Does life ever feel like a long list of to-do items?
As a mom, a lot of my daily activities are fashioned as a routine: Get up, make coffee, work, parent, exercise, cook, decompress, and sleep. I guide, teach, play, adventure, discipline, correct, and hang out with my boy.
It’s all too easy to slip into the monotony of daily life as a toddler mom. Before I was a mom, my routine consisted of a lot more work-oriented tasks, but it was the same structure carrying me from the beginning of the day to the end.
Then—and now—I catch myself checking out. Going through the motions. Like rowing through life or playing the same tired game of hopscotch, I realize that I’m doing everything on autopilot. Physically, I’m drinking my coffee, but mentally, I’m elsewhere. During playtime, I catch myself thinking about work, and during work, I find my mind drifting to adventures and activities with my son.
Life sort of becomes a weird duality, where half of me is living in the moment and the other half is either onto the next thing or living in the last moment.
Is that what God wants for me? For us? It sure doesn’t seem that way! I truly believe our Maker made us to be present and soak up the moments we’re living in. Scripture tells us to do things that involve a certain level of savoring, of slowing down, of being fully present—to “taste and see”, “be still and know”, to ponder, meditate, pause, reflect. Selah.
That way of doing things isn’t quite in keeping with the rigorous routine of a life full of to-dos, I know. But what a difference it makes when we invest ourselves in the moment rather than hanging on to the last thing that happened or preparing for the next event!
God tells us that whatever we do, we should do it heartily as if it’s for the Lord, not for people (add a citation of the Bible verse you are using in parenthesis). I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of times when I wouldn’t be proud of showing up for God the way I show up for my routine, family, work, and passions.
Do you feel the same? Maybe it’s time we slow down and fully invest our hearts in everything we’re doing. Maybe the call to us from our Heavenly Father who rested on the seventh day is to make room to be fully present, fully invested, and wholeheartedly available in each and everything we do.
Now, that’s how I’d be proud showing up for my Creator and for the people and things He’s blessed me with. How about you?
