Ahhh....responsibility..... I like the example of wanting a puppy. I wanted a puppy so badly when I was in grade school. We already had two dogs....but they were older and I had never had a "puppy". I asked and asked....and then my sweet father (who was a sucker for dogs) finally let me get my girl. Her name was BJ....she was a beautiful Norweigan Elkhound. Boy, did she make noise at night, though!! BJ was my baby....I took care of her and, at times, was frustrated that I had to because there were other things I would rather be doing! (Funny how a child thinks feeding and giving fresh water to the dog takes all day!) I did learn responsibility. BJ was a great pet.....she passed away 15 years ago this month.
**Did you ever want something so badly as a child and told you weren't ready....or old enough?
This chapter was great for me. I am the queen of "yes". Yes....I'll do that. Sure....I'll be the team accountant. You need cookies? I'll bake them! Then...I find myself completely stressed and, well, unbalanced. I've had to learn to start saying no....that's hard to do....but so necessary.
**When others tell you no....do you respect their right for balance? (For ministry...this is a hard one!)
We need to find that perfect balance.... Our life demands, especially working women, can wear us out.... We have to learn to respect our time....and when we're out of balance, go to he Lord for refreshment.
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Wow. Ok, this one hit home with me in a few areas. Not just praying for clarity on what do I really need to be involved in and what isn't 'for me' right now, or praying for the ability to say no to things (which I seriously need to get better at!), but also praying for the ability to tackle those tougher responsibilities that we're faced with. I probably wouldn't think to pray that one on my own so much. I'd be praying for a way to weed that thing out of my life rather than how to handle it better!! HA!
But what also resonated w/me a bit was when Mindee asked if we respect other people's right to balance. Sometimes it's easy to think, "If I have to be doing this thing (which may be something that I shouldn't have said yes to in the first place!), then you have to be here doing it too! What's that they say about misery loving company??? If someone else says no to whatever activity they need to in order to gain or maintain balance in their home, then I should be glad for them.....and maybe figure it out for myself too! HA!
The verses on us being a mere breath - a vapor - got me. Reminds me of that song by Casting Crowns "Who am I?" Love that song. I am seriously at this place where I know that I am. Wow. Is that humbling! I know that every day, every minute, is a gift. Every breath I take is from Him and my time is His time. So I ask God questions nowadays like - how do you want me to use this time you have given me? I have learned that He will lead and direct you if you truly seek.
I read this cahpter and it made me laugh! My kids are just dying for a dog and I really want one, too....right up until I think about the fact that I will be cleaning up after it and having something else to feed and take to the doctor and worry about. I can't even take proper care of our hamster! Thankfully, Steve doesn't want a pet and he can be the strong one for me when I see those cute little Schnauzer puppies that I just know will come home with me in a few years when the time is right! :-)
All in all, I feel like I do a good job of balancing my time and most of the time balancing my responsibilities. I really do enjoy all the things I volunteer to do. I wish I could do more things to help people! However, I know that I am at my limit and that last Fall, I was SOOOOOO over my limit! I felt like an overdrawn bank account! "Sorry, this account is flat broke!" Being with family and having time off from work really helped to put things in perspective again.
That's my two cents worth...
The saying "NO" is a big issue with me. Work, family functions, horse club functions and then my friends. I'm getting better and I'm proud of myself when I hear me saying NO to something. But as I glanced at my calendar while preparing to go out of town for this week - GOSH, I don't have time for anything this month - and today is only the 4th!! Guess I'd better get better at No's!
The vapor part - I have a very dear cousin dying of cancer at 52 yrs of age. That is the vapor in front of me right now. I can't imagine her not being there for all of us - she was like the leader of the pack of cousins (oldest). She's so frail, wasting away - I really don't think it's registered in my yet that her time here is almost at its end. We all know death is close - but all of us are not really letting it register! Reality sucks sometimes...
Sue, I am with you. My mom died of cancer last year and she was only 54 years old. However, I learned that life is a vapor before this, when both of my husband Kerrin's kidneys failed (at age 30!). I was pregnant with my third child (Maya) and I didn't know if my hubby was going to live or die. This was like a crash course in learning how to trust God and lean on Him. This also ties into the digging deeper section where she asks - what have been your hopes for each season of your life? Have you had to set some of them aside for a season? And has God used these seasons to teach you? You can bet that I never had any of this in mind for that season of our lives - the thought of losing my husband at such a young age. Needless to say, that we had to set aside many of our hopes for a season. BUT - God did a miracle. Kerrin's best friend was a match to donate his kidney to Kerrin - and he did. This October will be 6 years. God's plan was better. He used it all for good. Kerrin is now a better father, husband, and man of God. And God did use that season to teach us soooo many things. I could go on and on here - but I wont. You get the gist.
I am so behind! Talk about needing to find some balance in your life. My sister was in town this last week and our lives just get crazy when she visits.
Anyway, I really appreciated this chapter. Where does the time go always seems to be in my head. It really struck me how instead of asking that, I should be asking God what He wants me to focus on.
I feel like I'm getting better at saying No, but I also know that with a 1 yo and a 3 yo, the demands on my time as they enter school and extracurricular activities are just going to become stronger.
But then I think about how blessed I am not to be a single mom. I can't imagine what kind of imbalance that life would be like, and so I remind myself that while I struggle, it could be so much worse!
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