New Year’s Resolutions for the rest of us.
This post is for women who can barely get ready in the morning without littles banging on the bathroom door, for the mom who is nursing a baby and trying to train toddlers, the one who can barely eat a meal while it’s warm without an interruption.
This post is for the mature woman who is caring for an aging parent whose days are more like one continual stretch, dotted by doctors appointments and scares at the ER.
This post is for all of us who are caregivers by choice and nature, whose days and schedules are not our own.
This post is for all of us who want to make New Year’s resolutions but who are too scared or too realistic to try anything “big” because big dreams require chunks of time and we don’t have that right now.
Me? I’m in a season of homeschooling and carpooling and caring for a just-turned-3 foster son whose needs are ever evolving and whose care consumes most of my days. So setting anything but the most basic goals is not a realistic option for me.
As Katherine Brooks pessimistically replied to Anne of Green Gables hopeful ideas for her future–“Bend in the road? There’s no bend in my road. I can see it stretching out straight in front of me.”
If you’ve chosen a life of caring for others and your schedule is not your own, and there’s little to no “bend in your road”, and you’re feeling a little down about that, wondering if your life will matter, here are a few thoughts I’ve been processing myself, that I hope will encourage you.
- Success is not defined solely by doing great things. Success is doing small, faithful things with great love.
- Success is not reserved for the woman with no boundaries or constraints on her life. Success is doing what you can with what you have. Many of the greatest inventions were born out of need not abundance.
- Your quiet time may not be as quiet as you like, with toddlers on your lap or interruptions that you can’t avoid. Remember that Bible reading is only half of the equation. Meditation is the secret weapon that brings change and peace. So even if you’ve only got 5 minutes to read the Bible, you will benefit greatly by meditating on what you’ve read throughout the day. I try to write one truth on a 4″X6″ card to remind me of the verses I want to think about that day.
Reading is the exposure to the Scripture, but meditation is the absorption of the Scripture.
Donald Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life
When living your daily life, even when your time is not your own, you can still grow spiritually by asking this simple question before you act or react: “What will bring the most glory to God?”
Spiritual growth can happen no matter what our circumstances because God uses ordinary days to mold us into the image of His Son, Jesus.
- So on the days when you feel like you have no control over your situation (kids sick, dog throwing up, money tight) ask, “What does the Bible say about this situation?”
- When you are unsure about the future, ask “What truths about God do I know for certain?” and meditate on those.
- When you are frustrated or feeling stuck, ask “What is God teaching me about contentment and godliness today?”
For all of us with no foreseeable bend in our road, we may not have grand goals or plans for the next year, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t set our heart to seek the “things which are above, where Christ is”. And isn’t this what true spirituality is all about? Seeking God’s will and glory faithfully, right where you are, trusting Him with every detail of your life?
Happy New Year, friends. May we all be faithful wherever we are and love God and others more in 2017.
This really is such freeing, life-giving encouragement! I easily stack my list high with goals and plans and forget that I’m limited, my kids are limited, our time is limited. Grateful for your wisdom, Sarah, and praying for your new year!
It’s freeing to know we are limited, isn’t it? Have you read Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson? It’s wonderful.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts!
I was especially encouraged when you mentioned growing spiritually, even when our time is not our own.
The best quote I’ve seen about success is from Ralph Waldo Emerson – “What is success?
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”
I especially love the line “to know even one life has breated easier because you have lived”
Yes, yes. I agree with old Ralph. 😉 I saw a discussion on FB about success and started withering under the definitions of other people…then realized God knows my situation and appointed me days, and in His eyes, success comes by loving God and others first and best. Thanks, Michelle. 🙂