Series 'The Juggling Act' Part 1: Balance in Busyness

this is a series I put up on my myspace a while back - but I wanted to share it here too.... hope it proves helpful :)

Just say ‘no’

I get asked all the time about this – how do you balance being a Mum, a pastor’s wife, a songwriter, and a worship leader both at home and away. I smile, and then think for a moment about all the parts of my life that are full and at times a little crazy. The truth is that thanks to a very sensible husband, I’ve learned to say no to a lot of what I’m asked to do. What we need in life is a ‘balance buddy’ – someone who loves us and understands what we are called to do, yet won’t shy away from telling us to stop and reassess where we are at periodically. I wouldn’t even know where to begin without the wisdom of my husband.

These are the questions we always ask when we’re approached to take something on – is this a good thing to do right now for our family first; next does it work for our church; and thirdly do we sense this is something that’s just part of what we’re called to do.

If it’s yes to all three, and it’s something we really want to do, then we take it on. If it’s not, we don’t. Pretty simple really – except that lots of times, we have to say no to things we would dearly love to do, just because there’s only so much time a year that it’s good to be away from either our kids, or if we bring our kids, to be away from our church – that’s what makes it hard!

In the kid’s movie ‘Robots’, Big Weld’s catchphrase is ‘see a need, fill a need’ – for us as leaders, or parents, or pastors, or whatever role we fill - we have to know that our biggest need is to nurture our children and take care of our families. All other ‘needs’ come a far off second, and the truth is that someone else really can fill those needs in our place.