KEEP CALM....AND DON'T OVERTHINK IT!
Overthinking can keep you from God’s Best!
HEY YA’LL!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve put up a post. All I can say is that life tends to slow us down even when we have the best intentions. Recently, I have been juggling quite a bit, to include working at a new institution. I am also in school and just wrapped up a term of school. On top of that I have been filming videos and, most importantly, being a wife and mom. I am not complaining one bit, as I am in a season of increase. However, blogging sometimes takes a back seat.
Being so busy also affected my seasonal family photo shoots! lol We are so late on our pumpkin patch pictures this year. We do not celebrate Halloween, but I love going to the Fall Festivals and pumpkin patches to spend time together as a family. There are always fun activities to do which help create great family memories. I’ll share a funny story with you. A couple of weeks ago, we got all dressed up to go take our pictures. These pictures were going to be fierce…I had it ALL planned. Long story short, when we got to our location it was so crowded it was impossible to set up for a decent photo. We tried another location, and it reeked of garbage. There was a festival going on there, too, and there was spilled juice all over the area where we had finished setting up.
On top of that the kids started to get restless and fussy. I decided enough was enough and we went home. I left thinking that if we did take pumpkin patch photos this year, I would not plan so much. No coordinated outfits, no pressure, no fuss just FUN & QUALITY TIME. When our focus shifted to simply spending time together, the result was beatific…just like these photos. :)
I guess I was still a bit coordinated with my girl…can you blame me? She is just the cutest!
I was reading one of my favorite books recently, “God’s Little Devotional Book for Moms’, and in it I read, “A happy childhood is one of the best gifts that parents have in their power to bestow” (1995). It also cites Proverbs. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so”. Good, in this case was making sure my kids had fun; giving them what we had the power to give them. That was the whole point of it all. Not the photos or the outfits, just the FUN of it all. Sometimes, overthinking sucks the potential for fun out of a situation. Overthinking can also keep us from God’s best.
Remember earlier when I mentioned that I just started working at a new institution? Well, that almost did not happen. Two weeks ago, I received an email one night from a state college Dean asking me if I was interested in a teaching position that was open. The position would need to be filled immediately and she believed I was qualified. The crazy thing about it all, is that I submitted an application to teach at that institution 4 YEARS AGO! I wonder how much dust she had to wipe off of that thing to find my phone number. lol I had been feeling like a change was due and was coming for me and I recently declined teaching courses this term, at another institution where' I’ve been employed for some time now. It was obviously an inkling from the Holy Spirit, because then comes this NEW institution with another opportunity for me. This position is a step forward for my teaching career and God said it was time. God had it all lined up and all I had to do was trust Him.
Anyway, the night before I had to start, I had so much anxiety due to the fact that both hubby and me needed to be some place the next day, and we had not figured out child care. The only option was to leave the kids at a daycare that offers back up care as a part of hubby’s benefits. We’ve done this before when we needed to run errands together and go on day dates, but something about both of us needing to be at work made it super scary. Not to mention, I was so nervous about the types of students I would have. Long story short, we dropped the kids off, we went to work, I met the students and the class went great. I picked the kids up and they were just fine (they didn’t even get sick afterwards) and I lived to tell the story. It was almost like pulling teeth getting me to step into this new phase of my life, due to overthinking. I could have declined last minute, and missed out on such a wonderful opportunity.
The moral of today’s post is: Overthinking can keep you from God’s Best! When you’re doubtful or tempted to plan every little detail, remember to consult your Heavenly Father. He will make His will clear to you. He will be with you and hold your hand as you walk into unknown territory. He will show you what is most important in that moment…just TRUST HIM. He’s got you! ;)
Btw, If you’re looking for a free family activity try going to your local pumpkin patch. Have each child pick out a pumpkin that you can use for decor or for a recipe. :) Even if you don’t celebrate Halloween you can have fun letting each child decorate the pumpkin, then put it on display somewhere inside. In our case, we picked out a small one that we are using as decor in our living room…just until it starts to ripen. ;) See you in the next post!