My mother has given me some great advice over the years. But the one piece that I remember the most—and the piece that I put to use with the most frequency—is something that she probably doesn’t even remember saying at all. It was one of those times when she was trying to console an upset teenager (me!) and attempting to use that segment of time as a teachable moment.
“Sometimes, Staci, you just need to get in the car and go through a drive-thru for a Coke.”
I’m not sure how much stock I put in that nugget of information at the tender age of seventeen, but I do know how wise I’ve come to view those words as I raised my own children and maneuvered through a myriad of life’s complex twists and turns.
Sometimes we just need a time out–a few minutes to back up, regroup, rethink, and recharge.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” ~ I Peter 5:7
I thought about this verse this morning. Too many times I wait for thunder bolts and lightening strikes or—at the very least—Oprah-like “a-ha” moments for things to get my attention. Deep, probing sermons that prompt hours of thought and speculation. Or significant happenings that signify a life-changing moment.
And these moments do happen. Occasionally. But in the meantime LIFE happens and, if I’m not careful, I become too bogged down in the everyday and the mundane and I forget to take notice of the basic things. The simple words.
Like my mom’s advice…
Take a moment and go buy yourself a Coke.
And for His word. Give me all your troubles. I care.
I’m clinging to those teachable moments today.
I read this article and found it hilarious. I just wrote a blog on how something my mom used to say when I was younger has turned out to be so meaningful now that I’m older. I used to be aggravated by that particular remark but I find myself applying it to my life today. Thank God for the wisdom of mothers!
Staci, I love this. I don’t often take moments of “time out” for myself. I just might be intentional and go get that coke one of these days!