Wonderland

Oh how I wish I had taken pictures today. It's the one downside of not having a camera on my phone. Usually my almost prehistoric flip phone does the job just fine, but on days like today having a camera handy would have been nice. I say this because the weather in Seattle today was absolutely fabulous. The sun shone and the sky was blue. I got pretty for the ladies tea at church and enjoyed time with friends. Picture evidence would have been nice :)

I spent the morning on my front porch soaking up the first rays of real spring sunshine while I did some reading for school. It wasn't quite as private as being in the back yard, but the sun hadn't got around the back at that time and I wanted to be outside! This afternoon was the ladies tea at my church and my friend Sarah and I prettied our bumps and headed to enjoy the festivities.

The theme was Alice in Wonderland and the hall was decorated with amazing decor which made the whole event really special. Leslie Parrott was the speaker. She and her husband attend our church but I had never heard her speak before. If I am honest I didn't really know much about their ministry at all before today, but i guess they are kind of a big deal! The women's ministry at my church always puts on amazing events. The leadership team are so committed and it shows. I do not always make time to hear God speak to me in the way I should and want to, but I feel as though when I set time aside to attend women's ministry events, God is still faithful to show up. Without fail. And this afternoon was no exception.

 Leslie spoke about the relationship each of us has with time. How some of us are schedulers, planning ahead to have time for the things we consider important, and some of us are more free-spirited leaving space for events of importance as they might show up. She spoke about how at times we let our lives become full to overflowing, and when we are in that place, we have no room for him to pour anything into us. I have been feeling a lot of tension to fit everything in to my schedule recently. I love the opportunity to be in school but I confess, I have not been loving the feeling of constant, never ending lists of things to do. I am feeling a level of stress as I try to fit life in, between completing assignments. I was feeling like I never had time for anything other than school. When J mentions having friends over for dinner, or I try to schedule coffee dates with girl friends I suddenly feel my chest tighten slightly as a panic rises that I won't have time for the commitment I am making. Even if I set up plans I feel conflicted and disconnected from the activity that I should be enjoying. I feel as though the Lord is opening my eyes to the way my relationship with time is unhealthy. I am filled to overflowing from the 'to do' lists without ever asking what He needs or wants from me.

To live the life I want, I have to make different choices about my time. As I let my cup empty, the Lord can fill me and lead me and give me the life He has in mind. I feel refreshed and full of hope and expectation for the week to come. I trust that there is more in store than schoolwork alone. I had school work on my mind when I left for the tea, and imagined coming home and picking it back up when it was finished. But the opportunity to go to get frozen yogurt with Jeremy, and Sarah and her family, arose and I took it. We sat in the sunshine and ate our yogurt by the lake. I have time for all the homework on my list next week. I should be taking time to enjoy this weather, and enjoy family and friends. This is where true life lies. In letting time be a gift, not a burden.

Hoping you all had a fabulous Saturday too :)