ForgottenWoman

Another Personal Story

I’m guessing that most of us would consider ourselves “busy” by anyone’s measurement. Our busy seems to change from season to season but let’s face it: we live in a world that is pushing and pulling from all directions and well; we often get stuck in the whirlwind of ‘doing’. Of course, not all of our busyness is negative – that’s not what I’m saying. I do, however; want to challenge you just as I challenge myself to be in control of that busy.

What in the world does that mean? Let’s get personal – as I often do. I can’t remember when my life wasn’t incredibly full and busy. My high school days flew by as I ran from one activity, test, festival, or sporting event to another. That was followed by college days – um… I wasn’t even sure which way was up during those years. And then, well; I got married! I was still a college student for the first few months, so juggling my new responsibilities along with school kept me pretty busy, and then came a difficult pregnancy. To be honest; that was probably the least ‘busy’ season of my adult life! I was put on bed rest and spent my days making photo albums and studying. I was fed and taken care of by my husband. Time seemed to drag on during those long days. I wish I had known the value of what I’m going to be talking about here in a bit; because I sure could have made a good use of those hours.

But then came baby one. Whew! Those running around school days were cake compared to the ‘busy’ I was now experiencing. There was a tiny human who needed me every second of the day and night. He wasn’t one to sleep and that meant neither was I. I know many of you can relate. I was fully focused on homemaking and mommying at this point and yes; it kept me very busy. What I needed to accomplish each day was done and I began to learn the value of prioritizing.

Anyway, fast forward to today (You’re welcome!) I’ve spent almost 40 years being homemaker, homeschooling Mom, involved in music and youth ministries in churches, Ladies’ Bible studies and ministry and more. Trust me, 9 children will keep you not only running here and there, always adapting schedules for emergencies or just needs. At this stage in my life, my children need me less and in different ways but my life seems to continue to be full; busy with and for them, for my grands, with and for ministry through The Forgotten Woman and more! Oh – and I still have a home to take care of. My point? Life is busy. We are all busy. Every stage seems to come with its own version of busy.

How often have you said, “I would but I’m just too busy!” without even thinking about what’s been suggested or offered? How often have you listened to someone share what they are doing that they are just so excited about and you’ve dismissed it with, “Well, I’m just too busy for that!” I know that I’m guilty. But honestly; I’ve had to take stock and reconsider the statement. It IS true that I can find time to do what is important to me. It IS true that I am guilty of wasting little moments here and there that could be used more effectively.

So – here is where my head is tonight. I have committed myself to some really intense goals for this year. The Lord and I have had so many talks over the past several years about what He is doing in my life, what He is teaching me, and what I need to be more intentional about. That’s where this whole discussion about being too busy comes in. While arguing with myself I remembered a little exercise I did about 15 years ago when I decided that I needed to be more intentional in my praying for my family. I wanted to pray Scripture for each of my family members – mind you; I was in the thick of homeschooling MANY of them, was learning the ins and outs of dealing with a child who scored very high on the autism spectrum, and was leading a homeschooling support group. I decided to challenge myself to stop whatever I was doing every hour on the hour and pray Scripture for my family. WHAT? How in the world was I going to get anything else done? Y’all. I did it for a full year and here is what I learned.

To pause and pray on the hour during the day, I had to work really fast in between. And guess what? I found that I accomplished more on those days than I ever did when I was just going through my day without my “prayer stops.” I also learned that I could prioritize and remove some really unnecessary things from my days. It all depended on what was most important to me. Why I got away from this; I don’t know. I just know that God used those times of prayer and today I look back and remember much of what I learned.

So – again; back to today. I decided as 2024 was coming to a close that I wanted to be much more intentional about my prayer life as well as my Scripture memory. My focus for a couple of years has been Renewing my Mind and that’s where the Scripture memory goals come in – the only way to think God’s way is to fill my mind with His Word! The only way to respond God’s way is to have His Word hidden in my heart. That is a priority – and it takes time. You know me – when I do something like this, I like to invite others to join me! So, I’ve created a group for Scripture memory, have found a website and app that is so helpful and have begun building a “family” of memorizers to be on this journey with me. Accountability is always good when we decide to prioritize anything in our lives. My prayer goals? I’m studying the power of prayer and I’ve been so convicted that what I thought was a serious prayer life really has been just scratching the surface! So, I’ve invited others to join me in this endeavor as well – and we simply connect on a group chat – and have committed to pray for one another at set times each day. I’m thrilled with those who are joining me; but guess what many who hear about what I’m doing say… Yep! “I would do that too, but I just don’t have time!”

Now, just as a sidebar: I would love for YOU to join me in one or both of these challenges this year! (If you are interested) Just shoot me an email or message and I’ll add you wherever you would like to be added.

Here is the thing. I’m not writing this tonight to shame anyone who has different goals and priorities from mine. Not at all. I’m not here to say that everyone needs to do what I’m doing. Again, not at all. I’m simply sharing with you that God is teaching me a few things since I made these two commitments. Here they are:

• Much more can be accomplished in a day than I ever imagined. I simply have to set my mind on the tasks and take care of them one at a time.
• Moments wasted here and there can be better used. I can work on my Scripture memory while sitting in a waiting room, or waiting for a ball game to begin, or while taking a bath, or even while washing dishes. I can pray while driving down the road, while working around the house, before I get out of bed in the morning (instead of checking social media) and before going to sleep at night (instead of watching TV).
• Once I determine my priorities, I can set an alarm on my phone to remind me to pause and take care of what matters most.
• When I know I have an ‘appointment’ for prayer or Scripture memory work, I tend to accomplish other things much quicker.
• We all have 24 hours in each day. No one has more time than anyone else. We need to control our time instead of allowing our time to control us!

Yes. We are busy. But we are never too busy to do what is most important! What is most important to you this year? There is no reason that you cannot accomplish it.