Balance. Why is that so hard to achieve? As a stay-at-home and work-at-home mom of 2, I struggle with that daily. I'm a child of God, a wife, mother, daughter, friend, sister, business owner, Sunday school teacher…you get the idea. And chances are you wear just as many hats if not more. So what is the one thing that unfortunately so many times falls by the wayside? Our marriages.
When you spend all day serving others and wearing all those different hats, at the end of the day all you want to do is relax and have a little time for yourself. But for me, that seems to be the only time of the day I get to spend uninterrupted quality time with my husband. After the kids are in bed, chores done, lunches made for the next day, this “leftover” part of my day and myself is what my husband gets. But at this point in my life, this is the best part of the day for us to be together and commit some time to the single most important earthly relationship we’ll ever have – our marriage.
I am by no means an expert on marriage. I have been married 11 ½ years and am very proud of how far we have come. I was brought up to honor my vows and I intend to do just that, no matter what it takes. My mom has always told me, “In your marriage you will have many ups & downs and fall in and out of love many times.” She & my dad had been married for 50 years when he passed away almost 3 years ago. And you know what…she was right! How do people commit to marriage and think it’s going to be a bed of roses for the next 50 plus years? We are human, we change, life changes. But as a Christian who said my vows before God I intend to stick with the “for better or worse” part.
So how do I find balance when it comes to life, my marriage, and my children? I try to focus daily on my priorities…God 1st & Family 2nd. I have found if I try to base every decision whether big or small, each day, on those 2 things, then everything else falls into place. Trying to balance life and balance it well can be a challenge. If I can just remember each day to put God 1st and family 2nd, then life will find its balance.
When you spend all day serving others and wearing all those different hats, at the end of the day all you want to do is relax and have a little time for yourself. But for me, that seems to be the only time of the day I get to spend uninterrupted quality time with my husband. After the kids are in bed, chores done, lunches made for the next day, this “leftover” part of my day and myself is what my husband gets. But at this point in my life, this is the best part of the day for us to be together and commit some time to the single most important earthly relationship we’ll ever have – our marriage.
I am by no means an expert on marriage. I have been married 11 ½ years and am very proud of how far we have come. I was brought up to honor my vows and I intend to do just that, no matter what it takes. My mom has always told me, “In your marriage you will have many ups & downs and fall in and out of love many times.” She & my dad had been married for 50 years when he passed away almost 3 years ago. And you know what…she was right! How do people commit to marriage and think it’s going to be a bed of roses for the next 50 plus years? We are human, we change, life changes. But as a Christian who said my vows before God I intend to stick with the “for better or worse” part.
So how do I find balance when it comes to life, my marriage, and my children? I try to focus daily on my priorities…God 1st & Family 2nd. I have found if I try to base every decision whether big or small, each day, on those 2 things, then everything else falls into place. Trying to balance life and balance it well can be a challenge. If I can just remember each day to put God 1st and family 2nd, then life will find its balance.
Written by Heather Thompson
