Being at home for extended periods of time is hard for some of you. It isn't your normal. You have a different rhythm to life. We're creatures of habit, and we're comfortable doing things the way we do them. Routines are blessings (their true worth shows through at certain times of life); but God, who is in charge of all, might be telling you to try a new life rhythm for a time. Trying to keep the life rhythm of your other life will just frustrate you while you are at home.
As one who has been a caregiver and stay-at-home mom for almost 25 years, I can tell you you gotta slow down and be flexible. Notice things. Find the joy in your situation. Don't hold fast to any kind of routine or task. If you are a parent of young children who need your help with homework, find joy in that. Laugh with them. Laughing is a really good thing. Kids (and adults) long to laugh with you.
God is blessing us with some really good weather this week. Make a point to get outside. You don't have to do anything out there unless you want to. When I go out I usually just sit in a chair and enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face and drink a cup of coffee. While I do that I might notice birds; I might do a bit of yard cleaning or throw a stick for the dogs; maybe I will do a bit of garden clean-up. Whatever. God isn't in a hurry. When we are in a hurry and adament things have to stick to the schedule we have in our minds, we miss some really good stuff.
The moments in life the New Testament Writers chose to share with us about Jesus' time here on earth are not all the moments they shared with Jesus. In between all those times He and they did a lot of walking and a lot of sitting and a lot of talking. They prayed. They sang. They laughed (I believe they laughed a whole bunch). They ate together. God is calling us to enjoy some of these kinds of moments.
Last week I was helping Pete with his essay questions that dealt with two stories he had read. We laughed. We laughed a lot (I admit when I do the thinking and discussing thing with him I get kind of irreverent...well, maybe a whole lot of irreverent....if you read his bigfoot books -- he has two now -- you'll read this irreverent attitude a lot).
Something we all need to get better at is to quit taking ourselves so seriously. The One we need to take seriously is God. And then become a student of the people you are with. Learn about them by listening and noticing. There is always something new to learn about people, even yourself. Let me share with you what I just learned about myself. I have been having a lot of negative dreams lately. I didn't know why. I don't read or watch anything that would cause this. And I am not angry or worried. So I did some research. Turns out that nightmares and negative-feeling dreams are common in people with bipolar disorder. Wondering how to get them to stop I read one place that suggested to tell yourself to dream gentler dreams. That sounded silly to me, but I tried it. It worked! I'm going to try it again tonight.
What can you learn about yourself this week? About the ones with you? How can you enjoy the life you are living right now? Taking it as it is and not imposing your own agenda on it?
As one who has been a caregiver and stay-at-home mom for almost 25 years, I can tell you you gotta slow down and be flexible. Notice things. Find the joy in your situation. Don't hold fast to any kind of routine or task. If you are a parent of young children who need your help with homework, find joy in that. Laugh with them. Laughing is a really good thing. Kids (and adults) long to laugh with you.
God is blessing us with some really good weather this week. Make a point to get outside. You don't have to do anything out there unless you want to. When I go out I usually just sit in a chair and enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face and drink a cup of coffee. While I do that I might notice birds; I might do a bit of yard cleaning or throw a stick for the dogs; maybe I will do a bit of garden clean-up. Whatever. God isn't in a hurry. When we are in a hurry and adament things have to stick to the schedule we have in our minds, we miss some really good stuff.
The moments in life the New Testament Writers chose to share with us about Jesus' time here on earth are not all the moments they shared with Jesus. In between all those times He and they did a lot of walking and a lot of sitting and a lot of talking. They prayed. They sang. They laughed (I believe they laughed a whole bunch). They ate together. God is calling us to enjoy some of these kinds of moments.
Last week I was helping Pete with his essay questions that dealt with two stories he had read. We laughed. We laughed a lot (I admit when I do the thinking and discussing thing with him I get kind of irreverent...well, maybe a whole lot of irreverent....if you read his bigfoot books -- he has two now -- you'll read this irreverent attitude a lot).
Something we all need to get better at is to quit taking ourselves so seriously. The One we need to take seriously is God. And then become a student of the people you are with. Learn about them by listening and noticing. There is always something new to learn about people, even yourself. Let me share with you what I just learned about myself. I have been having a lot of negative dreams lately. I didn't know why. I don't read or watch anything that would cause this. And I am not angry or worried. So I did some research. Turns out that nightmares and negative-feeling dreams are common in people with bipolar disorder. Wondering how to get them to stop I read one place that suggested to tell yourself to dream gentler dreams. That sounded silly to me, but I tried it. It worked! I'm going to try it again tonight.
What can you learn about yourself this week? About the ones with you? How can you enjoy the life you are living right now? Taking it as it is and not imposing your own agenda on it?
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