QUEEN OF EVERYTHING

A friend gave me a lovely and poignant birthday present (if there is such a thing), it was a plaque that read ‘QUEEN OF EVERTYHING’. As I read the sign, I saw the irony and laughed along with everyone.  I reflected to myself that a mare few months ago this would have hit a raw nerve.  The plaque reminded me of a decision I made after having the twins some 8 years ago.  I decided then, that I would not be super woman.  However over the years comments from friends was sensitising me to the fact that perhaps, I was not winning this particular battle.

I supposed like many other mother, I had been juggling too many balls.  Every now and then I would add another and another, either out of guilt, self improvement or people pleasing.  I arrived at a crossroads, where I had to face some uncomfortable questions ‘why are you doing that? Who is it for? Do I really need to be this busy? Was my business a smoke screen, design to shut out something else?  Some people keep busy because it leaves little time to think or sometimes feel.   Continuous activity keeps out the invariable drip, drip of life.  Things such as a painful past, an uncomfortable conversation, situation or event can be blocked out.

This reminds me of an incident I had late one night.  I was awake until very late cooking for a party; as the house and street settled for the night, certain noises became louder and that is when I heard it.  The sound of a tap running, I stopped and listened for awhile and the noise also stopped. I resumed my task and the noise disappeared.  I settled and it reappeared, this continued for a while until I made the decision to stop and listen intently.  At this point the sound came through clearly. I was able to identify the source and found the bathroom tap running and was able to turn it off; this would have been running for hours.

I reflected then about situations in our lives, incidents of pain and brokenness that we shove to the background, trying desperately to drown them out with the business of life.    Some use drugs both legal and illegal, some use work, the intensity of climbing the career ladder, can keep one very busy and some engages in ‘working for God’.  With all these activities, we might at times succeed in pushing the noise to the background.   However, other times it will hum louder and louder refusing to be ignored.  Breakdowns and burnouts could be the result.  Whatever the medium used, nothing will be successful in covering the tip, tap of a pain that needs addressing, a problem that needs fixing or a relationship that needs mending.

I would encourage you to stop hiding, putting off or ignoring that issue that needs dealing with.  There are so many ways that God minister to our emotional needs.  He oftentimes uses a person prepared to listen, a book, a card, a track, a sermon or a course. There are countless ways that this can be done, If you can relate to this, attend to that drip before it overflows. Stop long enough to investigate the source of your unease and find help and support to attend to this need.