Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ~ 1 Peter 4:10

Thursday, July 8, 2010

No Time Like the Present



It is amazing how time flies.  Here we are having already soared through June and are now flying through July!  I feel so overwhelmed at times trying to balance (there is my "One Word" again which you can read about here and here!) life...family, home, ministry, relationships, art, creativity, etc...  There is so much I want to do...how do I fit it all in??  So often I find myself putting my dreams on the back burner.  I don't have time in between chasing the kids, preparing meals, doing laundry, spending quality time with loved ones, grocery shopping, bill paying, and on and on and on (sound familiar) to start taking steps to pursue my dreams.  I've thought "I'm pregnant now and feel so yucky, have no energy, so I'll do it when I feel better" or "Not now, I have a newborn to take care of, so I'll do it when he is sleeping better", or "We may be moving, I better wait until after the move"!  I can think of every excuse in the world not to move forward.  One of my favorite artists, Kelly Rae Roberts, recently posted this on her blog:

"things are still a little wild and unbalanced over here but i'm trying to let it all go, embrace the chaos, and move along with an open heart. i was reminded on my birthday (i turned 35 on on father's day!) that we're so often living in the future (i'll do xyz when our house is done being renovated, when we have a baby, when the e-course is over, when when when). but really i want to be in the very center of where i'm at right now. because where i'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams. it's so remarkable. i don't want to miss anything." ~ from Kelly Rae Roberts
I so needed to hear this!  I love the idea of "being in the very center of where I am right now", not allowing time to slip away, but grabbing hold of it and making the most of it!  And realizing that "where I'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams"!  I too don't want to miss anything!  I want to dream and explore and take chances and fall and pick myself back up and see what doors God will open for me!  I want to not only live in the now with my family and cherish life passing so quickly with my kids, but also dream big creatively and go for it!  I want to stop making excuses and start planning, creating, and acting on those dreams and the steps needed to fulfill them!  I want to open that Etsy shop I've been talking about (and putting off for months now)!  I want to make my art a priority (still a struggle) and see where God will take me as I explore this gift He has given me. 

I'm so excited to see what the future holds, but I want to live into the now, pursue my dreams and take those steps to make my dreams come true!  There is no time like the present!  Will you join me on this journey?!

2 comments:

Lis said...

Hello fellow flyer! An inspiring post! I also squeeze creativity into my days with an almost 6 year old and a part time job. Sometimes I loose track of all that I do DO because I am so full of ideas of things I want to get to! It is a balancing act with a lot of climbing back up and stepping onto that wire! I also found the book The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole really inspiring with a great piece about WHY we need to create.

Happy to see you soaring!

xo Lis

carol gourley said...

This is an incredible post Jennifer - I too, am struggling with staying in the present, knowing that it is the best place to be. Reading the words you wrote has reminded me of it again.
Back to the present here I come.
Thanks for the inspiration.
xocarol