By: Sandy Morgenthal
Leading a balanced life can be challenging in our fast-paced world. The demands of the day can leave little time for extended family, friends, exercise, reading good books, or fun. That means Bible study, prayer, quiet time, and true rest are right off the charts. All these things are, however, essential to a healthy lifestyle.
So where do we find the balance between meeting life’s demands and feeling some sense of control? After all, there are only twenty-four hours in the day. It is best to start at the beginning. That is wisdom. God created us for relationship with Him. Starting the day by making a regular time that belongs to that endeavor seems wise. From there, being filled with His Presence and His peace for the day, we can make a reasonable plan.
This does not mean mapping out the day moment by moment. Rather, asking for His help in prioritizing and managing our “to-do list” will give purpose and direction to our day. He also provides the strength and energy required to do so.
He knows that wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and caregivers are overwhelmed by the demands on their time and the need for endurance. He can actually give us what we need in the moment when we start our day with Him and in the way we call on Him throughout our day.
An important skill in achieving balance is having the ability to say “No” where we need to. All too often, women fall into the trap of saying “Yes” too quickly out of a desire to be kind and helpful, even in their own home. Women don’t have superpowers, only God does. It is easy to fall victim to the desires and demands of others who mean well but ask for more than we can do. Knowing where and when to set the limit is very useful in protecting us from over-committing.
The Lord truly knows best where we should set our priorities. I guess that means we need to ‘delay long enough to pray.’ Remembering to do it appears to be the challenge. It is really just a question of forming a new habit. In order to do that, we have to first catch ourselves in the old habit. The best way is to ask the Holy Spirit for help in noticing how quickly we commit to doing something. George Washington said, “A problem identified is a problem half-solved.”
Once we ‘see’ and acknowledge that we have a problem saying yes too soon, we can truly begin to change our process and learn to delay. As we have time to pray and consider, it usually becomes clear when we should say no. We need to remember, it is a lot easier to change a no to a yes, than it is to change a yes to a no.
