How did we get here?

Not "here" geographically... "here" emotionally, "here" mentally.

I have to tell you that my heart is heavy.  I have heard the same story from several friends lately...if my life is full and my family is happy, why do I feel like I have no purpose, no value, nothing that really matters?  Why is it that I barely slow down and yet I feel like I have accomplished nothing?  I have everything I need but I don't feel like I have anything that really counts in the long run.

It makes me sad to know that so many moms feel this way.  And, if I'm really honest with you, I'm riding right there in that boat with you.  I have a wonderful family, I am loved, and I am needed.  I'm sorta good at taking time to recharge me, but there are still days that I don't know which direction is up in all of the craziness that clogs up my world.

Is this just the new normal? Should we just suck it up and get used to it?  Have we created a lifestyle that forces us to stay so busy that we aren't really living; we are just surviving, just trying to keep our head above water? 

Or....

Is there such a thing as a life that is full in a way that is satisfying and not just exhausting?  A life that when we reach the end of the day we feel like it has been productive, fulfilling, and meaningful?

I have to say that the answer is Yes, that life does exist and even though most days I don't find my way to it, it is there for me.  Here's the hard part for most of us moms...in the middle of the to-do lists, the chores, the taxi runs, the homework, the laundry piles, and everything else that we sign ourselves up for, we have to stop the madness for a few minutes and focus on God.  We have to make our way to that place to spend some time with God and make the choice to make it a priority.

Now, here's where the rubber meets the road.  That last little sentence up there at the end of the last paragraph...yes, the one you rolled your eyes at when you read it... is not an easy thing to do.  And, the last thing that it needs to turn into is another "check it off my to-do list" kind of thing.  It can't become a legalistic, ritualistic thing if it is going to really make a difference in your day.  It has to be a true pause in your day.  No Blackberry interruptions, no email interruptions, no Facebooking, spend some real time with the One who designed you with purpose.  And, it doesn't have to be some long assignment that you give yourself, God isn't interested in how many chapters you can read in a day.  We aren't going for Accelerated Reader points here.  He's interested in speaking to you through what you do read.  He's interested in using His word to shape your world and round off some of the edges.

Here are a few jumping off points that we all need to remember:

He wants you to know that He designed you with purpose (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
He plans good works for you to do every day (Ephesians 2:10)
He isn't about to forget you (Psalm 91:15)
Nothing you ever did or ever said or ever thought...no matter how bad...ever surprised him (Romans 11:32-36) 
And, even knowing all that junk about you, He still loves you (John 3:16-17)
You are so valuable to him (Luke 12:24-31)
He wants you to have a life that is full  (John 10:10)
He has blessed you so you can be a blessing to those in your life (Deuteronomy 28:2-8)

And, you know that thing that you think no one understands and no one could possibly take care of?  Well, He does and He Can and He's waiting for you to let him.

Journeying together in the Grip of our Great God!