Mindfulness: Holding God and Your Newborn in MindSample

Be content.

Live in the Here and Now.

Believe and accept that your best days are never behind you

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NLT) says, “Don’t long for 'the good old days.' This is not wise.”

When you find yourself wishing for your pre-motherhood body, life, or freedom, and the challenges of parenthood make you wish for your old life, remember Ecclesiastes 7:10, and bring your attention to what God says about each day. 

You can also bring your attention to the moment by declaring that “this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). 

As a child of God, your best days are never behind you. Your best days are here and ahead of you (Proverbs 4:18). Focus on learning and enjoying this season. For example: begin to see the early years of parenting as the best time to build a solid spiritual, social, and emotional foundation for your child. 

If we focus on the past, we will miss the opportunity to be present for our children at the most critical stage of life. If we want to learn from our present experience and meet the spiritual and emotional needs of our little ones, we cannot keep looking backward or be impatient.

Is it possible we long for the past because our sense of worth or identity is not rooted in God? (Colossians 2:7) I believe this may be the case. When I had my first little one, I realized that my identity or sense of worth was not deeply rooted in God. My sense of worth was rooted in my achievements and the next accomplishment. I was always looking forward to the next thing. I had to shift my focus back to God. Even motherhood could not bring me true contentment.

Your past will not bring you contentment. Seeking God and being present in God’s perfect will for your life will bring you contentment. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I  am thankful for the things I get to do as a parent. I am thankful for the opportunity to train up the next generation in the way they should go. I am thankful for the early years of parenthood. I repent for longing for the former days.  In the name of Jesus, give me the grace to be content and live in the here and now. Thank you, Father. Amen.