As the kids head back to school and the day-to-day moments become more routine, it’s tempting to get caught up in the hustle of everyday life.
I know about hustle. As a mother of three, married to my husband for fourteen years and author of four books one thing I know for sure is the language of the game, the pull to comparison and competition, and the feeling that the work I do is never quite enough.
I know the pain of inefficiency, the addiction of ambition, the longing to build something important, and the disappointment that comes when the outcome looks different than I thought.
And the outcome nearly always looks different than I thought.
I really do believe that the presence of Christ makes a difference in my everyday life. But sometimes I get caught up in the pace and I forget.
When Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God, where did he intend for us to look? And how will we know when we’ve found it?
It’s tempting to overlook my right-now, everyday moments and look for God’s kingdom in places that have a little more pizzaz.
But Jesus pointed to a different place, saying that his kingdom isn’t something you can point to but is instead in our midst.
Perhaps heaven isn’t as far up as we think. Perhaps it’s only one inch above the ground. It’s still up, but not so far away.
The past few years have been for me a practice of embracing what I find one inch above the ground on my ordinary, routine days like Tuesday – even when it’s not what I expected or planned for. Celebrating on purpose the messy, the lovely, and the unexpected moments of life has helped me to see the beauty hidden beneath the piles of to-do lists and dirty clothes.
But let’s be real – there is nothing beautiful about laundry.
What I’m finding, though, is that paying attention on Tuesday reminds me that Jesus didn’t come to save me from my daily tasks, but in many ways he has saved me for my daily task. When I’m tempted to despise these small beginnings, I am invited to remember that this, right in front of me, is where I live. This is my work, my assignment for today.
And when I keep my eyes on the next thing in front of me, I remember how God is where he always said he would be – right here among us. Remembering his presence in the daily ordinary helps me to live my moments with less hustle and more heart.
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