Resist the Pull. Resist, I Tell You!

Life grows muddled when you live in the clenched grip of oughts.  Just spend twenty minutes on the Internet, and you'll be bombarded with the fact that you're not doing everything you possibly could be doing.

I ought to be trying these projects with my children.  I ought to be integrating new recipes into our menu.  I ought to be cramming more end-of-the-summer learning so my child will transition back to school more smoothly.

The specifics may change depending on our circumstances, but most of us have experienced this pull.  For me, I sometimes feel it in the blogging realm.  I can't keep up with the who's-who of blogging, nor can I regularly read everyone's blog who reads mine.  This is the truth -- not only for me, but also for everyone.

We can't do it all.  In fact, we're not made to do it all.

No matter who we are, we only have twenty-four hours each day.  During those twenty-four hours I need to sleep, eat, play with my kids, fold laundry, run errands, and attend to my work.

During those twenty-four hours I need to be still so I can connect with God.  I want to carve out moments from those hours to play a game of Yahtzee with my husband.  I want to sit outside on an August night and listen to the crickets as they herald that this summer won't last forever.  I want to notice that the night breeze is cool even though the patio still radiates warmth against my bare feet.
 
Even as you're reading this post, I realize that you could be spending your time a thousand different ways.  You've chosen to be here.  Thank you for this.  I don't take it for granted.  (Of course, I do think this was a mighty good choice on your behalf, but I'm admittedly biased.)

Life is far too short to spend our time doing things that God hasn't called us to do.


Resist the pull.  Don't try to do it all.  You never were designed to do so.
 
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8 comments

  1. Totally, totally agree.  But it can be OH-SO-HARD.  You know?

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  2. SusancasetexasAugust 10, 2012

    You are so right. I enjoy getting up early just to sit alone on my porch and watch the sun come up. Glad you have your priorities right.

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  3. Every once in awhile I panic and think I am depriving Lucy of something....because we have not been to Storyland or Disney World.....beacuse I did not sign her up for dance and gymnastics and soccer.....because we did not make Santa's Villiage from toilet roll rubes and tissue paper....but then, I look down from the deck at Lucy and her Dad working in the garden or I watch her re-enact her favorite story of the week (right now its Library Lion) or I hear her screech with laughter as we run through the sprinkler or she sits quitely next to me talking to God in her head while I am (Mama, he can talk to us both at the same time?? He can Lucy....Is that like when you tell Daddy and I at the same time to clean up our mess...Sort of Lucy....) and I realize, we're doing just fine...and resisting the pull is the best thing for our little family.....thanks for the validation!

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  4. Your comment was like a mini-devotional for me!  So great!

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  5. My "ought to" list is longer than my driveway and mother-guilt a perpetual state, yet thankfully, I was able to carve out time to read this post.  We moms sometimes need reminders of how blessed we are, to slow down and notice the wonders of the world (like milkweed pods!) with the amazing people we helped bring into it. Thanks for sharing...

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  6. And thanks so much for commenting!  Milkweed pods!  Yes, indeed.

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