that time really is relative, even in the mundane day-to-day. That's all I got.
Until next time....
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
March 6, 2014--Focusing in and making each day count
For those of you who may not know, yesterday was Ash Wednesday. It is the day that, for the Christian population, marks the beginning of a 40 day period known as Lent. Without going into a huge bout of theology, let it be simply said that Lent is supposed to be a time of reflection and focus, of prayer and repentance.
Many Christian denominations, most notably the Roman Catholics, either require or suggest that as Christians, we give something up for Lent, thereby denying ourselves something that we really enjoy in order to focus in more on Christ and His ultimate sacrifice for us. Some denominations, like my own, Lutheran, also suggest that rather than giving something up, we add something into our daily lives, be it devotions or Bible studies, etc.
Now, the reason I go into all of this is not to be preachy or to suggest than any reader should or must do any of these things. It is simply a bit of background to give context to what I will say next.
I went to church last night, received my ashes on my forehead and listened to my pastor give an excellent sermon. I also listened to his suggestions about what I might do differently during Lent to focus in on what's really important, specifically Christ's presence in my life. And it really got me thinking that in many aspects of my life, I've lost focus on what's really important. Not just spiritually, although that too is an issue. But mentally, physically, when it comes to my kids. Last night made me realize that I really needed to buckle down in a lot of areas, take a hard look at my priorities and make some changes.
As many of you know, I am a proclaimed Christian. I make no effort to hide that facet of my life. I know that many people, some of my readers probably included, don't have the best opinions of Christians overall, because of the hypocrisy and prejudice that unfortunately seems to dominate popular "Christian" opinion these days. But that is part of the reason why it is so important for me to make the Christian aspect of my life a higher day-to-day priority. Because the hypocrisy and the prejudice and the hatred is not what being a Christian is supposed to be about. And if people like me, who don't believe that way, don't stand up and make our voices heard, we're not doing what Christ bid us to do.
Christ bid us to love God and to love one another. He did not tell us to go out and judge those who are different than us. He told us to teach, to offer encouragement, to love and support. To include, not exclude. Unfortunately, that is not the message that the non-Christian world seems to be receiving. And that is a very depressing thought for me.
And so spiritually, the best thing I can do, for both myself and others, is to focus in on Christ's presence in my life so that it can be reflected in others'. To spend more time in Scripture. To remember to pray, not only when things get really rough, but also in the good times. To remember that God is responsible for all of the blessings in my life, not just fixing the problems in my life.
As for the other aspects of my life, well, they need some changes too.
I can do more as a wife and a mother. I can focus more on being helpful and supportive to my husband and being a better parent to my children. I'm really not sure why I didn't know this, or maybe it's just been that up until this point I've been spoiled, seeing as my kids have just naturally seemed to behave well. But they're both toddlers now, and the battles are starting. Til now, I haven't fought very hard to win them and that's a problem. I'm the parent. They're the children. It's my job--the burden is on me--to make the right decisions for them, even when it's not what they want. Because I know what's best for them, when they can't at two and three, have any idea what's best for them.
I need to stop using stress as an excuse to cheat on my goal to get healthy. I have to stop using the fact that I'm tired or I'm stressed as the reason for why I didn't work out today (or for the last week for that matter) or the reason that I'm guzzling soda just as quickly as I can. I've worked too hard to make the progress I have and it still amazes me how easily and quickly I can fall off the wagon. And stay off it for longer than is acceptable. I am always going to be tired. There is always going to be stress in my life. I have to learn to handle it better. And handling it better, for me at least, ties into focusing in spiritually. Handling it better means praying for strength and for patience and for determination. Handling it better means really focusing in on and believing that God is in control and is going to take care of me and my family. He will provide for us everything we need, whether Chaz gets paid or not.
