Man, how do some people do it all?

6+ children. Homestead. Working husband. Homeschooling. Blog. YouTube Channel. Active on Social Media. Church activities. The list goes on… and on… and on… 

It is overwhelming. We see these women who seem to be doing it all, who have it all, they’re “living the dream”, or, at least, my dream. And honestly? Good for them! I am so excited for the women who are living the life they love with their families. What an incredible blessing. 

The temptation is still there, though, on my end. Jealousy and overwhelm creep in not-so-quietly. Why can’t I manage my household when I only have one little one? Why isn’t my husband doing more around the house? It’s not fair that I don’t live in the country. Why can’t I have a bigger house? Why does it feel like I have hardly any hours in the day?

It can all add up. Feelings of insufficiency, guilt, frustration. Why can’t I be like her? 

Friends, I have been there. Recently. We’re talking days here, probably hours. This isn’t something we feel once, kick, and then never have to face again. This is an emotional, spiritual battle day in and day out. Being satisfied in our lives. Contentment. 

It feels like people are doing all the things. I promise though, they’re not! 

They aren’t folding their underwear. All of the kids’ clothes are not perfectly folded and color coordinated. The bathrooms are useable but she isn’t scrubbing behind the toilet every day. 

Not everything is done every day. I have to remember this all the time. The people seem like they are doing all of the things simply aren’t. This is not to say that they aren’t working hard. I know many women who are working their tails off every day! Having children isn’t easy. Running a business isn’t easy. Daily homemaking isn’t easy. 

No one is doing all of it, though. I certainly am not. 

We often fall into two camps. Either we put too much pressure on ourselves, we are overwhelmed and feel insufficient, or, we are too lax. We are lazy. Slacking on chores, neglecting home maintenance, just being completely exhausted and giving up. 

I fall into the latter camp. I tend to become overwhelmed. I don’t do all the things. I usually just freeze. 

How do we do it all? Honestly? We just don’t!

But here’s the thing. We don’t have to! We get to choose what is important to us. We get to choose if we are going to clean the entire house today or not. We get to choose to be present and attentive to our children. We get to choose to work on a creative project. 

You also get to choose what isn’t a priority to you. 

For me, it isn’t a priority to fold my son’s clothes (baby clothes look just as adorable when they are a bit wrinkly!). It isn’t a priority to have spotless floors every day (we have a German Shepherd…). It isn’t a priority to dust above the door frames daily. 

These things may happen on occasion, but they don’t happen daily. They can’t. We have so much fighting for our attention, and frankly, we are not capable of doing all the things. 

All we can do is choose to faithfully fulfill our duties and prioritize our tasks in the best way we are able, and ask for grace and forgiveness when we fall short. 

So what do you choose?

I choose to intentionally care for my home. To spend time and care and energy on creating healthful food for my family. I choose to nurture and cultivate my relationship with my son and prioritize my marriage with my husband. To grow closer in my relationship with the Lord through studying His Word. I choose to prioritize growing in my creative passions and enjoying the gifts I have been given by God. 

Does any of this mean that I am going to be perfect? That I’m going to thrive in all of these areas every day? NO WAY! 

That also doesn’t mean I am going to be complacent in my stumblings either. 

Just because we aren’t perfect doesn’t mean we should just not do anything. 

Do the things you aren’t good at, the things you fail at. Do them and give yourself grace when you fail. 

But, when you fail, don’t be satisfied with leaving it at that. When you fail to spend time with God in devotion, don’t be satisfied with that. Make a plan and dedicate yourself to improving. When we fail to be kind to our families, we shouldn’t be satisfied with that. We need to ask for forgiveness and change our attitudes. Laundry. Cooking. Cleaning. Parenting. 

All of these things we will fail in. It isn’t a question of if, but when. 

So when you fail, when I fail. We will give ourselves grace, we will ask for forgiveness, and we will determine to change our attitudes and the future of our actions.