Spinning My Wool and Flax

Are you like me in your life? Juggling and struggling? Do you have too may "irons in the fire" as they say? That's a funny saying. So, I had to do my thing and google the phrase to see what it meant exactly.

If there were too many irons in the fire, the blacksmith couldn't keep up with them and he would be labeled inefficient. I don't want to be labeled inefficient. I'm already feel labeled as it is. Basically what it means is we've got too much on our plate. Oh boy, another idiom to decipher. I think we've got the point by now. Some days, maybe months or years, we are all overwhelmed. I know I tend to get that way.

I recently discovered that staying busy and serving others made me feel like I had a purpose and that was very fulfilling. I liked that feeling. Better than feeling useless and empty. So, what's the best answer for that? Pile on more, right? The more I do, the more I will feel productive and useful? The more, the merrier, right? Wrong! The more, the overwhelmed.

Once I discovered serving was so rewarding I stared doing more and more. Visiting and helping those in need, leading a teen girls Bible class and Bible study, starting a new blog (ahem, yes that's what I'm doing now), filling out cards of encouragement, starting an online writing course, and this all added to my regular work duties and household, wifely and motherly duties, school functions, and practices. Whew, I'm tired and feeling a little discouraged and yes, overwhelmed. Overwhelmed to the point that I can't even process where to begin so instead I want to curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb and cry.

I think all of those irons in the fire are ON fire by now have burned up along with my dinner because I'm too busy shuffling my schedule instead of stirring my dinner.

What's the answer? What's the solution? It seems like it's too much or too little. There has to be a happy medium here. I know I don't want to be idle. To this I will reference another idiom. You've heard the old saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". This isn't scripture but it's true and noteworthy. If our hands are not productive doing the Lord's work and His will they will be free to do the devil's work and be prone to sin. I don't want to work for Satan. Let me tell you that's not a "sweat shop" that I want to work in!

There are scriptures that talk about idleness, however. Proverbs 31 speaks of the woman of noble character and specifically in verse 27 it says that she does not eat the bread of idleness. Talk about a woman who had several irons in the fire. This woman knew how to multi-task before multi-tasking was a thing. She's spinning her wool and her flax...at the same time. Maybe that should be the new saying for being overly busy instead of having too many irons in the fire I am "spinning my wool and flax." Not sure why that one

never caught on. That may not go over so well since I, as well as most people don't know what flax even is. But, that's not the point. The point is this woman stayed busy and didn't know what the word idle meant and that wasn't just because she didn't have google to look it up.

She sewed clothing for her household, she rose early to prepare food for her family, she's helping the poor and needy, (I bet she liked that feeling of contentment and hard work too) she makes her own bed spreads, she's making her own garments and sashes and sells them in the market, without Pinterest and Etsy! I'm sure her crafty projects were enough to make the top seller on Etsy envious. She gives instruction with kindness (maybe she's teaching young ladies, as well or the children and servants in her own house). She knew that charm and beauty were deceptive so she probably didn't have her own make-up tutorial on youtube, instead she was busy using her time to buy fields. Not sure about you, but that's not on my to do list today...or any day.

Talk about an overachiever! She was one busy woman! Not anywhere in this passage does it says she is overwhelmed or tired, but I would bet all my irons in the fire that she fought the fatigue, discouragement and despair from time to time, as well.

So, what's the answer, where is this middle ground between idleness and overwhelmed?

Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to be careful how we live, to be wise and make the best of our time and to understand what the will of the Lord is.

Psalm 90:12 is a cry asking God to teach us to number our days to gain a heart of wisdom.

It seems to me that the answer and best solution here is to ask God for wisdom, direction, discernment and guidance. We can find all of this through prayer and God's word.

We can ask friends for advice or to pray for us. In my recent dilemma of feeling overwhelmed I messaged a friend and told her of my despair. I cried out to her and asked her for prayers as I told her of my inability to process all that I had to do and wanted to shut down and do nothing. Her response was that she would pray for me, but not only that she would pray, but also what she would specifically pray about. She told me that she would pray not only for peace and a renewed zeal on my behalf, but also that God would give me some clarity and decisiveness if there were any changes that needed to be made in my involvement. I cherished those wise words that she would take to the Father on my behalf. I needed that wisdom and discernment from God because I had way more than I could handle. I am grateful for a friend who can pray on my behalf and in awe of a God who would answer them accordingly.

Because the thing is we can do too much and get overextended. We can neglect the weightier matters of spending time with of our families or being still before God's presence and heeding his direction.

I want to say a prayer for you also, friend. "It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more , with all knowledge and discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and be pure and blameless for the day of Christ." Philippians 1:9-10

Approve what is excellent, so others can say of you, that not only have you done well, but that you excel them all and your own deeds will publicly declare your praise.

Proverbs 31:29, 31.