Do you ever feel too busy?

I do. The hard part is when all of the busy-ness is caused by a bunch of really good things. Over the last few weeks I have stayed afloat thinking that I just need to get through these extra events and then things will be, to quote a child-friend of mine, “easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy”. While I love the sentiment, I’ve used it in the wrong context. The aforementioned events are done, just to be replaced by new things. The beat goes on.

So how shall I ensure that I not just get caught up in the whirlwind of to-do lists? Where might I find the balance? I fumble around trying to figure out the answers. Apparently, there are no easy ones.

I am learning that part of balance is learning to say “no”. Saying no is something I have struggled with, probably since birth. In a very deep part of me I have equated saying the simple two-letter word with being a disappointment…if I say no then I’m letting that person down, or it proves I’m incapable or, get this, I’m un-lovable. This train of thought is twisted.

How freeing it is to discover that I am not the sum of what I do. In fact, by setting healthy boundaries around all the areas of my life (not just work), I can actually free myself to just be. By finding time to rest I am better equipped to honestly assess what I should say yes to.

At the end of the day, I am accountable to the one who created me. God has called me into a life of relationship with Him and others. I don’t want these relationships to fade because I’ve gotten too busy with cleaning the floor or fundraising or fooling around on Facebook (not that there isn’t a place for these things too). I long to develop a life marked with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things. To these things I must say an emphatic –

YES.