A Season for Everything

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I have heard this Scripture used on many occasions, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly struggled with this idea of going through seasons of life. Currently I am a stay-at-home-mom to four children ages 6, 4, 2 and 8 months and homeschooling our oldest. This being our first official year of school and adjusting to life with four young children has been quite a change to our routine. In the past, I’ve shared how I’m a type A personality and function best in a well-kept home with everything in its place. I’m a lover of painting, woodworking and blogging. But what I’ve come to realize though is that I simply cannot do it all.

I was following a friend’s newest endeavours on Facebook recently when jealousy overcame me. I didn’t admit it to myself at the time, but that’s exactly what I was feeling. I looked at my life and thought to myself, if they can do it, so can I! It wasn’t until after I tried doing it all, that I saw all the undoing I did.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

By the end of that first week, my house, my children and my sanity were in complete disarray. What I had pictured in my mind did not play out as I had intended. Instead of feeling accomplished, all I felt was overwhelmed; instead of tranquillity, all I brought upon us was disorder.

“And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.  Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

I felt totally defeated and frustrated with myself and I had to face the fact that my feelings of jealousy brought all this upon us.

“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:14-16

I’m thankful though that the Lord has placed some pretty incredible people around me. I realized I needed to bring this dark feeling into the light, so I confided in my husband. I told him how I had decided that I would try to do it all and how poorly that all turned out. I admitted to him and more so to myself that I simply could not do it all, at least not in this season of life. He was so loving and understanding, which is what my wounded heart needed. He reminded me to not look to the things of this world that lead to sin, but to turn my attention to those things that lead to righteousness. In this instance, it was as simple as unfollowing my friend’s posts. It was coming to terms that although our lives looked somewhat similar, we were still both in very different seasons. I came to see that this did not mean that I would never do everything, it simply meant that I would not do everything at the same time. And I’m okay with that, especially when it means that my family and my home have tranquillity.  

I pray that if you are in a season of life where you are struggling to do it all that you’ll take a moment to re-evaluate. Let us not be weary and burdened by the things of this world, but rather find rest in Jesus.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Many Blessings!

SHARE: What struggles do you face in this season of life? How can you free yourself of this burden?