Coherent is just a state of mind.
I find coherence to be highly overrated.
As a busy wife and mom, I can go an entire day without thinking much of anything beyond my list of tasks and when was the last time I took the three-year-old to the potty. At the end of a long day, I sit in my chair, veg out to blogs or an episode of "House Hunters," and will my brain to wind down so I can go to sleep.
Then I get up the next day and do it again.
I realize there are seasons of life which are not conducive to much reflection. But I want more. I want to look back on this time in my life and not just vaguely remember what happened but to see the growth and change in myself. I know that God grows us through the experiences we face in life, but I also believe that if I don't take time to reflect, stew, and mull over stuff, I'll be the same static version of myself years down the road.
Proverbs 111:2 says, "Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them."
My life, in every season, is a work of the Lord. But I do Him great discredit when I do not come up for air to "ponder" what He has done.
With four children under four and a fifth on the way, I suddenly find myself on bed rest, with lots of time for pondering. I find that I am out of practice in the art of thinking. I've missed it. I know it's time to cultivate the sadly underused "mulling" cells of my brain again.
So as I look to the future I am rearranging our schedule so that somehow, some way, there will be a moment to think. Maybe,
- I'll take up journaling again
- I'll start writing something besides a record of how many times I heard the word "poop" in my house,
- I'll delay the blogging and HGTV for a few minutes in the evening so I can just pick my toes and think.
However it happens, I know I must come up for air on a regular basis. I must allow the oxygen to flow from my busy hands and feet up to my brain; I must ponder the blessings, the chaos, the questions, the fears, the conflicts….
Most of all, I must ponder the One who gave them all to me.
How about you? How do you find time to come up for air in a day? When do you take a deep breath and ponder? How about some ideas for this poor mommy brain?
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Lora Lynn chronicles the insanity and the joy that is family life with four kids (almost five) ages four and under at www.vitafamiliae.com.
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As a homeschool mom of two teenage boys, I also rarely take time to reflect. This really made me pause to think about why I should make time to do just that. Thanks!
This was beautifully written, I must say.
How do I find the time to mull?? That's a good question…I don't know if I do it enough. In fact, in reading your blog it reminded me how easily I have neglected my Bible studies for…I cringe at saying this…"more important things." I never think they are more important, but they certainly end up taking precedence over what should be a major priority in my life.
I apologize for not being able to give you any friendly advice, but thank you for giving me some!!