Interrupted

Fail. I was totally trying to stage this photo with my sparkly shoes strategically placed next to my hand-quilted throw that matches my color scheme, but then…a crawling infant interrupted my perfectly staged photo op.

Story. of. my. life.

Interrupted.

Even my kids favorite knock knock joke is about interrupting. Have you heard this one?

“Knock Knock”

“Who’s there?”

“Interrupting cow.”

“Interrupt-….

“Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

And now, for real life, I have to pause my writing of this blog post because the baby just woke up from her nap…Interrupted.

OK, I’m back! (only one day later!)  So where was I? Oh yes, Interrupted.

Anyone who has ever had the privilege to bear the title “Mom” knows the feeling.  I mean , we can’t even get a bathroom break without tiny fingers poking under the door crack “Mom, can you see my fingers?” Or, we’ve been sitting with our kids playing for an hour, and as soon as we get up to go to the bathroom they suddenly have this emergent thought come to mind that they have to share with us right away.

Interrupted when I’m on the phone.

Someone needs a snack.

Interrupted when I’m exercising.

Someone needs help in the bathroom.

Interrupted while I’m trying to read.

Someone wants to tell me something.

Interrupted while I’m trying to do paperwork.

Someone wants to play.

Interrupted while I’m trying to sleep.

Someone needs to be fed (at 2am).

Interrupted while I’m checking Facebook!

I mean come on little people.  Don’t you see I’m busy?!?! Stop interrupting me!

Ouch. That last one felt a little convicting. Actually, when I look at each of these, I realize that a lot of these things, while many are good and even necessary, can wait.  Instead of telling my kids “go away,” “wait,” “later,” “not now,” or “Mommy is busy,” maybe I can tell these other things to wait.

Maybe it’s these other things that are interrupting.

Wait, what?  Yes, maybe it’s all the other “stuff” that I fill my day with that is the interruption from what I’m supposed to be doing.  Now, I’m not advocating for a child-centered home where it’s all about answering every demand of a toddler, but what I am saying is that I didn’t leave my career to be a stay-at-home so that I could ignore my kids. (Bleh. Writing this is so convicting!)

About 9 months ago, I did an amazing devotional by Lysa Terkeurst called When Strong Moms Feel Quite Weak,

and as I began writing this post I was led to pull it off the shelf and thumb through it.  Lo and behold I found this entry in my own handwriting.

“Tell the world to wait. […] I often get most annoyed and impatient when I’m ‘interrupted.’ Remember, I’m managing blessings. My children are my greatest blessing. […] Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Funny how God has to keep teaching us the same lesson over and over again until we really get it – until we really let it sink in and become part of the way we choose to live – until we decide to obey.

Do you know what I do?  This might sound really dumb, but in my planner, in the space that says “today’s top three” I write down these three things everyday: “God, [play with] kids, exercise.”  Yes, I write down “play with my kids” in my planner. Not because they are a chore, but because if I get nothing else done today, if I’ve spent time with God, spent time with my kids, and strengthened my body (so I can be fully awake and present)  then I’ve had a successful day. And you know what else is really cool about this?  Unintentionally, these three things correspond to the three verbs that make up the tagline of my blog.  Awaken: awaken to God’s voice each morning by spending time in His Word; Inhale: take in the moments with my children; and Thrive: fuel my body so that I am physically and mentally prepared for the demands of the day.  Ha!  I love it!  God is so good.  He is always preparing us.  He is always leading us and guiding us even when we don’t know what He has up His sleeve:)

Now, let me take you in another direction with a sports analogy.  Sports have always been part of my life, and by default that also means I’ve run lots of “suicides.”  If you’ve never run a suicide, let me tell you, there is a reason they are called “suicides” – because they make you feel like you are going to die by the time you’re done.  However, in high school I had a basketball coach who called them “opportunities” instead.  When I became a coach, I adopted this term as well.  Instead of seeing all this intense, difficult running as something that is going to kill me, I can choose to see it as an opportunity to get better – to improve – to grow – to learn – to be better equipped to face the “enemy.” What if I faced the interruptions from my kids – not as something that is going to put me in the grave with frustration, but as an opportunity to pour into them – to teach them – to train them – to cherish them – to learn and grow myself?

Oh Lord, how I want to see these interruptions from my children as opportunities.  How I want to see the little hands interrupting my perfectly staged photo as my greatest blessing. How I want to be a mom “uninterrupted” by my children, but instead see them as my most important mission – not to be interrupted by the distractions of the world.

*If you want to join me on a 30-day challenge to spend more time with your kids, hop on over to my mommy blogger friend’s page The Mommiest Hobbyist to read her post “Pinterest Perfect Mom” and join the challenge. *