Overflow

This will be quick- packing seems like such an easy thing but there are always 147 little things to do right at the end.

My husband coined a new phrase from our family last weekend, and I thought it was helpful enough to share. We were starting to get overwhelmed with our desire to meet everyone in the church, have everyone to our house for a meal, be involved in various church ministries, serve all our neighbors, etc. All while raising three kids three and under, and throw in a lot of sickness for good measure. We are full of great ideas but don't always have the energy or time to actually DO all the things we'd like to get accomplished. So in addition to that E. Prentiss quote I posted last week, this is my new guiding principle: Serve from the overflow.

If my children are not loved and cared for (read to, fed well, given a safe place to learn and grow) and my husband is neglected, as is my health (which also affects a nursing baby for now), then my serving/ministry is not from the overflow of my joy and love, it is draining the drinking water. This is not to say serving isn't costly, or that our family is more important than the greater work of the Kingdom. But it is really easy to rush around and be "busy" when the most important tasks are left undone. Example: In our Bible study this week's assignment was to send a care package to a college girl. I thought of someone right away, and decided to have it ready to take with us so I could deliver it in person. Only we were sick all week and I never went shopping. So today I had decided to load up the kids and go to Target after naptime and just do what needed to be done. Which in this case, meant neglecting a lot more than just forgoing a decent dinner for the kids (hey- sometimes it's fun to have a hot dog & icee for dinner at Target). And sometimes it is important for the children to see that serving others does cost us something and it's good for them to learn (early) the value of thinking of others as more important than themselves. But I'm talking more about the day-in day-out decisions we make that affect our family...not the exceptions.

So, we stayed home and packed, washed diapers and made birthday cards for my sister, had a decent dinner and a bath, and read some new books before bed. There are still 10 things on my to-do list that I had to lay aside with full knowledge they won't get done before we leave...some important (make thank you gift for host family...not happening, but we can buy something nice) and some less important (paint toenails...not happening, but I'll throw the polish in my purse for later). The goal is that we will all be more of a light and testimony of grace- and in a better position to minister- because there is harmony between me and my husband, and the children are secure and well-loved. Of course I relearn these things every week it seems, but there's always new mercy for the new day.