Be deep-spirited friends

While refilling my Diet Dr Pepper before I left lunch at Qdoba earlier today, I also was making sure 4-year-old Ben didn't walk out the door and into the parking lot and warned 7-year-old Cate to stop twirling right in front of a man she had no idea was behind her. Now, I appreciate a preschool boy’s willingness to hold the door for someone and I admire a second-grade girl who is confident enough to dance right there in the middle of a restaurant.

But I also am a mom.

I need to get tabs on my boy who often moves faster than me. I want my girl to be aware of what else is happening around her. This mothering job is constant and full of lessons – both the ones I learn and the ones I teach – when I least expect them.

As the drink refilling, door holding and girl twirling were happening, the guy who was almost victim to my girl’s swinging arms grinned and said, "No worries. You have a lot going on."

Honestly, in that moment, I felt like I had a lot going on. And I only have two kids. {And this wasn't the first incident involving my daughter’s arms at Qdoba.}

As I waited for my two to get their buckles fastened in the car, I started thinking about what he said and how it mirrored something I'd been thinking about: Everybody has a lot going on.

The mom of five runs around at a pace I can't imagine sustaining.

The woman in the midst of dreading taking another pregnancy test because she's sure it'll never be her turn is weary from the waiting.

The husband who works long hours because he thinks that’s the best way to provide for his family is bound to be lonely.

The couple who isn't connecting like they used to is struggling to find a way back or out or forward.

The couple who dreams of a large garden and room for their kids to run in wide open fields wonders if now is the right time for such a transition.

The women expecting twins, graduating college, planning her wedding, starting a new job, waiting for a job, worrying about how mothering two will be, waiting for an important phone call, deciding about the best schooling for her kids, or volunteering for the cause closer to her heart all have a lot going on.

But the busyness that comes with intentional living can't stop us from loving others.

Sure, we all have people and projects occupying our minds. But we can’t forget to check in our friend who is waiting or the one hurting.

We have places to be, but we can’t ignore the needs we see near us.

We have appointments and commitments. There are heartaches and pain. But we aren't alone in having a lot going on.

I don't want to get so caught up in my own convictions, disappointments, and priorities that I miss out on being able to be a friend. And I really want to be the deep-spirited friend who truly puts others before myself. I don't want busyness to rob me from actually living.
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I'm linking up this post with some of my favorite encouragers: Beth Stiff's Three Word Wednesday, Holley Gerth's Coffee for Your Heart, Jennifer Dukes Lee's #TellHisStory, and Lyli Dunbar's Thought-Provoking Thursday.

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