As wives and mothers, our plates are generally already overflowing. In my world I am a homeschooling mom of 3, a home maker even though I am not home all the time I am still the one who takes on the majority of the household needs, an office manager of our company which includes everything because we don't have any other employees, an electrician's helper because the hubby needs someone with him at jobs to help which some weeks especially in the summer time is a full time job, a chicken keeper, a dog mom, a cat mom, and a volunteer at our church. I'm sure theres more that could be added but thats what comes to my head currently about what is on my plate. My plate is overflowing all the time. Since I'm also the person that people can count on, that plates gets things added to it randomly from others too.
All this "stuff" on one's plates can weigh them down and pretty much break them. I break quite often, usually alone though. I tape myself together again each time while trying to not let others see that I have broken. Sometimes are harder to hide then others because on those really broken days my teeth tend to show and growls come out of me by reflex. When that happens I find myself craving a way to control my emotion so that I don't take my brokeness out on someone undeserving.
What is your response as more things get added? Mine varies.... I am not a perfect woman but I am trying to work on it. My usual response when my husband decides to do a random project in the middle of catch up day my response is annoyance and anger. I need to learn I can say no firmly without saying it in anger. Does he know he's causing me to burnt out and break into pieces, possibly not. He thinks I am super woman and can do all.
While I would love to change him to fit my wants and needs, that just isn't how it works. So what needs to be done is I need to change me. I don't want to just lay down and keep taking the overloading but I do need to learn to react in a better way. I heard one time someone saying we all have a baseline, which is the level of emotion that is our standard and the higher the baseline is the less fluctuation there will be when the circumstances are not the best.
So how do we get that baseline up? We work on ourselves and our level of content with the hand we are dealt. Let's read what Paul says in Philippians 4: 10-13, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Paul learned that he needed to learn to be content himself in every situation. We must do the same. No matter where we are at in life, if we are content our reactions to life will be different.
What are some ways you can think of to bring your baseline level up?
-Jessica
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