Holding It All Together | Finding Balance and Flourish Through Faith
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
Proverbs 31
2 Corinthians 10:5
SHOW NOTES:
One of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “How do you hold it all together?”
Holding it all together is the great balancing act of life. In the balancing act of life, we must prioritize the areas of our lives that are part of God’s plan for us. This will look different in every season and there is hope for balance no matter which you are in. By consistently making small changes and adjustments, you can bring more balance to every aspect of your life.
Maintaining balance in life might mean you have to say no to some things and yes to what yields productivity. It can be likened to juggling a glass vs. a rubber ball. The rubber balls are the things that if dropped, will bounce back with no harm done. Glass balls, on the other hand, can be broken or cause detrimental consequences and residual effects if dropped. You need to adjust priorities based on what is most important in your current season. What can you “drop” so to speak? When differentiating between glass and rubber balls, prioritize what helps you achieve your goals and visions that God has put into your heart for the year.
Most of us are probably familiar with the Proverbs 31 woman. She should make us want to live in such a way that our lives have a clear direction, not perfection! Our lives don’t always have to be perfectly balanced between marriage, work, ministry, and children–every season of life isn’t going to have every piece of the pie equal. However, every season can have joy and peace exemplified as you hold it all together with the Lord–you just have to know how!
Tip #1 - Learn to lead yourself.
It’s natural for women to feel that we can do it all and do it all well, but we all have limits. That’s why getting filled up is important. If you don’t get filled up, you’ll run on empty and feel discouraged. So, have a self-care plan whether that’s more prayer time, exercise, a hobby–whatever that is for you. When others are counting on you, you must fill up daily. You can’t lead on an empty tank so you must learn to lead yourself.
You need the grace to run the race! If you’re trying to do everything in your own strength, you won’t get very far. Learning to lead yourself involves taking your thoughts captive in every area of your life and not being led by your emotions. Emotions can lead us to self-sabotage. Instead, speak in alignment with who God says you are and who you’re called to be.
Tip #2- Create systems and set standards.
You’re in control of your own life! If you don’t like something about it, allow that frustration to be a catalyst for change. Realizing you can take control of things that frustrate you will change your perspective. You can transform your life by creating systems and restructuring them. Very few things aren’t able to change with a new system or structure.
Tip #3- Look at your life objectively and subjectively.
Take a minute and a step back to look at your life to see the needs around you. Ask yourself: “What advice would I give myself? What would I speak into my own life?”
What is frustrating you or what seems out of control may be much easier to figure out than you think. Looking at your life objectively and subjectively allows you to give yourself more grace in the season you’re in because you’re no longer just looking at your life through a lens of what is consuming you. Different seasons will require different things from you. Remember, it’s only for a season. It’s not about keeping everything perfectly balanced, it’s about discerning who needs what in each season.
To hold it all together, lean on the Lord and simply adjust if you need to! Don’t stay in a place of chaos or frustration. You’re in control of your life, and you create the narrative where you can be the best version of yourself, for you and your family!