Oh, baby. I know all the right answers to the question so many of us struggle with: “How can a busy mom maintain balance in her life?” Ready for my you-can-do-this list?
1. Meet alone with the Lord every morning for a meaningful time of worship.
2. Walk an hour each afternoon to clear the mind and exercise the body.
3. Read something that nourishes heart and spirit before climbing into bed.
4. Sleep eight hours to replenish your strength and refresh your mind.
5. Eat healthy foods to maintain your weight and increase your energy.
6. Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and your skin soft.
7. Memorize a new Bible verse every day of every week of every year.
It all sounds so sensible and wise, so peaceful and good, right?
Maybe so. But that’s not what life looks like at the Higgs house.
My conversations with the Lord often happen in the shower. My daily walk is a brisk thirty-second stroll from the back door of my house to the front door of my garage. I read novels for their sheer escape value, am lucky if I get five hours of sleep a night, drink water only if it tastes like Earl Grey tea, nosh on whatever’s in the fridge that hasn’t turned green, and cling to the favorite verses I memorized three decades ago.
Even the word balance makes me nervous, bringing to mind that low wooden beam in gym class. One false step and I was on the floor. Moaning. Kinda the way I feel when I read a must-do list like the one above.
Maybe that’s why I define balance now as simply walking in God’s will, which He alone makes possible, serving as “our guide even to the end” (Psalm 48:14). His plans for us are wonderful, and the path He wants us to take is custom-designed for our good.
At this point in my mothering life, here’s what God is guiding me to do:
1. Fret less.
2. Smile more.
3. Give thanks.
4. Judge not.
5. Do the work He places in my hands.
6. Love the people He brings across my path.
7. Meditate on one verse from Scripture like a hard candy, chewing on it until nothing remains but the sweet taste—“sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).
And when I sleep, I sleep soundly, knowing my day’s work, however great or small, is done. Since I can’t have those hours back, I rest in this comforting promise: “He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:7-8).
Happy Mother’s Day, beloved. I mean, really happy. The kind where you fret less, smile more, and give thanks.
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I LOVE Liz Curtis Higgs! If you’ve ever met her or heard her speak you know she is real, relevant and she has one goal: to help women embrace the grace of God with joy and abandon. Her messages are biblical, encouraging, down-to-earth, and profoundly funny, helping sisters and seekers experience the depth of God’s love. Liz is the author of 32 books with 4½ million copies in print, including her nonfiction bestseller, Bad Girls of the Bible, and her New York Times best-selling novel, Mine Is the Night. Liz has spoken for Women of Faith, Extraordinary Women, and Women of Joy, and has presented at more than 1,700 conferences in all 50 United States and 14 foreign countries.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LIZ AND THE AWESOME RESOURCES SHE HAS WRITTEN BY VISITING HER WEBSITE AT WWW.LIZCURTISHIGGS.COM!
Oh… and by the way… Liz has a new book releasing on July 21st! So key your eye out for It’s Good to Be Queen: Becoming as Bold, Gracious and Wise as the Queen of Sheba!
To find out more about Liz’s books, messages, and travels:
Website: http://www.LizCurtisHiggs.com
Weekly Bible Study: http://www.LizCurtisHiggs.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/LizCurtisHiggs
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Pinterest: http://www.Pinterest.com/LizCurtisHiggs
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizcurtishiggs/sets/
Scotland Tours: http://www.MyScottishHeart.com/travel/
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