My Constant Prayer
"Lord, help me to know what belongs in my life and what doesn't... Help me to lose all desire for the things that don't belong and let be filled with vision and energy for the things that do."
This has been my continual prayer over the years. Some people have a really hard time keeping their lives in balance because they have a hard time saying "no". I struggle with saying "no" to things because I find so many things really interesting and I am a “developer”. I love to take ideas and “develop” them into amazing realities.
Right now in my life, I feel I am being stirred on the inside for some new opportunity.... and I have a few opportunities in front of me. I want to rush ahead and say "yes", but instead I am taking a little time to pray the prayer above, consider all of the factors involved and watch for God's leading.
Already since I have slowed myself down a bit I am gaining some wisdom. Some of the choices would pull me away from home orientation. The time for those things is "not yet". My encouragement to all mothers is to make that your first filter, let your decisions of what to say “yes” to include and benefit your family unit at the same time. There are enough people out there doing their own thing and leaving their families in the dust, only to look back years later, lonely and sorry that they didn't fully embrace those fleeting years.
Secondly, less is more. Add more cautiously than you think you need to. You might think you are at a point that you could add a couple new things to your plate. Isn’t it true that things tend to cost more and take more time than you think they will in the beginning? If you are going to make a new commitment, make that your commitment say, for the year, and for that amount of time say “no” to other things. Act like there is only one time slot available and if it’s full, you can’t put anything else there. It’s not possible, period.
Third... this is a hard one, ask your husband for his input. It’s a scary thing to lay something so precious in front of another person. We’re so afraid that their motives won’t be pure and they will keep us from something good. But, that is not the way God thinks, is it. Pray that God will work through your husband, and then believe that He actually will. God will use your spouse to bring you wisdom, help you hear His voice and discover the direction you are looking for.