Sometimes I look around our house and wonder, “Where in the world did all this stuff come from?!”

 When you’re pregnant, people who have already had kids warn you that babies come with a lot of stuff. And you hear it … but there’s something about it that just doesn’t register. You think to yourself, “Sure, they may come with a lot of stuff, but it’s small stuff, right? Babies are small, so their stuff can’t be that big.” And then you have a baby shower or two, and you’re so excited by all the adorable things and the fun things and the useful-looking things that you don’t stop and think, “Hey, I’ve gotta fit all these things into my house.”

 Four months into being a mom of twin boys, let me tell you something: Babies come with A LOT of stuff.

 Is it fun stuff? Yes. Is it useful stuff? You bet! Is it cute stuff? Oh, yeah. But it still amazes me how much stuff these two little beings have generated in such a short amount of time!

 And I will admit that the challenge some days is not letting the stuff get in the way of enjoying our wonderful boys. I have learned that there will always be laundry to do. There will always be things to pick up. There will always be bottles to wash and other things around the house that we could be doing. But most importantly, Luke and Ian will always need our care and our love. And if we don’t give it to them, who will? The laundry, the cleaning up, and all the other menial tasks of the day can wait.

 And this concept is not so different from our faith, is it? There will always be things that need to be done. If you’re a “to do” list maker like I am, you know that there’s something about a “to do” list (or maybe in your house it’s a “honey do” list … we have one of those, too!) that never gets shorter. I think it’s some as-yet-undiscovered law of the universe – the length of the “to do” list cannot be shorter than 3 items.

There will always be something else that we can do, something else that we should do, even something else that we want to do before we focus on our relationship with God. We know that God will always be there, so we put off reading Scripture or prayer or outreach until we have “more time.” But remember the words of Scripture:

 “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matt. 6:33-34)

 We have to learn to stop and intentionally make the time for our faith. We have to consciously choose to do those things that will nourish our souls – pray, read God’s word, come and worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to strive for the kingdom of God and God’s justice because if we don’t, who will? All of the menial tasks of our lives can wait while we pause each and every day to give our time and our hearts first and foremost to God.

 Blessings,