It is time to make time!

It has been one of those weeks.

You know what I'm talking about.  A week where seemingly everything goes wrong...

Your children are particularly whiny and disobedient.
You don't sleep well because your mind just won't rest.
You run late to every engagement on your calendar.
You're the mom who forgets to bring the snack when it's your turn.
And to top it all off, you have a headache you haven't been able to shake for days.

You know.  THAT week.

Well, that describes my past week.  A week where I battled moments of depression and abused myself regularly with tirades of, "You suck!"

It's at times like these when I most crave quiet and rest and time with my savior.

However, how do you find the time for you when your entire day is dominated by investing in others from sunrise to sunset and leaves you physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted?!

This is my current struggle.

When I do find time for myself, blogging and running are things I enjoy.  But at the risk of sounding greedy, here's my real problem: I want more! I need more!! 

I want to start a personal journal - a space where I can clear my head of the mental vomit that has no business being published here.

I would like to train for another 10K - believe it or not.  

I want more time to sleep. I want days where I can sleep in and wake up without the assistance of my alarm.  

I want to run away to a cabin - alone - and enjoy nature and a good book!  

Am I wrong for wanting these things? Am I wrong for trying to make plans to deliberately fit these things into my life?  

Are moms not to have time for themselves?

I stumbled across a piece on Facebook entitled "To The Momma at Chickfila."  In this blog post, the author talks about how moms always put their needs second to the needs of their children.  She states that when it comes to our (moms) needs, "It will finally be our turn... later."  

And while that is a noble way of looking at motherhood, I don't think it's a wise approach.  Moms have needs too.  Needs that can't just be put off indefinitely until "later."

It's like what the stewardess on a plane says before liftoff when giving instructions in case of an emergency: if you are traveling with small children, be sure to put on your air mask before attempting to secure your child's mask. Now, consider why that advice is given: because you can better take care of your children's needs if you have first met your own.

Jesus understood the need for personal time and space.  

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Matthew 14:23  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.  Later that night, he was there alone.

Mark 7:24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.  He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet, He could not keep His presence secret.

Jesus needed alone time. It's something we all NEED. And it's something I have to make a priority in my life right now.

I think I have found the perfect personal getaway...

How do you make time for you?

Today's forget-me-not: Me.