*Five Minute Friday is an initiative set up by Lisa-Jo Baker over at Surprised by Motherhood. It has now been taken over by Kate over at Heading Home. The basic premise is to take the word Kate gives and write, non-stop for 5 minutes. Then you stop and post. Read more about it here. This October, I am taking part in a series based on this called “31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes”, in which we commit to writing from the prompt as usual, but everyday rather than just on a Friday. Read more here.
Temporary
GO
I first came across this phrase over at Intentional By Grace a couple of years ago, and it has followed me closely over that time, particularly since having children.
It has haunted, soothed, saddened, and comforted me.
In the midst of tantrums, screaming, yet-another-nappy-change, crying, teething and the times of feeling in the trenches, I whisper it to myself, remembering that it will get better, that one day my daughter will be able to feed herself, use the toilet by herself, dress herself.
In the midst of cuddles, cuteness, laughter, kisses and joy, it hovers over me, reminding me to enjoy these moments, because they, too, shall pass. All too quickly.
There is something about becoming a parent that reveals to you the transient nature of our time here on earth. “The days are long but the years are short” for parents. We collapse at the end of what feels like a never-ending day, but then all too quickly we look back and wonder where all that time went.
Being a parent is a wonderful and difficult reminder:
We are meant for more than this.
More than this life, this earth, this mortality.
We see glimpses of the eternal in the eyes of our children, but as they rush and stumble through life we remember also how short our time here is.
We are meant for more than this. We have so much to do here, and so little time to do it. We are beautifully contradictory – eternal and temporary. These are mere glimmers, mere hints of what is to come.
This, too, shall pass. We, too, shall pass.
But just as these memories remain etched forever in our minds as parents, our souls remind us of our true purpose to remain etched forever in the joy of God.
We are meant for more than this. This is temporary, but we are created for eternity.
STOP
