Taking a Break to Serve My Family

Hello friends, welcome back to Tulips and Basil!

I guess there's no preamble to saying, "I'm taking a break," at least none that I can think of. Our family just welcomed our third baby (yay!), and she's needing a bit of medical care in during her first year (less yay). Trying to figure out how to be a mom of three, taking Baby to all her appointments, potty training two toddlers, trying to support my husband and help my children learn is all a bit much for me right now. 

I kept pushing through after Baby was born. I kept thinking, "Devotionals are worth it. This is time spent sharing scripture and glorifying the Lord." 

I thought, "I'm lazy if I can't find just a few hours each month to work on writing things that share God's Word with other ladies."

I couldn't figure out if it was okay to step back from something that was meant to honor God and share His Word and His will with other ladies. I truly wanted my recent posts to be encouraging and enlightening to anyone who read them. I prayed that, with each post, at least one person would see something they needed that day.

It felt wrong to say I wouldn't do this anymore, because what I was doing was faith-based. Quitting faith-based things is like quitting God, right? Letting Him down, failing as a Christian. I prayed that He would help me make room in my life, or show me how to fit in the devotionals along with my other responsibilities. 

I also prayed that if I was meant to step back, He would convict me. Make it clear. Shut the door, even if only for now. And I think that's what's happening. 

I feel a strong conviction to focus on my responsibilities to my family right now. Making sure my little ones know Jesus and that Momma is a peaceful, calm center in the chaos of life. I need to work on who I am as a Christian and to put my heart into raising my arrows (Psalm 127: 4-5).

I have seen friends in the past struggle under the weight of all their responsibilities. My encouragement as their friend is always to see what they can remove from their plate. Do they really need all those extracurricular activities for kids, or to have the entire family learning another language? Do they need to be such an active part of the PTA or the HOA or the church staff during this more difficult season they're in? Maybe it's okay for them to step back and narrow their focus on what matters most. It doesn't have to be forever.

I encourage you with the same words, and I'm going to try and take my own advice. Time to prune the to-do list until all that's left is what the Lord has convicted me of for this season of life.

Goodbye for now, and all the love,

Emily