I'm a little teapot....but don't tip me over!

I have been struggling with living a life of balance and wondering how am I going to do it all? How can I be a better wife, mother, friend, teacher, etc...? "I know I need to do this, the kids have to go here, I have to exercise, the house needs a deep cleaning, dinner needs to be made..."we all have these thoughts in our head daily! I've realized that I can't do it all at least not by myself, it has to start with my relationship with God! In my personal Bible study, I have been reading about this and was reminded that in Luke 12:22, 23. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing." (ESV) Yes, we do have to take care of our practical needs, but here is Jesus telling us not to obsess over them! The same goes for exercise...I said at the beginning of the summer that I was going to get my body into shape and exercise everyday! Ha ha! Well, I have exercised but not to the point I wanted to. But you know, that's ok! I have however, deepened my relationship with God, which is more important. Paul draws a comparison to this in 1 Timothy 4:8, "for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (ESV) This is not my excuse for exercise because I know that I still need to do it, but I am not going to let myself get down about it.

Why do we as Christians need a balanced life? I want to be able to give the proper time and attention to God's purpose in my life and in my family's life. I want my life to bear fruit! So I will do what it says in John 15:4 so that my life will glorify God.