My Wasted Day

It felt like such a wasted day.

After six months of living in our new home we had finally ordered furniture for our basement. Furnishing a new home takes time and I was anxiously anticipating the delivery of our new wrap-around sofa. It was supposed to be delivered between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00 but as the clock approached the end of that time period, I began to get irritated.

It felt like such a wasted day.

I couldn’t go upstairs to hang up the clean laundry in the kids’ rooms for fear that I would miss the doorbell and the delivery men would leave the premises.

Also, Peter had taken down the baby gate on the stairs leading to the basement so the men could easily access the stairwell but because of this, I spent the majority of my day corralling Jillienne in an attempt to keep her from diving headfirst down the steps.

We couldn’t leave the house even though I had errands to run and groceries to buy.

It felt like such a wasted day.

However, the day wasn’t totally spoiled. In the waiting, I was able to do several loads of laundry. And clean the kitchen. And sweep the floors. (Because the floors always need to be swept.) I cleaned out the refrigerator and took out the garbage. I sat on the floor and had a tea party. I read lots and lots of Llama Llama books. And, most importantly, I snuggled  a sleeping toddler.

Sometimes waiting on someone or something makes us feel confined. I know I felt confined to our home that day as I waited hours for the furniture to be delivered.

But sometimes what feels wasted isn’t really wasted at all. Sometimes it’s God’s way of making us slow down a little. In the busyness of life, we often think our world will stop if we stay home. If we slow down. If we have a “wasted” day.

But, if nothing else, this quarantine has taught us that this just isn’t true. Sometimes those “wasted” days are the best days as we reflect on all that is important to us.

So take a “wasted” day every now and then. Snuggle with your kids. Have a pajama and movie day. Forget about the dirty dishes in the sink and the laundry piling up. Hold your family close.

Because when your family feels loved, it’s not a wasted day.

“Be still and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:7a

(Credit for header photo: Three Chicks Pics)