Looking Beyond The Moment

This time of year always brings to mind “the law of the harvest” concept. As a young child I remember every spring planting seeds in our freshly tilled garden. A short time later came the never ending mornings when my father would wake us early to weed those long rows before the sun was too hot overhead. I recall his words as I pulled the wrong plant out of the ground thinking it was a weed. Again as I was complaining I remember my Dad telling me about the rewards yet to come and that I needed to look beyond this moment’s unpleasantness.  Finally, I remember watching as our labor began to show forth from all the hard work. Little did I know that this lesson in our garden would help me become a better mother teaching me to understand that rewards, worth working for, will be in the future. Looking beyond the moment gives us the foresight to handle the incidents and trials of today.

 What we accomplish by raising our family is much larger than the individual moments we are involved in.  It goes beyond the clutter in the room, the myriad of dishes in the sink, the laundry by the washing machine, the undone homework that causes us to lose our temper, the anger felt when your child’s coach doesn’t see their value like you do or just the daily frustrations of life. Our accomplishments in raising our children, who have been entrusted into our care, are all about their development as a child of God and the relationships between each other that will last for eternity.

 Looking beyond the moment you visualize your child, seeing their potential in years to come giving you insight on how to handle each situation in a controlled, loving manner. Our children react to the way we respond to them. Understanding their present maturity level can put their behavior into perspective.  A two-year-old acts differently than a twelve-year-old and teenagers bring a whole new set of behavioral patterns to the dynamics of the family. Keep in mind that a family goes through stages just as children do.  I remember in times past telling my family that all I wanted for my birthday was a clean, quiet house. With my home full of children that was just not going to happen. The stage my large, young family was in just meant that clutter and lots of chatter was going to be a part of life  Now as I enjoy my relatively clean, quiet home I see how looking beyond the moment would have given me more realistic expectations of my children and less frustration in my life

 As women we too are in different stages of personal development.  I’m sure you have heard the cliché of being a late bloomer.  We all develop differently in our own personal characteristics. At times it feels like a juggling act with three different balls, spiritual, emotional and mental, but if we take what life deals us and look beyond the moment we can see ourselves as we want to be. The key is not being caught up in the daily routine and keeping the long range in view while working daily on the little things. This vision will help us become that person with the characteristics of that great mother we all want to be.

One other lesson that I observed from our garden as a child was with the tomato plant. The small tomatoes would first develop as little green balls, growing in size and changing colors until maturing to a deep, sweet red.  I learned to know when each was ripe for picking but if I grew impatient and picked one too early, somehow it never tasted as good as if it had fully ripened on the vine.  I learned to watch and be ready for the right time to harvest it.  Our children are the same way.  Sometimes we want now what they are not ready to give or be.  When pressure is applied they miss some of the ripening process that will make them reach their optimum potential.  Looking beyond the moment and letting our children develop at their own pace in an understanding environment helps bring the eternal results of love and harmony that we all desire to harvest.