What You CAN Change...

Inevitably, in life you will face some circumstances and situations that you are powerless to change or resolve: A loved one falling ill, an unexpected layoff, the death of someone close to you, or even an economic recession like the one America is facing right now.

Those are all things you can't work out on your own no matter how much you wish you could. But then, there are bothersome situations you'll face along life's road that you CAN change. If you don't recognize your ability to alter those things, you'll render yourself powerless when you don't have to be.

Here's a very basic example. Let's say you've been extremely busy lately attending to things that are relatively important...kids, school, work, the business, ministry. Lots of stuff. And because of your hectic schedule, you feel like you haven't had time for things like tending household chores, keeping up your regular work out schedule, eating a home-cooked meal instead of take-out, devoting time to studying. Not to mention praying and just spending some much-needed time in the presence of the Lord.

Those are the things you can begin doing; but first, you have to be willing to eliminate excuses and make real changes. Only you can make a decision to do that... no one else is able to make that determination for you.

At some point, you have to draw that line in the sand and say, "No more. I'm not continuing another day like this." And mean what you say. Then, start making the necessary adjustments. Begin prioritizing.

Decide what's most important and organize your life around your values. You have to, because life doesn't stop. There will always be something and someone tugging at you, vying for your time and attention.

Sure, life can get hectic, but you must decide how hectic it will be for you. If you let things build up, pile up and get all out of whack, they will. Life can be a lot like that pile of laundry that needs folding. You ignore it. Then you wash and dry another load, then another, and another.

Until that small pile of laundry turns into an enormous heap of wrinkled up, mixed up clothes. Either you can make excuses about how busy you are... or you take some time and fold those clothes.
It's up to you. As your mother might say, "Hey, they're not gonna fold themselves".
Perhaps you're going through a rough time in your life right now and things feel chaotic. What you need to do is take a step back for a moment.

Look at what's really going on. Are there some things you can do differently to reduce the clutter in your life?
That might mean drastically minimizing the amount of time you spend on some people and things, or even cutting out some stuff altogether. Otherwise, you'll find yourself frustrated, burnt out, and feeling beat up and victimized by life.