The Balancing Act
“She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness”- Proverbs 31:27
When it comes to balance in life, the truth is that there is no such thing.
Instead of thinking of life in the aspect of perfect balance; I like to think of it as a swinging pendulum. The key is knowing when and what to adjust because it’s always shifting. Life, family, ministry are always changing. There are ebbs and flows that exist in different seasons.
The key is, in the midst of it all, distinguishing what is most important and needs the most attention within that season. Proverbs 31:27 reminds us to carefully watch over our households. As a godly women, the Holy Spirit will show you where things can be adjusted and He will give you the wisdom to make those adjustments! There are times in life where you have to distinguish what seems urgent to what truly is important. If you’re not careful, the things that we deem as urgent take precedence over the important, and then our lives become chaotic and out of whack. The things and people that should be getting the best of you are left with the leftovers of you. Don’t allow the unimportant chores and tasks to pile on stress to the point that you miss out on what really matters.
Certain seasons are busier than others; in those seasons, assess what can be adjusted. If it’s a busy night, order dinner. It’s okay if you don’t make a homemade meal if it means spending more time with your family! In those seasons, quality family time is more important to me than being a slave to the house or the kitchen! Your family would rather have you than a stressed mom and a homemade meal! Give yourself grace; you can not be everything to everyone. Lean into the grace of God to fill in the gaps in your life. Your job is to watch and discern. Decide which areas need more of you, delegate and let go of everything else!
Develop systems! Systems within your life will set you up for success! Are there systems or habits that can structure your life to have a greater capacity, to spend more time with your family, to be present? An easy system to implement is house cleaning. Make a schedule and divide your house chores up by the week. Each day take 30-45 minutes to do the assigned chore. As simple as this sounds, this is a system for success. You are now free of guilt to play with your kids, catch up with your hubby, or take some time to yourself. Juggling a million different balls in the air— as women often do—isn’t easy! Some of those balls are more resilient than others. Discern the adjustments that you can make to flow with the season you are in! Distinguish the urgent from the important and see the pendulum swing right where it needs to be in your life and family!
You’ve got this!