not so long ago i came out of a season that was very busy with a lot of "outside of the home" activities. i was involved in a lot of volunteer activities. they required lots of meetings and planning. and a lot of my time.
i lived for those things. being a type a personality. planning and leading and organizing just comes naturally. and i really enjoy it.
i would often volunteer and take on a lot of events and activities. i figured since i didn't have a "real" job outside of the home, i had plenty of time to do these things i would take on. i wouldn't say that i had a problem with boundaries or setting limits or saying "no" at the time. but looking back, i realize that the problem was that when i said "yes" to all of those activities, i was saying "no" to something more important.
a lot of my time was spent on the phone or the computer doing "my work". i would never say that my kids were neglected but i would say that they didn't get the best of me. because i was giving my best to something else.
when i was pregnant with baby #4, i felt God impressing upon my heart that it was time to focus on family and home. and with a new baby coming, i really needed to simplify and focus. at this time i wasn't doing nearly as much as i was doing the year prior. but i was still doing a lot. enough that my focus was shifted off of my family a lot of the time. i loved doing the volunteer work i was doing, and it was hard to let it go. but i did.
i have taken this past year to really focus on my family and really truly put them first. i still have a long way to go. there are still other things in my life that will easily pull my attention from my kids. but i have more of a balance now. it isn't perfect. but i am still working on it.
God really spoke to me about saying "no" to a lot of things and really simplifying my life. i learned to set boundaries and limit the things i said "yes" to. i am so glad He has given me a "new" kind of busy. taking care of my family and putting them first and really focusing on them, keeps me so busy. i really can't see how i would have time for much more.
2 comments:
Well said my friend! Well said.
Hope you guys have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. :)
I think we have a lot in common Dawn! This sounds like something I could have written myself! I am learning to really enjoy seeing others step-up for roles that I previously would have volunteered for...and I am also enjoying just enjoying each day with my kids...though I still have times where work keeps me more preoccupied than I'd like!
Post a Comment