Why Bother?
October 15, 2019 by Lori Freeland
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles
By Lori Freeland –
Some days I wonder why I bother to do anything for myself. Whether it’s reading a good book, which I’ve relegated to the quiet hours of late night. Taking a nap, which happened once last year. Or making good on my promise to write a little bit every day, which I’m attempting to do now.
I began the edit of this article at 9:30 a.m. and it’s now 11:17 a.m.
600 words. One page. Plus a barrage of questions from the three children who occupy my house. One by one, they rotate in to stand at the foot of my bed. I tiptoed into the bedroom earlier, when I thought they were not looking.
My fingers pause, suspended over the keyboard, as I grasp to freeze my train of thought for later.
The exchange goes something like this—
“Can I call Dad? I lost my tiny fairy book. The dog threw up on the stairs. Can I watch Martha Speaks? Do we have legal-size paper for my project—it’s due in an hour? Can I take a bath? Who ate all the Cookie Crisp?”
To which I reply, in order—
“Is your room clean? Did you look in your backpack? Go clean it up, it’s your dog. Is your room clean? Why didn’t you ask me this sooner? Is your room clean? Dad ate the cereal.”
Maybe a recording of my top ten answers would buy me some personal time? Or maybe I should surrender and realize I do not own my time. I may never own my time—as long as small people live in my house.
Lord, I need a revelation. A communiqué. An email. A text message. A tweet. Can nothing ever be about me?
You’re asking the wrong question.
Well, Lord, I often ask the wrong question.
Are you looking through My eyes? Do you want what I want?
Lord, I need more than Your eyes. I’m desperate for Your heart. Help me want to want Your desires. Make them mine. I whisper the verse I’ve hidden in my heart:
“Trust in the LORD…Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart…” (Psalm 37:3-5 NIV).
Lori Karvasale Freeland is a freelance writer from Plano, Texas. She holds a BA degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which comes in handy in homeschooling three children. After surviving a long journey through pediatric cancer with her oldest son, she has a heart for women struggling in crisis situations. When she is not working on her first novel, she can be reached at lafreeland@hotmail.com. Visit her new blog at http://lafreeland.wordpress.com/
I feel the same way when it comes to writing.
I crave that quiet, yet I often forget that God will provide all that I desire, if I just take the time to delight myself in Him.
Excellent reminder.
Thanks, Lori.
Thanks for the giggles Lori! I think we live in the same house ; ) Seriously though, this is a great reminder that we need to always seek God’s will and His best for us.
Thanks again!
Your blog posts and articles are so fun to read! And so addicting. I keep reading one after the other. This one made me laugh out loud at the answers you gave your kids to their questions, because they sound just like mine. Especially the “Have you cleaned your room?” one. 🙂