Pondering on Punctuality

For those of you who didn't know this (and if you didn't know this, you don't know me very well!), punctuality has long been very important to me.

In a perfect world (or if I had my way... lol) my family would depart our home with time to spare, not get caught in any annoying traffic jams, not get lost, but quickly and easily arrive at our destination at least ten minutes early.

I wish!

More often than not, on a typical Sunday morning at about 9:30 (we usually need to leave by about 9:40 if we want to be there on time), you would find Dad still in the shower. Mum still needing to feed Jana. The washing not on the line. A bunch of the little kids not wearing church clothes and, terrible thing above all other terrible time-consuming thing, having lost their shoes. 

Which leaves me, (the unofficial person who usually ends up going around hurrying everyone up, "Jacob, get in the van. We are leaving in four minutes!") with two options.

1. Run around like a headless chook yelling at everyone and trying in vain to make the clock go reeeeally slow for the next ten minutes.... and getting everyone really stressed and annoyed with me.
2. Or slow down. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Look around. Find something that I can do, maybe start hanging the washing on the line or looking for Caleb's shoes. And gently and quietly help get everyone ready for church... without panicking, screaming and quoting what the time is.

I think that being on time is important.

But not as important as my sanity and the peace of the family.


This may seem like a very basic truth to you, and apologies if this post isn't relatable at all! But for years I have struggled with that 'very basic' truth and often, to my shame, find myself picking the first option not the second option.

I think it's because of my personality. I am a very impatient person. I like to have everything done when I want them done. (I remember once when I was younger I told my Mum that "I like surprises. I just want to know what they are and when they are coming.")

Impatience. That's the root of my obsession with punctuality.

Because there is nothing wrong with punctuality. I think it is very good to be on time and a noble goal to strive for. It is impolite to be majorly late to things.

But is it worth making enemies of your entire family and stressing everyone else (and yourself) unnecessarily?

No. It isn't. Most definitely not.

It is not the end of the world if we are five minutes late. (I have been told this by the wonderful members of my family time and time again.) Nothing terrible is going to happen to us. So why is it so hard for me to quit stressing out?

It's not easy.... but with the Lord's help I'm trying to change.

What do you struggle with?