A Season or a Day: Embracing Where God is Calling Me Today
This week I’m in the throes of summer starting! This past year has absolutely flown by, and another summer is upon us.
The first month of summer is bliss for me. I love not setting the alarm every weekday and not rushing the girls out the door to the bus stop. I always kick off the summer with an optimistic reading schedule, complete with trips to the library and signing up for their summer reading program.
Inevitably, by July, summer’s appeal has disintegrated into exhaustion and stress. My kids revel in getting a rise out of each other, since everything else about summer is no longer interesting. The extra sleep I get at night is zapped by the constant refereeing I do, trying to keep them entertained and relatively unscathed.
By the time August rolls around, I’m counting down the days until school resumes, just like I’ve been anticipating summer. I have no doubt that by May of next year, I’ll be in this exact same boat again.
Craving Change
Why is it that we’re so drawn to the change of schedule and season? Practically every other parent I converse with has a similar mentality. No matter which season we’re in, we get burnt out and are ready for a change.
With the onset of summer, I meditated on this desire I have for change. At the end of the school year, I’d noticed getting up each morning had become even more challenging the closer I got to a reprieve. I couldn’t fully enjoy the last few days of my girls in school (meaning uninterrupted writing time—-a rare treat during summer break). I was so focused on what was coming that I couldn’t be present in the now.
A Name with Meaning
In Genesis, God reveals his name to Moses: I AM. His name isn’t I Was. His name isn’t I Will Be. God says I AM. Here and now. In this moment. Our true, living God is the God of the present.
I believe that a great deal of internal peace can be attained simply by staying in the present moment. The Lord is calling me to something right now, and if I allow myself to fully focus on that, I can let go of the stress of the past and the worries of the future.
For me, during the school year that looks like embracing the early mornings, and enjoying the silence and blocks of time for productivity. During the summer it means lowering my expectations of writing so I can enjoy my time with my girls. That may even look like smiling when my work is interrupted and giving thanks for the opportunity to serve my children, even at the expense of productivity.
I write because I know that God has called me to this work in this season of my life. I also know that God is fully aware of the demands of having four daughters home for the summer. Just because I have work that I could be doing, that doesn’t mean it’s what I should be doing at any particular moment. Jesus knows my limitations. He sees me.
What Difference a Year Can Make
Our deacon shared recently in a homily that we often overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year. This has stayed with me and gotten me through many days when I feel like I can’t get enough done due to the obligations of my state in life. I love to look back a year and remember where I was.
A year ago I only had two books in my Adventures with the Saints series. I just released #4 (Saint Joan of Arc—you can get an autographed copy here)! A year ago, I hadn’t even started my blog which you are reading now. A year ago, I had been living in Kansas for just over a month, my house was in boxes, and my heart felt disheveled. Now, I love our small community, the connections I’ve made, and the opportunities I have.
For me, embracing today means not looking for the next big thing. It means taking that moment to smile when my girls are actually playing nicely together for a minute. It means letting Jesus be my guide and not being ruled by my often overly-ambitious goals I set for myself.
It’s ok to look forward to what’s coming, but just never lose sight of what God has put in front of you right now.
Copyright 2024 Maria Riley
Images: Canva
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