Christy knelt by her beside with the intention to pray, but her mind kept wondering from one task to the other. She was encumbered with thoughts of the tasks she had neglected and those she needed to attend to urgently. Suddenly snapping out of her thoughts, she recalled that she had intended to pray. She sighed heavily and Began to talk to God brokenly "Dear lord, I'm sorry for allowing my thoughts to wander. I really think I'm loosing it this time. You have placed so much in my hands, but I don't seem to be measuring up. I can't seem to get things done, lord....... I feel like a failure ...... Please, help me........"
As a wife, a mother of four, a Christian worker, and a banker, Christy had started out with a grim determination to juggle the responsibilities of family life, church activities and full-time job, and to live a balanced life. She did manage to achieve the feat early in her marriage, but as her family began to grow, and she had longer working hours because of her rapid advancement in the bank, she began to fail in some of her responsibilities. Her husband complained subtly she wasn't giving enough attention to her family, her pastor chided her for not showing commitment in following up new converts, and her boss would have none of her excuses for not completing her daily routine.
Standing up, she tried to shake off the feelings of frustration and depression. Maybe I need to talk to somebody, she thought aloud, trying hard not to cry, just then, the doorbell rang. As she moved towards the living room to find out who was at the door, her husband, ben, was already admitting Mrs Dorothy into the house. Dorothy was a sweet old woman in her local church, who seemed to endear everyone to herself. Everyone saw her as an epitome of a real Christian mother. The sight of Dorothy would usually lift Christy's spirit, but her depression had a strong hold on her.
As she walked into the living room, Dorothy and Ben noticed the pain expression on her face. They stopped chatting and watch her sat on the sofa, "Are you okay my love? " Ben asked, moving closer to sit with her. Dorothy was supprised to see Christy this way, because she had always known her to boisterous. Besides, she hadn't seen her in church for some weeks.
Sobbing quietly, Christy burst, " I have had it! I need a break! Flabbergasted at her outburst of emotion, Ben and Dorothy looked at each other.
"You need a break from what? " Ben asked " I don't get it.
Still sobbing, she replied I need a break from everything , work , family responsibilities, domestic chores, church activities in can't juggle them all. I can't meet everyone's expectations" she suddenly got up and began to pace round the room, muttering, " I need to get away for a while: I need a break....... I need to relax and unwind " she soon stopped pacing, and stood at the window, staring outside.
Ben was at a loss of words, in their eight years of marriage, he he had not seen his wife so depressed, nor heard such outrageous outburst from her . He just sat on the sofa and stared at her in wonderment. Dorothy , with a knowing smile, motioned her to sit beside her. " Do you really want to unwind, or you just want to run away from all the responsibilities and expectations?" She asked . Christy arched her eyebrows in surprise at her question. " Listen my dear, running away will not make those responsibilities go awqy. They'll be right here waiting for you when you get back. Now, don't get me wrong. It's okay to take time off so you can plan how to juggle your increasing responsibilities , and keep a balance in your life. But what's not okay is to shrink from those responsibilities out of frustration. Have you forgotten the virtuous woman in proverbs 31, she juggled all these responsibilities.she was a Christian, a business owner, yet she shines as a bright beacon .
At this point Christy spoke up "Ma'am, the story of the proverbs 31 woman is beginning to sound like a fairy tale to me, come on, you are a woman like me. Is it possible to juggle the Christian life, home life, community life, career and other responsibilities as a woman? I mean you are the cook, your children's teacher, the family nurse, the home maker, your husband's help matr, a successful career or businessperson all at the same time. How is that possible in this modern time ? The truth is, I don't think I can do this ".
So Dorothy continue to convince her that she is a woman and she can combine all this responsibilities together and still leave her Normal life style as a woman I believe we have a lot of challenges on our path as a lady and also want to use the opportunity to plead with the men to always assist their wife. In carrying out most the responsibilities at home so that it won't be too much for them. Thanks for your time I really appreciate my family on this great platform you are all wonderful.
Sometimes, not all that surrounds us don't understand our value. We also face a lot of frustration because we faced a lot of responsibilities. I hope they can also realized that.