After a really long week I’m ready to sit down somewhere. Aren’t you? During the week, I’m constantly moving around doing things. I’m carrying the load: dropping off for school, doing the grocery shopping, participating in my church ministry, working on my Master’s degree, helping my 1st grader with her homework, washing clothes, cleaning kitchens, taking out trash and paying bills. It gets overwhelming. All the rushing and moving around. People depending on me for things and I don’t want to let them down. But I was told once that the most powerful word in the English language is,” No”. We could always say no to some things but certainly not everything. I could say,” No, I’m not paying the mortgage this month” but that comes with some severe penalties. I could say no I’m not taking that medicine any longer –but I’m not interested in having a stroke so I will stay on course. Now don’t get me wrong I believe in the healing power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but I also believe that God gives us wisdom too. Please use wisdom. The bible says,” in all your getting get understanding/wisdom” and in Proverbs 21:16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.” Here’s the thing ladies…. we have to learn how to let go of some things. There are some things I can let go of…like all the birthday party invitations, internet time, extra projects that are not my responsibility to take on or people who dump their responsibilities on me. Let go…
Letting go is very freeing. I Peter 5:7 states: Casting all your cares (all your anxieties all your worries and all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares about you (with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully) I love the way God cares for us. It seems impossible that someone could care that much about little ol me and you but He does. He says that I’m the apple of His eye, he takes pleasure in his people, he adorns the humble with salvation… He loves me more than anyone or anything can. I’m positive that my husband loves me. Absolutely positive. But I’m also certain that my Father loves me more. I’m also positive that my mother and father love me too but not more than my Father in heaven. Who can know my every thought and desire? Only the Father. Who can heal me of sickness and affliction? You know it…God the father. Who can meet all my needs according to His riches in glory? You know this answer too. So why can’t we let go of things? Why?
We need to love our selves just as much as we love our children or anything else that is important to us. I struggle with this too. I over commit myself and my daughter too in activities. We cannot satisfy everyone’s desires so we must set priorities. I’m starting to unwind some the things that I’ve committed to but I admit it is not always easy to do. The way I look at it is that I didn’t start this all at once and it may take a little time to undo what I’ve done. So, I’m starting slowly. I ask you to do the same. Make a list of all things you are required to do and the things that you are doing but not required to do. Find balance. Set a schedule and stick to it. Make sure you create down time. No one is effective when they are tired. Decide once you have the list in front of you that you will either eliminate 25% of the things on the list or create a rotation to incorporate all the things you have but not at the same time. For instance, my daughter is a swimmer. She loves it. Her lesson is once a week but in the summer, she’ll be attending camp where she’ll swim 2-3 times per week. That’s a lot of hair washing! So, I plan now to eliminate the lessons over the summer and pick it back up in the fall when school starts. She still gets to swim and I don’t have to have the extra running over the summer. In addition, I suggest that as you get your “balanced schedule together” that you don’t add anything without taking something away. Otherwise you’ll be right back at square one. I’d like to end with this scripture that I believe ties it up quite nicely.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Just keeping it Cristaclear. Find us @ CristaClearInspirations on Facebook and Instagram
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God Bless!