Stop Doing and Start Listening // Lessons for a Lifelong Do-er

My little space here has felt a little neglected recently... and I've missed it. I've missed the daily outpouring of thought and reflection... missed the opportunity to shuffle my thoughts into some semblance of clarity. I've come to realise that this little online space is so much more than just a record of our family life... its a reflection of where we're at in the journey... not just the intricacies of daily life as a family of six, but the spaces in between... the thoughts and wonderings; challenges and hopes. It is so much reflective of my own walk with the Lord... I can read my journey between the lines... the posts full of thankfulness, and those distracted by daily pressures.

And isn't that just the reality of walking life with Jesus?

The repeated return to him; acknowledgement that I've strayed again, the beautiful bliss of ready acceptance, forgiveness and welcome home. It never gets tiring, and its always so very, very precious.

My head's been all over the place recently... I feel a little like I'm performing some perpetual juggling act of family life... and then there's everything else. The diary is too full... the weeks too busy. And yet again I hear that quiet voice telling me to stop doing and start listening. I am a Martha by nature, but I'm never happier than when I'm being a Mary. I just forget that sometimes.

My mind reels with all the things I have to do... with the roles I have to fulfil, the promises I've made and the realities of life as a mother of four. There's an assembly, a parents evening, a coffee morning or a stay and play every week without fail, and with only two in school, I know its only going to get more...

There are Bible studies and Mother and toddler groups, coffees and catch ups and mountainous loads of washing, there are one-to-ones and to-do lists. And it can all feel a little overwhelming, can't it?

And when it does, that voice reminds me again...

Stop doing and start listening.

So simple, and yet so incredibly difficult.

Pulling back, prioritising, battening down the hatches.

And praying... a lot.

Making that peaceful five minutes in the morning... with baby chatter in the background and a propped up pillow behind my back... the highlight of my day. My communion with the Saviour. My time with the Lord. My quiet time... pouring over his word, speaking words of prayer and petition. Soaking it all in at Jesus feet... and stopping. And listening. In the Silence.

Because that's where the spaces of life get filled with beautiful, life-giving nuggets of gold.