This morning I had a meeting at 7:15, which means that it was about dark o’thirty when I dragged myself out of bed and hopped into the shower. By the time I made my way through my morning routine, added a few items to my bag, loaded the car, and ran our son through a checklist of what he needed for the day, I was a solid 7 out of 10 on the frazzled scale.
Then I realized I hadn’t put on my make-up. 8 out of 10.
And then I realized we hadn’t eaten breakfast. 9 out of 10.
It was not really the morning of my dreams.
It was around 6:50 when my son, Alex, and I practically slid into the drive-thru at our neighborhood coffee place. After I frantically placed my order, we drove up to the window for what would hopefully be a mercifully fast payment process.
Unfortunately, it was neither merciful nor fast. Plus, I was trying to put on my make-up as we waited for our breakfast, which means my hands were full every time the very kind barista would open the window to hand me something, whether it was a drink or a breakfast sandwich or my debit card. Every thirty seconds or so she’d have something new to pass through the window. After the fourth time I set down my eyelash curler and mascara so that I could grab yet another coffee-related object, I hit 10 out of 10. I was full-blown frazzled. I wanted to mash my accelerator to the floor and spin out of the parking lot and set all my make-up on fire.
But somehow, in the middle of that less-than-stellar moment, a thought popped into my head and worked its way down to my heart:
You’re trying to hold too many things.
Considering that I was holding a mascara tube, an eyelash curler, a coffee stirrer, and a debit card, all while attempting to move my car into “drive,” that was certainly true on a literal level. And it was equally true on a figurative level. I was trying to get to a meeting and get Alex to school and run through my to-do list and answer a couple of texts—and as a result I felt like I couldn’t control my morning. I felt like I was running behind, and instead of taking one thing at a time—moving thoughtfully, deliberately, patiently—I made myself conductor of the crazy train and steered that sucker right off the tracks.
When we’re so busy trying to hold all sorts of things—whether that’s the result of a hurried morning or a family conflict or a falling out with a friend—we can very easily miss the blessing of the here and now. We can get so blinded by circumstances (or unforgiveness, or bitterness, or a hundred other things) that we miss the blessings that are right in front of us: a few extra minutes with someone you love, the gift of a stranger’s friendliness, an opportunity to spread a little joy.
So if you’re holding too much today? Lay something down. Put something aside. Let something go. Focus on the here and now, wherever you are. The Lord will meet you there.
1. For whatever reason, running late makes me feel totally frazzled. What does it for you? Being unprepared? Working against a deadline? Standing in line? Something else?
2. In those instances where you do feel overwhelmed by your circumstances, what could you focus on instead? What might help you overcome your frustration?
3. Think about the last time you were super stressed. If you could redo that situation, how would you react / respond differently?
4. Reread Philippians 4:8. What are four or five things from the last week that fall into those categories? Write them down, and then make a point to read them again if you have a moment during the day when stress threatens to steal your joy.
Today’s Prayer