I used to really beat myself up about doing things at the last minute—paying for dance recital costumes, buying tickets for the school play, getting gift cards for the teachers at Christmas… As I looked around me, every other mom seemed to be more on-the-ball than I was. I thought, Why can’t I get my act together and find a better way of doing things?
Then a friend was putting out food for a spur-of-the-moment Super Bowl party at her house when she told me that she is a “Just in Time Mom.” She said it with such pride and confidence! I must have given her a funny look because she went on to explain.
A “Just in Time Mom” is one that gets things done in the nick of time! She prides herself in doing this, mentally giving herself a high five every time she gets it done, no matter how or when — who cares? She did it JUST when it was needed! This is her way of doing things.
For example:
- Your son needs to bring the snack for the soccer game tomorrow morning. Who cares if it’s something homemade or bought from the grocery store at 10:00 pm the night before? I got a snack for the soccer game!
- It’s the day before Halloween. Who cares if the costumes were thoughtfully chosen in September or thrown together from the closet on October 30th? We have a costume!
You get the picture.
What would life be like if we let go of what we think should happen and embrace what is happening? Like my friend, I have been around people that have a less-stressed attitude about life. They say things like, “Don’t worry, it will all get done. It always does.” When I hear them say that, I immediately relax.After all, Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?… Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
But, does it always get done? Did the soccer team enjoy their snacks just as much as if I had purchased them a week ago? Did my daughter enjoy her costume just as much as if I’d had it hung in her closet for a month? I believe the answer is yes. I believe those and many other tasks were done, just in time. And, perhaps, they were at just the “right” time for me.
Each of us is a unique individual with our own way of doing things. We’re in different phases of life, with different talents and desires. So celebrate your style! Embrace how you do things and how it works for your family.
Tell us! What’s your way of doing things? Do you struggle to embrace it or accept it wholeheartedly?
