Moms and Mornings

It’s morning, and the day begins quietly except for the knock, knock, knock on my office door.

I’ve been hiding in here with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and Jesus. Because life is so full of late that I’ve been leaving little margins on my paper while I clutter the entire page of each day with scribbles those around me can’t read clearly.

This morning, the knock is persistent.

“Yes, son?”

“I’m so hungry. Can I make some breakfast?”

He’s too young to cook so I ask him to wait, but give him a snack. And I get lost in my musings the next second.

Knock, knock, knock—again.

“May I have peanut butter on my apple?”

The day is off. Already my mind is swarming with what needs to be done and what will happen whether or not anything gets done. I will load the car with kids and take them swimming, then return in time to host a houseful of guests. This morning I choose between laundry, cooking, and cleaning—perhaps all three?

The kids will have a list with chores to accomplish before the fun begins, and I will be buzzing about like some bee that’s just been mortally wounded, trying to get the house ready and food prepared.

And then, it will hit me. I did this yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. I did this last year, and the year before, and the year before that.

The floor never stays clean, and the garage fills with more recycle garbage in a few weeks. No one really knows how hard I worked and no one really cares that I kept the yard spotless.

What they remember, and what I will remember in years to come, are things of the heart. I’ll say, “Remember the year we learned to spend more time together?” Or, “Remember the year we all learned to apologize?”

“Remember the summer we sat in the living room talking about life, the importance of a relationship with Jesus, and how to have one?”

Mothers and wives, the rush of today will never fill our quest for the meaning of tomorrow.

The moments we give to God help bring us to the eternity we get to spend with God.

Moments with God don’t have to be alone, quiet, with stevia sweetened coffee and a Bible. Moments with God can be all moments in the day.

Because when God is first, the page of your day won’t merely be filled with pursuits for present gratification. When you walk with God, you are quick to deny your small desires for a greater good. You look ahead, and you look behind, and you determine how today will make your goals for tomorrow become reality.

When you’re sitting in that chair with a greying head, pondering life and how you lived it, you won’t be sorry you paused the rush to grab a Bible and show your kids the way.

You’ll be truly glad you stewarded the gifts God gave you, rather than rushed through life ignoring His hand pressing your heart to be, do, and dare.

When you hear of your kids’ grown-up lives, you’ll be glad you took time for them—because now, you would love them to take time for you.

And as you sit, with the presence of Christ satisfying even your later years, you’ll be so glad you allowed Him to remove the clutter from your page, align the words correctly, and leave a clear margin at the side.

Let little boys knock on your door repeatedly for peanut butter, and let your brain begin to swirl with a hundred demands on your day. Then, take a deep breath and remember the most important things you will remember in the years ahead.

Give your moments to eternity, for in a short time, eternity will have overtaken even the comprehension of this moment in time.

Live well, for in a short blip, when time as it is, ends, you will know the meaning of being fully alive. Jesus wants that life to permeate us now and only to continue, then.

Let eternity begin in your heart today—then, bring eternity to the hearts of all those around you.