Moving forward and progressing toward something greater are two things I find essential to my mental well-being. Whether it’s cooking, which I hate, or singing, which I love, I like to see progress. As a parent, sometimes it’s hard to see any progress because we spend so much time trying to maintain some semblance of order in our lives. Picking up the house, washing dishes, doing laundry are all essential but they never really feel like moving forward.

I find progress in other areas more essential to my well-being that the state of my house. Sometimes the progress that we are seeking isn’t in temporal things. Progression also means coming to a better understanding, learning to be a better person, and looking outside of ourselves. It’s easy to become bogged down in day-to-day responsibilities. I have felt that way lately, stuck in the need to accomplish temporal things when really it’s my spirit that’s yearning for progress.

To Turn

In the Old Testament, Joel 2: 12–13 states, “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repented him of the evil.”

To turn is to take action. It is not passive.

What does “turning” involve? The word “turn” has been bouncing around in my mind all week. If you think about it, to turn means to move your eyes that are focusing and looking at one thing and moving them to focus on another. In so doing, not only does the head have to move but so does the rest of the body. Whatever you were looking at before is no longer in your visual range and is behind you. It can no longer be your focus.

To fully turn necessitates a change in thought, action, and direction. Even if we aren’t that far off the mark, sometimes it can make a big difference to reset our course so that we are turned in the direction we want to be going.

To Walk

If the head, mind, and body are fully turned then what? More action. Another action word that I’ve come across this week has been “to walk”.

Ezekiel 11: 20 states, “That they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Turning is a good first step, but walking and moving forward in the right direction must follow. To walk requires action and effort. It doesn’t say to sit or lay and enjoy the goodness that you see now that you’ve turned. Consistent effort is necessary to move forward.

Nor does it say to run, which may involve more than we can give. Moms tend to find themselves in the ‘run’ category. We get so busy filling and keeping our family schedules that sometimes we miss the joy of the journey because we’re too busy getting to the next destination. Walking is a movement at a natural pace. Walking let’s you see what’s around you, take notice of others and the beauty of the journey, yet still move in the right direction.

Being More Than What We Were Yesterday

Each day is an opportunity to be better than we were yesterday. Does that mean every day I’m a better person? I wish.

Rather, I like to think of it like L. M. Montgomery in Anne of Green Gables– “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

I may have made mistakes yesterday, but today is my opportunity to turn and walk in the direction of my choosing. Each day is an opportunity to be better than I was yesterday. And that’s pretty awesome thing.