dog days, old flip flops, and feasts

The dog days of summer are dying down, and we are all thinking about school starting, wondering if the childcare we set up for our kiddos will work, how they will adjust to the stepped up expectations in their classrooms, and how to fit in those last tasks- haircuts, school supplies, new clothes, etc.

I was thinking of all the stuff I have accumulated, and I am not just talking about old flip-flops and raggedy kid shorts… I have a lot of old baggage and ideas and self images to clear out of my closets as well.

As I ask God* to help me to be the best mom possible, to prioritize in my life what is best for my kids, and to help me to cover the most important bases of parenting, I want to be sure to get rid of the gunk I have collected over the years that is getting in the way of God’s work on me and God’s blessings on me.

It occurred to me that I need to go through the closets in my mind, and purge some old ideas in order to maximize my own “receptivity” to God. So, here is my list of a few pieces of junk I am giving up:

1. That I don’t deserve God’s blessings because I am defective in some way;

2. That I have to work really really hard to get the good life; and

3. That I deserve to be a single mom who is strapped for cash and stressed out and works too much.

You know that is just the world talking, and the truths are:

1. I am not defective. My family is not defective. Everyone deserves God’s blessings; they are on the table all ready for the feast. I just need to ask to sit down.

2. We do sometimes have to work hard to make things coordinate. The velocity of my life is faster than some folks’, but God is in my life whether I work 40 or 60 hours a week, and if I ask, God will help me figure out my dilemmas. Love and abundance is there for all of us.

3. Nobody deserves to be strapped for cash, sleep deprived, or too stressed to notice life’s blessings. We can ask for help and be willing to be flexible about our expectations (move in with a friend, sell the car, get a roommate, set some different boundaries for kids, etc…).

I have heard that it really does work to physically purge things from our homes and cars that are a) cluttering up our minds, b) causing us to spend more time caring for them than actually using them, and c) provoking emotions when we see them that no longer make us feel good. So, as I bring in all the new spirals and pencils and new sleeping schedule, I am going to try to keep on weeding out old clothes, old books, old furniture, old mementoes, old ideas, old self images, and old doubts about God and what he has to offer me.

I hope you have a great week!

*I actually forgot for a loooong time that I could be praying every morning that God will help me be a good mom; see how easy it is to forget!