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Do you ever find yourself slipping and not being the person you set out to be? Are you the woman, wife, mother, friend, employee or Christian you once hoped you would be?
If you are and you are living how you hoped – good for you.
That is wonderful.
I, on the other hand, can definitely testify to drooping a bit here in the middle of the race.
I am missing some of the excitement and fervor of my youth.
I am sleep deprived and overscheduled. I too often neglect my health, husband and spirit. I have lost some of my purpose and passion, allowing the consuming nature of motherhood to overwhelm me.
Yes, part of my purpose is to be a loving, devoted and all-around-fantastic mom, but to do that I need to keep my whole purpose in check. Otherwise I am offering my son a poor and unhealthy example.
This week I did a crazy thing – I signed up for an online Bible study, hosted by Lauren at Created for His Glory, that I clearly have no time for. I mean what am I thinking?!? Even my husband questioned my sanity.
But I knew I needed to do something radical to give me a boost and get me back in the race. Yup, I needed someone to hand me that critical mid-race swig of water and a big ol’ energy bar.
Was adding something to my already overscheduled life the answer? Well – sort of.
It is about getting back to what used to inspire me and heal me before I got so busy in this motherhood stage. It is about slowing down, reassessing and remembering what my life is for.
I am so grateful for the sweet blessing of my son and I consider it an honor to be his mother. But in the day-to-day rush of a mother’s life, I have allowed parts of my own spirit to be neglected. It is time to get back on track.
How are you doing? Have you allowed the daily craziness of life to distract you from your purpose? What do you do to keep your spirit healthy?
Some Resources for You:
If you are like me, and study and quiet contemplation help you focus and regroup, here are some resources for you to consider.
The online study I am doing is called Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore. It is available at http://www.lifeway.com/lby/ and you can do it online at your own pace.
Do you know your purpose? If you haven’t read it yet, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is an incredible study on discovering and living out your life’s purpose. I will read it over and over for the rest of my life to help keep me on track.
If you have teenagers, this might be a good book to consider giving to them. I find it to be simple enough and really effective for that age group and had great results leading a group of teen moms through a study on it.
I found this Purpose series specifically for women at http://www.purposedrivenlife.com. I have never seen it before, but after this Beth Moore study, guess what books I am going to be buying next? They look great. Let me know if you have read them and what you thought.
If you want to read what the other women in my online study are learning, you can visit their blogs by clicking on their names in the chart below or on the blog links in my sidebar.
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Sherry
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Tara
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| Heather | HolyMama! | Eph2810 |
| Christy | Jenn | Karin |
| Leann | Rachel | Janice |
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This is a list of the women participating in the study and the links to their blogs. New postings on the study will be published weekly, between Friday 8pm – Saturday 8am. Please feel free to visit each of us and comment. Everyone is welcome to participate in this discussion as we seek to live beyond ourselves. May God bless you richly from the hearing of His word. |
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Lindsey says
Hello: I am a momma to two young boys ages 6yrs. and 10 months. I work full time and have been through what I feel like is a whirl-whind of change and craziness. We have adopted our 6 yr. old and are in the process of adopting our 10 month old. We lost our house to forclosure and my mom has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Getting to church has been hard this past year…and I need something that can help me get my mind on Jesus and what is true and holy. So…here goes.
Marie says
I join this Class at our Church, What is funny is our pastor is Speaking this month on the Fruits of the Spirit. i have learned so much from him.
Erica says
I stumbled across this site…I don’t know what to do. All I know is that it feels like I am being sucked into a black hole and can barely climb out. I have 3 kids and I love them! I want to be the mommy God intended me to be. With that being said, why does it feel like I do everything the opposite? That is what sucks me down, because I get so down on myself and the cycle starts again. I have 3 kids under the age of 7, why can’t God give me more than 24 hours and the energy to and emotional well being to use them? Thanks:)
Patricia says
Janice, I love your website. What fun to be working with your mom and sister, too! I pray that this study will be just the energy bar you need for this season in your life! Though I am decades older and shortly moving from motherhood into grandmotherhood, I am here to tell you that life never slows down. =)
flipflop says
I’m enjoying the study with this group and I’m enjoing becoming closer to God.
heather i. says
Hey, I love your blog here! I use WordPress too and have been very pleased. I had to pay someone to set it up for me because I don’t know how to do all this. That’s great that you watched the videos and learned how to do it on your own.
I’m so glad you did something “crazy” and joined our study. We all need a refresher energy bar and swig of water, no matter what season of mothering we’re in. It will be great to read what everyone else is learning.
I’ll look forward to checking back — you’ve got some neat things going on here! 🙂
Blair says
Although my husband and I work very hard at not becoming overscheduled, this is a busy time of year for us. Doing this study is definitely a stretch for me time-wise right now also. I think you’ll like The purpose driven life – I look forward to reading what you think of it. Glad you’ve joined the study!
eph2810 says
You know, I sometimes feel that I am ‘over schedule’ myself. But digging into His word via Bible study and being part of group keeps me on track. I am glad that you part of this group 🙂
boomama says
I have to tell you that I am now obsessed with those insulated stroller sippy-cup holders after seeing them last night. 🙂 They’re going to be my new favorite baby gift, I think. And I’m so glad you joined the study – it’s gonna be great.
GiBee says
I’m so thankful for your honesty. I feel the same way, and so appreciate this study. By filling up on the spiritual tank, you’ll be able to offer so much more to your family…
Lauren says
Great point. Studying God’s word, making time for Him first, comes before all else and once we’re filed up with Him then we can tackle everything else. Glad you joined the study too, Janice.
Addie says
Glad to have you in the study! It’s very exciting to see what God will do in everyone’s life!
Chaotic Mom says
Yeah! I’m so glad you’ve joined the study! What a neat blog you have, too. I think there’s a children’s book, “Five Minutes for Mom,” or something like that. Have you heard of it? I think we have it here somewhere, I’ll try to dig it out. Very funny little book, I think more written for moms than their children.
The “excitement and fervor of my youth” are gone. Poof! But God is already working on my heart through this study. Little by little, he’s cracking through the dried mud on my heart. 😉