It's all connected. Each aspect plays into another, so to change one, I really do have to change them all. I have to start focusing on what's really important in my life. Christ. My husband. My kids. My health. Money comes and goes. But time can't be retrieved. There's no getting it back. So each day has to count. And I haven't been making them count.
So, here's to trying harder to make each day count.
Until next time...
Many Christian denominations, most notably the Roman Catholics, either require or suggest that as Christians, we give something up for Lent, thereby denying ourselves something that we really enjoy in order to focus in more on Christ and His ultimate sacrifice for us. Some denominations, like my own, Lutheran, also suggest that rather than giving something up, we add something into our daily lives, be it devotions or Bible studies, etc.
Now, the reason I go into all of this is not to be preachy or to suggest than any reader should or must do any of these things. It is simply a bit of background to give context to what I will say next.
I went to church last night, received my ashes on my forehead and listened to my pastor give an excellent sermon. I also listened to his suggestions about what I might do differently during Lent to focus in on what's really important, specifically Christ's presence in my life. And it really got me thinking that in many aspects of my life, I've lost focus on what's really important. Not just spiritually, although that too is an issue. But mentally, physically, when it comes to my kids. Last night made me realize that I really needed to buckle down in a lot of areas, take a hard look at my priorities and make some changes.
As many of you know, I am a proclaimed Christian. I make no effort to hide that facet of my life. I know that many people, some of my readers probably included, don't have the best opinions of Christians overall, because of the hypocrisy and prejudice that unfortunately seems to dominate popular "Christian" opinion these days. But that is part of the reason why it is so important for me to make the Christian aspect of my life a higher day-to-day priority. Because the hypocrisy and the prejudice and the hatred is not what being a Christian is supposed to be about. And if people like me, who don't believe that way, don't stand up and make our voices heard, we're not doing what Christ bid us to do.
Christ bid us to love God and to love one another. He did not tell us to go out and judge those who are different than us. He told us to teach, to offer encouragement, to love and support. To include, not exclude. Unfortunately, that is not the message that the non-Christian world seems to be receiving. And that is a very depressing thought for me.
And so spiritually, the best thing I can do, for both myself and others, is to focus in on Christ's presence in my life so that it can be reflected in others'. To spend more time in Scripture. To remember to pray, not only when things get really rough, but also in the good times. To remember that God is responsible for all of the blessings in my life, not just fixing the problems in my life.
As for the other aspects of my life, well, they need some changes too.
I can do more as a wife and a mother. I can focus more on being helpful and supportive to my husband and being a better parent to my children. I'm really not sure why I didn't know this, or maybe it's just been that up until this point I've been spoiled, seeing as my kids have just naturally seemed to behave well. But they're both toddlers now, and the battles are starting. Til now, I haven't fought very hard to win them and that's a problem. I'm the parent. They're the children. It's my job--the burden is on me--to make the right decisions for them, even when it's not what they want. Because I know what's best for them, when they can't at two and three, have any idea what's best for them.
I need to stop using stress as an excuse to cheat on my goal to get healthy. I have to stop using the fact that I'm tired or I'm stressed as the reason for why I didn't work out today (or for the last week for that matter) or the reason that I'm guzzling soda just as quickly as I can. I've worked too hard to make the progress I have and it still amazes me how easily and quickly I can fall off the wagon. And stay off it for longer than is acceptable. I am always going to be tired. There is always going to be stress in my life. I have to learn to handle it better. And handling it better, for me at least, ties into focusing in spiritually. Handling it better means praying for strength and for patience and for determination. Handling it better means really focusing in on and believing that God is in control and is going to take care of me and my family. He will provide for us everything we need, whether Chaz gets paid or not.
It's all connected. Each aspect plays into another, so to change one, I really do have to change them all. I have to start focusing on what's really important in my life. Christ. My husband. My kids. My health. Money comes and goes. But time can't be retrieved. There's no getting it back. So each day has to count. And I haven't been making them count.
So, here's to trying harder to make each day count.
Until next time...
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