About a week ago I signed up to join one of those online challenges. You know what they are, there’s the NaNoWriMo (write a novel in a month) and the PiBoIdMo (come up with 30 picture book ideas in a month). Last year I shared about my daughter and my Dressember challenge (wearing a dress a day for the entire month of December in order to raise funds to fight trafficking). But each of these challenges has been for a short, if intensive season. They stimulate me, get me thinking or working in a particular area but then life continues as it always has. But lately I haven’t been content with how life has ‘always been’. I’ve struggled to maintain appropriate priorities. I am often overwhelmed by the day to day routine I feel I have little left to gift to my husband or children, let alone creative thought for a writing day!

But somehow or other, and I’m beginning to sense it was a God thing, I stumbled on author Tricia Goyer’s Balanced Challenge. Now I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever read any of Tricia’s published work. But when I read the description of her newest ebook ‘Balanced: Finding Centre as a Work at Home Mom’ something in me clicked to attention. So I joined the challenge. It’s 11 days to think through the priorities of life as a work from home mom, to consider the God gifts of my dreams and also the people and space around me. And – to be honest – it’s fed my soul.

Take the other day, for example. I know if may seem basic to many, but Tricia challenged moms to do things in little chunks and as we could. So instead of stressing about the messy lounge room, I can just pick up a toy or two on my way through. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with all that needs doing around the house, I can gradually build in a sense of team-work that allows each person (little ones included) to contribute. Instead of pulling my hair out because I’m not able to get to my quiet space and write 2000 words in a sitting, I can book a time when 2000 words is possible and squeeze in a different 200 words in response to an unanswered email.

Each day of the challenge I’m being encouraged to see the importance of each member of my family. I’m beginning to change the way I view the day to day rhythm of my life. I’m refocusing my calendar with LOTS of space in it for one on ones and D&M’s and multiple games of ‘shop’. And I’m not feeling dragged down by it all because the accumulating sense of panic that used to stalk me (how am I ever going to get it all done!? etc) is slowly slipping away. And the brilliant thing? I don’t feel that I’m aiming towards a goal that is impossible. Tricia’s blogs and the chapters from her book show that living a balanced, productive, relationship rich life is not some abstract and unreachable ideal. There are hiccups, there is honesty, there are mistakes – but even these things can be part of the plan when our Heavenly Father is the one we are living for.

So, yes. I’m loving this challenge! I’m learning and growing, and am getting a lot more done (that can be measured in word counts as well as in smiles on my kids faces!). But with all this talk of being more balanced I’d better fess up about one thing: I forgot to post this blog on time!  Ooops! 

Oh well. That’s the mistake I was referring to earlier. And more proof added to the trail of evidence on this blog that shows the CCA writers are nothing fancy. We’re just a bunch of real, honest, normal people learning to balance their love of writing with the rest of everything God brings our way.

Penny