Balance

Balance.

Have you ever tried to do it all, overfilled  your day, or just plain exhausted yourself?  Maybe you don’t know how to say NO, and you find yourself overwhelmed with too much.  Maybe many things in your life are not balanced

Priorities! ……. This is what has been on my mind. Something that needs to be established and set in our hearts, that we may live wisely. It’s especially important as families grow, and as well as being part of a  growing church.

I desire to have good…..no, GREAT time management!  So, I went to the word of God.

As I sat and read a few passages in my Bible,  many words stood out to me.

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Eph 5:15 – 16

I’ve read this before, but this time it resonated with me. Like many people, my plate is full. I have a lot going on, and things are ‘active’ in my home and outside my home.  So I asked myself, do I have balance?

As I went on reading, scripture says that we shouldn’t ignore the time we have been given. Instead, being the best steward of our time because it is precious – like it says in  Ecclesiastes 3:1   ‘There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens’ 

We don’t have to do everything right here, right now!.  This verse encourages us that there is a right time for everything. What we need to do is take one day at a time, and do what God has called us to do properly and with excellence.  This might mean slowing down, saying no, or focus on those priorities!

Some of the neat things I’ve been doing in the last few months, is making and printing out a weekly family schedule, and weekly meal plan.  This has been fantastic for us! especially as a homeschool family with lots going on.

Even if you don’t homeschool, a weekly or monthly family schedule will organize plans, with hopes to avoid conflict and ‘surprises’.  Sitting down with your spouse to look at and organize the upcoming weeks ahead is HUGE.  When a husband and wife are working together and on the same page, the whole household seems to run smoothly.         (Sometimes, my husband and I will go out on a ‘planning’ date. This is where we write out goals, plan the weeks ahead, and dream about the future.  I Love these dates!)

I don’t have the perfect balance in my life, but I am striving each day to get better. Especially as different seasons of my life change.

Here are some things you can do to get more of a balance in your life:

• PRAY –  Put God first, and seek Him on your goals and priorities, then take the right steps to get there.
• MEAL PLAN – Knowing ahead of time what your family will eat, will eliminate chaos.
• SCHEDULE – Make a habit of using that calender!
• Set time aside for JUST you and your spouse….. enough said!
• AVOID ISOLATION. Be surrounded by encouraging and Godly friends. Touching base often.
• STAYING HEALTHY,fit and properly nourished.
• TAKE baby steps.

What can you do TODAY to bring more balance to your life?