I’m gonna take a moment here and let you in on a secret. I don’t do play dates. At least not very often. It’s not that I’m a hermit and I don’t enjoy the company of friends and their kids and such, not at all.
{Side note and terrible confession: There is this random lady that is a mom from a class that my daughter was in at one point. I don’t know her. And I really hope she isn’t reading my blog. She keeps asking a mutual friend for me to meet up on a play date. And I haven’t. And she asked my friend after 3 failed attempts to contact me for said play date – if I have a medical condition???? Oh goodness. Maybe it’s time for me to re-evaluate my play date hatred.}
We just have a CRAZY busy life. Too busy I’ve been learning more and more with each passing day. In fact, Lysa TerKeurst just released her new book called, “The Best Yes” – I couldn’t even put the thing down the first night I held it in my hand. I’m almost finished with it and I will likely start reading it again to make notes all throughout. This book is THAT good. And it’s speaking to me in such a timely way with all I’m trying to process about obedience, writing, getting in God’s Word and making Him my best friend.
One thing Lysa talks about is Overwhelmed Schedules and Underwhelmed Souls. Yep, that’s me. Up and down. Inside and out. I’ve been guilty of saying yes too many times. I wasn’t fully accounting for the fact that all of these yeses add up to many nights of regret and leaving me as a basket case of an underwhelmed soul.
I don’t want that anymore.
So, all the more reason that I won’t feel as guilty about my dislike of play dates. Yay, WIN!! My kids have friends and we find ways to incorporate those friends at birthday parties, church events (and my kids are at ALL CHURCH events, poor things, they have no choice!!!).
That brings us to today. I have a friend that just went through knee surgery and she’s having a long recovery. She has a daughter the same age as Kayla and we just by chance connected with her kids at the pool yesterday. Their grandpa had brought them for a few hours of play. And our kids had a blast together.
Our church was having our annual Back to School Bash tonight and I thought about how we should invite to pick up my friend’s kids so that she could have some time to rest and heal.
My oldest child has been so excited for 4pm that she could not contain herself.
Between 9am and 4pm, I answered 40 billion questions about today’s schedule and how long is it until 4:00 gets here and are we going to change clothes before we pick them up and can I ride with them and don’t leave me because I want to ride with you to get them and is it 4:00 yet and how long until it is 4:00 and and and and I COULD SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!
The not so nice, I’ve had more than I can take on this topic side of this mama came out in full force.
As we pulled into the driveway at 2pm – heaven help us 2 more hours to go….I ran through every exact moment of the afternoon and what was going to happen and that I am the adult and that I have it all under control and that she JUST NEEDS TO BE! I can assure you child, you will be with us when we pick them up. JUST BE. And for the love of my 45 minute Sunday afternoon nap, please don’t ask me another single question about anything related to this topic until after 4pm. Thank you very much.
And I stood in my bathroom and it hit me.
I do the same thing with God.
God, I don’t know Your plan. But I know you’re telling me to write. But I don’t have time to write. And what is the topic of my book going to be about? And will anyone read it? And what if I’m missing the mark here? And when am I going to find time to write? And what should I write about? And what kind of blog should I have? And what if people that really know how to blog make fun of my blog because I REALLY don’t know what I’m doing? And and and and ….
And I bet He could just scream…CHILD, JUST BE!
Just be and sit with Me. Just spend time with Me and all of these answers will come, in time. But those answers really aren’t important at all. Because I have it all figured out already and I’m not going to leave you. You can ride with Me when it is time. I won’t leave you behind. I promise. You just have to show up. I’ll handle all of those details that are driving you crazy.
Here’s a verse that was shared in this morning’s sermon at church – I find it rather fitting, indeed:
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not been yet made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1John 3:2 NIV
And this, friends, is the lesson that slapped me in the face.
I’m gonna go for now and JUST BE.
~Starr
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Starr Haigler 