I remember my thoughts, very clearly, as I sat drinking coffee at 5:30 one morning. It was the week before I went back to work from maternity leave for my second child Zach. We were now a family of four and I remembered all of the words of friends and family who said, “Two kids changes it up.” Life is different when you go from one child to two. How would I have time for fitness, physically and spiritually?
As I sat there, I began to realize all of the things on my plate, not my breakfast plate, but my plate of life. I did a quick check list:
- Full time job
- New business
- Volunteer work at church
- New schedule with Hannah (my daughter) starting Kindergarten
- New baby
Adding to all of that was my continued desire to have daily quality time with God, my husband, children, and exercise. They were all important to me, but were overwhelming and seemed impossible. It was then that I realized there were things I would have to take off my plate and let go of, if I truly wanted to focus on things that were important to me. As I thought about where my time went each day, I realized it was not all toward my priorities or really necessary. I knew I would have to make a few changes.
Such as:
- Saying “yes” to things before thinking it through
- Having my house perfectly cleaned and organized at the end of each day
- Working hard to make sure everything goes according to MY plan (that can really take up a lot of time)
- Giving up a favorite TV show
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about making exercise a priority. Do you feel like you had good intentions of making it a priority, but still struggle to find the time to actually do it? If so, it may be time to ask yourself two questions.
- Is my time prioritized each day around what is important to me?
- Are there things I need to give up or add to focus on my priorities?
Improving our fitness and having a daily quiet time will not just happen. We have to be intentional with our time and sometimes that means giving up what may not be that important in the big scheme of things, certain responsibilities, or our own selfish desires. God has shown me that, if I give my time to Him, He will help me find time for what is important, even now as a busy woman with a family of four.
Finding time for your physical and spiritual fitness has to be intentional and usually comes about by making a few changes. Give your time and agenda to God and ask Him for guidance. He will show you that you do have time for fitness, physically and spiritually.
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If you have a question for Crystal in regards to this blog, please email her at: Crystal@girlfriendscoffeehour.com
