Priorities

"It is true that many "perfect jobs" may come and go during the childrearing years, but only one of will absolutely never come along again - the job of raising your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home"

-Dorothy Patterson

I love this quote. It really helps me keep things in perspective about my priorities. I have no other "job" that is as important as the Lord's priorities for me right now. I can get so overwhelmed by burdening myself with things that just aren't what should be my focus. My sweet husband has to remind me frequently - "Keep it simple... sweetheart" ;-) because my brain starts going like a whirlwind thinking of all of the things I *think* I need to do. And then I collapse into an overwhelmed mess of discouragement and become completely unproductive in the few things I really DO need to do! Talk about a ridiculous cycle! But I know many women get stuck in it. So, I have a few tips - mostly gleaned from other wise ladies who have given me words of comfort during my times of discouragement.

First, recognize your REAL priorities. The first place to turn for this is God's Word. Find the verses relating to women, wives, and mothers, and see what His instruction to them is. Something that I am always having to remember is that He is just as concerned about our attitudes (having a spirit of peace, tenderness, love and encouragement, just to name a few) as our actions. If we're keeping our house spotless but yelling at our children to keep it that way, something is amiss!

The second place I turn to for a view of my priorities is my husband. Afterall, I am here to run his household while he is out working to provide for us... it only makes sense to see what are the main things he would like me to accomplish! His list for me was very basic, but its been a great guide to know just what I need to do to help him feel as if I'm helping him meet his goals for our family. His list included: meals, overseeing chores, schooling the children, and talking with him! If I cover those basics, he's a happy man! If I can do more, he's even more pleased! How easy is that? lol! What are your husband's top 5 priorities? God gave him to you to lead and guide you, don't neglect that resource!

The next part is, for me, the hardest. Eliminate all of the NON-priorities. Or at least structure your day so that your true priorities are getting the largest majority of your time and attention, while the non-priorities are being fit in when and if they can. For me, one of these time sucking non-priorities is the computer! Blogging, keeping in touch through email and facebook, and even reading or listening to online devotions... while not terrible things in themselves, certainly not a priority. At the recommendation of a friend, I installed Firefox's TimeTracker onto my computer. It tracks every hour, minute, and second spent on the internet. When the window is idle or minimized, it pauses, so its quite accurate for tracking "actual use" time. And, um... Wow! I'm embarassed to see how the time adds up. What I thought was taking me 5 or 10 minutes here or there is actually taking me... much longer. Which leads me to feeling like I don't have enough time to get to my true priorities! What a waste!

For some ladies, it might not be the computer, but the TV, telephone, reading a good book, or running around outside of the home trying to "do" to much. Whatever is your non-priority time-sucker, identify it! Repent of allowing that thing to take away your Godly focus and restrict it, or let it go completely! Our children really are only young once, and for such a short time... why are we so easily ensnared by non-eternal things? There will come a season in life where we will have much more free time to pursue non-priorities, we must always keep that perspective in mind.

Finally, I'll finish up with another issue that many women struggle with - condemnation. I can be very, very hard on myself when I don't feel as if I'm "doing enough". I take this ministry that the Lord has given me very seriously, and when I feel like I'm failing, I can really beat myself up. Now, in the areas that I *know* need work (as mentioned above), then I have no excuse - I do need to ask for forgiveness and change my behavior! However, there are times when I find myself trying so hard to "do right" and still struggling - and the enemy has a ball with my spirit at these times. Its so important to remember that God is a God of grace, and mercy, and will help me in my weakness, equip me, and not condemn me.

So, if I'm sparse in blog posts, or commenting on other blogs, or slow in replying to emails, please know that its nothing personal, I'm just attending to my priorities!