You can spend it. You can manage it. You can even waste it. But once “it” is gone, you can never get it back. And “it” being our dear friend and nemesis: time.
And as I was sitting in my living room a couple weeks ago, drinking a tea with a momma of two littles, I listened to her as she expressed she’d like more of it - time. Having myself swam through the deep, dark waters of the long days that call for the breaks of naps and snacks and snuggles and kisses when they fall and scrape their knees or chin, I assured her that before she knew it, she’d have more time on her hands, more dates with her husband, and more - yet different - problems to navigate.
Yes. If we wait long enough, we’ll all have more time.
Everyone will tell you to “enjoy it because it goes by fast.” And they’re not wrong. It does go by fast! But spending our lives and motherhood hyper-aware of the clock has a downfall…
I think a lot of times we romanticize the notion of “If I only had more time, then I’d…” and we fill in the blank. If we had more time, most of us would find something that we love to do to fill it up with. We’d bake, travel, run, play, create…and more of it. At the very least, we’d get caught up on everything that we’ve fallen behind in: dishes, laundry, bills, emails, and finally dealing with the random piles collecting throughout the house and garage.
But when we truly look at it, God in His infinite wisdom and grace only gave us two hands and one day. No more and no less. And because He’s the One who created time, seasons, and days (and not us) the 24 hours that constitutes a day is plenty. Honestly, perfect.
Just like we can’t grow a third arm to juggle more of the balls that we have tossed up in the air or hold more of the things on our already full plates, we can’t add a single hour to the days that oftentimes feel all too long or short (depending on what side of motherhood you’re on).
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
The answer to Jesus’ hypothetical question is, “No!”
With that being said, we need to come to grips with the fact that we have enough. Period.
Two hands and one day. No more and no less. And it’s plenty. Honesty, perfect.
Once we accept the fact that we have enough time from the Father who loves us, it gives us permission to do something powerful:
We stop counting the minutes and start capturing the moments.
Because minutes come and go, round and round the clock they spin. You can notice when 12:52 turns into 12:53. Minutes can be counted as they tick on by.
Moments, however, must be captured as they are altogether fleeting. The very definition is a very brief period of time. They are here…and then gone. They come unannounced and leave just as stealthily as they came.
Capturing a moment can be likened to what happens on a summer’s night in mid-June in the Midwest. Once the sun sets - typically around 8:30pm - the cicadas start calling out their mating songs from the treetops. Shortly thereafter, with the sky quickly growing darker, you’ll begin to see them… A flash here, a flash there. Lighting bugs, also known as fireflies, will begin flying around, lighting up the sky with brief flickers of bright, yellow light. Just like capturing lightning bugs, you’ve got to first be present in the yard with your mason jar ready if you have any hopes of catching a moment. You also have to anticipate them, so you run around with your bare feet in the grass and grab at the flicker of light the moment you see it.
But sadly, more often than not, moments aren’t fully recognized or realized until they’re gone. Like sand that slips through our fingers, it can quickly be lost upon the ground.
If only I had known that she’d stop asking me to sing her special bedtime song when she was little…I would have sang it to her two times in a row, nice and loud.
If only I had known earlier this year that he’d stop asking me to make his warm chocolate milk in the morning…I would have sat with him on the couch as he drank it.
If only I had known that the last time I did anything silly was the last time I could get away with it…I would have been the silliest.
But that’s not the way it works!
Moments don’t show up with name tags and loud heralds and grand announcements. They come in quietly and sit in the back or stand in the corner. And when it’s time to go, they don’t make the rounds to tell everyone goodbye, they just slip out the back door.
So if you’re going to be able to capture a moment that is hard to spot and honestly a little slippery - you’ve got to be fully present!
Because you’ll miss everything important in life if you’re not! If your mind is preoccupied with what’s on the calendar, and you’re stressed out about getting everything on your list done, and you’re worried about your deadlines and due dates, you might have a good handle on the minutes, but you’re very likely to miss the moments.
And since today’s moments become tomorrow’s memories, let’s not miss out on being present as we mother on purpose with purpose!
Just like a lightning bug that will flash its light on and off and then fly away, moments appear and disappear just as quickly. It’s completely up to us to recognize them and capture them in our hearts. Hearts that are fully present. Hearts that have stopped counting the minutes and started capturing the moments.