Day 9 :: Sometimes the Good has to Go

Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed being busy.  My parents tell me I was like the Energizer Bunny when I was a kid; I went straight from crawling to running and would go go go all day long.

My high school years were packed with sports year round, band, piano lessons, youth group activities, family time, friends…it was non-stop.  College was similar: studies, student life leadership, work, being a Resident Assistant in the ladies’ dorms, choir and teaching AWANA at church.

I’m a doer, a task-oriented person, and I thrive on looking back to see how much was accomplished in a given day and how efficiently I was able to get it done.

Since becoming a parent my tasks have only increased and my desire to stay involved in a lot of things hasn’t lessened.

There is a hard reality in this for me:  I can’t do it all.

Just as a gardener must dig out the weeds for his plants to survive, he also thins out the good plants so that there is room for abundant growth in those that remain.

In the same way, I’ve had to learn that some of the good stuff I love to do and be involved in has to go.

This season of parenting young children is hard, and it’s tiring and time-consuming, and life-sucking {literally}, and everyone has a need to be met every minute of every day.  And how can I ever keep up with all of these people and their needs and wants?

I have to learn to say, “No.”

Saying, “No,” somehow strikes my pride and makes me feel like I just don’t measure up. I look around and see other moms who juggle all kinds of things and seem to do it marvelously with joy on their faces.

I also have to think about my children.  How are the decisions that I’m making with my time affecting them and their growth?  Am I enabling them to thrive or am I stunting their growth because I want to do all these good things?  

So I’m evaluating and rearranging and removing.  Because I know that to truly thrive during this season of my life some of the good has to go.

Do you have some good things that need to go?

For a list of all posts in this series go here.