on the see-saw 

 

Juggling It All

By Alyssa Falkenstein

 

I REMEMBER ONCE as a young girl seeing a performer juggling plates in the air balanced on sticks. He tossed them about with such skill, and feigned dropping them before restoring them to order, seemingly at the last minute.

Doesn’t motherhood often seem like such a balancing act? Juggling meal planning, schooling, outings, clean clothes, and oh yeah… Launching that workshop/managing a business/creating income. Dare we throw #selfcare in there too?

How do we do it all without feeling like we’re drowning? How can we keep Jesus the center as we model good stewardship for our kids? Here’s a few ideas:

“While it all might seem like so much to carry, remember that it’s not your shoulders that carry it.”

1. Save time for Jesus
In the natural, all of these plates we’re juggling can seem like too much, maybe it even feels impossible.

Have you heard the story of Zerubbabel? God chose him for the task of rebuilding His temple. He encountered so much opposition and heaviness, yet God told him in Zechariah 4:6 that this wouldn’t happen through Zerubbabel’s strength or might, but by God’s spirit.

While it all might seem like so much to carry, remember that it’s not your shoulders that carry it. He will enable you and sustain you.

Relationship and communion with the Father will fuel you, encourage you, and help you operate in the fruit of the Spirit; even when there is difficulty.

You can’t do it all alone in your own strength. Making disciples, running a home, and running a business will be successful through His faithfulness and strength.

Ways you can make time for Jesus in a busy season:

Listen to worship music as you work, or listen to a sermon as you finish those emails!

Pray during your commute or on the way to school drop off. This is a wonderful way of showing your kids how to daily walk with Jesus too.
Don’t wait for the perfect time or a finished check list to get in the Word. Ten minutes here and there is still something to fuel your spirit. The Bible app can even read it out loud now!

2. Have firm boundaries
It might seem like a trendy term in our culture right now, but healthy boundaries are a huge game changer. Its not unchristian to say no to things or turn people down.

Boundaries feel out of the norm when we’re used to stretching ourselves thin.Yet we need to remember, no one can truly do it all. Our families are our first ministry and we need to protect that space. We need to guard our own mental health so we can serve Christ and our families well while showing up to our business ventures the way He’s asking us to.

Tips for healthy boundaries as a Christian Mompreneur:
Have “hands free” time. Screens can suck our time dry so quickly! Set hours for managing content is really helpful to help you turn “business mode” off for family time, spouse time, and you time!
Have business hours to focus on your tasks. Just as we model faith for our kids, this is an opportunity to show them what diligence and responsibility looks like. Perfection is impossible, especially if you’re working from home with littles, but you can remind them of where the snacks are and what their options are until you’re done with work.
Say no to extras God isn’t calling you to. Its okay if you can’t serve at church or take on extra clients in this season. It’s okay to skip the extras so you can focus on the most important plates.

3. Tell the enemy where to go
As believers we know that shame and guilt are not from God. When God has called you to something and you’re walking in obedience, its a sure bet that there will be some spiritual opposition.

The enemy will try to slide in with pricks of shame, planting seeds of doubt and comparison.

Is this really what God wants me to do right now?

Ugh so-and-so over there does all of this so seamlessly… and she always looks amazing while she does it.

My family is never going to see me and my kids resent me for this.

This is going to fail and be a huge waste of money.

Rebuke lies from the enemy with prayer and Scripture. If the adversary tries to tell you that you’re a failure, take that thought captive and repeat Romans 8:37 to yourself – God says you’re more than a conqueror!

Have a few safe people you can text on the hard days for encouragement and prayer. Iron sharpens iron, and we need people in our corner to fight for us when it gets heavy.

We could make an endless list of worthy suggestions; build a support system, ask for help, date your spouse, take a bubble bath…

But here’s the biggest suggestion as you keep juggling all those plates in the air—

Dear, beautiful Mompreneur… above all, please remember you are deeply loved by a very good God. Your identity is not “mom” or “wife.”

You are called Daughter. Chosen. Redeemed.

Your worth isn’t found in how many followers you have, and your value isn’t rooted in how many emails were opened last week. Your worth and value can only be found in Him.

You are right where you are supposed to be; mother of those children He gave you, running the race set before you.

Jesus, I thank you for the woman reading this today. I ask that she would be filled with Your peace this week and feel Your hand on everything she touches as she mothers and cleans and makes phone calls. You have set her apart for such a time as this and I ask that You would continue to bless her endeavors and give her discernment as she cares for both her family and her business.

Amen!

xoxo, Alyssa

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“Alyssa lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband and children. She is a Hobbit at heart who loves gardening, baking bread, and a good book. She writes faith based encouragement and is currently working on her first novel!”

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