This isn't a how-to guide. This is just a glimpse into our world as husband & wife, parents and risk takers. Plus, as always, we pray that you gain something to add fullness to your life.
Recently, I read on social media that it isn't about balance, it's about surrender. As I've been thinking about these words, they resonate 100% with where my heart has been for weeks now. Let me just shoot it straight. There is absolutely no way I can balance all the areas of my life. Neither can you. We can try but we will no doubt fail every time with loads of anxiety weighing us down. Trying to balance my life means that I am trying to perfectly align everything in such a way that there are no messes to clean up. And friends, I hate messes. I really do. However, life is full of them. There's just no way around it.
The call to action is SURRENDER. How do I let go and keep my hands off of needing to control? How do I stop myself from waking up every morning feeling like I need to balance "it all." SURRENDER. Over and over again. Surrendering means saying yes to the chaos. To the messes. To the interruptions. To the change of plans. Surrendering will always equal transformation in my own life that will allow me to live life more fully; the way God created me to live.
So, how are we choosing to surrender everyday?
How are we balancing marriage, parenthood and starting a small business?
Here are just a few practical things:
1. Remaining open to God’s plan for us. We do this through prayer and intentional conversation.
2. Keeping our date night. Since Ben and I started dating, Tuesdays have always been our date night. No matter what the week looked like, we always knew (and still do) that Tuesdays is our time together. This looks drastically different nowadays but we still make it happen as soon as our son goes down for bed. It’s our commitment to prioritize each other during the craziness of the week.
3. We keep Sundays free from work, chores and tasks. We keep Sundays as our Sabbath, no matter what.
4. When we started our small business, we knew it would require our time, focus, money and stamina. However, we also knew that our goals & desires are more than worth it. One of the biggest ways we manage running a small business is a little strategy called: divide and conquer. Ben and I have different roles within the business and even when there are hiccups along the way, we know who is doing what.
5. Getting things accomplished throughout the day WITH A BABY can be a bit or a lot challenging! Some days are super relaxed and we have lots of time to hold and play with our little monkey. Other days, we just need to put our hands to the plow and get stuff done even if it's chaotic. We are learning to adapt (especially me) and remain flexible to whatever the day looks like.
What does it look like for you to live surrendered instead of balanced?
In what ways do you need to let go and simply embrace where you are?
This is by far the hardest part for me. Everyday is a challenge to fight against anxious thoughts...to fight against needing to keep the areas of my life checked and balanced. There's just no way we can do it all, friends. It's about give and take. Hold on and let go. Make messes and clean them up. The balance is found in surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ so He can fill us up with Himself. Everyday. I pray that we learn how to do this more and more so that we live more fully & freely!
