1 Peter 5:8
"Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring (in fierce hunger), seeking someone to seize upon and devour."
If you know me well, you know that I am a person who would give you the shirt off my back if it was needed. I'm not one to shy away from getting things done, or helping a brother out if I can. When I commit to something I am there, on time, and without fail if I can pull it off. I hate being late, and I work hard at completing the task at hand and not just do it...but do it well.
As I lay here in my bed however, recovering from Bronchitis/ pneumonia that nearly ended me up in the hospital (due to my oxygen levels), my battle is with the mind and the heart vs the body. I am one of those that struggles getting my mind to shut off. There is always something to be done, somewhere to be, something to do....the life of being a mom, as many of you can testify, is never ending. With my husband being a truck driver, much of the responsibility of the kids, house etc... falls on me. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for his job...its an excellent job and has allowed me to be the mom I need to be to my kids, work a job that I love, that works with their schedule, and to send them to school where they can build their relationship with Christ even closer....that to me is priceless and something I will never regret.
I'm also am involved in many other activities that are callings on my life and whole-heartedly enjoy them, but where does one find balance. I know I am not the only one out there who does the "balancing act" in life....we all do in many ways. I'm also smart enough to know that if you spread yourself too thin, and don't leave enough for yourself....you will be no good to anyone regardless of the calling on your life. I get it. I think the enemy loves and does try to make us so busy that we do spread ourselves too thin....but it comes down to personal choices and not giving the enemy so much credit. My personal, being real with you, struggle is in the mind. Right now I am in bed and my brain is telling me all the things I could be doing, yep even though I am home sick from work. Dishes in the sink, my Masters class, laundry etc..... but my body is screaming "Have you lost your mind". Honestly, I am sick enough that I will remain in bed, but what is this battle??? I know I cant be the only one who deals with it. I mean, really?! What will happen if I don't do those things.....they will still be there, and the world will not end. For me its not out of fear, although I know for some it is. That question of "What will the neighbors think?"...for me I could care less what the neighbors think. You should have seen what I looked like when I had to drag myself out of bed to take the kids to school...right then you would have known that I didn't care. Even my oldest questioned if I should be out of bed because of the way I looked ;)
As I look at the lives of my close friends....its funny to me how many of us are the same in that way....constantly running, doing, going...rarely resting until something slaps us across the face to get our attention and slow us down a bit. Ive been guilty of reminding those friends to slow down and rest...without doing it myself. GUILTY!! I can quickly see it in others lives but for me I just seem to ignore it as there is no time to think about it, until now when I'm forced to. Even now I say to myself "I don't have time to be sick". My life is an open book, always has been. To God be the Glory!! So this is me, being real...trying to find balance. Its kinda funny how I was just having a conversation with some friends on Saturday about this very topic...having no idea that I was about to get slapped in the face with the reality physically, although I know the Holy Spirit has been telling me to slow down for awhile....so I have been finding myself delegating around the house even more, asking for help and spreading the love of keeping the house in order more evenly, because I just cant do it. I'm thankful for my families eagerness to jump in more without complaint, as in the past I have been guilty of not asking for help.
In the last week, I have seen or been given two quotes from friends that have really resonated with me. One was "Just because someone desires you, does not mean they value you", and the other one was "Be patient and be a good patient". Those hit me between the eyeballs because for starters....I have always struggled with being patient (but here in the last year have been really working on that), and have never been a good patient. I am used to being the one as the "nurse" or helper and absolutely loving doing that because of my love for people and my love to serve. I also never want to be a burden to anyone. The other quote to me was a reality check....something to ponder for my own life. Truth!
I'm personally thankful for my hope and relationship in Christ. When people don't have that, I have no idea how they walk through struggles. I also have those God given "cheerleaders" in my life that encourage me constantly. I know that when the world squeezes on me, they are gonna get the Word of God flowing out because that is what I am constantly refueling with. I may be in bed but my spirit is soaring. ;)
Balance is a challenge in many of our lives and I am admitting its a challenge for me on trying to find it, as I think it needs constant re-evaluation. So my purpose in this blog post is simple: To be real, as I try to be, and to ask yourself about the balance in your own life. Is it time to re-evaluate. re-prioritize, or just start saying no more. I know from recent conversations with friends, who are strong followers of Christ, that its an across the board struggle. Maybe you aren't there right now, but at some point in life you have been or possibly will be.
1 Peter 5:8 (quoted above) immediately came to mind to me as I deal with this battle of the "balancing act". I know I will come out victorious however, and for that I thank God and give Him all the Glory. Thanks for letting me be real. God Bless You!!
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