The days are long, but the years are short.
My pastor quoted this in a sermon, and I added to it—But the days are still really long.
It wasn’t a lot of comfort—or motivation—right then, that these years would pass quickly, and then I would miss them. I had two baby boys, just over a year apart. The years spread out ahead of us, a long and winding trail of unknowns. There were no formulas in parenthood, so I was learning.
It was bigger than I expected. More than I could handle. I had already begun to add in the extras, which I made into rules for being “a good mom”. I thought I was supposed to do it all, but didn’t know how.
People would say, “God gives us the strength we need each day”. But I didn’t know how to live in strength that was not my own. I begged, Jesus, take the wheel, but felt like He left me at the wheel, alone.
What do you do when Jesus won’t take the wheel? That’s what I really wanted to know.
I asked Him for help, but still looked to myself to get everything done. Someone has get up and do the stuff. Right?
I kept trying to figure things out. Surely I missed something. If I had the best organization or meal plan or diet & exercise schedule, or the best words to pray or something else I wasn’t thinking of, then life could be better. I just needed to figure out how to improve and find the “right” mix.
But here’s the truth: there is no schedule or method of organization or diet or plan or discipline that will fix this life. It’s not going to be ideal or stay balanced or be just right like the little bear’s chair. The responsibilities of this life will sometimes feel like far too much. It will be too hard. It will be more than we can handle, at least sometimes.
We need a God who is present to help us, a God who doesn’t only possess all the strength, but gives it away.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
It’s not up to us—to try harder or keep figuring it out.
Now I can lay that idea down and seek God, believing He will help me. Now I can learn to trust in Him for my days, since I’m not so focused on my own abilities and performance. I’m growing in this. {At this rate, I’ll be growing forever.} But I don’t see growth as something to attain and skate past. Anymore. I hope this encourages you today. I hope we trust in the Lord and soar…
Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually. (Psalm 105:4)
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
