How do we as Christian women present ourselves to the world? The world is interested to see if we truly believe and act out what we say.
It watches our lives. It wants to test our faith to see if it’s genuine.
Don’t get me wrong. A God honoring consistency in life is not perfection. That would be an impossible standard to reach in this world. However, even when we make a mistake, fail or when our lives become chaotic we should handle those situations in a Christian manner.
We should be willing to take responsibility for our actions (no excuses or blaming others) and be willing to put our lives back on track.
Leading a balanced life in which we steward our time well means:
- Looking at the way we conduct our home and business life
- Looking at the amount of time we spend with our family and friends
- Looking at the entertainment and hobbies we are involved in
- Looking at the way we spend our money
- Looking at the way we serve our church and community
- Looking at the way we respond to those who offend us
A well-balanced life is essential for personal effectiveness, peace of mind and our health and well-being. Whether we work inside or outside the home, are retired or not, we all have responsibilities.
There is always someone or something to answer to. There are things we want to do and things we must do. The challenge is to balance what we must do with what we enjoy and want to do.
This is not always easy. If, however, we are unable to manage our time and achieve a balanced life there may be physical and/or emotional health consequences.
Here are five thoughts for a well-balanced life. A life that is worth watching.
- Take care of and nurture yourself. You can’t accomplish anything if you’re unhealthy.
- Know what your priorities are. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything you can. Examine your values and decide what’s truly important to you, then set boundaries.
- Create an efficient mindset. Be organized and plan ahead. Include the must do’s. Include the ‘me’ time.
- Expect the unexpected. Rather than get stressed and upset, allow yourself to ‘go with the flow’ when something you have no control over happens. Stuck in traffic; computer crash; sick child. Stuff happens. Learn how to adjust your game plan. Breath…..
- Maintain a positive mental attitude. Start every day as though this will be the best day of your life. Joy.
Proverbs 17:22 The Passion Translation
22 A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul.
But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression. You can’t succeed alone.
Every story of success is a story of people working together, each contributing their own unique talents, skills and abilities. Do what you do best. And let others fill in the gaps.
Take time every day to talk to God. The calming effect will amaze you.
If you don’t like where you are today, don’t expect tomorrow to be any different without change. Change your attitude, your priorities and your activities. Invest in a validated behavioural process to understand your inherent behaviours. If you don’t know why you do and say the things you do and say, maybe 2020 is the year to find out.
This is a perfect time of the year to complete a self-audit. Journal the changes you want to make in this new decade. Be excited for the grand plans God drops into your spirit.
Remember, you are a product of your thoughts. Whatever you think about most of the time is what your create in your life.
A useful thought is this, you always receive what you give. Consequently, if you want help, be helpful. If you want honest relationships, be truthful. If you want success, help others get what they want. If you want love, be loving.
Let me be clear, like most normal people I don’t always do what I write!!!
Just before Christmas we moved into a new house. Having been promised it would be clean, everything working well – what we were faced with was a disaster zone. Too much to explain now. Needless to say, I wouldn’t have wanted the world looking at me right then. Everything I know about being a woman after Gods own heart pretty much went out of the window. Sorry, but true.
Then on 1 January 2020 this scripture popped up on my mobile:
Isaiah 43:19 The Passion Translation (TPT)
19 I am doing something brand new, something unheard of.
Even now it sprouts and grows and matures.
Don’t you perceive it?[a]
I will make a way in the wilderness
and open up flowing streams[b] in the desert.
My heart soared and my joy returned. I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, and frankly I want the world to see that. I want the world to know that I’m not perfect that I am a work in progress. But most of all I want the world to see that I have a very special Helper, a Helper that could be theirs if they wish. And that is why I don’t mind the world watching as long as I am true to my beliefs and willing to learn something new every day.
Happy 2020.
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Carol Pocklington is a Human Performance Accelerator. She has worked with Hugh Massie since 2001 as the DNA Behavior concept was conceived. She works with people and businesses worldwide. Her real-world application of behavioural insights, gives her the capability to serve as a business strategist, coach, mentor, and trainer. She is also a prolific blogger, a public speaker and author, specializing in human behavioural insights.
