Haven't blogged a bit since August 16th...yep, school must be back in session LOL!
It is true that we are BUSY in the Bryant house, but it is true that our busy life is never boring!
The older my children get, the more they are blessed to be involved with. So off we go to football games and practices, cheerleading clinics, lego meetings, youth group, Awana, lacrosse playoffs, the list goes on and on. Making happy memories...that's how I like to think of it!
I pinned a quote from Socrates on Pinterest this week, though, that has me doing a bit of reflection...
I think I know what Socrates meant...see, at one point my life was just as busy as it is now, but it wasn't enjoyable...it was frantic and barren! I was doing too many things, and sadly, none of them very well.
Last year I read Primal by Mark Batterson. In it, he highlights the Scripture, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" Matthew 22:37. I realized I wasn't loving God with my entire mind because it was literally too cluttered to allow Him in.
Honestly, there was no secret recipe to getting my life back in order, but I will give you a few steps that I was able to do to declutter and find balance again:
1) Pray!
(Pray and pray and pray some more!)
2) Purge!
(The garage, the master bedroom closet, my classroom, my mind...the cobwebs had to be cleared from all of it! And some areas required more deep cleaning than others!)
3) Make intentional time for quiet!
(For me, it was taking 15-20 minutes to do a daily quiet time while my daughter played in the bathtub. Seek out those little moments and take advantage.)
4) Stop resisting change so hard!
(I had so many things so tightly gripped in my hands that I couldn't take hold of any of the good or even better things God held for me. Letting go finally cleared my hands and heart to receive new and different!)
5) Be intentional!
(Seasons of life come and go, but I still have to remind myself of what that frantic time in my life felt like and that I don't want to go back there. So now I make better choices, and my husband and children and mother and sister LOL all help me to stay accountable.)
6) Lend a hand to others who are stuck in the spin cycle!
(I discovered that God can use you to bless others when you are less wound up in your own knots! Reach out! There is a mom or friend or coworker nearby who could use some encouragement!)
I hope this post is a blessing to someone who is reading...Life is a balancing act, a blessing, a sacred trust...I am still daily learning how to thrive in my life, not just survive it! Praying that for you as well!!!
Lots of love, Shannon :-)
