“The solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.” – John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
As a mom of three, busyness is inevitable. When I read Comer’s words last year, I knew God was putting those words in front of me to get me focusing on just that – busyness.
In Luke 10:41-42, the Lord tells Martha (the queen of busy), “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one (emphasis added).”
How many times had I gotten in a hurry and found myself feeling restless and far from Him? How many times was I looking at life through a series of checklists? How many times was I busy for the sake of being busy? A change was needed.
I sifted through all the demands on my time and heart. I prayed over how I could balance them in a way that was glorifying God.
While there were more than a couple of things to sift through, I kept coming back to this balance of motherhood, work, and just life. God had called me to do great things! Finding a balance was the key to working “at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” as Colossians 3:23 says.
I am a doer and a “yes person.” I like getting things done and checking things off lists. But I had to simplify it all. So, I pinpointed two things that could help me do just that:
- Have a plan
- Be flexible
I know, I know. Those seem to contradict one another. Having a plan helps me to focus on completing the tasks that I have determined to be important while allowing myself to be flexible lets me take a breath and reset if things don’t go according to that plan.
I realized:
- Including prayer, time in the Word, and time to be still in my daily plan ensured that I kept these things a priority. I didn’t want to find myself rushing around to complete things that needed to be done and miss what He was speaking into and doing in my life.
- My husband is my person to do life with, not just another part of my life to juggle. When we go through life as a team, we are stronger. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us that “two people are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.”
- Actively attending to my kids and nourishing their spirit is always worth the time. Things like spending time carefully curating a social media post about them are not a priority.
- Being available for those that I love and for the community of people in my life provides a sense of encouragement and accountability that benefits my life in so many ways.
- Establishing a stopping point ensures life balance. Diving into my tasks at work and working diligently to complete them is worth the time, but should not be all-consuming
When all else fails …
And while all these things I learned are important and helpful, what helps me the most is grace. God’s grace is sufficient for me through it all. For times when I let myself rush through the day, when my plans fall through and I don’t allow flexibility, or when I am a little too relaxed and don’t complete the things that I need to – tomorrow is a new day. And if His mercies are new each day, then I can have mercy on myself to view each day and continue trying to glorify Him through it all.