I don’t know about you, but I find there are a lot of “good” things I could do…maybe even “should” do. Problem is: I can’t do them all. In fact, these days, I can’t do even half of them. And, I usually try. Or feel guilty. Or both.
But today, I was reading my “Jesus: 90 Days with the One and Only” devotional book by Beth Moore, and she said something that helped. A lot.
She wrote: “Suddenly He experienced for Himself the pull to be in many places at once and the challenge to prioritize not just the good but the goal: proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. ‘That is why I came.'”
Wow. I can’t tell you how that freed me this morning. Think about it…
He knows how you feel. You, the mama with one kid crying and the other whining and the dishes needing to be done and the phone ringing and the laundry looming…He knows. You see, he was constantly needed. People were always coming to him with their needs, they were asking for his help, they were begging for his attention. Just like your children beg for yours.
And, he could only be in one place at one time.
Did you read that? The God of the universe confined himself to the same constraints that we feel. Oh, yes, His Spirit could go forth and do the work without His physical presence (think of the centurion’s servant in Matthew 8), but it seems from what we read in the gospels that that wasn’t His usual mode of operation, which means that while he was ministering in one place there were needs in many others.
Hmmm….
So how did he decide? I think Beth Moore is right: He prioritized based on the goal God had given him. And, I need to do the same thing.
So, today, I made a decision that was tough for me. I decided it was okay not to participate in our weekly women’s Bible study. (I can hear you gasp.) The thing is: it runs right through naptime, and it throws the whole day off. (And, believe me, we don’t have a daily schedule….it’s rough at best.) While sitting for 2-3 hours at the Bible study is good, it isn’t really what’s best right now. And, as someone said to me today, “Sometimes the good is the enemy of the best.”
You see, I do need Bible study and fellowship (oh! I need the fellowship), but I also need to focus on the goals God has given me at this time in my life…the ones about being a godly mother and wife. So, I assessed why I wanted to go to the Bible study (fellowship) and why I felt like I “should” go (guilt), and I decided to go to the first half when the women discuss the study and pray and leave during the second when they watch a video that can be downloaded later online. It worked perfectly because the break in the middle comes right before my son’s naptime. I enjoyed and was encouraged by the discussion and prayer then scooped him up and took him home. He’s sleeping peacefully now, and I’m writing to you…another goal I believe God has given me. After this, I’ll do some laundry, and while that is not glamorous, it’s one of my goals.
What are your goals as a mom? Do you find it hard to say “no” to “good things” so you can focus on the best things?