It’s Not About What You Haven’t Done

Start the list: You haven’t finished the laundry. You haven’t made that new recipe. You haven’t organized your kids’ papers. You haven’t made a “good” supper in weeks. You haven’t exercised in who knows how long. You haven’t done this. And you haven’t done that. I am sure you can fill in the blanks.

Think about how often you think about what you haven’t done.

Now stop. Put those negative thoughts aside. Stop your mind from even going there and…

Now, write down in your head or on paper, what HAVE you done today? 

Maybe it was getting ready for work. Maybe it was getting the kids off to school. Maybe it was getting a pot of coffee ready and starting your day slow. Maybe it was taking time for yourself. Maybe what you accomplished was doing NOTHING. And yes, that IS doing something (it’s called resting…I know, a word we have no idea what it even means anymore!)

Why do we always, and yes, I feel like ALWAYS, think about what we are NOT doing? Why do we lessen ourselves to what feels like nothing, and think about what more we could be doing? Why do we live our lives as if our cup is always half empty, with feelings of what we aren’t doing, and not as if our cup is half full, with what we ARE doing? How about going as far to say our cups are FULL because of what we ARE doing? And that what we are doing is ENOUGH? 

My sisters, we as moms are the BEST at this: We are constantly talking about what we aren’t doing and about what we should be doing. Not about what we ARE doing. We fear talking about what we are doing because we fear the judgement. We fear “pumping” ourselves too full of pride. We fear the eyes of other moms looking down on us.

But why can’t we just accept “enough?” And realize that our “enough” is going to look vastly different than someone else’s?

I completely fell into that trap after Mazy was born. Just ask my husband – I felt like I was never doing enough. Her crying and tears made me believe that, thanks to the Enemy. I had a hard time asking for help, but I didn’t even know what to ask for help with. I didn’t even know what I needed. All I knew was that in my head. I wasn’t doing enough – if I was, then she wouldn’t be crying all the time.

But really, I was doing enough. I HAD done enough. I could do no more. My cup was full and I failed to realize that I gave her all the love I had. And THAT was enough.

Think about a situation in your life. Whether it be personally, with work, with your children, with your husband, with friends, whomever, wherever. Where do you feel like you are just not doing enough? Have you ever taken the time to just be and think about what you HAVE done?

My friend, listen: It’s ENOUGH.

I have to tell myself that at the end of the day, everyday. I fail to believe this, oh probably everyday too. God has given us 24 hours in a day for a reason. And has designed our bodies to need rest. I know, I know, kids don’t sleep through the night. Kids wake up early. Been there. But just remember that what you are doing IS ENOUGH.