Tunnel Vision

"Ladies, every single room I walk into right now makes me want to cry. There is soooo much that needs to be done!"

I wrote that a few weeks ago, when I started writing this post, but got no further. I was feeling very overwhelmed. It's pretty understandable that I would be. Besides all the everyday things that need to be done by a mama of six, I also have so many things piled up because of years of chronic pain. The pain often only allowed me to get the very basic things done (and sometimes not even those things!). And now that my pain is much lower than it has been, I have a real sense of urgency to make as much progress as possible. Especially since I don’t know if my pain will be coming back or how intense it will be if it returns (if you remember, I had about a four month period of reduced pain after I had my toddler). 

I know that a few weeks ago I preached at you about focusing on the big picture, but today I’m going to talk to you about the importance of having tunnel vision.

Because I know I’m not the only one of us that has a To-Do List a mile long. You don’t have to be years behind or juggling six kids to feel like there never seems to be enough hours in the day. And trying to think of all the things you need to do at one time can be completely overwhelming and leave you unable to do anything!

So choose to do one thing, mama. Focus on just one task at a time. Maybe you know that don’t have time to clean the entire kitchen before the baby needs you again, but you can get that one counter decluttered and wiped down. Every closet on the house may need to be gone through, but just focus on that one shelf in the bathroom one for now. Then do the next shelf when you get a chance. "Rome wasn’t built in a day." You get it.

I also want to remind you, mama, your life’s high calling is not to have a perfectly clean house. Quite often we need to shift our vision to the people in our life instead of the tasks. Has it been a while since you’ve been able to have an uninterrupted grownup conversation with your hubby? Plan a date night or just send the kids out to jump on the trampoline for a while. Resist the urge to get a few extra things done while they are gone and sit face to face or snuggle side to side and focus on him. Don’t forget to take the time to do the same with each of your kiddos.

The most important tunnel vision we can have is when we focus on our Savior and spending time with Him. Don’t forget to do that, mama! We need the strength we get from spending time with God to give us the ability to handle all the other things in our life.

Does it seem like I’ve just given you a whole other To-Do List? I’m not trying to. I’m just trying to gently remind you (and myself!) of what our priorities should be. 

And that God is faithful to give you the strength and time you need to do the really important things. Trust me on this, I know! There have been times when I could not cook dinner or wash dishes without crying from the pain, and yet my family has always had food and clean dishes to eat it on. It may not have been the most perfectly balanced meal and the plates may have been made out of paper, but God provided nonetheless. 

And He will take care of your needs too, mama.

Lots of love, 

Lee