30-10: Can't...Breathe....

Sometimes I feel like this:

I tend to err on the side of people pleasing more often than not. I don't want to let people down, so I end up with a LOT on my plate. 

Do you ever find yourself so busy that you barely have time to breathe?

Right now, I don't have an overloaded schedule because I have learned value in the word "NO". Yah, it sucks to hear it sometimes, but it's okay. And it's definitely okay to say it to others. We get so lost in making sure others are comfortable, happy and pleased that we tend to forget about our family, our friends and ourselves.

In the Bible, it says in Philippians that we are to do things not for our own recognition, but to value others first. This is truth. We do need to value others before ourselves. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we want to help others. Do you need a truck to move your furniture? Can I watch your kids for you so you can take a break? Let me bring dinner over for you since you have been unwell. You need volunteers? I can! I can fill that position. Let me do this for you. Let. Me. Help.

Suddenly, we are overwhelmed with all that we have volunteered to do. It's genuine help and it really is out of the goodness of our hearts, but now, we don't have time for our spouses. We don't have time for our kids. We're never home. The houseplants are dying. There's no more milk. B is wearing his underwear inside out because there's no clean ones. Our priorities have suddenly changed.

Yes, God wants us to serve others, but not at the expense of Him or our family. Here's the list of priorities: God, Family, Neighbors, Ourselves. It's like the opposite of being selfish. So, yes, God wants us to serve others as long as we are not forgetting about our priorities.

I used to do this. I would go, go, go and barely have time to sit down. Finally, B said I needed to choose a ministry and step down from the others; to stop offering my help when there are plenty of other people who can step up. At first, it was hard because everywhere I had been helping felt the lack of someone being there. I wanted to pop back in and share the load, but I knew if I did, it wouldn't end well. Eventually, others came and filled those voids. I felt a little jealous, but I now had a happy medium between being helpful and letting others serve.

As always, there is a song that says this:

Breathe, just breathe

Come and rest at My feet

And be, just be

Chaos calls, but all you really need is to just breathe

It's really simple!!! Well, actually, sometimes it isn't; it can be pretty hard to learn how to prioritize time, but hey....it will never happen if you don't try.