Inconvenience? Or a beautiful reminder of hope?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future”

— Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

Plans for hope.

I get so frustrated somedays. Somedays, I just can't seem to get it right. Nothing goes as planned. Dinner, isn't on the table at time, the kiddos don't nap, and don't give mommy any time to write during the day, errands are a disaster with two rambunctious kids in tow. And so on. Somedays just don't end up right.

Somedays, I just feel bogged down, frustrated, fumbling. 

I wonder what my purpose is in it all.

I get frustrated by the lack of time I have to myself. 

I get frustrated by the lack of things I actually checked off on my to-do list.

I start to resent my little ones, my husband, this life I've been given.

I start to see them as an inconvenience. 

Inconvenience.

That word was whispered to me this morning, as I rushed around, getting my daughter off to preschool, and stopping my son from climbing onto shelves and breaking beautiful things.

Do I think they're an inconvenience?

Do I rush through each day, so that I can have time away from them?

Now, I know in my heart that this isn't so. I know what a tremendous blessing they are in my life.

I know that I would give my life to protect them from harm.

That I will always be the first person to comfort them, sing to them, teach them about life.

But do my actions line up with this?

What do I do to show them how much they matter to me?

Do I give them my undivided attention each day?

Do I slow down, enough to actually listen to what they have to say?

Do they know that they are a priority in my life? 

I think the same could be said for my husband, other family members, even close friends.
Do they know this?

Or do I live my life so rushed, so always moving from one thing to the next, that I don't actually invest time in the relationships that mean the most to me.

God has given me such precious people to love in this world. I know that His plans for me are good, so I honestly want to try my best to speak love into those around me. God promises us hope and a future. Hope. Hope when it's hard to find it in ourselves, in the world around us. Hope, that just maybe, I can be reminded of in my children's eyes. Hope for tomorrow. Hope that God will take my beautiful family and do great things with them. Hope that I've been placed here, as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, for a reason. Hope that this military life, this career my husband has undertaken, has purpose, has meaning. Hope that God really does work for the good, even when it's hard for me to see.

And so, I pray for hope for all of you today. My you see it in the eyes of your loved ones today. May you slow down, slow enough to invest in those who truly matter most to you. Sometimes our brains can be deceiving. Put those lies aside today, dear friends, and focus on Christ's true hope. Hope that comes from Him alone. Hope that this life is a blessing, not an inconvenience. Hope that we have eternity in heaven to look forward to, with Him.