My eyes stung.
When my five-year old said those words from her heart, tears gushed out of my eyes.
“What did you say?”
I’d carved out a quiet moment to ask her-
“Mummy’s going to ask you 3 questions, OK?”
Her eyes twinkled, “YES, MAMA!”
“One- what do you want Mama to do more of?”
“Play more with me!”
I smiled.
“Two- what do you want Mama to keep on doing?”
“Keep cooking yummy food for me!”
I brimmed.
“Three- what do you want Mama to do less of?”
“Stop looking at your phone so much.”
A devastating revelation dawned upon me. When I put her first and third answers together, the epiphany drew back the curtains and revealed a fresh, blinding light.
I held back tears.
My unhealthy attachment to work through my phone was leaking out of me. I hated it- yet, I often felt tugged away by something.
Distraction tied its noose over me. I felt trapped. Stuck.
As the days went by, God gently revealed to me the practice of being present.
Instead of looking down at a screen, I began to look up- “What does the sky look like now?”
Instead of multitasking, I began to dwell on doing one thing at a time- “How was your day, children?”
It was during a time of full presence, the kind that exudes extravagant wastefulness, when Sarah-Faith shared about her bully at school. Children know when you’re 100% there for them. They know when it’s safe to share something precious.
When our moments sagged heavy with undistraction, it ushered in His God-filled presence, birthed fresh relationships. I began to want my children to experience God through me, and know Him as a present Father, and not a distracted over-accomplisher.
What is one thing you enjoy doing with your loved ones, that ushers in yours and His full presence?
Here’s my sacred moment… Hand-in-hand, under a canopy of sky that’s lurching awake, walking towards a day of exciting possibilities. 🌤 Would you share yours with me, too?