"So What Did You Do All Day?"

Originally posted September 18, 2011

It has been more than two decades now, but I can still remember it like yesterday - the day the love of my life walked in the front door at the end of the workday, picked up one of our small children, looked pointedly around the room, and innocently asked a question that has reverberated through my heart and mind every day since...

"So what did you do all day?"

As I stood there vacillating between a flash of indignation and the sting of betrayal, my day's activities raced through my head at warp speed.  While dealing with an onslaught of dirty diapers, dirty dishes, and dirty clothes, I had fed, clothed, rocked, consoled, refereed, played with, cuddled, read to, bathed, taught, sang with and cared for four wonderfully active children.  At the same time I had run errands, picked up an unending rotation of clutter, answered a million questions, and started dinner.  I was exhausted, but I had received a bounty of hugs and kisses, "I love you, mommy's", and precious time spent with four of the most important people in my life.  BUT, I have to admit, though he has NEVER asked me that question again, I often ask it of myself.  I get to the end of my day, look around and can't help but ask myself,

"So what DID you do all day?"  

It's a valid yet often frustrating question because I always seem to have more "list" than I have hours.  This has been true in every stage of my life.  Not long ago one of my daughters wisely told me, "Mom, I think all the women in our family have a tendency to try to be everything to everybody.  We try to do it all."  Unfortunately, she's right.  Everything I have on my to do list  - all my responsibilities - are good things, but I have to ask the hard question, "Are they all things God has asked me to do?"  If not there is no way I am going to be able to balance my day and all that I have to do.  There is no way I am going to be able to do everything to best of my ability to bring honor and glory to God.  So how do I balance it all?  No matter what age or stage you are at right now, the answer is the same:

• Put God first
• Put your spouse second
• Put your children third
• Put your home and it's responsibilities next
• Put everything else last

Read it again.  It's too important to take lightly.  This is God's "formula" to help us take our crazy busy lives and successfully be all He asks us to be - no more, no less.  It goes directly opposite what the world says we should do as a modern woman; however, we must accept that God did not make us to be Super Woman.  We must give our day - our hectic schedules - to God every morning.  We spend time with Him so we will be in tune with Him all day.  He will give us strength and peace that we need to deal with the situations we will encounter, but we have to make the decision that we are going to make our choices throughout the day based on this set of priorities - not what the world says we are entitled to. 

So here is an experiment Jami Hovey gave us to try for the week.  Download this form and mark how you spend your day so you can have a visual picture at the end of the week to show you how you are spending your time.  You might want to even color code it to help you get a more visual picture.  For instance, time spent with God in red, time with your husband in blue, time with your kids in green, etc.  Bring this with you to Titus 2:4 Women Wednesday for part 2 of Jami's lessons on Balance the practical application.  

"God has not given us a spirit of timidity (cowardice), but of power and love and discipline (sound judgment)."

1 Timothy 1:7 

Nor does He give us exhaustion, frustration, and that sense of being so overwhelmed we can't breath.  So let's submit to His will for our priorities and claim that power, love, discipline and all the peace and joy that come with it.  Sounds like a great trade to me!  I can't wait to hear Jami's practical applications Wednesday night!!

Copyright by Robin Kelley

used with express permission