Five Minute Friday: BALANCE?!

Today's Five Minute Friday prompt is one I have wrestled with for years.

I have concluded: looking for, pursuing and seeking BALANCE is a waste of time.

I've spent more time trying to do that than being present. In life. What I've found in trying to find BALANCE is I spend more time wondering/worrying if something I'm doing or not doing is the right thing. Spending time trying to find BALANCE is like standing in the middle of a teeter totter while kids, church, school, dog, neighbors, friends, family and whoever else, jump on and off of either side randomly and with varying intensity. That is not a wise place to stand, as far as I'm concerned.

Snagged this from Google

I'd rather be on one side, adjusting as needed to the ups and downs as they come, being fully present in what is - which I believe is way more valuable and effective not only for my heart and mind but for the people around me.

And then there's this...

“I can confidently say that stories of pain and courage almost always include two things: praying and cussing. Sometimes at the exact same time.” ― Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

This book changed me. It gave me permission to do exactly what I wrote above. My faith was strengthened, my trust in who God created me to be and what He built me to say was reinforced so I can be fully present, regardless of what happens, making the need for BALANCE irrelevant.

WHO is Perfect?

WHO do you give yourself permission to be? Do you have to be perfect or do you feel guilty if you aren't?

WHO do you give the people around you permission to be? Do you allow the people around you to be imperfect or do you demand perfection?

The Five Minute Friday prompt this week is WHO

I want to do this -->

I want to intentionally express to the people around me, starting in my home, they are LOVED and they BELONG.

They don't have to do "it" right. They don't have to "be" anything in particular.And they never have to be perfect to be in relationship with me.

WHO do you value?
How do you communicate that to them?
Do they feel like they belong in your presence?
If they do, how do you know?
If they don't, how do you know?

The book I've listened to twice because it was so incredibly insightful, was Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene' Brown. Read it. It's fantastic! Encouraging in this day and age where so many are trying to prove they matter.