Ever had one of those evenings where you are racing against the clock to get things done? Afraid that if you stop and sit down you will be unable to DO all the things..
You know those things that NEED to be done.
Those things that every good mom, wife, or strong woman gets done in a day.
Those things that often keep us DOING and stop us from BEING.
What does that even mean? To BE.
I am all about ACTION VERBS.
When I read my Bible , those are the words I highlight.
GO. SET OUT. MOVE. RUN. REACH FORWARD.
Those are the commands that get me fired up. I’m like ,”Yes! Let’s do this thing!” It’s empowering.
It feels good to MOVE.
But those BEING verbs… those are hard.
Be Still. Be Strong. Be patient. Be content.
How DO you even learn to BE in the midst of all that needs to BE DONE?
This was a question my fellow health coach student asked last night during our skills lab training.
I had asked her which of the suggestions for increased energy she wanted to focus on this week. She chose to set a goal for consistent meal times.
She realized that she was not sitting down to eat a healthy dinner, but snacking as she moved throughout her home getting all the things done while her children were occupied at the table. This led to not being satisfied and increased cravings throughout the evening.
I asked her what was important to her about getting the things done.
She replied, “It’s important to me to always give 100%. I just want to be a good mother. I have to keep going if I am going to get everything done.”
I echoed back, “ So you just want to be a good mother?”
” Yes. I want to be a good mother.”
Then something shifted. She connected the dots….
She sat with that for a moment and then REFRAMED her desire.
“I think I need to realize that I don’t have to try so hard to be a good mom.
I AM, I am a good mom. “
“Yes.” I smiled. “ Yes you are a good mom “
“I AM a good mother.”
“And because you are, you can just BE“
I wanted her to capture that and put a frame around it.
I need to…capture that and put a FRAME around it.
I can STOP striving , stop chasing, stop trying to race the clock.
Webster’s’ defines “am” as the present tense first person of “be.”
To BE is defined as equal in meaning or identity; to exist or live; to have a specified character, quality or condition.
I love that.
We need to stop chasing our identity and start embracing it.
No wonder we are trying to beat the clock. We are desperate to prove ourselves before Time runs out on us.
One of our deepest needs is to be known.
Can I share a secret with you today?
YOU ARE KNOWN.
Your identity was established at your birth. It’s time to stop racing the clock to find it and just STEP INTO IT.
The name of the one who sets the boundaries of TIME is I AM.
Your identity is not found in what you can accomplish in a given day but in embracing who HE says YOU already ARE.
But man, that’s hard. Why can’t I just believe that ?
Because we aren’t WHOLE and we are on a Quest to find what is lacking…
In my study on Freedom this week I had an Aha moment much like my fellow student.
In the beginning of Time we are given a vision of Eve in the garden of Eden.
Picture Eve with me...
Pre fall. Standing in the garden of Eden.
Full of health, nothing in the way of her connection to her creator or her relationship with Adam. No shame. No need to prove anything. Just abundance. She had all the TIME. All the resources. All her needs met. No recognition of her Lack. Fully satisfied.
Until she was made aware that she was missing something; that she could have more.
A longing arose in her. A curiosity to have more. She decided that the one thing God had held back from her for her protection was necessary for her to be satisfied. Why would a good God withhold something from her?
What she didn’t realize is that some things that seem satisfying only strip us of our health.
Now picture Eve after she decided what she had was NOT ENOUGH.
A SHIFT took place.
In that moment she was filled with a knowledge that she was less than, inadequate, incomplete.
She saw short comings not only in herself but in Adam.
LACK entered in to her awareness.
She shifted from wholeness and health to incompleteness and a virus entered her soul.
That same virus tries to steal LIFE from us.
Christ came to RESTORE our Health; and because of Him it is possible to Walk in wellness again.
As we choose daily to surrender our Lack and let him cover us with a garment of Wholeness we will gradually remove the toxins in our mind that try to make us think that we will be complete if we can just grab ahold of more.
More time, more productivity, more knowledge, more opportunities to prove ourselves…
Will you join me this week in choosing to reframe my thoughts on this?
Let’s ask God to help us EMBRACE what He has given us and find our Wholeness simply by remembering our connection with Him is what completes us.
Recognize that Rest and giving yourself the gift of just BEING will actually increase your productivity and help you redeem your time.
Time is a gift. Embrace it.
At the end of our conversation I asked my new friend what it would FEEL like…
To just BE sitting at that table with her kids..
A smile stretched across her face. ” Man. That would be nice. Knowing that I don’t have to do all the things to be a good mom. Just that I AM.”
Do you know that?
” In Him I live and move and have my BEING. “
Acts 17:28
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. “
Colossians 1:17
For more on this check out Emily P. Freeman’s podcast The Next Right Thing Episode #71 “Let Time Be Your Friend” Put in some headphones and take a walk while you listen. Her voice alone will shift you into a state of being!