From time to time, I dig through the archives of this blog…it’s been something of a journal for me for almost ten years. This week, I ran across this post on balancing calling. It is still as true today as it was when I first wrote it. And I needed the words today as much as I did when I wrote it. I hope it encourages you.
The other night my husband and I were talking about the importance of not devaluing calling yet achieving balance in all areas.
The next day I saw a post on Facebook from singer Meredith Andrews. In it she talked about the tension of knowing she’s the only wife to her husband, the only mom to her sons, and called to do something “soul-satisfying” as she lets God use her. She wrapped up by saying, “So until cloning is actually a thing, you’ll find me over here begging the Lord for clarity and strength and an extra measure of grace to be present and faithful wherever He calls me to be.”
Did I just hear all the called Mamas exhale an “AMEN?”
There is such tension in the balance.
How do we answer the calling to be wives and mamas? How do we balance those callings when God has called us to additional arenas?
I wish I had the answers.
But this I know…
…if God called me, He has the timing already planned out.
….inside my callings there will be ebbs and flows. Some days I need to focus on rotating callings. It doesn’t mean each day is filled with equal focus on each one at the same time.
…I need to hold all of the callings loosely and trust the One who called me. (Jeremiah 17:8, Psalm 1:3) Trust Him to guide me. Trust Him with the timing. Trust Him with the plan. The direction. The day-to-day. He holds me and He holds my calling.
…I will not be perfect at this. How can I be? I don’t have Wonder Woman’s invisible plane or other superhero tools. (Psalm 18:30, Deuteronomy 32:4, & Matthew 5:48) But it’s in my weakness that I am reminded of how much I need His strength and leaning. (II Corinthians 12:9-11) And in those points of weakness, God can flow through me and make an impact I could never achieve in my own strength.
…In the daily surrender of my callings, I can find clarity in what to do in each day. Matthew 7:7
…I need to be brave in pursuing the calling — If He’s leading then I must follow. (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:8, I Peter 5:7)
…If I long for more in one area, I can ask God if that’s His will for this season in my life. ( Matthew 7:11) I’ve specifically asked Him for more speaking opportunities in the past. His answer was immediate. Yet at other times, I’ve known I couldn’t balance that with everything else on my plate. So I need to be flexible and willing to learn and grow as I wait on Him.
…I have to be willing to recognize and admit when I get out of balance. (Colossians 3:23) I need to hear when the people God has put in my life question how much I’m doing and the whats I’m doing. Their comments may echo His heart for me. So I have to be careful not to get locked in to the way I’m doing things in this moment. It’s likely not going to be the balance I need tomorrow.
This is an area of growth for me. AKA I haven’t arrived. So I’m eager to hear how you balance the callings in your life.