The Soundtrack of Your Mind

What's the soundtrack of your mind? Does it sound anything like this:
"Did I pack enough diapers?" "Is it getting close to nap time?" "Did I check on the babysitter?" "What am I cooking for dinner?" "Did I register for preschool yet?" "What about that pile of laundry?"

If you're anything like me, we're listening to that same static station. And it ain't cute!

This morning I kicked myself out of bed while my husband was putting Cub down for his first early morning nap. It was about 7 AM. I put on my running shoes not sure if I was going to run or walk but knew some fresh air would do me some good. As I began walking, I started to pray. I used to go on daily morning prayer walks and they were great. Just me, God and the early morning... and of course a few dog walkers here and there!

As I walked today, my prayer sounded like this: "Lord, do this. Lord, why can't so and so do that? Lord, why do we have to xyz? Lord, I'm so tired of blank, Lord, Lord, Lord..." Yuck, yuck, yuck! Capital NEGATIVE! When I started listening to myself, I thought, why would God want to hear that? I don't even want to hear it. So I manually shifted gears and started to praise God. Sure, it felt forced at first. But before long, that forced praise subsided and I eased into a natural grateful state. A blanket of peace settled over me and I could literally taste and smell the peace. As my mind quieted down, I was able to enjoy the moment. The sun was starting to rise, the birds were beginning to chirp, a light mist was falling. Beautiful.

Then a scripture came to mind that I had "accidentally" stumbled across in bed this morning while looking for something else:

Thou wilt keep him [her] in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

Awe, so that's what that was about! It made perfect sense now. No accident afterall!

There will always be something for us to worry about, stress over, roll our eyes at, etc. There's no shortage of stressors. But what I was reminded of today was why not take some time out to enjoy the moment? Or several of them! Why not remember how blessed we are, the wonderful GIFT of this motherhood, the breath we breathe, the fact that we can see and read this post! There may be a lot we can grumble about, but there are far more things we can be thankful for!

So today amidst everything I have to do, I'm adding one more thing to my To-Do list: Be.