Once upon a time, I was nannying for two families, with a combined total of 15 children, while filling two more part-time roles.
It was almost as crazy as it sounds.
Sometimes singles are viewed as having more free time for helping others. As a twenty-something single, I thought I had plenty of time to help others! Then I ran smack into my own resentment, and learned a life-changing lesson about stewardship and my schedule.
Want to hear a beautiful thing? This article grew out of timely advice from one of the moms I nannied for. Her son and daughter, now adults and professionals, provided crucial encouragement and editing as I wrote. They are still my very dear friends, and I’m still reaping the fruit of those long-ago hectic months, when (it turns out) we invested in one another.
Taming My Time also grew out of a conversation with my newlywed friend, Sarah. A cheerful, always-giving single who filled many different roles, Sarah didn’t realize the vicious cycle she’d been living until she stepped into her husband’s slower pace of life. As he helped her remember simple things like drinking water, he also modeled a habit of monitoring her energy, rather than running herself ragged. As a result, her migraines stopped, and she began to bask in a sweeter relationship with the Lord.
Is this a lifestyle she could have practiced as a single? Yes! It comes when we pause to acknowledge our Heavenly Father’s plans for us, before we make our own. “God doesn’t want us to have a default,” Sarah says. “He wants us to have faith that listens.”
And sometimes, as we listen, God prompts to do more than we realize we can do. My friend Mary, the mother of seven, says, “I continually discover that the more I practice giving myself when I must trust God fully for the energy to do so, the more life He pours into me to use for others.”
The bad news, my friends? There’s no road map for determining exactly how you should navigate the many demands on your time. The good news? You’ve got the best Traveling Companion ever, who knows exactly which way to turn.
Whenever I’m considering a request, I need to know the truth so I can kindly, confidently say “yes” or “no.” . . . It helps whether I’m considering a romantic relationship or withstanding temptation within one. It helps me determine whether I succumb to being merely a buddy or build a healthy friendship; whether I pull my future spouse into a vortex of overcommitment or not; whether I reject married friends for not knowing my needs or teach (and learn) by sharing my life with them.
Read more in Taming My Time.
Elisabeth Adams 