So often, life can feel like a balancing act. Full calendars, limited resources, and limited time seem to demand a certain amount of juggling.
God has given me many roles–wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor, church member, Bible study leader– the list goes on. Each of those roles carries some challenges. (Sometimes the challenges arise just out of the necessary interaction with other people in the roles where God has placed them.) The greatest challenge is giving each role the attention it deserves.
I used to see those many roles as being in conflict. How can I manage all of the responsibilities that come with each role? More and more I am seeing that I have one work–I am a child of God and He calls me to represent Him well, wherever He places me. Each particular role is just an expression of that one work. He just calls me to be faithful in the moment.
I don’t do well with multitasking. Evidently a lot of others don’t either. Talking or texting while driving causes accidents. When we are unfocused or distracted, pots boil over, paint spills, messes happen. There is One who can multitask flawlessly. He holds the world together, keeps track of the numbers of hairs on the heads of a world full of people, watches over every sparrow, and listens to each of our prayers. God can multitask. He keeps the universe running smoothly. He takes care of all the things only He can do. I just need to focus on the next thing He has placed in front of me.
I have one job. To love God, and to live for Him.
Solitude, spending time alone with God, is what recharges me and prepares me for all the roles He has given me. Then if I focus on being who He is calling me to be, life stops being such a balancing act. I don’t have to try to balance all the responsibilities of caring for my family against other needs. God does that. I just need to allow Him to order my day, and then give my attention to His priorities. If I remember I am representing Him, and serving Him–whether I am dishing out lasagna, teaching a Bible study, or loving on a grandchild–everything else falls into place.
It’s simple, really. Jesus simplified everything for us when He summarized all of the commandments into two–love God and love people. If I can just get that right, God will make everything else fall together as it should, according to His perfect purposes. There is so much freedom in that. I’m glad it doesn’t all depend on me getting all the details right.
The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. John 6:29 NLT
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NLT
What helps you when life becomes a balancing act? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2025 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Thanks, Phyllis. The best reminder is to ask for God’s help to do what He wants and love/serve others.
Yes, we need His help every moment. Thanks, Joni.