Slowing Down

I started Jeff Goins' Slow Down Challenge yesterday, a five-day series with the aim of learning to live your everyday life with intention and focusing on the things that matter.  I happened upon this challenge through Twitter and it immediately caught my attention.  Goins' says:

"When we slow down, we do better, more creative work; we become better stewards of the relationships in our lives; and we grow grateful for the small things in life. . . The reality is, this is true for all of us, wherever we are. Right now is the only time you will ever have. So it has to be the best — because it’s all you get. Better make the most of it."

Part of the reason this spoke to me is the stage I'm in right now in my life. Working full time with two kids can be exhausting. There are nightmare-filled, sleepless nights; a never ending to-do list of household chores; potty training ups and downs; work deadlines; homework; sibling squabbles; comforting let downs and hurt hearts and more.

Some weeks the days run one into the other and Friday is here before it seems Monday has even finished. At times I can find myself thinking; "I can't wait until we are past potty training; it'll be nice when they are no longer afraid of the dark and want to sleep in." But there are dangers in that, because before I know it they will be all grown up and not my little ones anymore. And I will miss those nighttime snuggles and jelly smeared faces.

I don't want to take these moments and days for granted. I want to find joy in it all; in every moment, in the difficult, the frustrating, the exhausting, the exciting, the happy and the fun. I want to see what God is doing and as Goins' so eloquently says, I want to be grateful for the small stuff.  So as I begin this short five day journey, I'm praying that God will continue to open my eyes to see what He is doing in my life and the lives of my children. I'm also praying that He will show me how to rest, to be thankful for this very moment and to not always be waiting for the next step or next phase.