My Spiritual Journey to Having it All...

“Having it all”, isn’t that what every woman wants? It bodes the question, is it possible to have it all? The answer is a resounding yes. However, it all comes down to how we determine just what “it all” is.

The Virtuous woman outlined in Proverbs 31, gives us a clue in on this idea of having it all. I remember thinking, and hearing other women express that the Virtuous woman standard is an impossibility for everyday women. This woman took exceptional care of her household, her husband, used her hands to bring income into her household, worshipping the Lord all the while. Sure, we wanna be like the Virtuous woman, but can we be?

In this day in age, we women struggle to balance it all. We are working, raising children, trying to stay fit and healthy, going to school, starting businesses, being active in ministry, cultivating our relationships with the Lord, investing in our marriages and friendships, and trying to keep our households together. Sometimes it seems that there is just too much to do and so little time.
I am a divorced mother of four school aged children. There is no question that mothering is in and of itself hard-work, but in addition to that, I am a full time law student, I work nights on a per-diem basis, have a home to maintain, bills to pay, I manage to maintain some sort of social life with my girlfriends, and an occasional date. I am very active in my church, and like to shop. I work out when I can, but not enough. I love to cook, and do just about every day of the week. To be honest, sometimes it all is so overwhelming that it leaves me slumped over the sink with tears splashing into the soapy dish water below me. It’s in moments like these that I hear the reassuring voice within me, the Spirit of God reminding that I can have it all, I can do it all but only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

You know, it has to be the truth because every time someone says to me, “Girl I don’t know how you do it.” I think, “I don’t know how either”. It has to be divine. More times than not, I don’t have enough money to pay all of my bills but I still have a home with electricity and running water. I don’t always feel like cooking dinner, helping with homework, and then doing my own. I don’t always wanna hear kids jumping and running through the house. Yet, I’ve been able to develop remarkable ways to keep stress low, feed my family, and stay current on my schoolwork. When I try to make sense of it all, I can’t except to say that the Lord has provided, He’s made a way out of no way, and the Spirit of God has empowered me beyond what is physically, perhaps even humanly possible.

The truth is, you and I cannot have it all…in our own power, but when we surrender to the power of God we’ll be surprised what we can achieve.

Perspective is significant to having it all. We must consider, how is “having it all” measured? Is it by the assets that we own? The amount of money that we have amassed? Is it the prestige ascribed by others? Or is it by the small things in life? Perhaps it’s that I’ve been homeless and have had the misfortune of living between cars, motels, and other people’s homes, that makes me so grateful. Whatever it is, I am certain that gratefulness is primary in “having it all.” I have it all because every little blessing is huge to me. I bestow love and concern on my precious children, family and friends because I am grateful for them, for their lives and their health and strength. I care for my house, because I see it as a gift. Reading my cases for school is important because the opportunity to pursue my dream in law school is a privilege.
Similarly, by being grateful, by counting my blessings it helps me to put life in perspective. I don’t have to have a whole lot of money in my bank account, I don’t have to have the newest coach bag, or even a salon pedicure to have it all. It doesn’t matter so much if my laundry room doesn’t look exactly like one out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. When I go to Wal-Mart and leave with a cart full of pillows and candles, sheets, paper-plates, hi-c, socks and laundry detergent, I smile to myself and think, I have it all!

In this New Year ladies, here is our challenge: To seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things, the Word promises, will be added into our lives. Just think, doesn’t this promise simplify the conquest of “having it all”? You may be wondering, “How do I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?” Well, the answer is to change your perspective by prioritizing, what I call, “quiet time” with God. We must spend time reading the Bible and praying in earnest daily. It is not easy to keep this focus, but it is possible and with it comes the promise that “all these things” we spin our wheels in pursuit of, will be added unto us. It is in studying the Word and conversing with the Lord in prayer that we discover the right way to go and the paths to avoid: the overall direction for our lives.

Resolutions are generally made to be broken, but if we must make resolutions, let’s resolve to seek the kingdom of God with our whole hearts, to read the word, to pray, to tithe, to find a church home and to be active in it, and then to trust that the promises of God are “Yes and Amen”, and you will be amazed how blessed your life is. As you go on about pursuing the abundant life, remember that perfection is not attainable although we aim towards it, and with a little bit of perspective and the power of the Holy Spirit, you won’t have to labor to “have it all,” you just might realize that you’ve had it all along.