Balance

Dear Single Mom,  

The struggle is real BUT so is God! You know that saying, "be careful what you wish for?" I remember mornings where I would hit snooze and just lay there thinking that working from home would be more convenient but if I knew then what I know now, my thoughts would be much different. It has been a work in progress. Learning how to balance the same things that were on my plate, just in a different setting. I somehow felt like it was so much more, but it is literally everything I was doing, but from home and also homeschooling my third grader. Let's just say that I am so grateful for school and his teacher. God must have given teachers a different kind of patience. But I also know that God would not give us something that we cannot handle, so we got this! Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” We need to stop feeling like we are stuck at home. I personally struggled with this until my pastor had mentioned to think about it as being safe at home.  

This is the time where it really matters who you are talking to. It could be so easy to run back to bad habits just because you are bored or have the money. I feel like I have so much to do that sometimes I choose to not do anything at all and leave God at the bottom of my to-do list. But when I do put God first before everything, I feel Him so close! It leaves me wanting more and more until I decided to put all my attention on something else without really meaning to. Are you struggling to find a balance between working, homeschooling, relationships with others, and your relationship with God?   

I was never a person who said, “God Willing,” because I never knew exactly how to respond to it. Sometimes I said, "yes" and sometimes I said, "Amen" but always thought if you plan it, then it's going to happen. But now that the world feels like it is on pause, I truly understand what “God willing” really means. God is in charge! Yes, we can make our plans and mark our schedules. We can give ourselves deadlines on getting things done but at the end of the day, you have to realize that it is all if God allows it. So, since balance has everything to do with priorities, I can either be frustrated with everything that I am currently managing or I can acknowledge that this is where God has me. I believe that God is interrupting my life in such a way that I need to be still. Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” So the decision is yours. God will not force His way in, it is up to us to leave the door open so He can come in. The balance is in you and your priorities. 

 Signed with balance,  

Julie Cruz