From Cindy's Heart

FEELING OVERWHELMED? by Lori Seaborg

FEELING OVERWHELMED? 

by Lori Seaborg

Over a year and a half ago, I was teaching children's choir, teaching adult education classes two nights a week, singing in the adult choir at church, homeschooling two children with two babies underfoot, taking the children two full days a week to extra classes, preparing to move to a new location for dh's job, and running my website as a business. I was overwhelmed!

Knowing that I was reaching my sanity's limit, I prayed for God to help me, please!

One night, I walked into our six-year-old daughter's room and saw a basket hanging from her bunkbed with a stuffed animal and a note in it. I remembered that she had told me that she had a surprise for me, and to please come and look at it, but I was too busy filling an order for my business. Later, after I had sent her to bed, she called me from her bedroom to see her surprise, but again I was too busy and said I'd come later.

Much later in the evening, I remembered that I hadn't ever gone back to see Britty's surprise. Feeling a little saddened that I was seeing it after she was asleep, I opened the note.

On it was written: "I want to do 100 things for you."

For Brittany, a brand-new 6 year old who had four ear surgeries by then, writing that note would have been very difficult. It touched me to the core. In tears, I said aloud, "I want to do 100 things for you, too."

It was as if a light turned on in that moment as I saw how busy I had made my life. Each activity was noble, of course, and worthy of someone's time, but it was not to be my time that was used.

That night, in my little girl's room, I felt God's whisper. I heard Him whisper that I am to be first a wife, then a mother for this moment. He reminded me how quickly children grow up. It is only for a blink of time that they live with us.

With my focus cleared, I immediately closed my website. I had always given it to God, so I didn't question that he could provide for us financially without my side business. Since we were moving for dh's new job, I was able to gracefully bow out of my choir, children's choir, the extra classes, and teaching committments.

It has been a year and a half since that night. My focus is still on my husband and my children. Recently I have felt that God wants me to start writing again, but I know that writing, even though I do it as a "ministry," as a way to help other mothers, is never to be more important than my jobs as a wife and mother.

We don't venture out very often, for I have discovered that it is very hard to manage a home when you are not in it! Before agreeing to do anything, I weigh each activity and make sure it does not take away from family and home. We choose only the best of activities to do, knowing that our time at that activity is worth leaving home. Our children are young (10, 7, 5, 2), so they thrive on the security that staying home brings.

If we young mothers talked to older mothers more often, they'd tell us that children grow up quickly. We already know that, but do we realize it? We fill our days to overflowing with activities; we run after ways that we can work in the church; we seek to minister to others. Meanwhile, our family, the very ones that God specifically gave us to minister to, are set aside.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Ask God to help you, please. He just might whisper in your ear, too.