The Magic Hours
Ever seen a mother who always seems to have it together? She is always dressed nicely, her children are kind to others, her home is neat and tidy, she cooks dinner every night, she teaches her children Latin, and she helps her husband with their business. Most of us gag and secretly (or openly) search and point out her weakness. We look at our own out-of-control lives and immediately start to feel the pain of comparison. What if we instead saw this woman as having great wisdom that we needed? What if we asked this woman how she did it? What if we asked her for her magic trick?
As Christian women, we are called to do what is right and follow the example of godly women (1 Peter 3:5-6). I want to propose one tool that godly women have used for ages….taking advantage of the magic hours (Proverbs 31:15).
What are the “magic hours”? Hyrum Smith (the author of a magical book I’ve listed below) describes the magic hours as “that block of time that is generally uninterrupted.” For most people this usually is 5-8am or 10pm-1am on a given day.
In the past I would have screamed that the magic hours are “magic” because I am sleeping! But now, I am looking at my days as a mom, wife, teacher, home manager…there doesn’t seem to be enough time to do it all. And Mr. Smith is challenging me to take time and make time by being awake during one of those magic hour time periods to plan each day. This reminds me of the Rumpelstiltskin saying on the TV show, Once Upon a Time, “All magic comes with a price!”
In order to experience the “magic” of a productive and effective day, there is a price. In order to be the mom, wife, teacher, and home manager I so desire to be…I must pay the price. I must choose each day to take this gift of time, to pay the price of discipline.
This seems so overwhelmingly simple, but the snooze button is also simple and easy to use…causing every morning to be about my choice. Will I go through this day blindly, taking whatever comes my way? Or will I wake up and grab the quiet moments to make decisions in peace and in concentrated prayer?
Once all four of my children wake up, I am instantly thrown into a multi-task life. I have to manage food preparation, potty training, laundry, housecleaning, child training, academic training, and much more. Often I have two or more of these things going on at one time. I don’t have time to stop and focus on anything without interruption. For my sanity, I need to have certain decisions and aspects of the day already planned. If I sleep through the magic hours, I am often making decisions without complete and clear consideration.
I also need the magic hours to renew and refresh myself. Because I am being stretched to meet so many needs, I often cannot stop to think about my needs. This is probably the most difficult part of life for all mothers. I cannot explain the pressure to be everything for our children and husbands. It gives most women the permission to “let themselves go” or deny themselves the time they need to be the women they so greatly desire to be. I know this pressure is all in our heads, but we still feel it and fight it. We, as mothers, NEED the magic hours if not to plan, then to have a few moments all to ourselves!
Let’s give ourselves the magic hours! Let’s set aside a few moments each day that are just ours! Have a few quiet moments in the Bible, let the Holy Spirit fill your tank for the day to come, and make decisions in peace….
