One of my favorite things to do is garden. I have several small gardens around my yard and each Spring I cannot wait to get outside and nurture the plants. I start with cleaning off the dead at the end of April and plant annuals and new perennials at the beginning of May. Then, I try to keep the weeds at bay. Unfortunately, I was not able to work in my gardens until today. As I pulled the weeds in an effort to find my lovely perennials I realized how much they represented my life.
Have you ever piled your plate so high that only a little bit of everything gets done and some things go to the wayside? With three children and their activities, a wonderful husband, full-time job outside the home, church committees, writing, extended family and friends, social events and the musicals, I’ve allowed myself to become so busy that I didn’t know if I am coming or going. In all of this, I’ve gotten away from reading: novels, devotionals and the Bible, with the exception of planning my Sunday School lesson and worshiping in church.
My life needs to be weeded as much as my garden. I need to limit the amount of time I spend on the unimportant and more on the important – prayer and family. Once the weeds are gone, my focus will return, as it did today when I realized what I had been missing. It may sound crazy, but this is often a time when I renew my spirit. This is when my mind doesn’t have to focus on what I am doing, but opens and I ask God the important question – what do you want me to do for You? Perhaps this is why everything has seemed overwhelming of late. I’ve been so busy doing that I forgot to be led.
Does this just happen to me, or have you had occasions where your life is so full of weeds you lose focus of what is most important?
Oh, all the time. I keep having to weed and refocus. And my gardens are in terrible state at this moment, they need weeding too! May we both find our focus and discern what to let slide for a season.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sure this happens to me. Not with actual activities outside the house because I'm careful to not overburden myself (lol, I hate being busy) but I still misprioritize things. I think it's awesome that you stop and ask God what He wants you to do. I hope I remember to do that more often.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous you know how to garden. Or that you want to. It's such a natural, earthy thing that I like to think about but don't actually do. :-) Hope you find those perennials!
I am right there with you. Actually just the other day God whispered to me, "Slow down" and then he had to speak a little louder, "Slow down" and finally I think he found a way to yell it (in a loving voice of course) "SLOW DOWN."
ReplyDeleteSo I am hearing you in this post!
~ Wendy
Hey, Amy: Keli Gwyn is looking for you because you won a book off her blog On the Path to Publication. Hope you get over there and claim it!
ReplyDeleteEileen, my focus has become more clear. However, the weeding is not done. I don't think it ever is.
ReplyDeleteJessica, the perennials are almost all uncovered. The poor things were straining for light. And I am more relaxed than I have been in a very long time. Weeding is a very good thing, as long as I can avoid the poison ivy - grrr.
ReplyDeleteWendy, that is awesome. I love whispers from God. It is the best thing in the entire world :).
ReplyDeleteEileen, Thanks for letting me know. When I comment, I never expect to win anything. That was exciting.
ReplyDeleteAt your stage of life, I was constantly overwhelmed... I had a purse that a good friend gave to me that was embroidered with these words: "If a mother's place is in the home... why am I always in the car?" Seemed like I was always on the way to somewhere and rarely even got to make a short layover at the house.
ReplyDeleteI got older... I realized how little time I may have left to walk this earth. I realized how many promises I had made to God about the things I would help Him do for some of his other children. I recognized how many of those things were left undone. I realized how much I longed to have uninterruped conversations with Him... with my husband...my children...myself. And I took the pruning shears to my activities.
Since then, life has been serene and sweet indeed...
There is a season for everything. Too often we try to plant our peas in the fall... they won't grow then. We need to wait for the appropriate season. Perhaps there is another time in your life for you to do some of what you're trying to do now. I can tell you to savor each and evry moment with your children that you can. The season for mothering young children is the most fleeting of all. Your days with them will be memories before you know it. Whatever you do, don't crowd them into a day that has become overscheduled with other things. Keep your memories of watching them grow unfetterd by regret.