When I began writing this blog, it was with the intention of
it being this unbiased, generic life-coaching blog. Well, I’ve given up on that
and decided to just write. So, it will probably be biased and opinionated. I’ll
surely get it wrong and will most likely offend some people. But, here goes
anyway…
I was asked a while back to write about how balancing life
as a mom, and a wife, and a Christian, and a friend, and all these different
roles that we, especially as women, play in our daily lives. This question came
from a dear friend that has children much older than my own, a marriage that
has lasted longer than any relationship I’ve ever been in, a stronger walk with
God than I could begin to imagine. A woman I truly respect and look up to. A
woman I admire very much. And yet, here I sat at the table in Panera with her
and her children and some friends and she poses this question to me, that
really, who among us hasn’t struggled with? It was immensely humbling as I sat
and began to realize that I had absolutely no idea how to answer her question,
much less what to write an entire blog post about! The best I could come up
with was an illustration I heard years back about filling a jar with golf
balls, pebbles, sand and coffee. It won’t all fit if you don’t fill the jar in
the correct order, and our lives are very much the same way when it comes to
priorities.
But after thinking over this for… a few months now, I began
looking into what God’s Word has to say about the issue. And, the best I could
come up with is this. If we put Him first in our lives, He will fit the rest
into place. Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” But what are “these things” you ask? Matthew
6:25 – “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not
life more than food and the body more than clothing?” And Jesus goes on in the
following verses to describe how the birds of the air and the lilies of the
field are cared for (verses 26-30).
Now, do I believe that removes our responsibilities? No. Not
by any means. We are responsible to our families and we are responsible for our
health and so on. However, if we allow any of those things to come before our
devotion to Him, we are filling our jar in the wrong order.
Here is a link to the jar illustration if you’ve never seen
it. I can’t take credit for that, but it is a great example that has really
stuck with me through the years. http://www.pagetutor.com/jokebreak/263.html
Follow Him and let Him guide your steps. He will not only
guide you but will strengthen you for the journey.
