31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
Written by Ashley Appleton
Life is busy and fast. I'm not sure if I'm alone in this (though I strongly doubt it), but the older I get the faster and busier it feels. I remember feeling busy at 10 and 13 when I was a young student and involved in after-school activities. I remember feeling busy at 17 as a high school student and athlete with a part-time job trying to plan and prepare for my post-high-school venture. In college, life felt full and chaotic, and without many breaks, as I studied to be a teacher full-time, continued my athletic career, and took on three part-time jobs all while trying to maintain a social life and nurture strong relationships. But none of that compares to adulthood.
Adulthood is rewarding, fulfilling, and joyful. But it is also incredibly BUSY. As a working mother of two (with another on the way!), life is beyond busy. And in that busyness and chaos, it can be so easy to lose sight of just how fulfilling and joyful this chapter is. But as the psalm says, in those moments of total chaos where I rush from my job to the babysitter to pick the kids up quickly so I can get them home for a nap, only to run around like a mad woman during said nap to get dinner ready and somehow get the house in a respectable condition, only to watch it all revert back to a complete mess once those sweet babies wake up, I find peace in the Lord. I take that deep breath and I just look at the chaos that is so beautifully my life. Somehow, I am living the prayers I prayed for many years. And when I take that moment (though, it has to be quick because sweet little humans are needy!) to acknowledge how the Lord has woven those prayers into this incredible life, I feel much, much freer to just enjoy and embrace the chaos. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, rushed, and busy, God fills me with peace, and that makes all the difference.
Life is busy and fast. Whether it's parenthood, our jobs, our relationships, our attempts at keeping strong relationships or fulfilling dreams, this world and our society don't always encourage peace and tranquility and gratitude for the gift of the life we're living. It is only in Him that we can find that true peace and that true understanding of just how beautiful our lives are. We must turn to our great Father in Heaven and allow Him to fill us with peace and joy so that we not only make it through the days but that we live each of those days and enjoy each of those days as He intended.
How can you find even one moment each day to enter into a quiet moment to allow the Lord to fill you with peace?
Ashley Appleton is an elementary teacher who lives with her husband and their two (almost three) kids in Wisconsin. A product of Catholic education ending with a degree from St. Norbert College, Ashley and her husband, Paul, love spending time with family & friends, slow nights at home and the simple things like a big bowl of air-popped popcorn! They hope to instill the same values and faith in their family as their parents did in them and spread joy and positivity to all they meet.
Pray with today’s psalm.