“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! -Psalm 46:10

This morning began at 1:15 when my eyes first popped open. At 5:45 when I finally rolled out of bed, my head was throbbing, and I was already behind for the day. Ironically, I just started reading Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, The Best Yes, but at this point I wasn’t certain taking the time to read it was my best yes.

After my feet finally hit the floor, I came downstairs to work on the handout I needed for this morning’s class I was teaching. Rummaging through the pantry, I came up empty as I hunted each shelf for a tea bag that I prayed was there after having spilled the entire box on the top shelf and watching most of them slide through the wire shelving to their various new homes below.

Running on empty, I worked on the handout until the real chaos began. I went upstairs to get Julia out of bed. She didn’t want to get up. I went back down to make her breakfast and lunch. Then the little princess finally came down the stairs, hurling insults at me for disturbing her slumber. She ate as slow as a turtle and then shuffled up the stairs to get ready. When it was time to fix her hair, of course not just any old pony tail holder would do, it had to be Elsa. After more hollering and much rushing, we were out the door.

I raced home to get a shower, where I found a text from my husband, asking me to get the tire voucher signed so we don’t lose out on $600 worth of tires. But, at this point I still had to make peanut butterless brownies for the school bake sale. For the record, I think all school bake sales should be banned forever. I had to take Julia across town to my parents, then drop off the brownies and get fifty loads of laundry done.

When it was time to get dressed, I had nothing to wear, and I was regretting the decision to throw a cami in the dirty laundry because I was too lazy to hang it up in the closet. I gave it the sniff test, decided it passed and threw it on under my cardigan. Out the door I raced, and was late for my class. The coordinator was not happy, and I was a frazzled disaster.

Despite the fact that post-pregnancy incontinence and bouncing across the frontier in an open wagon do not blend, sometimes I feel like I would have been far better off born in the 19^th century where there isn’t this digital demand in one ear, and all the family demands in the other. At best, it’s overwhelming.

My to do list would not be so daunting if it was just today, but somehow the schedule fills up like this every day, and nothing is a priority because everything is. One by one, all the balls come crashing down out of the air, and I become late and undependable.

So, I quit. And I want you to as well.

I am formally handing in my resignation to anything that depletes me to the point I can no longer meet my family’s needs or deadens the sound of God’s whisper to my soul, and I am going to let Him decide what steps I will take. I don’t need to volunteer for two categories at the school fall festival when one will do. I don’t need to spend time figuring out the quickest route in Google Maps between activities because I have over scheduled our day. You don’t either.

Haven’t you noticed that when women finally do find the time to sit down together, each person is immediately compelled to talk about her hectic day? As if the other person would think you’re lazy for not having four thousand things on your proverbial to do list. It’s a competition to see who was the busiest and who is the most depleted. It’s crazy.

I cannot hear God over the noise of my schedule. Right now, I know He has called me to take care of my family, work part time, blog, and start this new ministry. That’s essentially it. I’m the one who decided baking a ton of brownies and trolling the internet for the best deal on a pair of new shoes was the best use of my time.

Every minute we spend unwisely is one less minute we have to make the right difference in the lives of others for God’s glory. For the next three weeks, I am committing to getting up one hour earlier each day than I have to, and spending that time with God. I will ask Him to guide all my decisions and show me how He wants me to use my time. My goal is to make this a permanent change, but I refuse to overwhelm myself by immediately setting the bar so high.

I challenge you to do the same. If you go to bed exhausted and wake up tired, something is seriously wrong. Quit wearing yourself out to the point that you only have a fraction left of who God meant you to be. I will finish Lysa’s book. I’m determined to learn how to give my best yes. Give it up sister! I’m off to make brownies. Just this once. After I go buy butter.