'Tis the Season

Sunday morning I woke up busting at the seams with joy.  I kept looking at my family all silly and happy getting ready for church and just couldn't wipe the grin off my face.  I whispered a heartfelt thank you to God, and all just felt right in my little world.

Then lunch happened.

 Meet trouble and her sidekick.

After church we went to eat with our house church (our small group that meets for Bible study on Wednesday nights).  I missed the first half of lunch while I was nursing the baby in the car and came in to find out that while Eriek was ordering food the girls nearly tore the place down in their hungry toddler frenzy.  While I was eating with one hand, Zadok spit up on my other arm. One of my friends held him while I cleaned myself up and finished eating, but he wouldn't settle down.  So, I took him back and was bouncing him around, while the girls were running amok, and Eriek was off getting cookies.  I passed off the baby to another friend so I could take Arella to the bathroom and came back to find out that Zadok had a BLOW OUT on this poor girl who has now just had her first real baby experience.  Off I went back to the bathroom to clean up my messy little man and give him a quick wardrobe change.  By the time I walked back to our table, EVERYONE had left.

I felt so defeated.  I felt so stressed out.  I felt so frustrated that I couldn't even enjoy a lunch with our friends.  I felt like giving up and never leaving my house again.

Then I remembered something that humbled me and reminded me that this is my season.  A new friend of mine wrote this blog post that I needed to hear but didn't want to accept.  I've always been a tough, do-it-myselfer, overachiever type.  Surprising, right?  But when I read the beginning of that post, it could've easily been me in that young mom's place, wishing for more than the diaper trenches of life.

However, this is my season in life right now.  Don't get me wrong, it's an exciting, joyous, captivating, fulfilling and completely awesome season!  But at times it's also exhausting, defeating, stressful, dirty and did I mention exhausting?

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

The grass is always greener though, right?  We so often long for the next season of life or the next big thing that we usually forget to just be present and intentional in this moment.  We forget to find contentment wherever we are. 

"...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

While we run the race of life, it's easy to get caught up in the competition and begin to sprint.  But life is a marathon, and we have to wisely pace and nourish ourselves to finish strong.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34

I do absolutely love this season of my life.  But when I'm sinking in the day's quicksand, it is nice to be thrown a log reminding me that it is, after all, only a season.

This charmer helps to melt away any rough days.