Creating a Family Schedule that Works for You: Pt. 2

You Can Do This!

Imagine with me…..

You arrive somewhere ten minutes early.  Since you have plenty of time, you can carefully hang the kids coats up (or patiently instruct them to do so).  You can casually walk to the event, and find a good seat where all of you can actually sit together.  Since you arrived early, you feel much more calm and patient than you usually do when you are hurried.  The kids notice it too, and they seem to also be more calm and patient (at least for a while).

Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?  

I agree.  The thing is, I struggle with the same thing.  We have ended up late for more things in the last few months than I care to mention.  In fact, I am just now sending out our Christmas cards if that gives you any idea.  But before this self-induced craziness hit our household, we had were following a family schedule and our lives were peppered with experiences like I explained above.  It. was. very. nice.  I would like to have all kinds of excuses for the last few months of chaos – four kids under 8, three boys, we live far away from wherever we are going, we are usually waiting on someone else, yada yada yada.  There really are a lot of "culturally acceptable" excuses. But if I am really honest with myself, it isn't the fact that I have three boys, or four kids under eight, or …….  it is really just poor planning and poor execution.  I know it first hand.

I wrote this post at the beginning of last fall about our family schedule and how when I follow it I have much more joy and peace.  It is so so so so true.  Unfortunately, I let that schedule slide completely out of our lives the last few months of the year.  Feelings of frustration, being overwhelmed, and generally defeated followed.  I know you're saying to yourself that it really can't be all due to leaving a schedule, and there may be other small aspects of it, but the truth is that scripture tells us how self-discipline and order came first from God, and are good great things for our benefit.  When we leave those things, no wonder our lives get less productive – and less joyful.

So I am taking back the time and putting our train back on track.  I hope you will join me in the journey!  We are going to create a family schedule that works for our family, and put it into practice.  We are going to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity!

Ephesians 5:15-16 
Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Join me in prayer over the next few days that the Lord will give you wisdom in this planning.  That he will reveal to you the over-arching, most-important needs of your family and give you a heart that wants to pursue order and self-discipline.

Proverbs 16:3 
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.