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"Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone."
~Matthew 14:22-23
"I can't possibly take any time to myself—I'm a mom!"
"It's selfish of me to take time away from my family to be by myself!"
"Me-time is wrong. Life isn't about me; it's about pouring into my family and serving them!"
Have you said any of these things before (or at the very least thought them, even if you didn't put words to them)? I know I have. For a couple years I felt those infamous mommy guilt feelings anytime I took time away from my family to go write at a coffee shop, or put my children in the care of their Nana so that I could record a podcast, or left them with Daddy for a dinner date with girlfriends. But then I took note of Christ, my ultimate example for anything I do in life.
In the midst of entire multitudes of people coming to Christ with their big, ongoing needs and questions (Matthew 14:22-23) or boatloads of people rushing after Him seeking to be healed (Luke 5:15-16), He oftentimes would withdraw from the crowds or else send them away entirely so that He could spend time alone. He used this time to commune with the Father, to seek His will, to receive His strength, to be refreshed, replenished, and rejuvenated for the big roles and responsibilities ahead. He was so busy, with so many people depending upon Him and inquiring of and seeking Him that He, being fully Man even while fully God, required rest. He had to be poured into and have His own cup replenished so that He could repeatedly go back and pour Himself out to others day after day.
If this were true about Christ, the Savior of the world and Son of God, do we really think we can (or should) go about the daily demands of life as a mom serving others without filling ourselves back up, without spending time alone with the Father, without refreshing ourselves so that we can then pour from a full cup?
The truth, mama, is that me-time - while it certainly can be taken too far and made into an idol - is nevertheless a necessity. It's important. It's a good thing. And it is something you can seek and schedule into your life on a regular basis without ever having to feel guilty about it.
Take your cues from Christ, mama. And enjoy your me-time with the Father.
Reflection Questions:
1) Do you regularly take time to yourself to be replenished and refreshed as a mom?
2) If not, why not? What is holding you back?
3) How can you take your cues from Christ and His example and incorporate a bit of time to yourself into your schedule?
Wow, this is just what I needed to hear today! I do need to take more me-time with the Father, and I need to put that as a priority above everything else on my to-do lists.
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