I don’t know if you can identify with guest blogger Margaret Kennedy , but I sure can. Sometimes I pride myself on being a multitasker. I pray that we can all heed Margaret’s gentle reminders as we face this year of leading women and living life!
"Everywhere I Go, There I Am"…A saying I cross stitched some years ago that I used to describe myself back then. Recently I found myself revisiting that statement and was saddened somewhat because I think it would have described my 2011. Ever been somewhere in body, but somewhere else in mind and spirit? There but not there? Has your child ever looked at you and asked, “Mommy, are you listening to me?” Or have you spent a rare date night with your hubby, only to realize at the end of the evening that you were there, but not really there? I have missed some major moments with God, some precious experiences with loved ones, and opportunities to minister to strangers because I was there, but not there. Oh, we women’s leaders pride ourselves at being great multi-taskers. I wonder if God does? Maybe you, like me, spent a good deal of time rushing through one family or ministry activity to get to another one. Hurrying to get children undressed, through the bath, and into the bed so that I could find time to fold clothes, wash dishes, plan one more meeting or event for women, etc. In the first chapter o labels this feeling “Discontentment”. If not rushing through the moment, I often found myself worrying through the moment. The Greek word for worry means “to divide the mind”. Anxiety splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems. Part of our mind is on the now and part of our mind is on the not yet and the result is half-minded living.
God has reminded me that if I become habited to this way of life, I will not only miss moments, but I will miss days and even years that will never be mine again. My granddaughter drove herself to school yesterday for the first time; just yesterday it seems she was driving her Barbie jeep. Life will not stand still for us to slow down or wait for us to finish worrying. It will move on with or without our being there!
So, ladies, let us adopt this motto for 2012 and mean it: “Everywhere I go; there I will be!”
Margaret Kennedy is a Biblical retreat and conference speaker, who also has a call for mentoring young women on her life. She teaches a ladies class in her local church, which has been aired on a secular station for several years. She has also had a daily radio program called “Threads of Hope” on a local Christian station. She has been married to Ross for 18 years, and has 2 grown sons and 5 grandchildren. She served many years as a LifeWay Ministry Multiplier and co-authored of Heart Friends: Beginning and Maintaining a Small Accountability Group.