I attended a tea party a couple of weekends ago. While enjoying tea and connecting with other women I locked eyes on a cute little carriage setup outside the event. If you know me, you know I immediately thought “photo op”. At the conclusion of the event, I quickly indulged in my own impromptu photoshoot. While taking photos, I jokingly said to myself, “This is all carriage and no pumpkin.” Just as soon as I said it, I knew it was a message that I so desperately needed to share.
In the past couple of years, I’ve been becoming more aware of time and age. As women, the older we get the more it can feel like time isn’t on our side. We think, “If it doesn’t happen now, I won’t get my happy ending”. We all know fairytales only promise a happy ending if certain things are accomplished by a certain time.
Cinderella is one of my favorite Disney movies. I am writing this assuming many of you have seen or know her story. There’s a point in the story where Cinderella was given an opportunity to go to a ball hosted by the Prince. But at midnight her grand experience would end. Her lovely carriage would soon turn back into a pumpkin and her gown would quickly return to the rags that she initially wore.
Like Cinderella, I found myself racing against the clock. I was mentally in a pumpkin that presented itself as a carriage and I feared that if I didn’t accomplish X,Y, or Z by a certain time, my life would fall apart. I believed that my dreams would be traded back in for a past life of feeling broken, overlooked, and draped in rags. This race was rooted in the one thing I think every woman struggles with at some point in her life—fear of missing the moment.
So, what’s the resolve?
Release the need to do things by a certain time and instead do them at the set time. When we get caught up in general timeframes like getting married by 30 or starting a business before 40, we open our ambitions up to become anxiety. Anxiety makes you feel like it’s too late; you missed out; or you’re running out of time. Anxiety can either paralyze you to do nothing or propel you to do too much too soon. Your set time is always the best time. Maintain your ambition but don’t get discouraged if things don’t measure up as you expected immediately. Don’t feel the need to manipulate the clock or the process because you’re tired of waiting. At your SET time you will see your harvest.
Secondly, accept that life is not a fairytale. There’s no weird gimmick or time clock you have to race against to get your happy ending. In fact, it’s not about the ending at all. Fear often sends us straight to the end of the story and predicts the worst possible outcome all while causing us to miss the beauty of now. Even when things are going well, I find myself fearing that they are going to fail. I have to intentionally tell myself to STOP expecting disaster. Life can be good. Joy is not some lucky toss of the coin. You don’t have to fear that your “luck” will run out because you’re not lucky. You’re covered.
Lastly, be present today. Don’t worry about what the stroke of midnight has to offer. Just because it didn’t happen by a certain time doesn’t mean it certainly won’t happen. You don’t have to worry about showing up late when you truly embrace who’s carrying you to the next stop. God is ALL carriage and NO pumpkin.
Happy Fall Ladies. I pray this was a blessing to you. In the month of November, we are starting Say NO-vember. This will be a month of prayer and fasting. We are identifying areas in our life where we need to say NO to embrace God's YES. Join us on the kickoff call Monday, November 1st at 7PM CST. You can signup here.