The Juggle is Real...
Have you ever noticed when a little kid scrapes their knee, they rarely cry without an audience. A young child learning to walk falls and if an adult freaks out...they cry. Otherwise they get up, try again and never miss a beat. I don't think we ever grow out of this...at least not in the natural.
Not long ago, I was having a conversation with one of our Pastors. We were just catching up on life in general. As my husband and I shared our current stats, the Pastor's eyes seemed to get increasingly wider. His response was along the lines of "you are dealing with a lot, let us know how we can help". This was not some diabolical plan to sabotage my mood, it was an innocent, honest conversation that left me feeling overwhelmed.
Naming or labeling things can be dangerous. You state a situation is stressful and you feel instantly stressed. You say your head hurts and next thing you know Tylenol won't curb the ache. It reminds me of the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy. (My Psych professor in college would be proud.) Words have power...even the seemingly innocent, passive words we use.
Back to the story. Be have been juggling a great deal. Between having a senior in high school, an adult son and his girlfriend expecting twins living in our house, a new job for me, a somewhat insane job for my husband, serving as co-coordinators for a foreign mission trip, serving in a few capacities in our local church, planning for a very large family holiday and on and on and on. It is A LOT. I do not argue against that. It was not until someone used the word stressful that I processed it that way. It's life. Joe and I are champs at crisis mode, we lived in it for 15 years and managed to stay strong as a couple. We got this and this time we are facing all these spinning plates with God in our corner and praise in our hearts.
The juggle is real, but just because you juggle does not mean you have to struggle. Sometimes we drop a ball or a plate smashes, but we regroup and we keep going. As we enter the busiest season of the calendar year I want to remind you that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. No where have I found a mandate to be a superman or a wonder woman in my Bible. Instead we are told to be strong in the Lord. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10) Notice it says "in the power of HIS might", not the power of my might.
Yes, we have a lot going on in our little corner of the world. With God on our side...we got this.
Not long ago, I was having a conversation with one of our Pastors. We were just catching up on life in general. As my husband and I shared our current stats, the Pastor's eyes seemed to get increasingly wider. His response was along the lines of "you are dealing with a lot, let us know how we can help". This was not some diabolical plan to sabotage my mood, it was an innocent, honest conversation that left me feeling overwhelmed.
Naming or labeling things can be dangerous. You state a situation is stressful and you feel instantly stressed. You say your head hurts and next thing you know Tylenol won't curb the ache. It reminds me of the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy. (My Psych professor in college would be proud.) Words have power...even the seemingly innocent, passive words we use.
Back to the story. Be have been juggling a great deal. Between having a senior in high school, an adult son and his girlfriend expecting twins living in our house, a new job for me, a somewhat insane job for my husband, serving as co-coordinators for a foreign mission trip, serving in a few capacities in our local church, planning for a very large family holiday and on and on and on. It is A LOT. I do not argue against that. It was not until someone used the word stressful that I processed it that way. It's life. Joe and I are champs at crisis mode, we lived in it for 15 years and managed to stay strong as a couple. We got this and this time we are facing all these spinning plates with God in our corner and praise in our hearts.
The juggle is real, but just because you juggle does not mean you have to struggle. Sometimes we drop a ball or a plate smashes, but we regroup and we keep going. As we enter the busiest season of the calendar year I want to remind you that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. No where have I found a mandate to be a superman or a wonder woman in my Bible. Instead we are told to be strong in the Lord. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10) Notice it says "in the power of HIS might", not the power of my might.
Yes, we have a lot going on in our little corner of the world. With God on our side...we got this.
Just a thought...a lot goes on in our lives, and we struggle to be "normal" like everyone else. Someone told me a long time, just because I have a lot on my plate does not mean I'm not normal. My normal is not someone else's normal. God only gives you what you can handle. Yes, I've questioned the amount of the load, but guess what? God helped me through it.
ReplyDeleteI could not help but giggle. I was instantly reminded of the saying, "Normal is Just a Setting On the Dryer". That was quickly followed with "IF God leads you to it, he will lead you through it". I love you. I have been inspired how to deal with my struggles by your example on many occasions.
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