Feeling overcommitted, overloaded, and overwhelmed? Prioritize.
\n \u201cWe spend 10 percent more than we have – and it no longer matters if one is talking about time, energy, or money. We work hard, play hard, and crash hard.\u201d ________<\/p>\n
The day had spun away faster than the last squares of toilet paper on the end of a roll. The clock announced my children\u2019s bedtime, and I couldn\u2019t be happier. I scanned my endless to-do list, wondering if I could squeeze in just a few more tasks that night.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, can I do one more thing?\u201d Leslie, my 10-year-old daughter, asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake it quick,\u201d I sighed.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, Leslie gave me a hand-drawn grid. The days of the week were written in perfect, fifth-grade cursive. \u201cThis is my schedule, and I\u2019m stressed out. I have no free time.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was my daughter\u2019s voice, but did I hear her right? \u201cMy schedule?\u201d \u201cStressed out?\u201d Did these words come from a child\u2019s mouth?<\/p>\n
Leslie ran her fingers over the squares. \u201cLook, I have basketball two days a week and piano lessons on Tuesdays, not counting daily practice, then…\u201d<\/p>\n
As she continued, I realized her brothers\u2019 schedules weren\u2019t much better. No wonder our lives were hectic. Meshing my kids\u2019 daily activities with my own was like trying to shove another dirty pan into an already full dishwasher – no matter how things were rearranged, they weren\u2019t going to fit! My daughter and I discussed what we could cut.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s wait on swimming lessons,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd cut art class altogether. That will free up Tuesdays and Fridays for just hanging out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I noted relief on Leslie\u2019s face as she erased those items from her schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, Mom,\u201d she said as she scurried off to bed. \u201cI feel better already.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the sound of 10-year-old feet padding down the hall, I turned to my own calendar, recalling something I\u2019d read earlier that day: \u201cWe spend 10 percent more than we have – and it no longer matters if one is talking about time, energy, or money,\u201d writes Richard A. Swenson, M.D., author of The Overload Syndrome (Navpress). \u201cWe work hard, play hard, and crash hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The relief on Leslie\u2019s face made me realize how far I\u2019d let our priorities get out of whack. We were overcommitted, overloaded, and overwhelmed. It was time to make changes.<\/p>\n
First Things First: God<\/p>\n
When asked how we should set priorities, most Christians will give the Sunday School answer: \u201cGod first, then family, then ministry, then everything else.\u201d But in day-to-day living, how often do we practice this?<\/p>\n
As a young mom, I was convicted of the lack of time I spent with God. I knew I should read the Bible, and I wanted to. The problem was matching my desire with the practicalities of daily life. Searching for a solution, I realized my only quiet moments occurred before my family woke up. Determined, I set my alarm for 5 a.m. I was tired the next day, but I was spiritually nourished after a time of prayer and reading.<\/p>\n
My friend Janet Holm McHenry, author of Prayerwalk: Becoming a Woman of Prayer, Strength, and Discipline (Waterbrook Press), has developed time with God in her own way. Janet struggled to set correct priorities. She was depressed, had gained weight, and lacked time alone with God. She decided to tackle all three problems by praying while she walked the streets of her town.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could never claim that verse, \u2018The joy of the Lord is my strength\u2019 because I never knew what joy was,\u201d Janet says. \u201cNow I know that joy is being totally centered on God. And I get that daily center as I prayerwalk.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Janet and I discovered, taking time to seek God and to ask His opinion about daily activities helps us rearrange priorities to fit His agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod will tell you what is front and center today,\u201d says Jill Briscoe, author of Living a Purpose-full Life (Waterbrook Press). \u201cAre you listening?\u201d<\/p>\n
Next Things Next: Family<\/p>\n
Family has a way of bringing true character to light. I never realized how much I enjoyed order, cleanliness, and marking things off my list until my kids stripped those things away. When my first child, Cory, was a toddler, I sorted toys into categories: cars with cars, bears with bears, blocks with blocks. I taught a women\u2019s Bible study, baby-sat when others were in a bind, and accepted extra work assignments.<\/p>\n
When children numbers two and three came along, I knew I was facing a losing battle. It was impossible to keep the house clean, please my friends, and carve out a career in the writing industry. My frustration was evident.<\/p>\n
Seeking the Lord, I soon realized the problem wasn\u2019t my children\u2019s neediness; it was my heart. What was my motivation for keeping a spotless home? For leading a women\u2019s group? For turning in multiple writing assignments before the deadline? My motivation had been the approval of others. I wanted to prove I could do it all – and well.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I became aware of Ecclesiastes 4:6, which says, \u201cBetter one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.\u201d That\u2019s me, I realized. I had two hands full, chasing after perfection I\u2019d never achieve. I needed to slow down and enjoy my kids. I knew the day would come when a game of Memory with Mom wouldn\u2019t be so fun, and I didn\u2019t want to look back at their childhood years with regret.<\/p>\n
Too Much Too Soon<\/p>\n
The flip side of too little quality time is getting our children involved in too much outside the home. With so many enriching, educational activities available, it\u2019s hard to say no.<\/p>\n
For many years my kids were only allowed to participate in one activity per year. This grew harder as they got older. I didn\u2019t want to be the \u201cbad\u201d mom who refused to let her children play sports, but I wasn\u2019t doing my kids any favors by involving them in too much.<\/p>\n
In a society that praises accomplishment, children are often forced to take on roles they\u2019re not comfortable with. Kids are compelled to grow up sooner than they want to – by parents who worry they\u2019ll be left behind. As parents, we should never be fooled to think we can ever \u201ckeep up.\u201d In every area of a child\u2019s life, there will always be someone brighter, faster, or better. There\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting our children to be their best, but often this \u201cbest\u201d becomes detrimental when we push our kids to do too much too soon.<\/p>\n
Eliminate and Concentrate<\/p>\n
Ministry seems to be the hardest area for Christian families to balance. Many worthy causes seek our attention, but when it comes to deciding which to pursue, the goal should be to eliminate and concentrate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s OK to have limits. It is OK not to be all things to all people all of the time all by ourselves,\u201d Swenson says.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to manage your time? You eliminate clutter and concentrate on your goals. You want to disciple? You eliminate crowds and concentrate on a few people,\u201d says Anne Ortlund, author of Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman (Word Publishing). And if I could add one thing it would be: You want to make a lasting impact on your children and your world? You reach out to others as a family.<\/p>\n
For many years my husband and I struggled to balance numerous church commitments. He was on the building committee and the finance committee and was involved in different men\u2019s groups. I assisted with children\u2019s worship, taught Sunday School, and led Bible studies. We were heading in different directions, and our children were forced to tag along or be left behind.<\/p>\n
As the craziness of this lifestyle overwhelmed us, my husband and I looked for other ways we could serve. We dropped all our committees and decided instead to minister as a family. Today we focus on two areas: children\u2019s ministry and assisting in our local crisis pregnancy center. Together, we enjoy working and serving as we perform skits or wash baby clothes. We also share a common bond as we see lives transformed.<\/p>\n
Just Do It<\/p>\n
Are you feeling overcommitted, overloaded, and overwhelmed? Get over it. You can make changes, especially when you realize getting your priorities in order makes you available to God and to those most important in your life. Just focus on what\u2019s most important, concentrate on key people, and use ministry time as family time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Feeling overcommitted, overloaded, and overwhelmed? Prioritize. \u201cWe spend 10 percent more than we have – and it no longer matters if one is talking about time, energy, or money. We work hard, play hard, and crash hard.\u201d ________ The day had spun away faster than the last squares of toilet paper on the end of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2335,201,5389,226,5007,309,876],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7535"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}