An Important Reminder From A Mom Who Says She Almost Killed Her Daughter
"Last week, I almost killed my daughter."
That's the powerful opening line from Jenn Meer, the mommy blogger behind the My Jenn-eration blog. And in it, Jenn shares a terrifying story along with the important life lesson it taught her. And her message is one everyone needs to hear, regardless of whether or not they have children!
Credit: ThinkStock
Two Minutes Changed Everything
Jenn's husband was traveling most of the time for work. That meant it was just Jenn and the two kids -- a son (5) and daughter (nearly 4) -- Monday through Friday. But the three made a good team, and managed school, activities and the busy schedule together.
At the end of the busy days came bath time. On one particular night, Jenn got the bath going for her daughter and left the room for just two minutes. Long enough to tend to her son. Long enough to quickly respond to the email that had come across on her iPad. And long enough to get the biggest scare of her life!
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"On any other night this would’ve been fine. But this night was different. She was really tired and the water was warm and she just fell asleep; completely and totally asleep. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. I went back in two minutes later and by the grace of God she had managed to fall asleep sitting up, slumped against the side of the tub. But it wouldn’t have been much longer (how much longer, seconds?) before she would’ve slipped under the water. She would’ve drowned. It would have been entirely my fault."
Distracted Living
Needless to say, Jenn was completely shaken by all of the "what ifs" surrounding those two minutes. It caused her to re-examine how she'd been living her life. . .how many of us have started living our lives. She describes it as distracted living.
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Multi-tasking has become the first priority. Rather than doing one thing at a time, today's culture insists we get as much done in as little time as possible. But all that rushing, all that multi-tasking, it comes with a price. And that's what Jen learned on that terrifying night -- the she "almost killed" her daughter.
"If we begin to itemize our daily lives as a series of tasks to be checked off and juggled and done while doing other things, I’m not sure we’re ever fully present in any of it. As if we’re always straddling different dimensions. Our bodies exist in one place, our hearts and minds in another. Space and time feel disjointed. People write largely in shorthand largely because we are living that way. At least I have been living that way. But last week was my wake up call. I will get less done. Everything might take longer but with more time and attention to whatever that first thing is. This just might be okay."
Be sure to read Jenn's full blog post about that night HERE.
You don't have to be a parent to understand what Jenn is talking about. You see it every where you go -- folks of all ages with their focus glued to the device in their hand while real life whizzes past them. Surely this is not what God intended for us. We are meant to live life, to experience it!
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Will you be like Jenn? Will you take a step back and take a second look at your life? To make sure you are really living it. To make sure you are dedicating your time and attention to where it truly belongs -- to the purpose and the plan that God has laid out for you. And sometimes, that plan includes being still!
"Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!" 1 Samuel 12:16
See what a student wrote that had this teacher in tears!
1 Samuel 12:16
Credit: My Jenn-eration Blog
h/t: GodUpdates