Photo by Angie Davis.
Lauren Denton
Do you ever have those days when things just don’t go the way you planned?
I’m not talking about big life direction-type things, though those can sometimes feel wrong. I’m talking more about regular day-in, day-out stuff. Days when despite your best-laid plans, despite all your good intentions, maybe even despite the list you prepared detailing everything you wanted to accomplish during your day, things still don’t work out how you wanted. Does that ever happen to you?
I’m guessing the answer is yes, but if you’re one of those rare people for whom everything always goes swimmingly, please consider keeping your glee to yourself. (Or tell me your secret!)
Time is often not my friend during the seven-hour stretch while my kids are in school. Seven hours. It truly should be enough time to accomplish everything on my list and more — it’s a big chunk of time! But the truth is, I often find myself spinning my wheels, trying to figure out what task or project or chore to do first, so that I end up starting several things at once and none of it gets finished. Or I have every intention of working (i.e. writing) for two hours. After two hours, I tell myself I’ll close the computer and move on to whatever I need to tackle next, whether that’s laundry, errands or corralling all the hairbrushes, stray socks and Legos scattered across tabletops and between couch cushions. But the two-hour mark comes and goes, and whether it’s because of a glorious flow of words (a rare occurrence), or because the words are as plugged as a bottle of Elmer’s glue (much more likely), I keep at it. Next thing I know, it’s 2 p.m., I haven’t eaten since a bowl of Cheerios at 8:15, and I still need to run to Publix before 2:45.
Not too long ago, I was hurrying down Roseland one day to pick up the kids from school (while being very careful and stopping at all the stop signs, of course). I was mentally beating myself up because not only could I not make a particular chapter work in the several hours I’d devoted to it, but I’d also left so much else unfinished. As a result, I felt frantic, unproductive and vaguely anxious. I stopped for a minute before getting out of the car to get the kids, and as I took a few deep breaths, I had this flash of thought: One day it won’t be like this.
I don’t mean one day when my kids are grown or when I’m not on deadline or when we hire a personal shopper and chef (ha). I mean one day, when the old has passed away and the new has come, our work and our time will be redeemed.
No longer will we be subject to the god of disorder, our enemy who loves to sow confusion, distraction and dissatisfaction everywhere he can. God is making all things new, and one day our work (at home, at the office, at school, etc.) will no longer cause anxiety or distress or feelings of futility. No longer will we bounce from one task to the next, hurrying to do it all while doing much of it only half-way. Instead, our hands will be strong for every task, and our energy and efforts will return a great bounty.
In this new year, this time for making resolutions, I’m resolving to do what I can to push back against that disorder. I’m old enough to understand that much of my own feelings of disorder and distraction stem from the phone that’s with me at all times, so I’m going to take steps to separate myself from it to the extent that I can. I’m also going to channel Elisabeth Elliot, who often gave this advice: Do the next thing. Instead of letting myself get to a place where I feel overwhelmed by the tasks and chores before me, I’ll remind myself to take one thing and do it. Then pick the next one and do that. One step at a time, day by day.
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands — yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalms 90:17
When I’m not writing about my family and our various shenanigans, I write novels and go to the grocery store. My next novel, “The Summer House,” releases in May 2020. You can reach me by email at Lauren@LaurenKDenton.com, visit my website LaurenKDenton.com, or find me on Instagram @LaurenKDentonBooks, Twitter @LaurenKDenton, or on Facebook @LaurenKDentonAuthor.