Having a plan seems to be the hallmark of millennial parents. Calendars, schedules, and to-do lists run the day. Having a plan is a good thing, yet balancing the plan with life is a little tricky. Making connections with your children while being ruled by the schedule is even trickier.
When I was a young mom, I believed in feeding babies on demand while having a schedule. How can this be? The two seem mutually exclusive of one another. I think that today it might be known as “organized chaos.” Organization and chaos may be conflicting terms, yet they can co-exist. It just takes the right balance, and in that balance is growth and learning.
If asked how I would prioritize life, I would say God, family, and others. But parents often feel guilty for sending their kids to daycare and not spending enough quality time with them or listening to them enough. There is no end to the “wish I would have, wish I could have” pesky regrets in our head. Sometimes we wallow in them because balance and priorities get lost in the muddle of life.
Where do we find the answer to bringing order to our lives? Our lives with children and a cadre of responsibilities, that is by its very nature, chaotic? We find the answer in God’s guidebook for healthy living: the Bible! Here are some of my favorite passages that help me chill-out especially on guilt days:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (So true) – Matthew 6:34
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The dishes, the laundry, the disorganized closets, the meetings, and the schedule will always be there. However, your children grow up and are with you for a short amount of time – time that we must cherish and guard. It is important to not let the immediate needs of the day take priority over the important needs of the day. Seek God first. Don’t worry about the schedule. Adhere to it, but don’t be ruled by it.
“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:9
Every moment of every day is God’s gift to us. Leave it to God to simplify things. Seek Him first. Make your calendar, schedule, and to-do lists, but be ready for God to change your schedule as He designs. Your life may be busy, but it should not be complicated. If we make Him our “priority,” He will provide the “balance” – even in the midst of chaos.
Tamara Dicks was a medical transcriptionist/platform trainer, medical transporter for a residential facility, and pastor’s wife. She is the mother of 6 and has been married to her college sweetheart for 38 years. They are foster parents for the state of Minnesota. Tamara currently writes for the Maple River Messenger and teaches CPR.