These are the infamous clumpy white dunes of the central Saudi desert…
Jk, it’s my sourdough starter (fed and unmixed). 😜
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When I reflect on the past couple months, it’s embarrassingly clear what kind of quarantine person I am. Let’s take a look at my recent undertakings:
✔️Sourdough bread baking
✔️Potty training a toddler
✔️Bible-in-a-year reading plan
✔️30 day slimdown diet
✔️Sleep training a baby
✔️Multiple book clubs
✔️This 100 day project
Apparently I like to torture myself, and what better time to do that then during a pandemic when I was essentially locked in the house for weeks! 😬
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I’ve been reading the book Risen Motherhood with a few other mothers in this part of the world and it talks about our tendency to want to control our outside environment when we’re feeling helpless and overwhelmed on the inside. We think… if I can just wrangle order out of the chaos, if my baby will sleep through the night, if my toddler will pee on the potty instead of the car seat, if I can just fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes again, THEN I’ll feel peace, joy, contentment, etc.
Spoiler: not true.
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No matter how many great plans or projects we sign up for, transformation happens from the inside, which we can’t accomplish on our own. As the book reminded me, “Christ is our patience. Christ is our peace. Christ is our kindness. Christ is our joy. No matter our circumstances, we know God is in control, not us, and we can trust his promises when things don’t go our way.”
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The challenges and plans and organizing aren’t bad in and of themselves, but I need to remember not to rely on them as if they are the key. And when I’m filling every minute of my day with activity, I’m not allowing myself to rest in Him and give Him space to work in my life.
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What kind of quarantine person have you been? In this season of uncertainty are there parts of your life you’ve been holding with a tight grasp, trying to control, when you should be giving them to God?
