Balance, goals and all that

There have been a flurry of posts about New Year’s resolutions, goals, etc.  Many women have been feeling the need to balance it all (particularly those of us that blog/work from home).  While I by no means have the market cornered in work/life balance, I have come a long way from when I first started working from home and thinking that I could do everything, be everything to everyone and have the Martha Stewart model home.

So I wanted to share the biblical model of the Proverbs 31 woman and let you in on a little secret:

Balance is a myth!

God presented us with a pretty tough act to follow in the Proverbs 31 woman, can I get an amen?  Have you ever taken the time to look at her and study her closely?  The Bible does not say she accomplishes all those things in one day or perfectly (which is what I think many of us mean when we say we want balance.  We want to be able to do it all!)

If we take a closer look at the Proverbs 31 we will notice that she does make good choices about how she spends her time and she operates according to her priorities.

• She is purposeful about bringing good to her family through the use of her time, skills and energy.
• She plans ahead and is efficient.  She is prepared for tough times.
• She makes her husband and children feel loved and cared for.
• She is giving, warm and compassionate.

Those are all great attributes that I would venture to guess many of us employ in our own family life?  So, why do we feel like all we do is not good enough?  That we need to be better? Do more?

The Proverbs 31 woman was a force to be reckoned with.

Guess what?  So are you!!

Instead of holding her up as a measuring stick of all that you are NOT, how about noticing the things you are doing right in 2010?

• Do you intend to bring good and not harm to your family?
• Do you work hard to provide them with a clean home (notice I didn’t say perfectly organized and spotless) and healthy meals?
• Do you take the time to laugh with your kids, knowing that these moments are important and having you as their mom is what is truly important?
• Do you love Jesus?

If you answered yes to these questions then, my friend, you are doing a great job.

Our husbands and children may not feel like arising and calling us blessed every moment of every day- that’s okay.  We are flawed, sinful human beings.  God and God alone provides the strength to be the woman He calls us to be.  It will not come through striving or trying harder.  It will only come through submitting and relinquishing control to the One whom is to be praised.

What is your point, Melissa? I want women to cut themselves some slack.  There are strategies to employ that can make life easier (and we will discuss those in the days to come), that can help you get on track with organization and time management but more importantly, there is a users manual (The Bible) that beckons you this year.  I promise that the more time you spend in the Word the more the other areas of your life will fall into place.

That is truly a finer thing!

This post is linked at Run The Earth, Watch The Sky, Kelly’s Korner and Amy’s Finer Things.