You’d Better Slow Down, Becky Sue!
I remember Momma telling me when I was in my thirties to “slow down.” At the time I thought she was a little nuts. Didn’t she realize I had a lot to do every day? Didn’t she see I was being the attentive and loving wife my husband needed? Didn’t she watch me home school our daughter for 5-6 hours per day, five days a week? Didn’t she want me to be involved in women’s ministries at our church? Couldn’t she understand that I had to run my sewing and alterations business to bring in extra cash so I could stay home? And, …didn’t she need me to help care for her as she was aging? I wondered why she would say such a thing when I was following in her fast footsteps as the perfect wife, mom, and Christian woman.
What I didn’t understand was that she was warning me!
What I heard her saying didn’t match what I saw her doing? She had figured out all that “stuff” Christian women, wives, and mothers are supposed to know and do. I was simply trying to emulate her success. She saw through that. She knew I was a “beginner” in this stage of my life compared to her, and she wanted me to go easier on myself. She realized that the pace I was keeping to “do it all right” wasn’t healthy.
Momma was warning me to not fall into the same trap she had experienced. What I saw to be her strengths were really her reactions to the difficult situations she faced in life. She was a very capable woman with countless gifts and talents, but she felt the need to work too much. I think she tried to earn approval from her loved ones, and maybe even from the Lord (without realizing it).
Well, whose expectations are we supposed to recognize? I had set up unreasonable goals for myself by following what I thought Momma expected of me. She most likely followed the pattern set by my grandmother, Susanna.
It was time to break the pattern; easier said than done.
The Lord is the only one who has the authority, wisdom, and knowledge to set our paths. We are not called to be our mothers, grandmothers, or anyone else. We are individually and perfectly made to be who we are—right now! Every day God is helping me to readjust my priorities so that I can live as the woman He designed me to be. And ladies, this woman comes with both strengths and weaknesses, and I am learning to embrace them all.
My life, and yours, is a succession of days in which:
-I GET TO spend my time and energy on what God sees as important for me.
-I GET TO gratefully use the abilities I’ve been given.
-I GET TO focus on Him, and not play the “comparison” game by looking to others.
-I GET TO enjoy this life for every day that He keeps me here.
I may have to get right up close and personal with a few of you right now… Are you listening? Do YOU need to slow down, too?
Let’s do this together with God’s strength and by encouraging each other.
GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
Spoke to me for sure! Thank you
Becky,
Praise God that we get to be who He made us to be! You are a one-of-a-kind lady yourself! I love to watch Him work through you in the way he made you, my sister.
Love you!