Finding the time

Have you ever struggled to “get it all done” within the twenty-four hours a day you have? I’ve heard it said people like Ben Franklin had the same 24-hour day we have and look at all he accomplished.

That so does not encourage me.

Then I’ve had this interesting thing keep happening to me recently. A number of people will ask me this question…

“How do I find the time to write???” or “How do you do all you do in a days time?”

My answer… “I wish I knew.” ;-)

Inside I’m looking around my life and wondering what in the world they see. I have dirty dishes, dirty laundry, paint-chipped baseboards, and a to-do list a mile long that’s serving only to collect dust bunnies that have escaped their other normal hangouts.

At the same time, I do have three amazing little girls, a neat house, and two full-time jobs~ homeschool mom and author. I know full well how I have those. God. And a great hubby who takes up the slack when I’m writing.

Now that might seem like a Sunday school answer I tell my students at church not to give. But the truth is, I am who I am and I do what I do only because God has called and equipped me.

Same as you.

Same as ole Mr. Ben Franklin.

We each have the same allotment of 24 hours a day to live the life God created us to live. He’s the one who gives us dreams and then asks us to put them in His hands.

Sometimes fear keeps us sitting on our dreams instead of opening ourselves to what God wants to put there. Sometimes the season of life we’re in requires a little more time in God’s “classroom” before we’re able to step into the reality of the dream He’s dreamed for us.

But regardless of where we are and why, there’s a lesson that holds true every time.

I love The Message translation of Matthew 6:33-34:

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

Don't worry about missing out.

You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

That in a nutshell is how any of us do what we were created to do and excel.

I so needed this reminder from the Word today. I hope it encourages you too.

In case you’re wondering, I do have a longer answer to the question of how I find the time to write. It goes a little something like what I wrote to a fellow mom friend…

“I write mostly on Saturdays and my family has taken up the slack and are awesome encouragers telling me to do what God created me to do. For me I can't not write. It's part of who I am. And for this season it's part of what God has called me to and given me the time to do. I struggle with it though. I think we, as moms, are especially prone to feel guilty about something. I'm learning to stay before the throne of Grace and trust that if He says write, I'll write and entrust all of it to Him.”

To that I’ll add~ homeschooling has taught me a lot about the necessity of personal organization. I don’t follow a “method” because none I’ve read fit me perfectly. But I’ve taken bits and pieces and adapted them to fit my life. For example, my girls have room time or naptime every afternoon for about two hours. They go to bed by 8:30 pm at night. I do my “life stuff” like exercising, emails, keeping our budget, working on Sunday school lessons, and all the odds and ends we all have during that time.

And when Saturday comes, I write.

For twelve awesome hours I get the privilege of pouring out what God has poured into me through the power of a story. My prayer is what comes out will somehow be used to draw others to Him and give my readers a sense that the God of the universe loves them and has a special plan for each of their lives.

The coolest thing to see is God’s people embracing who He created them to be and living out of the fullness we have in Christ. It looks amazing on each one of us.

And different.

But the lesson of finding the time is the same for all of us…

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

He is with you yesterday, today, and forever. One day at a time. Always by your side. Loving the unique person He created in you.

And smiling.

The Dance Revisited

In looking through some old blog posts for a dear friend of mine facing a hard time, I came across an entry entitled The Dance. Reading it again, I knew God took me there to speak to my heart once more like He did the day I typed the first post.

I so needed the reminder.

If you've read The Dance before~ I hope it will encourage you all over again and remind you to keep dancing.

If you haven't read it~ my prayer is that the Lord speaks directly to your heart words that will serve as an invitation...

To Dance.

There's a line from my story in Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living: Diabetes that won't leave me alone. It says: Dance. Even when life hurts. It's better than the alternative.

I've talked a lot about dances on this blog and in the youth discipleship group I loved leading: the fear dance, The Great Dance, and in my newly published story, "Dancing with Diabetes". All of these share a common element of comparing hard things in life to a dance.

One of my favorite songs from college does the same thing. It’s a Garth Brooks song called "The Dance." Like the author of this song, I shared a dance with someone that left me alone holding a broken heart. Listen to these lines:

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared ‘neath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right
How could I have known that you’d ever say goodbye.

And now, I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance.

Holding you, I held everything
For a moment wasn’t I a king
But if I’d only known how the king would fall
Hey who’s to say, you know I might have chanced it all.

And now, I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance.

I know life is not left to chance. But it is better left in the hands of our loving God who knows best. Even when what He decides hurts.

Truth be told, I had no business staying with the guy that left me brokenhearted. God warned me to get out of the relationship and finally showed me the truth I didn’t want to see. But like a lot of painful things in my life, God has proven He truly does work all things for good.

He’s the author of the Dance. My dance. And yours.

There are so many times I’d like to sit this dance out. Like when my diabetes is out of control or when things in my marriage hurt. But if I truly believe God is good, I have to keep dancing, even when life hurts. Why? Because I know from experience God has something to show me. Something good.

I was reading a chapter in my writer’s devotional on being like Peter, my all-time favorite Bible character. To anyone who knows me well this is no surprise. ;-) I’m so like brash, bold, impetuous, loud Peter. I only hope God has great things in store for me like He did for Peter.

Every time I hang out with my three princesses or my Bible study girls, I know for sure He does. They remind me God has a good plan.

They also help me to remember the dance is worth every step. Even the ones that hurt.

Back to Peter. Here are some of the quotes that hit me so hard as I read. Quotes that led me to thinking about this dance of life.

“Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” 1 Peter 4:7 NIV

“Keep on doing what is right and trust yourself to the God who made you, for He will never fail you.” 1 Peter 4:19

And the final line from today’s devotion: “He has chosen us and will equip us so that, through the words we write and the lives we live, we will effectively be able to ‘show to others how God called [us] out of the darkness into His wonderful light’” 1 Peter 2:9

Those verses challenge me. First to keep my mouth shut when I’m angry so that my rash words don’t bring further damage in a tough situation. Something I’m still learning and failing at more than I succeed. But I’m learning. I’m a glorious mess. God is so getting that point across to me.

Second, those verses challenge me to trust myself to God because He will never fail me. People will. But that’s not an excuse to sit this dance out. To withhold forgiveness. Or to refuse to love.

That’s hard. Hard on a good day and even more difficult when I’m looking at the surrounding storm, watching the waves. And sinking.

Not only is Peter my favorite Bible character, but his story of walking on the waves is also my favorite place to go for encouragement.

God called Peter into that storm and out of the boat.

And even though he started to sink, God was there to rescue Peter.

Me too.

When I listen. When I dance. And more often than that, my awesome Daddy pursues me when I’m trying not to listen and instead working hard to sit things out in disobedience.

I don’t believe I’m alone in that. Peter and I aren’t the only ones that focused on the waves and sank. Right?

Wherever you are, whether enjoying a great dance, or trying to sit one out, please listen closely to the Father’s outstretched hands and love-filled command to “Come.”

You see, He’s playing your song.

Don’t sit this one out. Because when this dance lesson is over, we’ll be dancing for all eternity to the perfect rhythm of grace, in the arms of our Perfect Partner.

So dance. Even when life hurts. It’s worth every step.