In a world dominated by the relentless hustle culture portrayed on Instagram, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of plans, goals, and seemingly perfect lives.
I am going to start with a disclaimer that I have nothing against other entrepreneurs who are selling “tidying plans”, “meal plans” or some class that will help get things in order for you. I actually am one to see those plans and want to purchase all of them because I know that I would benefit from them and have tons of room to grow. But for me, in those last few weeks before the new year, all of the classes being promoted on social media became so overwhelming. It's essential to remind ourselves that it's okay to hit the pause button, take a step back, and trust in the timing of our lives. In this blog post, let's explore the importance of embracing the pause, waiting patiently, and seeking guidance through prayer when the overwhelming urge to plan our entire lives creeps in.
Believe me, I really want to keep a tidy home and feel overstimulated by the noise and mess we constantly have. And I know that meal planning and grocery shopping is an area I need to be more proactive in. I know that if we kept our kids on a more structured routine that we would have less meltdowns. I know there are steps I can take to have more mental clarity or study scripture consistently. But I really did start to feel like if I read another post that said “comment _____ and I’ll send you the guide” or “comment _____ and you’ll be on my waitlist” I was going to just delete the app from my phone. It started to make me feel like not only did I need to know what I wanted to be working on but also needed to be ready to be buying classes and implementing all of these new things come the first week of January.
Instead of succumbing to the pressure of creating a rigid roadmap for our lives, it's crucial to embrace the pause. Acknowledge that it's okay not to have everything figured out at this very moment. In the midst of all of this I feel like God was giving me the word “patience”. I didn’t need to know what my main focus or goals would be for our home and family because I can trust in Him. He also reminded me that social media is a snippet of the lives of others and a snippet of my own live that gets shared.
There are certainly goals I am working towards with my small business and things I am praying about right now; and hope God will give me a clear direction while answering my prayers. And there things in our home that we are working to improve, so the goal of this post is not to say that I have no desire to change or grow and that you should not submit to any class or plan that you can purchase. I think there is a great deal of help to be found in those things; and I am eager to support other small business owners. What I am trying to share is that if you started to feel overwhelmed by it all, that is okay. It’s okay to take as step back and focus on patience. God will direct you to the right course or guide and then you can move in that direction. I have said this so many times, but we need to remember that God answers prayers in His time, not ours. And quite often those times do not line up. For our Bible study starting next week the women leading tables were asked to read one chapter of Proverbs a day and today I read chapter three. It has one of my favorite verses…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” -Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the timing of God's plan and recognize that it's okay to take things one step at a time.
It’s a great reminder that we do not need to rely on our selves to have the answers but we can trust that God does. In ALL of our ways to acknowledge Him and he will guide us, it’s not giving pieces of us over to him but ALL of ourselves over to him. As someone who likes feeling in control that is hard for me. I have had to decide to slow down this year and say no to things that I typically say yes to; that has been very hard. But already I am seeing the fruits of that and the ways that the Lord is blessing the time He’s given me by listening to his prompts of when to say no…what HE wants me to say yes to, not what I want to say yes to.
I was looking at things I had written when first starting my blog and came upon this paragraph. While I wrote this back in June it feels so appropriate for today.
We need to turn to God in our waiting, you can’t get to glory without going through the waiting. I was listening to a sermon teaching about the death and resurrection of Lazarus. The pastor focused on the waiting that Mary and Martha endured in those four days between someone telling Jesus that Lazarus was sick and the time where Jesus shows up and Lazarus is dead. His sisters had to wait that time before experiencing the miracle that Jesus would perform when He got there.
I’m not sure what it is that you are waiting for, or what you may be feeling in terms of “keeping up” or starting new routines for this year. All of which are good things, but sometimes in the waiting that is all you have to do…wait. Wait and pray, keep your eyes focused on God and He will provide the answers. Not a class, timeline, meal prep plan or new workout regime. God will let you know when you should be looking to those things but the first thing to be looking for is Him and His will for you. We can get caught up in seeing things we think we need and get excited to implement new things but He will guide you down the right path and even if you have to wait along time for it, I can promise you His plan is always worth the wait.
