Oh, Wait! I Need to Do That.

Is it only me, or do you live a consistently busy life?  Every day there is something that needs to be taken care of, and by the end of the day, when I finally get into bed, I feel completely exhausted.  However, instead of falling asleep, my mind begins to run in all directions, and I can only think about the things that I have to do the next day (or the next day, or the next week, or the next month).  It’s an endless cycle.  It seems as if I can never get relief.

In my post, “Ice Cream to the Rescue”, I talked about casting all of your cares on the Lord.  I believe that, and I practice it quite frequently.  However, what I’m talking about today isn’t necessarily about worrying; it’s about the busyness of life and taking time out for yourself.

As a mother, wife, pastor’s wife, and homemaker, there is so much that I do.  There are days that things just seem to happen, and I never stop until night comes, only to get back up the next day and do the same thing all over again.  This lifestyle has seemed to be the norm for years, but there came a time when I began to feel the exhaustion of it all.  That’s when I knew some things needed to change.

Matthew 6 talks a lot about giving no thought to tomorrow.  Jesus said he would take care of you just as he takes care of the lilies of the field.  BUT for some reason, I get in the way.  I think He needs me to do everything.  I feel like I am REQUIRED to do everything, go everywhere, and do everything for everyone.  Yet, I find it interesting that even God rested when creating this world.

Genesis 2:3, "And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation." NIV

Now don’t even begin to think that I have it all together.  I DO NOT!  I should probably put lots of exclamation points there. 

What I want you to understand is that I am with you.  You are not alone in feeling this way.  You are human, and as a human, you do a lot of the same things that other people do.  I have no doubt in my mind that there are other mothers, wives, and even pastor’s wives that are experiencing the same sense of being overwhelmed as I do.

WE ARE NOT PERFECT.

I sure wish I was perfect, but I realized a long time ago that no matter how much of a perfectionist I am, I will never be perfect.  There are going to be mistakes.  I just have to learn to live with them and try to do better as I move on through life.

WHEW!  This post could possibly get pretty lengthy with that last statement.  We could move on to deeper waters.  Mistakes with our kids, in our marriages, in close relationships—the list goes on and on.  Maybe we will come back and visit that another day.

Here is what I want you to get from this whole post: I want you to look at your life and reevaluate what you are doing on a daily basis.  Is there anything that you have added to your daily life that is unnecessary? 

Let’s take me, for instance.  After all, I am human, remember? 

Every day, I find something extra to add to my list that keeps me busy throughout the day.  I ADD something to what I would usually do. 

How dumb is that?! 

On Monday during the summer, the only things I need to do are get up and make my bed, make and eat breakfast, go to the bank, order groceries (I don’t even have to go in the store), make lunch for the kiddos, and prep things for dinner.  My daughter helps with kitchen duty in the evening, and both kids are responsible for making their beds (the youngest still struggles) and picking up after themselves.

However, I ALWAYS find something to add to that day.  This time I added mowing the yard (which takes 2 hours of my day) and cleaning out the flower beds, and I suddenly decided that I wanted to try out a new recipe that takes an extra hour of my time.

WHY?!

I can’t tell you why.  However, what I can tell you is that I have had to tell myself to stop.  If I don’t, when will I ever take the time to pray and meditate on God?  All of the things I added to my day took up what precious little time I would have with the Lord.

Some would say, “Just get up a little earlier.”  Ummmm….no.  This lady enjoys what little sleep she can get.  Besides, when school starts back up, it is back to getting up at 4:30 every morning to have quiet time before dealing with children all day.  So my answer is to stop and make myself do some self-care.  

Is this enough?  No!

There is so much more that I need to do to take care of myself. Do I think it is selfish?  A part of me says it is, but I know deep down that when I take care of myself, I can then give the best of who I am to my family, friends, and those whom God has placed in my care.

I truly hope that you realize you are not alone in this chaotic life.  I pray that somewhere deep down, you begin to see that you can take some time for yourself.  Your kids will be okay.  Your spouse will be okay.  Your house will still be standing; it may be a disaster, but it will still be standing.  It really is okay to set boundaries and say no.

Take a moment and read Matthew 6 sometime this week.  Reflect on it.  Plus, I challenge you to carve out some time for yourself every day, starting today.  Begin with 15 minutes.  If you are married with kids, your husband won’t kill them in 15 minutes.  If you are single, life will go on without you for 15 minutes.  If you are married and don’t have children, your husband is old enough to feed himself.

Seriously, though, God wants you at your best!

PS:  I will do my best to revisit this in the future.  Hopefully, you won’t tire of me before then.

Matthew 6:34, "So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.  Today’s trouble is enough for today." NIV