Juggling Priorities: You Can’t Really Do It All

Today’s guest article was written by Amanda from Encouragement Along the Way

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About 6 years ago, I read a book written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss entitled: Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. There was a section in her book on priorities. That chapter really hit home for me at that time in my life. She basically said that we don’t have enough time to do it all, but we do have the time and energy to do what God has assigned us to.

That nugget of truth has kept me focused on what truly matters all these years later. It’s like I needed the permission to just seek after His will and that was it. I realized that I couldn’t tackle every project I wanted or others thought I’d be good at, but now I had a way to measure what needed to get done by seeking God’s will. Sure, I still get frustrated sometimes, but usually those are the times that I’m relying more on my own strength instead of the Lord’s. I share this with you because maybe you needed to hear this too. You are free!

Do you find that you say, “Yes!” way to often and then wonder what in the world did you just agree to? Or maybe the initial “yes” isn’t the problem, but weeks into your new commitment you’re feeling spent and your family is not getting the attention they need from you. When I was walking more in this territory, my husband kindly said (he has a way of frankly saying exactly what I need to hear), “Just because you have the talent to do many types of things, doesn’t mean that you are the one that needs to volunteer to do them.” I needed to hear this because of my personality. My personality can virtually take anything and run with it-amazing as that seems. My draw back comes in the planning area.

Now, if I was putting something on in front of you like a party, teaching a class or organizing a play date you may not see my faults, but too easily my family would. These are the times that I am working too late preparing something and am short-tempered in the morning or the clothes might be folded and sitting on the floor for days because I’m doing other things instead of putting them away. Here’s my Rx for these times:

I rarely say “Yes” anymore at the first request. My responses are more in the tune of, “That sounds wonderful! Let me talk with my husband and get back with you. I’ll call you by Saturday to let you know.” Or “Let me pray on this. May I call you later to get more specifics?” Just doing this has really helped me to stay focused on my priorities.

I keep a list of questions as a reference for me that I have compiled over the years in front of my calendar. These questions help me to discern if I should say yes, get involved or head up something. They have proven themselves time and time again to be tools that help to keep me on track.

• Is this something God has truly laid on my heart or am I looking for recognition, comfort, control or some other thing that is set on myself instead of God?

• Have I asked my husband what he thinks? Have I truly listened to his advice-knowing that although I may not initially like what he has said-he knows me the best and what’s best for our family?

• Does this thing fit with our family’s goals and ideas?

• Does this take away from my ministry to my family?

• Is there a definite start and end time and does that fit or make sense within our current season of life?

You might be asking: How do you know what your family’s goals and ideas are-they change so often?

Since I homeschool, I use the school calendar as my fiscal year and as a guide for start and stopping times for planned goals and activities. At the end of each year, I use evaluation worksheets for myself and the children. This information is used along with my own insights that I have gathered throughout the year. The children are involved in answering their own questionnaires. All of this information is brought to the Lord in prayer and to my husband for his input. I have one-on-one dates with the older girls to discuss what they think is important, where they feel their strengths and weaknesses lie and how they feel their relationship with the Lord is.

This purposeful attention to our lives in light of God’s will for our family enables me to write out the goals for our family. Educational, spiritual and home-making goals are written out yearly and that’s where our focus stays. I don’t get overwhelmed in all the things I could do because I know exactly what I’m working on and towards for that year. I do not write out goals for my husband in case you are wondering, but he actively shares his own insights about himself with us.

These are a few practical and intentional ideas I use with my family to juggle through this thing called “life.” By prayerfully leaning on the Lord, I have been blessed with many opportunities to minister to others because I was available at the right time-God’s timing. With my eyes set on the prize, my home has been a sanctuary for my husband and children and I have been blessed with opportunities to serve others.

Leaning on Christ Alone,

Amanda Keovongsa

Amanda is an eclectic homeschooling mommy to 4 beautiful girls and have been homeschooling for 9 years. In the elementary and middle school grades, I use the classical format of teaching history chronologically as a reference for each year. I’ve used several curriculums and ideas spanning the subjects over the years that were chosen for my children’s individual learning styles, needs and goals that my family has purposefully chosen. Homeschooling is one of the many hats I proudly wear. Grab a cup of tea and get to know me better at Encouragement Along the Way.

photo by NJLA: New Jersey Library Association

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