The Struggle for Balance

After the holidays are over and I'm getting ready to set goals and resolutions for the new year, I always ask myself the same question: Why do we settle? See our hurried, exhausted life. We run from one thing to another, filling our days, in an attempt to find meaning or trying to give our children things or activities that we have been told their fill and give them self-esteem, value and worth penalty. It works? We say no, but we continue to buy into it, because we do not see another way. We refuse to choose the route rarely traveled, to say "no" to more than commitment. I think we are afraid because we can cause our children to lose something, when in fact this is the exact thing we're doing. We are depriving them of a deep nourishing relationship with their family.

Watch fast food. We all swing by for a quick snack. If a frequent stop or even just an occasional filler, all we tasted the burgers, fries or chicken from these establishments. But the meal you receive it pales in comparison to sit in a nice restaurant where the food is made by a chef who carefully selects the meat and vegetables to be used on that days menu. One fills our stomach, for the moment, the other gives our nutrients for the body needs to function at its best.

Recently I saw the most amazing thing happens to our home. I'll be sitting in the living room when one of our kids will come in and start talking. Before long the other to walk through and have a seat. My husband will be joining us at some point and before I know it we were sitting in the living room talking about random things. By serious arguments, to silly things, we try to find out what we chatted for an hour or more, and all of us should probably go to bed. These are not orchestrated events, but something that happens because we are all at home, and available to one another. The thing with teenagers is that we talk about when they are ready. It is an unfortunate mistake to think that we can schedule time in our "timetable" for connecting with our teenagers. Do not open in the queue, but when they are ready to open up and talk. If we are not creating an environment in which that can happen, it misses on some sweet moments with our children that we can never go back.

So, what is your family running? A steady diet of more than the commitment and the ride that leaves everyone feeling malnourished and void, or are you choosing the activities and the activities of your children in a way that leaves everyone happy and feel satisfied. I have gone through the seasons in which I was better at it than others. I know that when I take the time to sit and watch the calendar of all before the week begins I am better able to gage how much more we are able to fit in that particular week. They are therefore able to make better decisions when those inevitable questions come, "Mom you can, I can, we can ..." you fill in the blank, because I know that you have more than a hundred million things to put in those blanks. It is that the request is empty, your child or family, leaving everyone feeling frustrated and running on empty? Then maybe, just maybe, that thing, although it may be a good thing to wait or just do not happen at all.

I know, you're shaking your head I said sure , easier said than done . I know , I actually understood . I have the same struggle for balance, but when I got it, his sweet , and the atmosphere is much more pleasant . The best thing of all is that we do not have to " do it " alone . We have the most amazing of all administrative assistant . God will help us through our program and demands and show us what you need and what to give up for good and our own good . We just have to stay long enough to consult him and allow him to drive us and impress us her best for our program !