Harried
I am NOT a morning person.
In my dreams, I’d wake up when I want. I’d eat a late and leisurely breakfast while Greg gave me a foot massage, and then we’d both sip mimosas by the pool while our children sat quietly reading books on philosophical theology and playing Mozart on their tiny violins.
In my dreams, I said….
In reality, morning hits me like a bus. I find my stomach sinking at the first “Mmmmaaamaaaa!” I hear over the monitor. I trudge downstairs, squinting against the wretched sunlight, often bumping into something, or stepping on a toy, which only irritates me more.
There are no mimosas. There are no foot massages. There are no tiny violins. There is just morning.
The word that comes to mind when I try to describe this feeling is harried…. (not to be confused with feeling “harry,” although a week without a chance to shave my legs will give me that feeling too).
This word so perfectly describes the more frenzied moments of motherhood, that even Webster used a mom as the subject in the definition’s sample sentence:
harried adjective harried mothers with their crying children HARASSED, beleaguered, flustered, agitated, bothered, vexed, stressed, beset, plagued; informal hassled, up against it.
If I were perfect, my initial reaction to the day would be thankfulness to God for breath, for life, and for my family. It saddens me that my first reaction to Baby’s hungry cries, are actually to want to cry myself, and to mourn the death of sleep (at least for the next 15 exhausting hours)!
Like the prideful woman I am, I have told myself the lie that I am the ONLY mom on the planet to ever think and feel that way at 7 AM. While I know the opposite is true, I still feel the conviction to do as the Proverbs 31 woman does. She rises early in order to prepare and provide. She can “laugh at the days to come.”
Laughter, as we know, is cathartic. It releases endorphins, burns calories, and intimates having joy and contentment. Imagine being so filled with “strength and dignity” (as our P31 Mama was), in our roles as wives and mothers, that we can actually laugh at the mornings to come!
In God’s timely way, he recently caused me to stumble upon this wonderful blog called Inspired to Action. I was immediately encouraged by Kat’s honesty about her same struggles, and how it led her to start an accountability program. “Maximize Your Mornings” is designed to encourage moms to rise earlier, get more time with the Lord (a key factor in starting the day right), and to “wake up for our children, not just to them.”
What a concept!
I have committed to try this. I know it won’t always happen perfectly, but it’s worth striving for. I’m setting my alarm for 6:30 AM, and even if I just get a half hour to pray and prepare, I know it will deepen my relationship with God, and change the way I am able to love and serve my family throughout the day.
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