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Last week, I had a moment of panic.

Because I realized…I can’t do it all.

Yes, yes, I’ve been talking a lot lately about giving ourselves grace and being okay with not being able to do it all. About how we need to turn to God and ask for His strength to help us do what’s most important.

And even though I firmly believe that, I still have moments when I find myself WANTING to do it all. And actually, not even “all” — with two goldens that shed like crazy, I long ago gave up the delusion that I’d have a constantly clean home — but it’s even been difficult to find time and energy to do the few things I really want or have to do.

I’ve narrowed the things in my life to the most important. I don’t volunteer on a bunch of committees. I don’t bring food every time someone in my Sunday school class has a baby. I don’t do any number of “extras” that I could do.

But I’ve got some responsibilities I can’t escape — and several I don’t want to. Like working full-time, being married, being a sister and daughter and friend. Owning a home. Paying the bills.

Then I have goals I want to achieve, like getting healthy and finishing revisions on my current book. Making a career out of this fiction writing gig.

Oh yeah. And spending time with God. Learning more about Him. Savoring my time in His presence. Relishing telling Him about my day.

But let me tell you…it’s HARD to fit all of that in. But I can’t really see myself eliminating any one of them from my life.

And leaning on the Lord for strength is just what I need to do.

But even more…I need to rest in Him.

It always makes me shake my head and laugh when the Lord uses things in my life to remind me of His truth, over and over. So of course, on the week when I’m fretting about not having time/energy to do all I want/have to, my devotional, Jesus Calling, talks about REST.

This entry from July 20 really stood out to me:

“Seek my face, and you will find all that you have longed for.”

That’s it. Seek His face. Rest in Him.

He’ll take care of the rest.

It pulls me back to my life verse, Philippians 1:6: “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t always know how to balance the have to’s and the want to’s and the what-if-I-can’ts.

But He does.

Let’s go, rest in Him, and we’ll have accomplished the most important thing for our day…and then, let Him direct our steps and lead us toward that flourishing finish.

Your Turn: Can you relate? How do you balance the have to’s and the want to’s?

*Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net