I am staring down six weeks of calendar chaos. Ever been there?
It’s the middle of the basketball season, which is its own beast when you’re a coach’s wife. We’ve been doing this for 18 years now, so I sort of know what to expect — which is, you never know what to expect.
It’s not basketball, it’s actually the other things on my calendar that have my mind in a blur. Let’s see, I leave this week to run the Disney Half Marathon with my daughter, Jordan. When I get back I get to tape season 3 of The Kindness Podcast (think 30 interviews in 5 days). As soon as that’s over, I head to LA for my third appearance on Hallmark’s Home & Family show. Then the following week, I have another breast reconstruction surgery (I’ll share more on that another time).
These are all great things and I’m very much grateful for each one. But even good things can start to feel bad when they are piled up on top of each other.
I was having a conversation with God about the upcoming events.
Me: God, I’m a little concerned about how I’ll have the stamina to handle the next 6 weeks. How can I look at these events so I can truly enjoy them and not be anxious the whole time?
God: Carefully.
Oh man, just like a toddler who is told no to the store’s largest sucker, I started to throw a tantrum in my mind. Are you telling me something bad is going to happen? When people say “Be careful” it’s because they know something you don’t know. GOD, HELP!!!!
Then I saw the word “carefully” take new shape in my mind. Care Fully.
It was a revelation of sorts. God wasn’t telling me to panic, he was telling me to care fully about each thing I am about to face.
Nic, care fully about the time with your kids at Disney without thinking about what else you “should” be doing.
Nic, care fully about each person you talk to in the podcast interviews so you can truly hear their heart for kindness.
Nic, care fully and embrace the time in LA because it’s so special to have the opportunity to speak to a national audience.
Nic, care fully about caring for yourself after the surgery so your body can heal.
I’m sharing this with you today, because maybe you have a lot of teacups in the air. Maybe you’re juggling a full life. Shoot, I know you’re juggling a full life, because we all are.
Friend, the Big Guy tells me we don’t have to fret. He will give us what we need each day to thrive. Our job is simply to care fully.