I remember in High School I had a Gymnastics Physical Education class for 3 months. I loved climbing on the Uneven Bars learning to flip and spin. I even loved learning the ends and outs of the Mat exercises. But the biggest challenge for me was that crazy Balanced Beam! Once I climbed up and looked the length of the beam I began to panic, followed by weaving back and forth. More often than not, I fell.
The same could be said of our lives. It doesn’t take much to upset the balance of our days. Saying yes to too many good things, not leaving time for self-care, spiritual connection, or caring relationships makes the “length if the beam” daunting.
What if~~instead of being so incredibly busy , saying yes to everything that comes our way (and feeling guilty if we don’t), we only said yes to those things we are passionate about? What if we only said yes to the ones we feel the Lord has clearly put on our hearts, and confidently said no to the rest? What if we earnestly sought the Lord and His direction for the plans we make for our days?
Certainly, there is the grocery shopping, laundry, houses to clean, children to love, spouses to care for, friends to connect with, occupations to excel in. However, I wonder if we add way more things to our plates than is actually required of us.
What if you were granted permission to say no to obligations that take your life out of balance? What if you had permission to “pencil yourself into your calendar” to ensure that you had time to re-group and recharge? What if……………..?
I tend to write on the subject of Life Balance quite often because I see so many wonderful people over-extended, tired, stressed, unhealthy, and fretful. These are great people with kind hearts who desire to be “team-players”. However, being off- balance as a life-style can take a toll on us.
The holidays are around the corner. What do you need permission to say no to this year so that you can fully enjoy and embrace this wonderful season with peace, joy, enough time to celebrate with those you love? You have permission. 🙂
Dianna Salciccioli 
dianna, this is the first year that I have purposed to ask God what He wants me to do with the “unspoken” time slots in my day. I literally do not get out of bed, until I have at least asked and waited for a few moments in the quiet of my bedroom, for His answer. It is amazing how often I will hear one or two items from the Lord (which seems so do-able) and as the day unfolds, those two items are the only extras I could get done. The difference for me, is that I am at peace with that and not pushing myself or others to get more done. He is the Prince of Peace and I welcome that in my daily life.
Karina!
Beautiful! Love how you are thinking and even more that you are experiencing sweet peace!! yeah!!!
Dianna,
I appreciate the reminder and more importantly the permission to say Yes! to things that matter the most to us and the courage to say No! when necessary. Thank you for your excellent post.