Get up at 5:30 am…ugh, is it that time already?????
Grab my coffee, Bible and journal…now my daughter wants to talk.
Wake up my boys…wake them up again…and then again…oh come on already!
Turn on the WII Fit Plus…of course now somebody needs something from me!
Pick up a few things…why can’t people clean up after themselves?
Drive my children to school…people in front of me are driving too slow, don’t they know I am in a rush?
Finally able to get started on my work…the telephone rings, the dogs won’t stop barking.
Worked all day but didn’t get nearly enough done…great, now I have to finish it in the evening.
Go to pick up my kids and carpool some other kids…why am I always the one who has to drive everyone’s kids?
Thinking about the work I have to finish later…but now everyone wants to tell me about their day.
Get home and attempt to finish my work…interrupted by requests, questions or a need to be driven somewhere…grrr…
Cook dinner early because I have to get my son to football practice…why does football practice have to be at this time?
Time to eat…except two of my three children don’t like what I made and are complaining.
Drive my son to football practice…why am I always hitting traffic, no matter what time of the day I drive?
Back home to finish work…but then I remember we need milk…and bread…and eggs…and toilet paper…not again!
Off to the store…I wish the lines were shorter, don’t people realize I am in a rush?
Get home and try to finish work…husband is home so I guess I should greet him.
Get back to work…husband wants me to go with him to pick up son…doesn’t he know I have work to get done?
Back home and finally finish my work at 8:30 pm…this is just really not fair.
Know I need to get to sleep by 10 pm in order to get a good night’s sleep but then remember that I never threw the laundry in…how come no one else can throw it in?
Finally asleep by 11 pm and tomorrow I get to get wake up and do it all again tomorrow…oh joy.
This is more than just a list of what a day in my life looks like. It has actually become my list of complaints. But this is my life. So what I am really doing is complaining about my life. It kind of puts things into a different perspective when I think about it that way.
We all have our list that comprises our life. You may be thinking that my list is nothing, that I should see everything you have to accomplish in a day. You might get up earlier, you might stay up later, you might have more than three children or you might work two jobs.
The point is not to compare lists but to examine our hearts to see if we are complaining about our lists. If you were to write a list of what you do in a typical day what would it look like? Remember, what you are actually writing out is what comprises your life.
Life is filled with some of the things I have mentioned. Life comes at us with inconveniences, interruptions, changes in the schedule, needs that must be met and unending duties that must be fulfilled. I don’t think any of us are exempt from these things.
So to get out of this recently developed habit of complaining, I decided to tweak my list. I can’t necessarily remove things from my list because this is the life I have been given. However if I were to think from a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly one my list would look something more like this:
Get up at 5:30 am…thank You Lord for another day of life!
Grab my coffee, Bible and journal…my daughter knows that no matter what I am doing, I am available—and as an added bonus, she gets to see that I am spending the start of my day with God.
Wake up my boys…wake them up again…and then again…someday they won’t be here and I will have no one to wake, so I am going to appreciate this opportunity.
Turn on the WII Fit Plus…while getting in some exercise is definitely a good thing if my children need me, I will gladly make myself available to them.
Pick up a few things…thankful that I have arms and legs that can do this.
Drive my children to school…take advantage of the opportunity and pray for my children, feeling thankful that I am able to drive them to school.
Finally able to get started on my work…thankful that the Lord has given me the work that I have.
Worked all day but didn’t get nearly enough done…feel thankful for what I was able to accomplish and trust that if I give my time to Him, it will all come together.
Go to pick up my kids and carpool some other kids…blessed to be available to not only my children but to other people’s children as well.
Thinking about the work I have to finish later…but happy to be interrupted by my children telling me about their day, thankful that I can be the first one to hear about it.
Get home and attempt to finish my work…blessed to be a mom who is needed, which is more important than my work.
Cook dinner early because I have to get my son to football practice…thankful that I am home at this time to get an early start on dinner.
Time to eat…enjoy my meal and if the kids don’t like what I made, encourage them to make themselves something else to eat.
Drive my son to football practice…so glad my son is able to participate in a sport he enjoys.
Back home to finish work…but remember that there are things our family needs first.
Off to the store…thankful that we have the means to buy the things that we need.
Get home and try to finish work…eager to greet my wonderful, hard-working husband when he comes through the door.
Get back to work…husband wants me to go with him to pick up son…blessed to have a husband who wants to spend time with me and gladly accompanies him to pick our son up.
Back home and finally finish my work at 8:30 pm…it has been a very productive day.
Know I need to get to sleep by 10 pm in order to get a decent night’s sleep but then remember that I never threw the laundry in…recognize that part of my ministry as a wife and mom is taking care of my family.
Finally asleep by 11 pm and tomorrow I get to get wake up and do it all again...I am one blessed person!
