A Prayer for the Busy Seasons of Life
By Alicia Searl
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10
It was 5:30 am when I got the quick kiss and “I’ll see ya later,” goodbye from my sweet hubby as he rushed out the door to take our middle daughter to her softball tournament. I had another thirty minutes before it was my time to “get going,” and I was going to soak in every minute of it. But, when that alarm clock went off, my whole body groaned at the fact that it was now my time, and it was one of “those weekends.” The divide and conquer weekends. I was tired. Tired of being immersed in this crazy season of life. When my oldest came into our bedroom with her softball socks in one hand and her softball bag in the other, I knew I had to face the fate of the day. I forced myself out of bed, woke up our little one, and we piled in the car, heading in the opposite direction for her tournament.
This season of our lives is super busy. While we’ve had multiple talks on how to slow down, re-arrange our schedule, or make more time for our daughters, and us, we still end up here - busy. Right back at square one. Running around from event to event with our teen daughters, helping them live their best lives. Sigh. Unfortunately, time is one thing we can never get back. So, my husband and I have managed to see this season for what it is – the “I’ll meet you on the couch at 10 pm, so we can hold hands and fall into a heap together” season. Our daughters need us, our family needs us, and we both have careers with deadlines, church obligations, and so many other things that pull us apart in many different directions. While we aim for date nights and the occasional alone time, we have learned that prayer is our immediate lifeline. We can always get through the day when we pray!
The other night while we were together in our usual spot (the couch) my husband looked over at me and said, “I wouldn’t want to do this crazy busy life with anyone else.” And, while many days I want to throw in the towel, I would have to agree…I wouldn’t do this with anyone else either! Then we sat in silence and soaked in the peace of that moment.
Let’s pray:
O Lord,
We come before You with this season of endless parenting demands and ask that You relieve our burdens. Be with us Lord, as we are so tired. We know that You are a good Father and will sustain us during this season, so we invite You into our busy lives and ask You to grant us peace and settle our hearts. As we strive to do our best to “juggle it all” while pouring love over our children and marriages, we ask that we set our sights on You. Be there and be our guide. Show us Your presence as You breathe a little bit of life and calm into our chaos. Deliver peace as only You can, as we find pockets of time when we can rest and lean in on You. Give us strength to endure each day and walk beside us, leading and protecting our family as we all disperse in different directions.
Gracious God, we must admit that we aren’t always good at knowing how to organize our schedules and can fill them up rather quickly with unnecessary things. We ask that You please show us where we can use our time more efficiently and wisely, as we long to honor You with our time. O God, You tell us to “Be Still, and Know…” (Psalm 46:10). But it can be so difficult to find those moments to be still. We can also easily fall into the traps of seeking stillness and peace that we don’t even recognize the times when they are given to us. When we are at games or events, help us find ways to slip away and get quiet with You. Those moments are so precious to us, Lord. We thank You for Your unfailing love and for granting us time in our day to see You everywhere. We pray we take notice and look up! Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/akajhoe
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