Perspective

My little miracles...

When I look at the photo above of my son and daughter from a few years ago, it takes me back. Back to cuddles before bedtime, sweet baby kisses, and yes, many stressful moments. When I see these sweet faces and bemoan how fast they are growing up, I can't help but think that if we could all have this "few-years-from-now" perspective on life, we would not allow those stressful moments to get the best of us.

You see, there were many days when my kids were this age that I didn't have enough hands, nor energy, to work my job as worship pastor, keep my house, cook and shop, be a good friend and relative, let alone spend enough time with God. It was non-stop from morning till night—can I get an amen from parents who have a toddler and a baby? It was a sweet, but oh-so-overwhelming time in my life as a new mother.

And looking back now, I'm ashamed—not that I wasn't able to answer every email, or that there were dirty dishes in the sink, or that I didn't have time to exercise, or that the kids sometimes didn't get a bath as often as they should've. No! Now I'm ashamed of how many precious moments I missed with my kids because I was busy being stressed out. I'm ashamed of every moment I lost my temper or felt sorry for myself. I'm ashamed of every moment I wasted on social media or television when my children were trying to tell me something. Thankfully, I don't have to live in shame, because Jesus has given me grace for every mistake and thoughtless word. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a bad mother then, but I feel that I'm a better mother now. Why? Because of perspective. I've been doing this mom thing for almost five years now, because (gasp!) my daughter is about to turn five in two weeks! Oh WHEN did she change out of her toddler ways and become a little girl?! But yes, it has happened. And it's given me perspective.

I wish I could go back and kiss these little baby faces again...and take back every moment when I lost it, or sighed and huffed about having to do a motherly task, or raised my voice at toddler tantrums. It helps me keep perspective to see this photo of these little faces, because now I don't even care about how many times they kept me up at night or how many times I felt completely exhausted and stressed. I remember the good times, the snuggles, the staggering steps, the first birthdays, the little eyes lovingly watching me, the tiny voices lisping out first words.

And that's how our lives are—in the end, it's the people who matter more than the tasks, it's the good moments that count. WE ALL NEED PERSPECTIVE so we don't give up, grow weary, lose our joy, or let go of our purpose. When all is said and done, it will not be the to do lists that count, but the people we brought along with us to heaven that matter.

Sure, we all have tasks and duties, and I'm not saying not to accomplish what you need to. But we must not sacrifice the people in our lives or our sense of well-being for the tasks we've been given. We must always remind ourselves that we GET TO do those tasks. We GET TO be a wife and mother because, praise God, we HAVE a husband and children. We GET to go to work, because, praise God, we HAVE a job and income! We GET to endure persecution for our faith, because, praise God, we HAVE a Savior! Jesus was betrayed by best friends, faced with unbelievable stress (how do you feed 20,000 people without any food?), given disciples who hadn't a clue half the time, no support from the church leaders of his day, and even persecuted to the point of death. But he overcame this world and so can we! He kept focused on eternal rewards, rather than "these light and momentary afflictions." Seriously, how is it that I allow such small things to take away my joy and zeal for life? It happens when I lose perspective.

So next time you are tempted to lose your joy because the line at Starbucks is taking too long or the kids are too hyper or your husband is too preoccupied or your job is highly stressful or your family doesn't understand or your friends betray you or your body doesn't look the way you want or you can't afford that new dress......KEEP PERSPECTIVE. Remember that life is too short to waste a second on self pity, self hatred, or self consciousness. Heaven is too real to ignore that person in your life who needs to hear about Jesus. Kids grow too fast to let their immaturity cause you to act immature and lose it. Marriage is too precious to allow cutting remarks or division to enter.

LET'S KEEP THE MAIN THINGS THE MAIN THINGS. LET'S LIVE WITH PERSPECTIVE.