Welcome to day 22 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life.  You can find all the posts indexed here.

You know those days when you finally fall into bed and realize you were busy all day but you can’t really think of anything you actually accomplished? Yeah, me neither. {If only there was a sarcasm font for that last sentence!}

Yesterday I was talking to Scott about our schedule for the next few days and I said, “Basically, we’re busy until Casiday’s birthday in February.”  We both chuckled in that way you do when you know it’s true and you really want to cry but it wouldn’t help so you just sort of try to laugh as if that will make it not so true.

Mid-October through mid-February are, for the most part, insane for us. It’s mostly good stuff … but sometimes too much good stuff can even feel overwhelming. I don’t buy the 18-month calendars because by the time I finish writing in all the church stuff, family stuff, holiday stuff, cheerleading stuff, volunteering stuff, and just life stuff for November and December, I’m pretty sure I’d fall apart if I had to turn the page and see January’s pages filled up with all the basketball games. {Y’all, basketball … 3 and 4 nights a week of cheering 2 or 3 games a night = a lot of time in gyms.}

In that same conversation with Scott yesterday I told him I had supper ready for last night when we got home from church. In fact, I said, “I’ve had supper ready two nights in a row! I’m a superstar!” {We had a major dramatic production at our church earlier in the week so we were not getting home  from that until around 10 every night.}

Amazing how low the bar gets set sometimes … like when pulling out a frozen container of chicken stew counts as preparing a meal!

But it’s life. And while yours may not look just like mine, I’m guessing you know about weeks like I’m in right now.

When I look at the laundry {washed and dried but sitting in baskets on tables and chairs waiting to be folded and put away} and I realize I have only washed my hair once in the past week and I went to my 5 a.m HIIT class on Wednesday morning only to come home and go back to sleep until time to take my girl to school at 7:20 … well, let’s just say, I have this acute awareness of how much I’m not getting done. How many areas of my life are being ignored would make many of you feel much better about the state of your life, I’m sure!

This is the thing … I can’t do it all. And I especially can’t do it all when I’m exhausted.  But here’s the even better thing … I don’t have to do it all! And neither do you!

God created us to be needy and dependent.  He intended for us to know our inadequacies and weaknesses. Why? Because He longs for us to depend entirely on Him.

I can’t do it all right now.  But the truth is, even in the calmer seasons of life, I can’t do it all.

I can't do it all. Neither can you. And guess what? We were never intended to do it all! #StandOut Share on X

Maybe you’re in one of those seasons right now, where you just feel overwhelmed and exhausted and so totally not enough. I get it! What if we just grab each other’s hands and say, “I can’t do it all … and I wasn’t made to be able to do it all.” And let’s lean into the Lord and His strength. Since I’m just at the beginning of this crazy season, I found a couple of verses to point me back to the truth when I start to feel discouraged. For example,

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  Psalm 28:7

In my inability and exhaustion, He is there and He is my strength.  Isn’t that an awesome reminder!  And then this one, from one of my favorite books in the Bible,

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Let’s just all take a deep breath and lean into the Lord. Sound good?

xo,

Teri Lynne