Saturday’s Not Enough

The past weeks I’ve been living for Saturday. Glorious Saturday. Saturday’s the day we try to go OUT. As long as weather permits, we’ve been finding somewhere outdoors to take the kids. They burn energy and we get to be among nature which actually has been very stress-relieving.

We’ve gone to several different trails. It’s been fun to see parts of our local area I didn’t even know existed. Typically Saturdays would be filled with planned activities or travel, so now that our schedule is wide open we have been able to get aquainted with the outdoors a little more. 

These recent Saturday adventures have been something we’ve looked forward to. Our first trips out at the beginning of the Covid lockdown were a breath of fresh air. We all had so much fun and just getting out of the house made us all much happier.

Until this Saturday.

This Saturday did not play out at all how we hoped. I don’t know if it was because some did not sleep well on Friday night, or just the weight of being at home nonstop has been wearing on us, but it was a wild day.

We packed up all the bikes and decided to go on a rails to trails path near us. It started off so well but one by one it seemed we all lost our minds. 

So. many. meltdowns.

The wheels fell off the Forney bus. Like, “came unhinged and rolled down the road 7 miles away” fell off the bus.

To the point where we packed everything up and said it was time to call it. We needed to head home. 

As the packing up was in progress I had to take a timeout for myself because I knew if I stayed engaged I was about to start yelling and I didn’t want to do that. I backed away from the van and growled out, “I need a minute!”

As I was (literally) pacing around our van trying to calm myself and will myself back to the fam I felt so defeated.

Saturdays have become our saving grace.

They have been the ONE day that resets us as a family unit. The kids being outside running free, me being in nature taking it all in and releasing stress – it seemed to be our pocket of time in the week that brought what we needed to survive the next week.

As I fumed outside I was questioning, “How will I get through the next week if the rejuvenation plan for today backfired?” Not only did it not put a positive deposit in my emotional bank, it actually depleted me and was a major withdrawal. I was panicking, realizing I’ll be back to the races on Monday without having the ‘reset’ I felt we desperately needed to help us get through these times.

And in this moment, I totally sensed Jesus speaking to my heart, reminding me that HE is our daily bread. He is the one who sustains us. 

Not my Saturdays. 

Not the family resets I feel we so desperately need. 

Not content hearts from the kids. 

Not refreshing times in nature. 

Those things are wonderful when they’re there, but if they don’t happen, it will not be the end of us. 

He is the sustainer and the one to help us through every day. I was depending on these Saturdays being our savior, but they are not. 

There’s only one who saves. 

The beauty of this fact, and what brought me instant peace and a reality check (while I was still pacing outside the van) was realizing it was OK that the day fell apart. God knows what we need to be able to do what he has put before us. He will sustain us even when our days look completely opposite of what we feel we need.

I was then able to get into the car, keeping my cool (mostly) while meltdowns still ensued. But this time I didn’t feel despair. I felt like, “Ok this day took a turn we didn’t expect, but it’s not the end of the world.” 

We will make it because Jesus is our daily bread, not Saturdays.