The #MotheRing from Julie Lyles Carr on Vimeo.
It’s always a joy when I get to speak at my home church of LifeAustin. It was an honor to speak on Mother’s Day, celebrating all women in the family of God and the call we each have to mother someone in the family of God and to be mothered by someone in the family of God. Mother’s Day this year happened to fall in the midst of several important writing deadlines and project details. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get it all done, that I might let somebody down, that I might miss some details.
But I’m learning.
I’m learning to build in more margin. I’m learning to skinny, skinny, skinny down the slots on the calendar for availability for certain meetings and luncheons. I’m still not great at it. I still tend toward filling every single hour from dawn ’til dark with perceived responsibilities and tasks and urgencies.
But.
I’m learning that preparation, solid preparation, takes time.
And I’m learning that it takes time to listen.
To listen well.
To listen to God.
To listen to what needs to come next on the manuscript, the teaching, the project.
I’m finally starting to learn that when I’m willing to do those things, when I’m willing to stand by a reasonable schedule, when I’m willing to risk not being seen as always on and always available, God gets stuff done. He just does.
So here’s to continuing to learn and progress and listen.
I’ve got a plenty long way to go. But the lessons are sweet.
