". . . Ain't no valley low enough. . . ain't no river wide enough. . . ."
I think I am a mountain climber at heart. I come alive in a tight spot. If you have an emergency, I'm your girl. Special challenge? No problem. If there's a deadline, I'll make it. Urgency brings out the best in me.
That personality trait has served me well the past couple of years, for there have been many mountains to climb around here. I've been through some trying circumstances, and I've made it. Not always valiantly, mind you--sometimes on hands and knees--but I've made it. I've learned first-hand that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).
Right now, though, there appear to be no mountains to climb. For the moment, everyone's healthy. My husband's new company is doing pretty well. The church we helped to start is going great. We're chugging right along!
But I feel as though I'm lagging behind. All I have to do right now is normal life. I'm not in the midst of a crisis. I'm not renovating a house. I'm not moving to a new home. I don't have a new baby. I didn't start a new job. In short, I have no excuses. And I'm wondering if maybe that's my problem.
I'll make a confession here. I think perhaps I got used to feeling victorious. I liked that feeling that I was climbing mountains, fording rivers, overcoming obstacles. Why? Because I want to be admired. I want people to be shocked and awed by my skill, my cunning, my derring-do. On top of that, I've had lots of excuses when I haven't gotten around to things I should have done. Folks have had to cut me a lot of slack over the past couple of years, and I think I kind of liked it.
Oh dear.
I think perhaps it's time for me to retire my Supergirl cape. Time for me to realize that, at least for now, everything is okay. No abnormalities, no emergencies, no special struggles--just everyday life.
Just everyday life, after all, is quite enough to keep me busy. And challenged. And fulfilled.
And on my knees. Because, apart from Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5). Not even on level ground.
I have always been the same kinda of superwoman. As I get older I sure enjoy normal, no drama. Very good post.
ReplyDeleteoh girl of my heart... you & i... we are so alike! i often wonder if it is adult add... and then i figure it would be an excuse adn it is really just me. i say i work better under pressure... but really, i think i just need pressure to work! and i have realized (not soon enough) that the only one who expects me to be supergirl is me...
ReplyDeletelove ya!
Can you somehow channel my thoughts? Can you read my mind....or see my heart? I totally GET This......I so understand and wholeheartedly agree. Can you move next door, because you would be the perfect neighbor!! ;D
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Awesome post!!! :) A good wake-up call.
ReplyDeleteI only WISH I were as organized as my guest poster today. She puts me to shame. Meal Planning is something that I think more people struggle with than I originally thought. It was nice to see that some other bloggers have a hard time with it too. :)
Enjoy your "quiet" time. I totally understand what you mean, I love working under "pressure"!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post!
ReplyDeletesandy toe
I SO get this, too! I need deadlines to function, it seems. I love to have company, because then I kick my cleaning & organizing into high gear and get it done. Otherwise things like dusting and clearing my clutter piles are never a priority! But I have been enjoying our quieter lifestyle of late... somehow I have learned to say no. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Makes me think about those days "when everything seems to go RIGHT"...I just don't know what to do with my self those day!!!
ReplyDeleteLovely post!
Sarah (ella's mom)
I sure do LOVE you, my sweet sweet friend! I think you should frame your Supergirl cape and live life to the full!!! You are an inspiration to me and I'm sure many others!
ReplyDeleteLove you
~Amanda
I am loving this post. Sometimes we get so used to functioning in drama and chaos that we don't know how to function in normalcy. Nothing to solve feels like a let down.
ReplyDeleteI get it! Thanks for letting me know I am not the only one
- Hope
Wow ... That took a lot of courage to admit! I also work well under pressure, however I have learned to enjoy the peaceful times...and the slow pace that comes along with it
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I think you've described a feeling many of us experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
Oh Richella, I loved your words over on my blog, they were so encouraging. I was tremendously blessed by your words and I cherish the visit!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Amy
I get this.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to have babies as excuses for years too.
I procrastinate too much when left to my own devices.
But there is creativity that comes from the quiet waiting and watching. Read and languish , wander around fabric and book stores, and take some naps.
Be ready for the next calling.
I just had to stop by..., after all I believe this picture is featuring the Matterhorn!! I've spent vacations in Zermatt, and that mountain is awe-inspiring.
ReplyDeleteGood insights too! Everything we try to cover up usually does emerge when we are more quiet. Great that you listen!
Enjoy the "normal," my friend. And don't feel guilty about indulging in some R & R as you can. You probably need a respite after the last year. {While you're at it, read a book for me.}
ReplyDeleteOh, I thrive in the urgent as well. It's the time-management of the everyday that really gets me!
We're doing the Rachelle/ Richella thing again. We're so a like I tell you.
ReplyDeleteI'm always striving for something to look forward to, something to finish something to accomplish. It kills my husband. Over and over I hear him tell me to just sit down and BREATHE. Just to LIVE. I don't need to have a checklist of the thousand things I need to get done. :) I guess that's why we're married.
Rachelle
I love normal, everyday living...and not the climbing mountains. I'd let you climb them for me except for the fact that I know God uses my "challenges" to strengthen and refine me. Not fun for me, and always a stretch, but I always come out better for it. Ah, the irony of it all. You are so right, without God we can do nothing. He is our all sufficiency.
ReplyDeleteBTW--I would love for you to come visit me at my home!
~Mari
i can definitely resonate with your feelings on this. it's hard to know if it's a good part of one's personality or not. :) perhaps its both.
ReplyDeletetiny twig
Hi Richella,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment!
Mostly, thanks for being so open- it's really refreshing. Reading about your struggles made me realize (and I think I've known this somewhere within for a while) that because I haven't had any major mountains of my own to climb thus far (and believe me, I'm grateful for that!)I've sort of been living my life lately waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a hard thing (for me, anyway) to accept that we can't control when or if our mountain climbing days will begin- and maybe even harder to live in and enjoy the present until then!
I think God gives us normal sometimes so we can help those whose lives may be far from normal at the moment. I look at friends who have helped us through trials at different points in our lives, and they are most definitely Supergirls to me and it makes me want to be that for someone else. Enjoy every second of the normal~you deserve it!
ReplyDeleteThis really spoke to me. I needed, too, to confess this feeling and you expressed it so well. The lack of crisis takes away all of my "excuses" and I did get use to the attention of the crisis. I need to remember to thank God for normal and be their for others who are climbing mountains. Love your blog!
ReplyDelete