Taking a Ride on the Highway to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN

Let’s be honest, life is a highway and for many of us our lives have become “superhighways,” with endless to do lists and commitments. Perhaps this summer we can use the break or lull in schooling to truly stop, look and listen in regards to our own lives and get a grip on our schedules and priorities, so that, as we move into a new school year, we can have a REAL refreshed and revived spirit! Come on, jump in, buckle up… the top is down….let’s take a summertime drive down the highway of life and pause at each rest stop, as we “Stop, Look and Listen!”

Many of us commit to other activities outside of teaching our children, and that is a good thing. It helps to keep our lives balanced and allows our children to see us in another light- that of a “person” with interests that involve others. While it’s a wonderful thing to have those outside interests, for many it becomes a trap.

Many of us strive to be the one who is dependable, the one that others can count on, and, frankly, we enjoy serving others. I once read that if we burn the candles at both ends, soon the wax will run out. The only way we can honestly assess if we are taking on too much, is to truly STOP. This exercise in stopping needs to happen over the course of a few days or even weeks.

STOP

Spend time in prayer and spend time making a list of what YOU do on a regular basis. Writing it down allows us to visualize just how much we are responsible for. Include everything:

Homeschooling, household duties, commitments and ministries at church, outside part time jobs, and ANY other commitments that you regularly schedule into your week. For many this will include online commitments, blogging and social networking.

A wonderful way to really see what goes on in your life is to refer back to a calendar or day planner; the results may likely surprise many of us. Don’t forget to include the transporting of your children to and from activities. Spend time in the STOP phase to spend some time in Luke reading Martha and Mary’s story. Meditate on the words that Jesus uses when he addresses them.

“You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.”Psalm 139:3 (TLB)

LOOK

Once you’ve created the list of your weekly “to-do’s” it’s time to move into the LOOK phase of our summertime assignment. In this phase an honest heart is necessary. Take each of those items on your STOP list and have a good, long prayerful look. Prioritize them. Honestly prioritize and take inventory of your list, remembering it’s YOUR list, unique to you and that is important to remember. This summer exercise is not about someone else’s list, but yours. It’s in this phase that some soul searching may occur. Each of these activities on your list has to be placed into a how important or significant they are in this season of your life.

For some, the part time job is necessary to supplement income in tough economic times, and for others certain activities will rise to the surface as things that may need to be let go of in this season of life. Many of us wake daily with a prayer that God use us, and in the same breath we leap out of bed without focus. We can’t possibly allow God to use us when we ourselves aren’t focused and running a thousand miles an hour. It’s time to have a look at how we can focus energy and time that we have and begin to use the gifts that God has given each one of us uniquely.

Several years ago, in her book, Ingrid Trobisch, the author of Keeper of the Springs, wrote that women often have difficulty embracing the “little” things in their lives. As women we tend to want to make “One Grand Sacrifice,” when the reality is that depending on the season we are in, there may be nothing “GRAND” about it. It may be a series of lessons, meals and laundry intermingled with taxiing children, refereeing disputes and unloading the dishwasher. It’s about embracing the season and taking a good, long look at what is filling our days and learning to live as God designed us to. It’s about looking at the gifts that we possess and being willing to USE them for God’s glory.

LISTEN

The final phase of this summer priority ride is to LISTEN.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

This may in fact be the most challenging part for many women, especially those who classify themselves as the “do-ers.” In order to truly enact change, tuning into God is where we have to begin. We’ve stopped, looked and now it’s time to prayerfully listen to what God whispers and reveals. It’s allowing God to show us how HE sees us that we can begin to make changes that will have us moving into a new school year with a renewed sense of purpose and hope. Finding contentment and peace has never been easy, but it is achievable. If allowed, God will reveal what items on the STOP list need to be there, which ones may need to be set aside for a season and ones that are currently not on the list and need to be added at HIS urging.

It’s rejuvenating, it’s exhilarating and it’s freeing. The demands of daily life are just that, they are demands of daily life, but if we are willing to Stop, Look and Listen the Lord will graciously and willing guide our hearts and order the steps that HE would have us take. It’s in this listening that we’ll be able to come to a place where we can go before the Lord with our plans for the upcoming week and ASK HIM to lead us into what HE wishes for us.

God has plans not just for your life, but for your day- each one of them- as numbered by HIM. He wants to see you on a long and winding road where the journey is enjoyed and savored, not on a superhighway where it all just “whizzes” by without any clarity. By taking time this summer to reflect on your priorities and activities, a bit of Stopping, Looking, Listening and Yielding to the author of it all, could make this summer one of the most invigorating and life changing summers of your life!

“Those who wait on the Lord will find their strength. They will fly high on the wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

Click here for a PDF to help on this Stop, Look and Listen! It’s your very own copy of a SUMMER Reprioritization Guide to help you on this RIDE of a lifetime. Included are Scripture and journaling sections to help you make this summer the most productive ever!

Check out my article on page 16 of the funky flipbook edition of Heart of the Matter Magazine.

Lori is a 5 year homeschool mom to 3. Currently a 8th grader, a 6th grader and a 4th grader. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to home school, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “you know what you should do.” Never looking back, accepting the challenges and rewards and CONSTANTLY clinging to THE ROCK…”No Storm can shake my inmost calm when to this ROCK I’m clinging.” Lori hopes to impart peace and inspiration amidst the daily chaos. Be sure to visit her blog at All You Have to Give.

Tags: christian living, daily devotional tips for moms, free copy of SUMMER Reprioritization Guide, free e-book, Ingrid Trobisch, Keeper of the Springs, prioritizing your weekly schedule, Scripture, spending time in prayer, taking time to refocus on your family life

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