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Home | Blog | Just Breathe

Just Breathe

Blog, Faith

Join me today for a beautiful guest post by Sara Ruut. She blogs about great books, authors, and all manner of reading, as well as encouragement for busy women. See the link at the end of this post.

Just Breathe Sara Rutt

As Martha worked quickly to prepare a meal for her house full of company, her sister Mary deserted her. Martha went looking for her, and when she found her sister sitting at the feet of Jesus – with the men! – Martha lost her temper.

“Tell her to help me!” she complained to Jesus.

I’m sure she was feeling very overwhelmed with all that needed to be done. After all, they were entertaining the very Son of God! But Jesus didn’t tell Mary to get busy. Instead, He gently rebuked Martha for being so concerned about things that ultimately didn’t matter. You can find this full story in Luke 10:38-42. But can you relate to Martha’s frustration? There’s so much to do, and no one else is jumping in to help.

Your to-do list may not include serving the Lord a meal, but it may be a meal for your family, laundry, and dishes. It could be running your kids to a myriad of activities and games. It could be serving in positions at church that no one else is willing to fill. Perhaps you have all of these to do and more!

In some ways, we do this to ourselves. But we get so busy running from one thing to another that we soon find ourselves distracted from what really matters.
Perhaps you’ve heard Jonny Diaz’s song, Breathe. (If not, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/hnjeMwxFuBA) This song captures so many of our lives!

Running. Busy. Stressed. Frustrated. Distracted.

It’s time to just breathe.

Michael Hyatt (a well-respected virtual mentor for executives and influencers) calls this “margin.” Like the margins on a piece of paper, we need to create margins in our lives. We need room to breathe.

How do we do that?

First it has to be a priority.

We are the only ones who can control our schedules for the day. If we don’t set aside time, if we fill every moment with things that need to be done, no one will make that time in our day for us.

Second, we have to start the day right.

That means planning ahead. It may mean making a list of the priorities for the day the night before. But how we start our day has a significant impact on the rest of the day.

Do you pick up your smartphone before you pick up your Bible? (Ouch! Those were my toes!) If we spend time first with the Lord, our focus for the day will be entirely different than if we start with Facebook. Don’t believe me? Try it…

Third, it’s okay to say “no.”

That can be a hard one. I understand; it has been difficult for me, too. But the more we practice saying it, the more we realize the benefits from using it! When we overcommit, we spread ourselves too thin, and we aren’t doing anyone any good.

And, as hard as it is to tell our kids “no” sometimes, it can be for their good, too. Even though they may plead that this latest activity is something they really want to do, if we allow them to overcommit, they won’t do well, either.

We need to set an example.

Our kids will do as they see us do. When we learn how to breathe, and how to maintain that “margin” in our lives, we will be teaching our kids how to do the same.

God knew we needed down time. He didn’t need to rest on the seventh day of creation, but He knew we needed that example to follow. So do our kids.

Parenting is a busy season. There are so many more things I want to do than I can reasonably accomplish. I doubt I am unique in that.

Just breathe.

Before we know it, this time of raising and teaching kids will be behind us. Will we have focused on those things that are most important?

 

14409000_10208165854687268_1374967335_nSarah Ruut is an avid reader of Christian fiction when she’s not busy homeschooling her four tweens and teens. She loves sharing about books and their authors on her blog, Fiction, Faith, and Fun, where you’ll find devotionals as well as reviews of Christian fiction, interviews with amazing authors, giveaways and more! You can connect with Sarah on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Goodreads. 

Be sure and visit Sara at her blog and social media sites! You will be glad you did!

 

 

Hi! I’m Nicki! Welcome to my blog! I live in Texas with my husband and five children, and a wild assortment of dog, cats, chickens, and ducks. I’m a second-generation homeschooler, a book lover, and history enthusiast. I gush about all of these things on this blog, and I hope to share the love with you! Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Join my subscriber list for access to my FREE Download Library:

Join my community to get access to my Free Download Library, upcoming giveaways, and my latest ideas and encouragement!


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September 22, 2016 · 3 Comments

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  1. Sarah @ Fiction, Faith, and Fun says

    September 22, 2016 at 9:13 am

    Thanks for hosting me on your beautiful blog, Nicki! 🙂

    Reply
    • Nicki says

      September 22, 2016 at 10:11 am

      I’m glad to! Your encouragement was just what I needed this week!

      Reply

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I have two very different sons. One has been an extrovert since he could talk. The other has been an introvert for just as long. The thing about home education is that it doesn’t have to happen at home. What it really means is “not public school.” Not stuck in a classroom all day. Not confined to a government calendar. Not a slave to the system. 23 years ago I helped my aunt Kari start a homeschool co-op. At that time, I had one child and she was three years old. If you have a child that struggles to read, read to them. Read aloud every day. That’s the best advice I can give. New year. New house. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: How do I homeschool with babies and toddlers in the mix?? Don’t let people tell you that “you can’t shelter your children.” Yes, you can. And you absolutely should. Mothers have a crucial role to play in society, although their job doesn’t always feel very “crucial.” Wiping baby faces, repeating instructions, settling squabbles, and making food is repetitive and doesn’t always seem important. For 2023, I’ll be preaching the same ol’ message that I can’t stop saying: “education is discipleship,” and “you can do it” homeschooling encouragement. Not gonna make the message easier to swallow when the world is attacking children on a grander scale every day. I’m also not going to tell you that homeschooling is a breeze, but I will keep saying that it’s worth every minute.

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