Day 20: This Is Who We Are

This largely unedited free-write is linking up with the Write 31 Days Challenge. // indicates the start and stop of five minutes. The prompt word for today is WEEKEND. Go!

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//  “Thank God, It’s Friday!”

We’ve all heard it. We’ve all said it. We’ve even had lunch at the restaurant on occasion… but why do I struggle to believe it?

It’s simple. Because being a Mom is difficult, and sometimes I’d rather be alone on the weekend instead of surrounded by little people who have been entertained all week by their teachers and classmates. (gasp, did she just say that out loud?)

Yes, I did! Let’s be honest here. When you are a Mom, weekends aren’t relaxing… they are busier and noisier than ever.

Friday’s around here are the days when kids want to have extra friends over for play dates. It’s when supper needs to be a flexible affair because everyone is coming and going, and there’s youth group in the evening.

But it’s also when our friends will pop over for a movie night with popcorn and coffee. It’s when homework and chores are forgotten, and people connections are remembered.  FRIDAYS ARE AWESOME!

Then comes Saturday. . .

I don’t know about you, but if I wake up to a sunny Saturday, then I feel a silent pressure to get at the weeding outside, or pruning that overgrown tree. I feel pressure to go out for a walk, or DO something. Saturday is the homework day, or sports day, or laundry day, or grocery shopping day because the week went by just too quickly.

It’s also the bonus day with which to meet with that person you were just too busy to meet with on Wednesday. “No worries, let’s do it Saturday.”

On the lucky occasion that the weather is terrible and the rain pours, I silently breathe a sigh of relief and cuddle up with a blanket and a book, or a good movie on Netflix. But even then, there’s no REAL abandonment to rest and relaxation, because Sunday’s-a-comin’ and we need to prepare our hearts and minds for leading worship tomorrow. //

Sunday. . .

For a worship pastor’s family, it’s the busiest day of the whole week. We’re the first to arrive and the last to leave, but we don’t fight it anymore.

“This isn’t just what we do―this is who we are.”

It’s part of our family culture. Sunday morning worship celebration is the pinnacle of what we do, and we do it with JOY!

And after church, we don’t race home. No, we hang out in the church coffee shop and connect with friends; we look for people to spend time with. Why? Because the combination of adrenalin and Holy Spirit is the perfect stimulation for lively dinner conversation.

Who can we invite over today?

Sunday dinners are wonderful, and so is the noise of kids playing together while the adults visit the afternoon away. But then the reality hits of how quickly time flies on the weekend. And you ask yourself,

What? Tomorrow’s Monday already? Where did the weekend go?”

This is what I’m thinking. . .

We’ve GOT to change our vocabulary and stop fighting the reality of our life as “MOM.”

Don’t fight it anymore. “This isn’t just what we do―this is who we are!” Click To Tweet

So, rather than saying “Thank God, it’s Friday!” and then complaining that we don’t get a “5-Star Spa Encounter” at home, maybe we should just

Gear up for a wild & crazy, busy & noisy, people-connecting, kid-entertaining, “Go ALL OUT for fun and relationships” kinda weekend.

And then, when the adrenaline has run out, the dishes are finally washed from Sunday dinner, and the kids are off to school again, we can breathe a sigh of relief and say,

“Thank God, it’s Monday!”

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To read more of 31 Days of Mom Awesomeness, click here.

For more information on the Write 31 Days challenge, check out Christina Hubbard’s site!