Mama Needs A Do-OverSampel

What is Your Problem?

So many times we think our problems come from something outside of ourselves. We can’t get the bank account balanced because our spouse doesn’t write down all the withdrawals. We don’t finish the Sunday school preparations because the kids won’t stay in bed while we try to work on it late at night. Our pants don’t fit because the only food we could find to eat yesterday was a pan of brownies and a half-empty bag of Tostitos.

But the truth is that most of our problems stem from something more inside of us than we want to admit. When I am baking bread, I could stay in the kitchen and pay attention to the oven. I could find something to fill the time that keeps me in the same room, or I could learn to let other projects go so I am not feeling so pulled in a dozen different directions.

It takes a special kind of strength to admit that we are our own biggest problem. I say that in victory, not as a victim. It is a victory to see that I could take control over how I spend those twenty-five baking minutes and stop blaming the oven. It is victim mentality when I tell myself I am just too scatterbrained to ever bake a decent loaf of bread.

One issue that touches most of our lives is feeling like we don’t have enough time. In the case of the previously mentioned unfinished Sunday school lessons, it may not be completely the kids’ fault. If I take an honest look at how I spent my time for the past week, there are gaps. The night I watched three back to back episodes of The Biggest Loser could have been better spent working for an hour on my Sunday school lessons instead. Then, afterward, I could have let myself unwind by watching only one episode of my show. Or, if I could multitask, I could have done them at the same time: cut a few construction paper Jesus figures, cheer on my favorite contestant, glue glitter on an angel, cry over a makeover, and so on.

Time is the great equalizer. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, and what we choose to do with those hours is up to us. It may feel like it’s out of our control, but if we are willing to see it, the truth is that we are choosing. I chose the commitments I made; I chose to homeschool; I chose to repaint the kitchen; and so on. What are you choosing that is taking up your time?