Leaving a Barrier

  Spring is the busiest season in our home.  It's filled with testing and field trips, and multiple concerts for band and chorus.  By the time Spring Break rolls around, I am more than ready to find a quiet place to curl up with a cup of tea and a book.  But there have been several weeks recently where I found that life was hurtling at such a monstrous pace, that I couldn't give an honest answer to my husband when he asked me how I was doing.  I honestly didn't know.  I hadn't been still long enough to have any clue as to HOW I was doing.
   This strange occurrence has been happening more frequently than I would care to admit.  So I began to take stock of our life, and tried to find a few things we could cut out in order to leave the much needed barrier for quiet and reflection.  I don't know about you, but I desperately need that barrier, or buffer, of time to allow space for evaluation. Space to know how those in my care are faring, including myself.  As the main nurturer of the family, it is my job to have my finger on the family's pulse.  And what I was feeling and seeing wasn't good.
  Too many responsibilities, expectations taken on from those around us, and too many activities, makes for a group of harried roommates, but doesn't build the foundation of a family team.  Ryan and I have had a call and vision for a family team since day one, and we would be fools to think that we need to take on more during this time of our lives if it caused us to sacrifice that dream.  Even ministry and church activities can put a strain on a family team, especially during the young, foundation-laying-years of raising elementary and pre-school aged children.  Just because an activity is a good thing, doesn't mean that it needs to be in your life. There are more good opportunities out there than can possibly be incorporated into a family's life, one must be careful in her choices.
  This is one of the reasons our girls do not participate in group sports. Don't get me wrong, we have nothing against them, but we have seen how disconnected our lives would be as a family if we were always separating to follow each child's practice and game schedule.  So when the girls have lessons we work hard to find something they are all interested in doing, and then pray for the opportunity to find those lessons so that they happen all at one time. It has taken patience, and creativity, but the Lord has always provided a way.
  This time around, I had to take a break from blogging, and talking on the phone with friends, or even watching t.v., until the whirlwind settled.  I also had to turn down a couple of leadership roles for our homeschool group next year.  Knowing that the youngest child will be joining the ranks of the homeschooled in our family, means that I will be homeschooling all five little ladies in our home, and there will be even less time for me to know how I am doing.  So leadership roles and other roles of ministry will have to take a back seat until my family matures and is more able to stand on their own firm foundation. Then I may be free enough with my time to take on more outside opportunities to share.   If I concentrate on how God wants me to walk during this stage of my life, perhaps He will give me the honor of teaching the younger ladies in the way they should go.  But, for now, I would only be the blind leading the blind.
  There is a scripture verse that God has been making a theme in my life:

Psa 16:6  "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance."

These "lines" are my boundaries, and life is full of them. We can kick at them and push them, but the ones that God places in our lives are for our benefit and rest.   I want to remember to leave room for them, for they are a barrier of protection for us as a family, and as followers of Christ.