Mariposa Kisses (aka Dianne's Blog)

Don’t you feel like life should be more than just “getting by,” “barely making it,” or let’s face it…having nothing left for yourself at the end of the day? With gas prices at an all time high, we’re letting our cars run on fumes before we refill the tank. Aren’t we like that with our own lives sometimes? We run on fumes and refill at the last minute, or do we? Do we even refill our own tank at all? It’s a new diaper for the baby, clean sheets for the toddler from the leaky the night before, lunch packed for the husband, refilling the pets’ food bowls, folding laundry, emptying trash cans, and as you well know, the list goes on. Feeding everyone is a constant demand in itself. Doesn’t it seem like you’ve just finished breakfast and the kids are already asking for a snack? After lunchtime, you already have to start thinking about what you’ll make for dinner, while slicing up cheese and handing out apple slices for an afternoon snack.

What about yourself in the midst of this whirlwind of demands. What do you love to do? Have you made time to bless yourself with a little bit of tender loving care? The truth is that our cars run better if they’re full of gas, not just running on fumes. We all know that truth for our cars, but we infrequently apply it to our own lives. When the car literally runs out of gas, it ceases to run. We don’t want to wait for that drastic result in our own lives. I want to encourage you and myself to take time out for ourselves. Maybe it’s just an extra five minutes at the gym to stretch and meditate on God’s quiet voice. Is it that haircut or facial you’ve been putting off for months and months? For me, it’s a massage certificate I’ve had sitting in my kitchen drawer for over two years now. It would have been better if it actually had an expiration date written on it. It could be as simple as a ten minute phone call with that college roommate you’ve needed to touch base with. Maybe it’s just a quiet walk, just you and your MP3 player.

If we don’t refill our tanks, we pay a high price. When we run on fumes, we’re still running, but we’re less effective and less joyful. Think of the woman you could be at completing life’s thousands of tasks if you took a little bit more time for yourself. Five minutes here or ten minutes there might seem irrelevant or insignificant, but in the long run, a changed mindset will help us to take advantage of the opportunities when they do arise. For example, if you do find an extra fifteen minutes while the baby is sleeping, try to read one chapter of that novel that’s been collecting dust from three Christmases ago instead of folding the underwear. Who does that anyways? Maybe it’s also about the mindset of making more effective choices, like ten minutes in God’s word instead of two hours watching a movie you’ve seen before.

Some of you might be reading and thinking, “This all sounds very selfish and not at all Christ-like.” The truth is that God wants you to rest and to refuel your gas tank. He wants you to use your God-given gifts and talents, which require you taking time out for yourself to work on those things. As moms, we often focus on our family’s needs ahead of our own. Unfortunately, it is frequently at the expense of our own prosperity and development. In truth, it seems selfish NOT to take time out to refuel because everyone benefits in the end once you do occasionally put yourself first. Let’s take some time out to sharpen the saw.