My morning routine has been sidelined lately by something quite unexpected: my husband!  For most of our marriage (20 years and counting) he has gotten up each week day at the crack of dawn…at o’dark-thirty…before the early bird…you get the picture.  But in the last few months, he has started working out at Gold’s Gym near our house rather than the gym on Luke Air Force Base.  He has changed his workout regimen so that some days he gets up earlier and does a longer workout, other days he gets up a little later and does a shorter workout, some days he has a rest day, some days he works out at home.  And if you are having trouble following what I am saying, imagine how I feel!

I have shared in the past about my idol of perfectionism.  I sought to overcome my natural procrastinator tendencies (read gluttonous wasting of time here) by super adherence to schedules and to do lists (read pride and exaltation of self here).  Neither is a good place for me.  The place of gluttony whether that is overindulging in shopping or eating or time wasting is a trap for me that leads into a low place.   The place of perfectionism  whether I work a 60 hour week outside the home or I try to be a homeschooling, Bible studying, husband pleasing Martha Stewart…well this is a trap for me too that leads to a low place.  Both extremes cause me to focus on myself: my wants, my desire, my schedule, my list.  The Lord calls me to moderation.

So confession time: these past few weeks I have stumbled.  This roller coaster schedule, first thing in the morning, has been my undoing.  I know that I need to be consistent with my workout time and Bible study and prayer time AND I know I need to be available to my husband as he readies himself for his workday.  Plus, I need to be ready for the rest of my day when my kids get up.  So moms, what gives when push comes to shove?  Your workout?  Your Bible study time?  Your prayer time?  Taking care of your husband?  Your kids’ schedule?  For me, it has been the workout.  And then every few days I have missed my personal time with the Lord.  Since the kids and I do a devotional and scripture memory work together, I have let myself off the hook on this…but I can’t.  This is no way to find #aSimplerJoy !

Today, I started following my own schedule, rather than fluctuating with my husband’s.  I’ll keep you posted, but I am more at peace already.  I got up and worked out right away and then I prayed and read my PinGod1st reading.  I am in between Bible studies with HelloMornings, but starting one at our church this week that I will help lead.  Our church study I will read in the afternoons.

Yes, for me this challenge is about learning to live in moderation.  When I am more schedule minded I have always struggled to choose between tasks and people; the to-do list looms so large that interruptions can cause anxiety.  When I am all about flexibility, inertia causes me to hover, waiting for something else to happen; then I find that everything and anything else is driving my life.

• The Lord would have me glorifying Him with an active body and mind, while being still in my spirit.  Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)
• The Lord would have me moving forward, but also willing to stop for His appointments.  Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand (Proverb 19:21).
• The Lord would have me at peace when waiting, always remembering that He never tarries, He never forgets, He never gets sidetracked. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Is 40:31).
• I can rest in Him…but I have to be diligent about the work that He gives me. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).

How about you?  Do you ever get stuck?

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