Learning Balance

In my season of life, I've learned that no two days are the same. The challenges of one day are the blessings of the next and vice versa. I appreciated Osborne's statement in A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God:

When we're juggling competing priorities, our ultimate goal is not to be perfectly balanced. The goal is to fulfill God's calling without falling over.

However, I (from experience) argue with his statement, regarding a mother of preschoolers (I'm a SAHM of a 1.5yo and 3yo):

Trying to balance good care of the kids with consistent Bible reading, prayer, physical exercise, proper diet, time for friends, and sizzling intimacy with her husband is a recipe for fatigue and failure.

It's not going to happen.

Of course it's not going to happen if we try to do it in and of ourselves! When I try (of my own will and power) to give equal attention to each of the priorities in my life (and they change every day), I will end up spending too much time and energy on some areas while neglecting to spend enough time and energy on others.

Priorities need to be evaluated regularly (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and given the proper amount of time and energy, drawing on God's resources of strength and endurance, depending on the priority. No two "tasks" require the same amount of time and energy, and (as I said before) no two days are alike. "Each day has its own calling, a series of specific tasks carried out in the framework of a larger calling."

Balance is not equal portions of each, but rather giving proper emphasis to each priority, evaluating what the priorities for that day are each day.

I came away from reading Osborne with the following thought:

Turning over my "to do list" each morning to God, asking if there is anything He'd like to add/subtract, and being willing to alter my day accordingly, is the key to being "balanced".