Gaining Perspective

A friend of mine drew me to the quote, 'Life is 10% events, and 90% your reaction", by Craig DeMartino. This is so true. Though we don't have much control of the events of our lives we do have control over how we handle ourselves and react to those events.


Today I was thinking about how everyone gets so excited for Friday. I see facebook status reports all the time, "Hooray for Friday" "TGIF" etc.  Well, what is so great about Friday? It seems just like any other day. Sure, sometimes we get to wear casual clothing at work, but we are still at work. Right? For me, the reason that Fridays are exciting is because it means that Saturday is around the corner. Saturday means rest. Therefore, it's not truly Friday that is great. It's HOPE! Friday means HOPE!


After a busy week of wrangling my little guys, working, cleaning, doing dishes, laundry and a million other little things, I am ready for a day where I don't have to be anywhere. Though some work is obviously required (can't just not feed my boys), I get to slow it down a bit. I am ready for a day where I can wear my sweats all day, and not brush my hair. Don't worry, I do brush my teeth. So when I hold on to the hope that tomorrow will bring a break, I find energy and purpose to make it through.


With this thought in mind I realize how important it is for me to hold on to the hope that I have in Christ.
Hebrews 10:22-26 sum up my thoughts for the day:


Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


I chose to react to the events of today with the thoughts of tomorrow in mind. If only I could live every day as if it were Friday. All of the sudden the daily tasks that often feel insurmountable might seem more attainable. My reactions to my sons might be a little more patient, a little less stressed out. When I set my eyes on the hope I have in the Lord it turns a hard day into a Friday. Though I still have to make it through the day I have hope that tomorrow will bring rest.


Ultimately because of my hope in Him, my reactions to life's events come out a whole lot different than they do when I lose sight and look at the day as if it were just another Monday.  

Light Bulbs

The light bulb in my son's room has been burnt out for about two weeks now. Every time I go in there I think how much I wish my hubby would change the light. But, as soon as the thought enters my mind, it finds it's way back out. I have forgotten 7 times a day for two weeks to simply ask him to go in there and change that ceiling fan light bulb. I know he would if I ask, I have about a bazillion other things rolling around in my mind, and forget about this one when we sit down to talk.

This reminds me how easy it is to loose sight of our needs as mothers and wives. Especially when there has been a huge transition such as a newborn entering the scene. As we run from feeding one child to the other, dash to do the dishes, and turn around to do that third load of laundry for the week, while also trying to find time to get in 20 hours of work (even if it is working from home), it is really easy to lose sight of the fact that though we may think we are a step above Superman himself, we just might have needs too.

I need to hear that I'm appreciated, I need to be allowed to sit for 10 minutes without anyone demanding anything of me, I need to be listened to, I need to sit in silence, I need time with the Lord.

If you are a new mother or not, if you've gone through a transition or major change in life or if you just feel like you are working to survive this life, take a minute to "check the light bulbs" of your heart. Though we often think about the things that we might need to keep going, we often put them on the back burner and forget about them in the daily grind.

Don't be afraid to bring these needs to the Lord. He is the master electrician of the wiring of our hearts. He is more than able to bring light to whatever has gone out. Whether literal bulbs, or time alone, our creator knows what we need. He is our creator and sustainer, and he wants to give us rest.

By the way, my dear husband did discover the light bulb on his own yesterday and informed me that it's OK to ask for help, in fact he encouraged it. :) The Lords doing? Yeah, I pretty much think so. He takes care of me, even if it is just a light bulb!