We Never Minded the Mess

Sometimes I get tired.

I get tired of trying to work a full time job while also working my own side business, grocery shop, cook nutritious meals, make time for workouts, keep a clean house, get the laundry done, etc.

So sometimes it doesn’t get done.

I used to think that I had to do it all. I had to keep a spotless house while getting up at 4:00 am to work out while eating nothing but “clean” food. I had to come home in the evenings and spend countless hours “hustling” on a side business to make my family more income so we could have nice things.

But then I realized my priorities were way out of order. I was failing to make time for my family because I had work to do. I was failing to keep God first because I didn’t “have time” to do my daily Bible study. All of my free time was spent listening to business podcasts and getting caught up on countless errands because there just weren’t enough hours a day to get everything done. I was sacrificing sleep: staying up late to finish projects and rising before the sun to try and get ahead of the day. I was always tired, always stressed, and always (no matter how hard I tried) still lacking to accomplish everything that needed to be done.

So I stopped.

I realized I couldn’t do it all. I couldn’t even come close. I began to look back at my childhood and how my parents did things. Sometimes the house was messy. Sometimes we had pizza for dinner. And sometimes (actually, a lot of times) we slept late on the weekends.

You know why?

Because they had their priorities in order. We always went to church on Sunday, and my Daddy always said grace before we ate. We had family meals together. We played outside and spent QUALITY time together. I knew what football and baseball were by the time I was 5 because my Daddy taught them to me. My mama let us sleep in because she knew we were only going to be little once. She taught me how to do my hair and makeup. She always made everything we did so much fun, no matter what it was. She was the best concert buddy in the car ;-).

Both of them have always been my biggest supporters and believed I could do anything I set my mind to do. And I know they were never able to do it all when my sister and I were growing up – but they did the things that mattered MOST – and we never minded the mess 🙂  

We may have had a messy house at times. There may have been dirty dishes. But we made memories – and for that, I will be forever grateful.

So…I am going to give myself some grace and stop trying to be super woman. Sometimes my house will a wreck. Sometimes I will be too tired after a long day’s work and opt for a drive-thru pizza instead of a home cooked meal of baked chicken and veggies. But I will make time for what matters most. I will make time for Jesus. I will make time for my husband. I will make time for family. My future children will have memories like I have. And they will know what truly matters most.