Shield

Ephesians 6:16 In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

The world comes at us, from the moment our feet hit the ground.  All carefully aimed darts to prick us, defeat us, wound us.  Carried out in front, our shield deflects all that is thrown. It keeps us running the race. It keeps us in the game.
Without faith, all we do is for nothing.  Our life stops at the here and now and there is no bigger picture.  Our faith rests on ourselves; getting that job or this promotion, our kids behaving well or moving to this neighborhood and on and on and on.  Our faith is in these things seen and who hopes for what is seen? Instead our hope lies in the life and person of Jesus Christ.  In the heavenly places not seen, the eternal life hoped for.
Without our faith, why bother holding up the shield time and time, day after day fighting off what will surely challenge and hurt us?
Instead, Christ beckons with the assurance, the firmness that can only be found in Him.  He does uphold, He does deliver.  All that He said He would do was done and is still being done.

2 Samuel 22:31 This God, His way is perfect, the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Boundaries

I'm trying too hard to be organized.
I'm trying too hard to be neat.
I'm trying too hard to put boundaries around us so for the person on the outside looking in, we look good and put together.
But that's not my life stage right now.  I won't fold the load of laundry in one sitting.  The living room floor will need to be vacuumed in two segments spaced an hour apart. School does take all day to accomplish in ten minute blocks of time. The front yard can be mowed but not weed-eated.
For a type-A, highly controlling, highly strung people pleaser, none of these things sits well with me.
What is even worse, though, is realizing doing and finishing all these things doesn't gain me more time for what really matters; it just takes away the time from the four gifts that I have.
So do I embrace culture and others' impositions and desires or do I embrace the here and now?
Knowing full well I can't do it on my own. I will sit and read a book with them but my eye is surveying the scattered Legos and thrown crayons all over the floor instead of the wonder in their eyes at David slinging the stone.
Time and time again, I ask the Lord to change my heart. To enjoy what He has given me, to find immeasureable peace amidst the never-ending chaos.  To see that disorganization and mess actually brings more time.  The one thing I'm seeking after by doing more... I finally realized I have it backwards.
I have this time here for what He's given me now.