We are almost to the end of the school year, so the last thing my kids want to talk about is math! However, the kind of addition and subtraction I have been thinking about lately has very little to do with school.
After spending over a year of living extremely differently, I am finding that I have some math equations to ponder. Now that I have a choice to rejoin the world, what do I want to add back in to my life? What are some things that I have not missed that were subtracted out of my life? I have been surprised to be confronted by these questions. I have also found that I am not alone.
Before this year, I always considered myself to be an extrovert. I would feel energized being around people. I have written several blogs about interacting with others at the grocery store. However, after having A LOT of alone time this year, I find that I do not miss the constant social interaction. Surprise! This next revelation may have more to do with my age, but I also do not miss being out late several nights a week. I am now quite content to be home with my family most evenings.
I have enjoyed the extra time with my kids and my husband. It is nice to not have to rush off in the morning or slide in sideways late in the evening. Our relationships have had a chance to deepen and grow. I have also enjoyed the extra time with God that this year has afforded me. Obviously, as for a lot of us, this time with God has included many “why” questions and much soul-searching, but He has been so faithful in the comfort He has provided.
I was not expecting to feel this way. I had really thought that after losing so many freedoms and being cooped up at home, I would be ready to burst out of the door, accepting any and all invitations or events that came my way. But, like I said, I have discovered that I am not the only person who feels like this. Many friends have shared these same thoughts. They are using this opportunity to evaluate their lives and make conscious choices and decisions about how they want to live. More than one person has called it a “reset.” Most of us agree that our world, at least in this country, had been moving way too fast and we were feeling caught up in the whirlwind.
This year has brought many, many negatives with it, but maybe it also brought this gift of re-evaluation. In the Bible there is a verse that asks God to, “teach us to number our days, that we might gain wisdom.” Maybe this is one of those times for us to pray that prayer so that we might wisely re-enter our world, in a thoughtful way. Maybe this is a time to add in what is good, subtract what is not, so that our strength will equal our days!*
“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
*This is from a blessing to the tribe of Asher from Moses in Deuteronomy 33:25: “…and your strength will equal your days.”
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