The Great “I’m Missing Out” Hoax

As a mother, do you ever feel as though you are missing out on a whole wide world filled with activity, fun, excitement, and adventure? Do you ever have the sense that you are “stuck” at home, while everyone else is living it up? If you do, then you are falling for the Great, “I’m Missing Out” Hoax!

Well, dear mama, don’t!

Am I missing out right now?

My family and I were invited to a beautiful meal this evening (yes, I’m writing this to you hot off the press!). Thirty excitable people celebrating Passover together. A real party!

Now, believe me, I have no doubt that this momentous event will prove to be fantastic. Food, fun, fellowship, and a beautiful focus on God. The works!

But I decided, that I wasn’t going to go! Shocking, I know…

You see, I had a bit of a think, and realized that sometimes, as a mom, it is simply more important to take advantage of an opportunity to have a peaceful, quiet time of reflection – With everyone else out of the home. In fact, it is often more important than attending pretty much any festive occasion going on “out there.”

What if You Never Missed a Single Event?

Now, I must tell you, precious one, that if you could get a little glimpse through the eyeglass of time, and peer fifteen or twenty years back, this decision would not have been made. Not by me! Oh no! You see, I would not have bypassed anything, in case I would miss out on a “great” event.

In fact, I was one of these gals that attended every prayer meeting, every social event, every potluck lunch. You name it, I was there! Sure, sometimes I had other pressing activities to do. Other times I simply felt too tired. But I wouldn’t have dreamed of not going. Not because I was so holy and believed that it was God’s will for me to go. I went because I didn’t want to miss out!

When I finally matured a little, and stopped going to everything, I was often told that I had missed out on the most holy prayer meeting, the most fun party, or the best discussion that ever occurred over tea and cake at a café.

After a while, I even cynically considered not going to anything, because when I wasn’t there, it turned out to be a thousand times better than when I was! 🙂

In any case, let’s get back to being a Mom.

As a mom, you need social interaction with adults.

As a mom, you benefit from intellectual discussion once in a while.

As a mom, you need to unwind and just have fun without stressing over lunch, the laundry, or the lavatory!

But do you know what? As a mom, you need a break too! (tweet) And sometimes, that break needs to come at the expense of some hot event, interesting meeting, or church picnic. Sometimes, those are the exact times that God has ordained since the beginning of time, for you to disengage, have the house to yourself, and rest!

And it’s O-K-A-Y.

I mean, I’m alone right now. I have spent time worshipping God in song. I am looking out over the most stunning sunset that the Lord has laid out in the heavens in a long time, resulting in prayers of praise in thanksgiving to Him. He is restoring my soul. My perspective about who I am in Him, and how incomparably great and wonderous He is in my life are on my mind.

“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

And I’m writing this blog post…. I’ve been trying to get the time to write a blog post for days. I’m loving every second of this time. It’s been two hours since I’ve been alone, but I feel as though it’s been 2 days!

So, what’s my point, you ask… Good question! 🙂

Here’s a scenario:

• You want to have a chance to meet face to face with the King of Kings
• You need to catch up on some time to do things you actually need to do
• You crave to relax for an hour doing things you actually enjoy doing

Instead of waiting to find a good chunk of time to be on your own, I humbly suggest that you take a look at your schedule for the next week, and identify when you can take the time to be alone.

What activity can you slip out of, and instead choose to spend an afternoon or evening in the Presence of the Most High God? Alone. In the quiet. Invigorated. Renewed.

And as for those grand events…

Rest assured, dear friend, you will never miss out! How could you? You see, it’s not that you are spending time alone. You are spending time alone with God!

Charles Stanley once said, “We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.”

So, looking ahead over the next week or two, when can you make a choice to spend some time of refreshment, alone, instead of being surrounded by others?