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My son came into our bedroom late last night. It was midnight and he couldn’t sleep, he said, because his day had been so unproductive. He is 14. Doesn’t that make you want to chuckle, a little? How productive is a 14 year-old’s day supposed to be?
But he was serious. He was sad. He was upset; and even a little angry.
I knew that he needed a response from me that was as serious as he was. He didn’t need me to say, “You’re a kid. Stop worrying about being productive.” Or even the very tempting “I’ll give you a few ways to be productive tomorrow.” Instead I decided to connect with his heart and his reason and said:
“I’m sorry that you had one of those days that feels like a waste. I know it’s hard for you to be home all day. But I hope you can realize how helpful it was to me to have you at home, watching your little brother so that I could go out to work. Thank you so much for your help! You didn’t feel productive, but you were doing exactly what I needed you to do today.”
And then the shock of what I just said hit me between my eyes.
“You didn’t feel productive, but you were doing exactly what I needed you to do today.“
God, is that you? Speaking your truth into my heart?
Do you hear him, mommas? Yes, I mean you, with your sink still full of dirty dishes, with old spit-up on your shirt, with Mt. Washmore – last week’s laundry – still piled up on a chair or bed somewhere.
I thought I would have coffee with a friend, but our kids interrupted so often I don’t think we ever finished a sentence.
I thought I’d get through some e-mails, but every time I sat down someone needed me.
I thought I’d clean out that messy closet during the kids’ nap time, but I fell asleep.
I feel terrible. I wasted my day. I wasn’t productive at all.
“You didn’t feel productive, but you were doing exactly what I needed you to do today.“
My kids now are older. At 16, 14, and almost 9 years old, they don’t require such constant attention as they used to. But even though there is freedom in this stage of life, knowing that I can pursue other interests, or opportunities, or responsibilities, there is still a gnawing pressure. Am I choosing the right things? Am I spending my time the right way? Should I work more? Should I work less? Should I volunteer here or there? Or should I say no to it all and stay home with my family more?
And anyway, no matter what plans I make, sometimes God has already made another plan. When a friend calls in need, when a child stays home sick from school, when I get called off from work…
“You didn’t feel productive, but you were doing exactly what I needed you to do today.“
Renewing My Mind to Know God’s Will For My Day
God knows that we can’t accomplish it all. And sometimes we can’t even accomplish any of it. But sometimes our priority of scrubbing the bathroom or washing the laundry isn’t his priority for us. He might call us away from the dishes to minister to our child. He might call us away from our spreadsheets to listen to a friend. But we need to have ears to hear.
“…be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
Renew Your Mind With The Bible
This verse says that the best way for us to discern God’s will is to have renewed minds. Renewed minds come from truth. False worldviews swirl around us every minute of every day. The truth from God’s Word is fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food for our minds.
Here are some good ways to spend time in God’s Word:
Renew Your Mind With Prayer
Prayer is another way to renew our minds, as it reminds us that we have a good, sovereign, and loving God when the cares of the the world begin to overwhelm us.
Here are some ways to fit prayer into your busy day:
But it can be so tempting to let even our time in God’s Word and in prayer become another productivity chore. It’s hard when that happens because we each have plenty of chores to fill our days, plus some.
But God wants to bless us with a relationship with him. As we lean into that relationship we begin to understand his delight in us even on our most unproductive days.
