Jonnie's Herbs with Honesty

As mothers, we all feel guilty thinking we aren’t doing enough. Let this encourage you because just being a mom, loving your child(ren), feeding, changing, and caring for them is a full-time job. We are so concerned with finishing everything on our checklist, but when was the last time you were fully present with God? When was the last time you sat down and were fully present with your kid(s) without worrying about the pile of laundry waiting to be done or the dishes? Have you spent quality time with your husband? Don’t get so distracted and stressed by everything that we have to do that you miss what matters most. Chores will always be there. Our babies are only little once. You only get this time with them once, and you can’t go back, so cherish it.

Mary and Martha

I’m sure we have all heard the story of Martha rushing to get all the chores done and take care of the guests, while Mary was just sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning and enjoying His presence. In Luke 10:41-42, we see Jesus tell Martha that she is worried about so many things, but only one is necessary, and Mary chose to do that. There is a time for everything.

~We are supposed to worship God with our work, not let our work take us away from God.~

Make time for what matters most

WE CAN’T DO IT ALL! And that is okay! God never asked us to manage everything on our own. Cancel something off your list that can wait until later and make time to pray. Now I want you to pray and ask the Lord what is one thing that’s taking your time away from Him? Start small.

P.S. If you can find time to scroll or “catch up,” you can find time to pray.

I heard of one woman who used her apron to cover her head and pray to God. Her kids knew that if she had the apron over her head, to wait until she was finished praying to get her attention. This isn’t doable for everyone, but for some, it may work. We can pray on the toilet instead of scrolling… it may seem awkward, but when you are seriously busy, I feel like God appreciates the little moments. Maybe every time you wash your hands, thank Him for 3 things. If you have older kids, you may be able to set a time aside to read the bible together.

I have been so busy between getting my baby back and forth for visitation, and my church being in revival. I forgot to feed my sourdough, and it molded 😭 it smelled TERRIBLE. Luckily, I didn’t use all of my discard when I made pizzas the other day. I set my jar outside to rinse with the water hose and proceeded to leave it for two days. (I didn’t forget, but by the end of both days, it was all I could do to brush my teeth.) I had too many things, and the sourdough got the boot this time. At first I felt terrible, but guess what? It didn’t hurt anything and it made me no less of a mom in any way. If I’m honest, I still haven’t cleaned the jar… I brought it in and scraped out the flakes I could, but there was a little bit left on the sides, so I filled it up with water, and now it’s been sitting on the counter for almost a day, waiting to be cleaned. Still!

Don’t feel discouraged if something has to wait a while to get done, if it means you get to spend quality time with God and your family, or getting something important done.

Procrastinator and Perfectionist

This message isn’t for the procrastinators who wait as long as possible to get everything done. Sometimes it ends up like that, though, and you are just trying to survive. For the procrastinators: Writing a list does help.

I was the procrastinator, but then after using lists and being more productive, I became defined by what I completed. Neither is the correct approach. Use a list so you don’t forget what you need to get done or get distracted, but don’t be so focused on getting everything done that you lose sight of why you are doing anything in the first place.

I hope this spoke to you, and if you are on the procrastinator side or are just looking for a different layout, download and print my daily planner list. If you like it, you might just find a way to draw it out and save ink! Leave a comment if I should make a minimal ink friendly version!