I must admit, for years my life has been…Go! Go! Go! Between ministry and family obligations, I’ve found myself going from one deadline to the next. For busy moms with kids still at home, your GO GO GO these days has become immensely complicated and stressful with the nonstop demands of “I want a snack!” “I don’t like doing school at home!” or “Why can’t I go to her birthday party?” And did I fail to mention the ever-present monsters that continually lurk about: laundry, work, unpaid bills, relationship heartaches, health issues, fears and more. Oh, how I wish for you that I could stop the runaway train of craziness, but I can’t.
While getting groceries the other day in Walmart, I saw a little cushion crammed in a pillow stack that stopped me dead in my tracks. It called out at me, “ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS.” So being only $5, I bought it. And guess where it is now? It’s waiting for me every morning on the back porch. If I spend a few minutes out there, it’s a reminder to call to mind blessings in my life that I might have otherwise overlooked.
Moms, I know you are juggling so much in trying to get the kids out of bed, dressed, fed and in a position for school (whatever that looks like for you!). I get it. Who has time to look around at God’s nature or be mindful of unexpected blessings that come your way during the day? Yet Jesus instructed us to do just that. Why? Because he knew it only takes a few seconds for his presence to infuse the way we think and enable us in handling the day’s unexpected irritations and interruptions. In Matthew 6 Jesus said something like, “Hey, you. Step out of the traffic and for a few minutes and consider the beauty around you: the lilies in the field, the birds of the air. In these moments I’m invited to enter your space and commune with you.”
I wonder how many times a day blessings appear where we overlook the opportunity to enjoy the little things. Maybe we find a hidden $5 in the side pocket of our purse that we forgot was there. Or maybe we fail to lock in our brain the sight of our children’s heartfelt laughter because they found a tree frog. Listen up, my friend, and take heart:
Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were actually big things.
So now I’m intentionally practicing this truth myself, and it’s been a treasurable bright spot in my morning. I have a new rose bush. Since COVID, it’s become a fun habit to go outside first thing in the morning to see if I have any roses on those new-born bushes. Most mornings there’s at least one. I simply can’t tell you how much that single rose opens my mind to God’s presence, love and goodness and shifts my thinking.
About Pam Kanaly
Aloha! I’m Pam Kanaly, President and co-founder of Arise Ministries. But actually, I think Arise found me wanting to bless single moms years ago. Ministry was never on my mind as a kid. All I wanted to be was a hula dancer. So Mother enrolled me in the tiny tots’ class. Guess God knew I’d have two grandbabies born in Hawaii. I love the great outdoors. You might even find me spending time with my husband grizzly bear watching or camping. In fact, it was on a turkey hunt that God gave me the name Arise Ministries in 2002. I suppose it’s a good thing that I majored in Grammar in college since I love to write words of encouragement to single moms.