Psalm 46:10. “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Like you didn’t already have enough to do and now it is time for Thanksgiving in America and Christmas is right around the corner!  Do you feel as though you are racing to catch up with your life and as soon as you think you may have a handle on things, Christmas break comes and the kids will be home for two weeks?  We all love to have all of the family around and yet we also as busy women know that means there will be a monkey wrench thrown into our daily routine because there’s always someone who “needs something” or another mess to clean up.  

Hmmmmmm does that all sound a bit too familiar?  Do you ever feel that way?  Are you so overwhelmed you just can’t see straight anymore and you are missing out on enjoying this holiday season and the people you love?  

This is supposed to be a season of thanksgiving, peace, and goodwill not a season of frustrations and feelings of being overwhelmed. It really should be a time to slow down, and relax, and enjoy our families and God. May I suggest that it is ok to stop trying to do so much?  Our lives and I am not just talking during the holidays, are becoming too much.  God never meant for us to schedule so much into our days that we barely have time for Him if we have time at all.  We often allow children’s schedules to become so full that once added to all we already have to do we find there isn’t enough of us to go around.  It really is ok if your child isn’t scheduled for a sport or other activity every season of the year, they will survive and may even turn out having more balance to their lives if they are taught to have priorities.  Family-time, where there’s no money being spent, is a great thing!  Watching movies together at home or playing games or sitting around reading books, making cookies, or whatever your family enjoys doing together should be a priority!  We shouldn’t be running all the time to entertain ourselves or our children, we need downtime!  We need time to reflect on God and what is important in life.  We need time to build relationships with those we love.

Once you lose track of what is important to God you begin taking on all sorts of things that were never His plan and then you will become overwhelmed and frustrated.  It is ok to say “no, that is just too much right now”!  Take some time today and take a look at your life and the lives of your spouse and children; is there just too much clutter, are you trying to pack too much into your schedules until it strains your life both time-wise and financially?  

Before next week gets here and you start adding craziness to your schedules, ask God to help you set priorities for what is important and to show you what needs to be cut out.  Pray for His guidance before you commit to something new in the future.  Take the time to just “chill”!  When you are running at breakneck speed day in and day out not only is it overwhelming but you will miss out on hearing all you need to hear from God.  An overwhelming spirit comes from a life driven by doing all things for all people instead of only following God’s plan.  There is a time and a place for everything but everything can’t fill all of your time, set boundaries for yourself, and feel free to make healthy decisions based on prayer and knowing you are not overdoing it.  God’s blessing of His peace will soothe those feelings of being overwhelmed and you will be able to begin enjoying your life again as you open yourself up to hearing from God and relaxing in it.

Quote: “Character is what you are in the dark.”  D.L. Moody