My girls love watching the Olympics. Women’s Gymnastics wows and inspires us all! While watching, at least one of my girls will pop up and attempt some trick or flip on the couch. My palms sweat watching these events. I am in awe of the discipline and skill on display. How in the world do their bodies do such feats? The closest I come to Olympic gymnastics is organizing and managing our family calendar! I am confident many of you can relate. So many things, good things, battling for my time and attention. How do I find balance? How do I make decisions? Years ago, a wise discipler helped me think and make decisions based on my biblical roles. Such helpful counsel guides me still today!
Priority as a Child of God
First, I am a child of God, so my walk with Christ is the ultimate priority. Daily time with Him in the Word and prayer is non-negotiable. In high school, I asked my pastor what I could do to know God’s Word better. He told me to read through the Bible systematically and continuously. With that means, my daily time in the Word often centers around a Bible reading plan. There are many plans to choose from on the Bible App. To the Word and Same Page Summer reading plans are wonderful and easy to access on the Bible App! You may spend a year studying a specific book of the Bible in a ladies’ study at church. No matter your reading plan or book of study, it is wise to spend Mondays going over sermon notes and points from Sunday, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us where we need convicting! My godly mother-in-law introduced me to using a simple spiral notebook for prayer. Write the name of one family member at the top of each page, then begin with one request for each. I assign a Scripture to pray for each. Then, off you go recording answers to prayer and new prayer requests. I add pages for my church family and leaders along with close friends. To keep daily time in the Word and prayer a priority, we must ask ourselves, how does this priority affect when I go to bed and when I get up? Is knowing and feeding on God’s Word of utmost importance in my heart and schedule? What lesser pursuits do I allow to rival time with the Lord (sleep, exercise, etc.)?
Priority as a Wife
Second, I am a wife, so loving and serving my husband is my next priority. The first way I do this is by knowing his calendar and schedule. Thankfully today, sharing google or iPhone calendars is an easy thing. Even so, we need a regular pow-wow to get on the same page. We usually do this on Sunday evenings before the work week begins. It is incredible how 30 minutes of focused scheduling can help me help him! One of the main ways I serve my husband is by making time for intimacy. Packing my schedule and leaving no energy or time for him is not just unloving but unwise! As kids grow and calendars fill, there is no shame in planning for intimacy! As wives, we must ask ourselves, is it my delight and joy to serve and help my husband in his day-to-day work? Do I consider him more important than myself, and how do my time and calendar reflect this? Do I prioritize intimacy with my husband (I Cor. 7:3-5)?
Priority as a Mom
Third, I am a mom. When my children were younger, the priorities of the little years set themselves: feeding, clothing, napping, bathing, reading, homeschooling….in the middle years, I am a glorified taxi running here, there, and everywhere trying to seize the moments between events to probe their hearts, give instruction and encouragement and pray, pray, pray with them. I help my husband by keeping him informed about the events of the day, who is struggling with what, who is demonstrating fruit and growth, who asked to do what, etc. Each of our four children is very different, and this means different hobbies and desires. Sometimes they each have an extra activity. Sometimes we take a season off with no sports. Above the schooling and activities, I desire my children to know that the local church is the hub of all our family commitments and the priority above all activities! Worship trumps practices or performances. Eph. 4:11-16 explains that the local church is where the saints are to be equipped for the work of the ministry and grow into maturity. I Timothy 3:15 proclaims that the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth! We must prioritize the people and pursuits of the local church. Ladies, we cannot give our children what we do not have. We must model and mentor the priority of worship and body life in the local church. Let us ask ourselves, do my children know the priority of worship above all other activities? Do I make this confusing to them by allowing lesser pursuits to take precedence over worship and service in the local church?
Priority to Ministry & Others
Finally, I am a church member, daughter, sister, etc. The point is; learn to make decisions based on the order of biblical priorities! Know your limitations; as a finite being, of course, you need food, rest, and exercise but remember,
“bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8
Our finest and fiercest defense against busyness is biblical priorities which reflect our biblical roles. So when making decisions, we must ask ourselves, how does this fit into the biblical roles God has given me? Will this commitment and/or activity prohibit me or come at the cost of fulfilling my God-given roles? Consider what roles the Lord has uniquely given you and make decisions that reflect the priorities of these roles.
For more on this vital topic, here are some wonderful tools that help with the evaluation of our roles and decision making within our roles: Keeping Your Balance, Navigating Wisely Through the Challenges of Life by Pam Hardy, Becoming a Titus 2 Woman by Martha Peace, and God’s Priorities for Today’s Woman by Lisa Hughes.
