PURPOSE

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

What message do you hear when you read this verse? What promise from God do you see in this verse? What truths about God jump off the page and into your heart?

I want to encourage you today in your purpose. I know sometimes it can feel like you accomplish a whole bunch of nothing some days. I know there are days when you look back and realize you have wasted time. It is funny how in that moment of dilly-dallying, (very technical term, I know!) it does not seem like that big of a deal or that big of a problem. But I know we do not want to look back and regret how we spend our time. Are we maximizing our minutes or are we letting them slip into an oblivion of “blah”?

I turn thirty four this month. Ahhhh! My youngest son just turned three. I have officially graduated from changing diapers. I have either given away or neatly packed away the baby clothes for someone else to use or for my future grandsons or granddaughters to wear. (long shot I know….the granddaughters thing being that we have eleven boys on our side of the family) Anyway, the last seven years, I have at times felt like my time was not my own. Let me be clear, I would not change this for anything because my time was spent caring for, loving, and taking care of my three little boys. Babies to big boys. In the midst of it, sometimes I was in survival mode….lots of coffee, power naps, and help from grandparents. My kiddos were not the best sleepers as babies and so I plowed through some days with every ounce of strength I could muster up, leaning on the Lord for energy. Sometimes the only prayer I felt like I had time to pray was, “Lord, give me the energy I need for this day.” My prayer requests were about sleep, ear infections, potty training, and did I mention sleep? Mommyhood is a full time job. There are no “days off”. We are always “on-call”. We start to get used to going to sleep not knowing whether we will sleep all night, wake up once or twice, or be up all night with a sick little one. But somehow, in the midst of this blurriness and fatigue, I realized that my days had purpose because I was pouring into three little hearts….three little hearts that are incredibly precious to God. Three little hearts that need to know that their lives have a purpose and that they are loved by the God of the universe. If you are still in those precious years of raising little hearts, which I still feel like I am – their hearts are just getting a little bigger and in a different phase – then I want to encourage you in this season. When you feel like your time is not your own, remember that the littlest things are helping someone. Even when you feel unnoticed, God notices you. I want to encourage you to pray through each detail. Each day, as tired as you are, has purpose. Believe it. Of course, as moms, we all hear to enjoy every moment because they grow up so fast! I remember at times feeling guilty because I wanted them to grow up a tiny bit faster so that I could sleep all night. :-) I know, sister, when you are in it, sometimes you are just trying to survive through it. I am praying for those weary moms. You are doing so great. And anyone who needs prayer for sleep, email me, because I have been there and I know what the lack of sleep feels like, and I would love to pray for you.

And if you are trying to have a baby or are pregnant with your first baby, my intention WAS NOT to discourage you in the journey! This Mommy thing is one of the most special purposes you will ever have.

I think I am feeling a little sentimental that the baby phase is over….a little sad, but so grateful to be past some of the hard stuff. All of the sudden, I have more time. It is so crazy! I pretty much sleep all night every night! I have big chunks of free time each day. I am still a Mommy, but I have space to grow, to learn, to seek the Lord. Now, I have a choice in how I spend my time. I am realizing, I can choose to waste my minutes or I can choose to maximize my minutes. How I spend my time either makes me a better mommy and wife, or it doesn’t!

Today’s verse reminds you and me that every day of our life was ordained by God and written in His book before one of them came to be. This means that each day has purpose. Each day is important. How do we make each day matter? Pray about it, seek His guidance, and live moment by moment in His grace and love. He will help you. He will guide. There is a God in heaven who loves you and has a purpose for your life that only you can do. Come into this unexpected place of desperate dependence on Jesus. Talk to Him about the things that distract you from your daily purpose. Ask Him how to maximize each day so that you can  accomplish the things you need to accomplish and love the people you need to love. He will guide you in this and it will transform your life.

I recently took a master ballet class, and the teacher emphasized that we need to care about every detail down to the placement of our feet or the tilt of our head. To really make something out of every movement of our dancing and to really care about each detail….that that is what makes a great dancer. I wished I could have pulled out a notepad and written down how he said it because it came across more elequently than I can remember. But I could not help but relate it to our lives. What if we were intentional about every detail…about how we spend our minutes?

There is a website particularly for weary moms that I highly recommend that helps women, or anyone for that matter, maximize their mornings so that they can maximize their moments, their days, and therefore their lives in order to glorify God with their lives.
(inspiredtoaction.com)….check it out.

Prayer: “Dear Lord, thank you for where you have me right now in this phase of life. Show me where I need to maximize my minutes. Show me where I am wasting time. Remind me that each day has a purpose whether I am working a full-time job, changing diapers and working on potty training, cleaning my house, rehearsing for an upcoming performance, or playing basketball with my kiddos. Help me choose to maximize the minutes. I know there will be days where I do not use my moments well….thank You that I can fall back on Your grace.  Thank You for loving me as far as the east is from the west. Thank You for giving me purpose.”