What is on your Christmas list this year?! Not the list for everyone else. The list for YOU. This is a time of giving thanks and giving to others, but it is also a time to give yourself a gift. The gift of Time.
Look how many times I just used the word- time.
We use it all the time.
Ok I will stop now. Seriously though. We use it in our every day vocabulary.
Stop and think about the word. The definition is this-
“the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”
As a young parent I am just starting to experience the pain of time. It seems as though I can’t hear my almost 5 year old’s little toddler voice.. or my almost three year olds cooing sounds.
This Christmas if I had one wish it would be for Time:
With my family:
They live in North Carolina and we are VERY close. The distance seems excruciating when I let it take over my heart. We always said when Riley turns 5 they will move here or we will move there. We wait. We Trust. We lean on God. It’s not easy. But there is joy in the situation. Thankfulness to have two parents who my family and I love dearly. Who we can call up anytime and just feel loved and can truly be ourselves. Yes we are not able to get together for Christmas, but we can reflect on the relationship we have.
I am blessed.
To Blog:
I wake up one-two hours every morning so I can work on my blogs. I wish I had more time to do the million things that pop in my head with each one of them. I wish I had the time to take blogging from a hobby to a business. Wanting more time… Yet I am blessed. The blogs are growing. A little bit of money is being made and because of this blog right here one of my dreams came true- ( Can’t wait to share it with you all next year ;) I have two beautiful children who come and start their day with me. Two Children who grow every day and my time for blogging gets closer and closer.
I am blessed.
With My Husband:
Date nights are so infrequent. The ones where we actually LEAVE the house. Blame it on the fact that my husband’s family is an hour away and my family is 12 hours away. Or that we are too cheap to pay a babysitter.- (Well we do the YMCA Parents Night Out Once a month- and the Y is not cheap..) But when you go for a long period of time without that date night to reconnect to your spouse and then you have one… You CAN’T STOP WANTING MORE! It crosses a dangerous line. Instead I reflect and Thank God for the time we had together to rekindle the flame of an 11-year relationship.
I am blessed.
To Slow Down:
My days seem long and routine as a stay at home mom. Sometimes I cross that dangerous line of if we had more money I could take them here and there and this and that EVERY day and break this cycle of clean and take care of. But God sees us and takes great value in our everyday actions. There are so many things I can do that build and encourage our relationship without spending a lot of money. They are of course 2 and 4 how much will they remember at this age anyways?! Is the constant activities for me or for them?! Yet in the great span of time I look back and can’t believe my oldest child will be five. I know every single parent can relate. Time flies has never resonated more since having children.
To Be Still:
Right after I graduated college I could NOT stop with the “What will I be?!” How will I look successful to the world? Why the heck did I think that?! The fact that I went into debt to try to obtain a career that would mean something in this world is silly. Time doesn’t stop when you become a parent. Your life doesn’t stop either. Yes many things change when you have children, you change too, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do things you’ve always wanted. You are still living and breathing. God knows your desires. Right before I graduated college I was the manager at Starbucks and then became pregnant. I couldn’t even focus on the fact I was going to be a mother- All I could think about was what will people think of me as a college graduate working as a manager at Starbucks?! I went chasing. I tried to control. The verse that was everywhere in that point of my life was Psalm 46:10.
“Be still and know that I am God. ..”
As big changes comes up in our life I have to remember this very verse. Be still, as my children grow, as life zooms by. Be still. I want to see all of it. Don’t you?
So after writing this post. My Gift of Time I feel has been given. The time to write, reflect and enjoy.
The chance to share with you the importance of each and every day. Every moment.
This Christmas I pray that you are healed, reminded of how very much you are loved, and the freedom of just living. Living without baggage, burdens, constant pain, sorrow. I pray this season you choose Joy. You choose time.
Time. Ah, I feel you on this. If only I could have more than 24 hours in a day. Often I found my Bible study would fall to the wayside, but I’ve recently committed to reading a little bit of my Bible everyday. I’ve noticed it has helped me feel less stress. I still may not get everything on my to do list finished, but the daily scripture reading eases the stress. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Chelsey I totally agree that when I spend 10 minutes in the morning reading my daily devotion and in prayer the day goes smoother. The stress is at rest and the emotions are under control! Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
Oh yes THIS. Every bit of this post resonates deeply with me!! If only more Time.
I too, am blessed. 🙂
Thanks Chris! Merry Christmas to you and your family!