Choose Your Absence
Oh me. This one is so hard to do. But I’m learning it’s harder ~ on me and my people ~ when I don’t.
There may be a good opportunity, but it may not be good for me.
There may be a natural next step, but it may not be my next right step.
At least, for today. Or for this season of life.
I held his jersey close, as I reached into his jumbled-up drawer. They have one more year at home, and then...all these years, will be done. {Cue, tears.} So I prayed, “God, please help me not to miss it.” You know, the moments. The days. The kitchen island conversations and late-night laughs. “Help me be fully present.”
I’ve been making some hard choices. Some no’s and best yes’s. There are more to come. Outside, and inside, my very own home. Not everyone will understand or cheer me on. And likely, I’ll be hardest on myself. I’ll worry I’m missing out. I’ll wonder what they (really) think. I’ll drift off for a crazy minute and imagine a fairy tale end.
But I want to be fully alive in the story He’s purposefully written, for me. For my people and my places. I want my presence to matter, more than my performance.
One uncomfortable no at a time.
One imperfect yes at a time.
One beautiful life at a time.
By the grace of God. For the glory of God.
“Every opportunity is not created equal, and you get to decide along with God whether something is great for you or not. ... Choose your absence so that your presence will have more impact.” -Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing, chapter 16.
{This post was originally a part of a series on IG called My Next Right Thing, here.}