When my daughter first contracted chicken pox, one of the biggest anxieties I had was the impending week of quarantine that I knew was on the cards. Given the extremely infectious nature of the disease we generally had to avoid all public places, and with the January weather being what it is, I was gearing up to spending a lot of hours at home. There was something unsettling about interrupting our usual busy schedule of activities and playdates and replacing it with, well, nothing! I realized that I relied on our weekly routine far more than my daughter did, and far more than I probably should.
The week stretched before us with no set plans or schedules. No busyness or rushing from place to place. All we had was time with one another. Uninterrupted time. Time to just set everything else aside and just enjoy each other more. A duvet became a raging sea that had to be crossed. A laundry basket became a boat that we sat in and sang songs. We snuggled. Watched more TV than we should have. Read more books that I can count. Sure, there were times that I wanted to pull my hair out, but in the midst of it all there were precious moments of joy. Cuddles and giggles and smiles that I might have otherwise missed if I hadn’t taken the time to just stop and be fully present, without the usual distractions.
I would be lying if I told you, however, that I was not ready for our quarantine to be lifted at the end of the week .We practically skipped to the grocery store, finding renewed freedom in the normally mundane activities of the week.Yet something has stuck with me from that week that I hope I can take forward into this joy journey. When our schedule was forcibly interrupted, it enabled me to celebrate joy in those little moments with my daughter where we simply spent time together. Time really spent together, just her and me. We will still continue to go to playdates and story time and gym class because there’s absolutely a place for all of that too, but for me, the schedule oriented type A, there’s definitely more of a balance to be found.
I think when we reflect on it, the same can be said about our own relationship with our Heavenly Father. Sometimes there’s just so much noise, so many distractions, that we cease to just hear His voice amongst the clamor of it all. Yet He tells us that we need to intentionally take the time to stop and shut out the noise. To just “Be still and know that He is God.” Psalm 46:10. Maybe He is calling us to interrupt our usual routines for once, to set aside the to do lists and just find joy in the stillness of His presence (Psalm 16:11).
Is the noise of this world drowning out your joy? I wonder what would happen if we substituted the noise for stillness every once in a while. Would we more easily appreciate the joy that is found in everyday moments with our children, in the presence of our Savior?
It’s amazing what God can teach you from a bout of chicken pox. 🙂