Do you ever feel like your responsibilities consume most of your time? Like you’re just constantly going and going, with no real time to rest your mind, rest your body, rest your soul. While you’re doing one task, you’re thinking of another task you need to complete.
Honestly, we can miss out on so much living this way. But we do it, because these are our responsibilities, and they must get done.
I also feel like this type of lifestyle tends to be typical for most women. Especially moms. We wear so many hats. We’re stay-at-home moms, working moms, wives, caretakers, homemakers, cooks, chauffer’s, advisors, and so much more.
Truth be told, it can feel like we’re in a rat race that we’re not able to quit. Because not only are some things necessary for our own lives, but they’re necessary for the lives of the people we love.
And to top it all off, many of us are accomplishers. We simply like getting things done.
We don’t need help eliminating everything, we just need help learning how to balance it all.
Set Your Foundation
According to Google, a foundation is the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level. In other words, a foundation not only bears the brunt of a heavy load, but it also acts as a stabilizer.
Our responsibilities often feel like a heavy load. We need something that will support us, as we carry out our day-to-day responsibilities. Something that won’t just support us but will keep us stabilized as well.
It turns out our something, is actually a Someone.
In The Message Bible, Matthew 7:24 -25 identifies Jesus as our firm foundation: “These words
I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit---but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.”
Jesus is our foundation; and the way we establish Him as our foundation is by learning His Word, and then living according to them. When we do this, the load of our responsibilities is lightened, and we find ourselves stable against the pressures.
Follow Peace
A wonderful thing about peace is, it lets us know when we are overworked, and overburdened. A good rule to follow is, when peace leaves, you leave.
Now of course that doesn’t mean you up and abandon your job, or your kids, or your marriage every time something upsets you. I’m not advocating anything like that at all! But what I am saying is, when you lack peace in your life, it is a clear indication that you need to stop and take a look at how you’re currently doing things. Chances are strong, that it’s time for a change somewhere in your life.
When you feel anxious, worried, fearful, stressed, you need to step back, examine your life, and see where things are out of order, and then take some time to pray.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7)
The Lord is not only our firm foundation, but He is also the Prince of Peace. When you lack peace in your life, you need to turn your eyes towards Him, that is how you follow peace, by following Jesus.
Maintain Order & Structure
Having plans, routines, and organization are very helpful when it comes to balancing your life. Obviously, we need to be willing to lay down our plans when God leads us in a different direction, or something important comes up.
But it helps to have a clear idea of what needs to get done each day, a plan on how to accomplish it all, a routine you typically follow, and an organized atmosphere.
Maintaining order and structure isn’t about being rigid, but it is about having and operating out of discipline.
Hebrews 12:11 says, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
God understands that receiving discipline or establishing disciplines in our lives, isn’t always fun for us. But He also knows that in the long run, it always proves to be good and beneficial for our lives.
If you find yourself struggling with your focus, staying on task, and getting things done, do the hard work of disciplining yourself now, so you can enjoy the fruit of it later.
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Let Go, When It’s Time to Let Go
One of the best things we can do for ourselves, is recognize when something is no longer serving us. Just because you’ve done something for many years, doesn’t mean it’s what you need to continue doing.
Some responsibilities are only meant to be in our lives for a season, and it isn’t until we let go of what needs to go, that we can make room for new opportunities.
Unfortunately, it’s much harder to walk away from something when we feel our value is wrapped up in it. Gaining truth about where and Who your value comes from, enables you to separate the value of who you are, from what you do.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14)
Our value comes from the truth that we were created by Holy God. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created us in His own image. We can never have more or less value based off of the things we do or don’t do; our value is already established in the fact that we were created by God. It is
He who gives us our value, not what we do.
You Are Not Perfect, Stop Expecting It
Nothing derails a day quite like perfectionism.
Perfectionism keeps us aiming for an endpoint far out of our reach. It wastes our time, it causes us to feel inadequate, it steals our peace, and it has the potential to halt all progress.
It is a beast that we need to tame, because learning to balance our lives isn’t about perfection, it’s about grace.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Your struggling and inability to produce perfect results in any area of your life doesn’t count you out, rather, it opens up the door for God to show Himself strong in your life. Stop aiming for perfection, accept your weaknesses and limitations, and allow the power of God to rest upon you.
Rely On Your Helper
“If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever---the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)
The Holy Spirit is our Helper. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, as your Lord and Savior, you don’t have to struggle through any part of your life alone. The Holy Spirit is with you, to help you in every area of your life, including learning to balance your life.
When you feel overwhelmed, call on your Helper. When you feel exhausted, ask your Helper for strength. Whatever your struggle is, big or small, why go it alone when you don’t have to.
If you haven’t placed your faith in Jesus, balancing your life gets tricky without that firm Foundation, without His peace, without Godly wisdom, without a clear understanding of where (or rather Who) your value comes from, without His grace and power, and without the Holy Spirit, our Helper.
But you don’t have to continue going at it alone. You can call on Jesus right now, and confess that you need Him, in every area of your life, invite Him in, and begin to experience a freedom in your life, like you’ve never experienced before.
Finding balance in your everyday life, begins with Jesus.
Peace be with you, today and always.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s blog! I enjoy sharing content that help women live a life they truly love, because I know what it’s like to be living your life, but not loving your life. I know what’s it’s like to pour all of yourself into others, while your passions and your purpose remains unfulfilled.
I wrote my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love, to come alongside the woman who feels like something is missing in her life, who feels like she wants more out of life, but doesn’t even know where to begin to bring about those changes.
If that sounds like you, I invite you to sample my new book, Building Your Life from the Ground Up and Creating a Life You Love. You can find it here:
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