giving up on good: I do it all.

We took a short the last two weeks, but I’m so glad we’re back for giving up on good. I’ve been so personally blessed by this series. I feel like every single time someone wants to put my life on a pedestal or I’m tempted to compare my own life to someone else’s – I’m immediately reminded of giving up on good.

Some examples: When I was cooking with my mom & sister on vacation and my mom started lamenting how her salads aren’t ever involved, serious pinterest-like affairs - I was able to say, “Hey! That’s a good you’ve given up on and it works for you!”

Also, I was with some women the other day and they were talking about cute fashionable deals they’d gotten for their kids and I had a deep desire to grab my kids and throw a blanket over their hand-me-down clothes. Instead, I could proudly say, “You know? That’s not really my thing! If it’s yours, go for it! But we love hand me downs!”.

Last week on vacation, when I’d take the kids to the pool – I was surrounded by quite a handful of tight-bodied mamas who look like they spent most mornings in the gym. Instead of feeling threatened by them or ashamed of my body, I remembered that God’s charge on my life is to make my body as healthy as possibly but pursue spiritual discipline ABOVE bodily discipline.

Amazing salads, cutely dressed kids, hot-mama bodies.

All good things. All good things I’ve given up on to pursue the BEST things for my life, which I’m asking the Lord to show me daily.

So I had a thought today that I wanted to share with ya’ll. It’s expounding really on the idea of “giving up on good”, but it’s also a “good” notion that I’m giving up on.

How does she do it all?

Have you asked that about someone else? Has someone asked that about you? Have you wondered it in awe or in bitterness? Have you looked at some other ladies outsides and compared it to you insides and come up short?

I used to struggle through the idea of doing it all. If someone would ask me my thoughts on “how I did it”, I would exasperatedly exclaim “I DON’T!’ and then start listing my laundry list of things I’d given up on. For me, I was so terrified to be exalted, that I quite often just totally threw myself under the bus in exchange for that question. I would and have quite often said something along the lines of “you should see me during the week” or “it’s not all that tidy” or “well, I do this but I don’t do _______, ________, and _______.” What I’m realized is that in dejecting myself, I’m not giving the Lord any glory and I’m not really giving an honest answer.

The truth is: I need to do it all.

I need to do EVERY SINGLE PIECE of what God has given me to do. Well, Christ in me does. To be an honorable daughter of God, wife, mama, friend, community member, business lady – I need to submit my days and my work to Him and ask Him to do every little single shred of it all. But here’s the secret: I don’t have to do an ounce of the things He hasn’t asked me to do. And I need Him to constantly realign me and readjust me and point me on the right path. Sometimes He takes things away and sometimes He add things in. But He doesn’t let me off the hook for the important things because I’ve added some myself.

I have to do it all.

I can’t do any of it.

But Christ in me can.

“Giving up on Good” isn’t a call to laziness and moreover, I think it’s a call to give up on the idea that we as women should do a hundred things halfway.

Ask Him what He wants you to do.

Ask Him by His power to help you.

And do it all – by grace, through faith, with lots of adjustments and help along the way.

And boast in Him when it’s done. 

today, Hayley is taking a break from giving up on good to share

some exciting Influence Conference news!  Hop over there to hear!