Life can be exhausting!  At times, I feel like that circus plate spinner… you know who I mean…  The one who has numerous poles with plates on top and runs back and forth between the poles, rotating them in order to keep the plates spinning so they won’t fall and shatter.  My plates are probably similar to yours: family, finances, job, classes, friendships, health, chores, volunteering, etc.  All are valuable and all are demanding!  Mix in a few stressors (conflicts, unexpected expenses, health issues, changes) and we feel like we are one misstep away from plate shattering chaos!

The struggle is real! Some days, the struggle seems too real!  I’m tempted to run someplace safe and curl into a ball with a blanket and pillow and hope that the world will run smoothly without my help.  Am I alone in my urge to hibernate from life??

Sigh… so do I hibernate or put on my big girl pants and keep pressing on?  It’s not really much of a choice, is it?  Life goes on and we either grab ahold and ride along or it will drag us behind it!

I have good news and better news!  The good news (depending on how you look at it) is that the world really does need you and I!  Each of us are valuable, unique, and loved by someone who would not be the same if we chose to hibernate indefinitely!  The better news is that there are ways to help us cope with the chaos that has our heads spinning with those plates! There is strength to be had if we know how to tap into it!

As I have been wrestling with my own sense of plate-spinning panic, I’m realizing that I can make some choices that enable me to not just survive the struggle, but to even thrive in it!

Rest: “Ummm, when am I supposed to rest?” I know, it seems like an impossible feat, right?  But the truth is, if you don’t find time each week to rest, your body will get to the point where you have no choice in the matter.  Rest can be sleep, but it is not the equivalent.  Sleep is physical rest; but your soul needs rest too.  For me, soul rest involves choosing to think about positive concepts, creative ideas, and exciting dreams.  It may include reading a book, crafting, exercising, or chatting with someone I love. It might involve a family adventure or quiet time to write.  No matter what you choose to do, strength is found in giving yourself a “brain break” from the responsibilities that pull at you.

Rejuvenate: Different than rest, rejuvenate is to bring new life to something.  What in your life needs a little rejuvenation?  What dreams have you set aside that need revisited?  What relationships have you put on the back burner that need to become a priority?  Ask yourself what makes your heart jump and infuse some of that into your life again!  If traveling brings you joy but finances and time are a hinderance, take a day trip someplace you haven’t visited before.  If time with friends lights up your world, then arrange a game night soon! Strength is found in rejuvenating dreams.

Relegate: Not everything in our lives is of equal importance.  In fact, the things in our lives demanding the most attention are often not those that are the most valuable.  If I’m not careful, my responsibilities as a teacher can run roughshod over the valuable relationships in my life (FYI: Rarely do teachers accomplish all their work at school, thus the evenings of grading and writing lessons!).  It’s not that my teacher responsibilities are not important, but rather that my family and friends are more important in my life and deserve whole hearted attention.  Sometimes we have to relegate the less important to its proper place!  Take a few minutes to examine your priorities.  If your relationship with the Lord and with the precious people in your life are not at the top, it’s time to relegate!  Strength is found when you say “no” to what may be good so that you can say “yes” to that which matters most!

Redistribute:  This is the opposite of micro-managing!  When you redistribute, you are passing out some of your spinning plates so that you can better focus your time & energy!  It may be time to enlist some help to keep things in order.  My wise friend, Sarah Lehmann, calls herself an “opportunity maker!”  She values teamwork and realizes that there is strength in inviting and enabling others to take ownership in a process, project, or goal.  There’s truth in the statement: “Teamwork makes the dream work.”  So, rewrite the chore list, reduce your volunteering, share the cooking load, say “no” to a request.  Redistribute and you will find strength that enables you to be more effective and find the rest your soul needs.

Remember:  Remember the “why” and the “Who.”  This requires taking a step back and looking at the big picture.  This choice was a big boost for me and I’m thankful for the people in my life who propel me on!  Remember your “why”…  Why are you doing what you are doing?  Is it your calling, your dream, or your family?  Bringing your “why” into focus will help you find the strength to face each day’s demands.  Then, more importantly, remember the “Who”… Who is it that has called you and me and enabled us to do what we are called to do?  When I remember who I am and Whose I am¹, I find myself focusing on all the things I am thankful for instead of all the things I can’t control.  It is a shift in thinking from the negative to the positive, from looking inward to looking outward, and from looking around me at the physical realm to looking up into the spiritual realm!

Do you remember who you are and Whose you are?  Write it down and post it on your mirror!  You are a child of the Living God!  You are anointed, enabled, capable, and equipped!  You and I can do everything He has called us to do!

I am grabbing on to this truth today as a face a new school year, in a higher grade level, with a new team, deeper standards, increased expectations, and a different classroom.  I am going to hold onto the truth that I truly can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)! I will actively pursue these “strength tools” as I navigate this new journey.  I hope you will too!

Lord, I pray that You would bless and strengthen this reader!  Give them wisdom to navigate all that is before them and make choices that allow them to rest as well as fulfill demands.  Enable them to see the people in their lives who will come along side them and help them stand strong.  May they feel your love wrapped around them today!  Thank You, Father!

Live Loved,

Read more encouragement here: I Just Can’t… or Can I? and Life Happens

¹All I Need