Take a Seat on Your Porch and See What Happens
There is a lot to be said for good ole front porch (and in my case back porch) sittin'. When I was a little girl and would go to my grandparent’s farm in the summertime, we spent a lot of time on the porch. Their porch was covered with indoor-outdoor carpet that looked like turf and had steps that were worn in the best way from so many people coming and going. We spent time on the porch snapping green beans, playing games, waiting for my grandpa’s red and white truck to pull in down the long driveway or for the combine to come out of the fields on its way to the giant shed after a long day.
That porch is where I would wait for my turn to ride on my cousin's dirt bikes. It’s where I would chat with my grandma every night about the weather and how thankful I was that she washed the one pair of jeans and white shirt my mom had packed (along with way too many dresses) for a two-week stay because my mom thought little girls should always wear dresses and my grandma didn't want to ruffle her feathers and tell her I NEVER WORE THE DRESSES WHILE I WAS THERE. All the while I was wearing my grandpa's orange Dekalb hat that left my head only for supper and bath time and went right next to my bed when I went to sleep. I've heard people say that if we aren't tired when we go to bed at night, we haven't done enough... my grandma always went to bed tired.
That phrase has stuck with me over the years and I think it is important to note that what we are tired from matters. Lots of things can exhaust us...lots of things will take up space and time that we will not remember doing, or for that matter, no one will remember us doing just a few days from now. It is important to be responsible with our tired. Doing much isn't what matters; it's doing what's important that matters and that doesn't look the same for everyone.
I was thinking today about one particular morning several years ago. My boys had left for school and I decided to go outside and finish my quiet time in a rocking chair on our back patio. Birds chirping, the sound of cars passing and intermittent quiet broken by the sound of a train in the distance. As I was sitting there, I thought to myself, “what am I doing just sitting here? I have so much to do today.” And then it hit me, I'm back porch sitting, soaking up what God has put right in front of me, praying for my guys, praying over the kids and teachers who will spend their day in the classrooms and halls of the school behind my house, and I am sitting in the middle of the time and space that God has gifted to me that I can never get back once it is over and I am being present.
“Loving what matters and doing what matters is the best I can do and all that I should do.”
I am reminded each day that loving what matters and doing what matters is the best I can do and all that I should do. And sometimes loving what matters looks like a mom in her pajamas doing a little back porch sitting, sometimes it looks like a teacher getting up at 5 a.m. to prepare for a day with 48 students in their pre-AP chemistry class, or a dad meeting a friend for breakfast because those relationships are important. Sometimes it means taking a breather because rest is going to help you do what matters better, sometimes it means taking the time to pray about how you can best rightly divide your day and time, or serving at the food pantry, or making dinner in the morning so you can help your kids with homework instead of having your hands in a marinade after school (I know this all too well), and sometimes it looks like a good workout or a long chat on the phone with a friend who lives far away, or rifling through the pages of Scripture digging deeper and deeper into what God has to say to us.
I could go on and on, and I guess my point is this - we should all be mindful to take a minute to do a little back porch sitting … whatever that looks like for you and soak it all in....you won't miss anything, I promise!!!
