Priorities

I have spent a lot of time over the past 6 months, praying, thinking, and talking to Josh about priorities. 

I tend to struggle with priorities - figuring out what is most important (you know, the urgent versus the important), how to organize my time, when to say "Yes, I can" and when to say "No, I really just can't".

It's a battle, isn't it?!  I mean, there are only 24 hours in a day, no matter how much we fight that reality, and we are going to have to sleep for at least a few of them. 

But I think most of us tend to feel like those 24 hours, are just not enough!

"There just isn't enough time in my day!"

Then again, Genesis 1 says that there was evening and there was morning the first day . . . so, it has ALWAYS been this way.  A day has been a day, since the very beginning.

The dilemma then, is what SHOULD be done in this 24 hours, and what SHOULDN'T?  I have heard it said that if there appears to be too much on your schedule for today, then there is something on your "to do" list that God didn't intend to be there. 

God designed our day to be exactly what it is, and if it's not enough . . . well, then the problem is ours, not the day's, after all - Genesis chapter one also says "it was good".

And so I have found myself examining my "to do" lists.  As I find myself, almost every day, feeling overwhelmed at the end of the day - feeling as if I have worked sooo hard and yet have not accomplished most of what was on my list!

Side Note - I am no longer in the endless diaper changing, bottle feeding, laundry doing, sleep deprived stage of infants & toddlers.  If that is where you are right now - Girl, give yourself a break!  Right now is all about survival!  So, clear your "to do" list of anything besides your hubby and your littles!  Use paper plates, freezer dinners, and disposable diapers; snuggle your babies; take a nap! And whatever you do, DON'T VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING! 
I promise, it won't always be this way!  Someday your kids will back talk and grumble about homework, but they'll also shower themselves and pour their own cereal!  You WILL eventually get to choose what's on your "to do" list again, and that's really what this blog post is about.  Hugs to you and your precious little ones!

Ok, now that, that's been said . . .

While it is easy to state that my priorities should be God first, Josh next, followed by Thing 1 and Thing 2, and then others - what that looks like practically (how my "to do" list is to arranged and my schedule organized) is just not so clear!

So, I evaluate and re-evaluate. 

I print off a schedule for the boys and I . . . and then I amend it and print a new one. 

I wake up early in the morning to spend time in the Word and get some exercise done before the kiddos are up (and sometimes I do get to the exercise ;). 

I try to cook my boys breakfast so they're getting some protein and not just cereal (but let's face it, sometimes it's just going to be Frosted Mini Wheats!) and then we start homeschooling.

I sit at the table with the boys, so that my attention is not divided while they're doing schoolwork (but sometimes I try to squeeze in a load of laundry or clean a bathroom).

My desire is to spend my afternoons either blogging or preparing for my Bible Study/Speaking (but then again, I'm taking an online class right now and I often have to do homework instead of blog).

In the evening, I try to spend time having fun with the boys or relaxing with Josh and Netflix (but often, I catch up on ministry emails, chat with a friend on the phone, or do the dishes I never got to earlier.)

As you can see, I am a work in progress.  But I am learning.  I'm learning to seek God first, to love my husband most, and to serve my children with patience.  I am learning to blog & write when I can as God leads, but not stress if it's been (what? like 3 weeks since I've written!).  I am grateful for a new morning every day, another chance to listen well and follow closely in the footsteps of Jesus.  Because, ultimately, He knows EXACTLY what I should do each moment of each day, and that's what really matters, isn't it?! :)

So, there you have it.  My effort and my struggles with priorities.  I hope you can relate to some part of all of that!  Surely I'm not alone in this!?!

And at the end of the day, although you and I may have very little in common when it comes to what our priorities are and what our lives look like, we do have one very important thing in common.

We both have exactly 24 hours today.

P.S. I promise there will be pictures next time! ;)