There's Too Much On My Plate, But I Hate Leaving Left-overs.

When I went to Summit a couple years ago I remember one thing jumping out to me and me thinking, "This doesn't apply to my life and never will because I'm good at doing too much at once and keeping at it."

I brag about my multi-tasking skills. 

I believe it was Jeff Meyers that said, "There will come a time in your life where you have too much on your plate. And either you will have to take stuff off - or God will."

"No,” I thought. “This is a good conference. But these words don't apply to me. You see I'm the person that likes having too full of a plate - I thrive on stress, on chaos, on doing too much!"

Oh, I also hate waste.

Literal plate: always wiped clean. Others' leftovers: could end up being on my plate. It's not that I love food. But I just can not stand waste.

Anyways, fast-forward to the future (or rather now).

"Empty your plate, or God will."

No kidding, Meyers, God has been doing just that.

With both the literal and the  figurative plates in my life - I have watched so much slip away.

Mostly, it seems I am watching frustrations and stress slip away. Bonus, you say?

              

Well, yeah... but it came in the forms of me selling my goats, prioritizing friendships, resigning my nanny job, taking less time to do other things so I can write more, sleeping more, doing less, saying no (I want to say yes to every impossible job!), and just doing less.

Don't get me wrong, I still do a ton. But I am more focused on a couple things instead of everywhere.

I plan my traveling more carefully so that I don't spend as much, go to as many places, or even pack as much.

I plan my life so it isn't so all over the place with hobbies, jobs, animals, and people.

I plan my future so I am focused on my jobs (now) and my writing (future). No other things matter right now (the present may be dead...)

I focus on one person at a time, so that way I can be the friend God wants me to be to everyone.

I don't even finish everything on my literal plate anymore. Waste still bothers me, but I've learned that there's more than one way to look at it - (waste or waist ;p) Haha,

Seriously, when going to places we children had been taught to try a little of everything (not to offend). I still did that up until recently. But I've discovered people really don't care if you eat everything.

Try what needs to be tried. Eat to be satisfied. But you don't have to get too much. And you don't have to finish it all ;p Though, I do say, I'm more careful with just getting less instead of leaving waste.

That still feels wrong.

It's funny how the literal and figurative overlap.

So much to do. So little space or time. 

And what with and how to fill that plate?? Which is pretty small, I've found ;)

This may be a weird post... I'm not really sure where I'm going with it.

Just that lately as so many things have been taken from me, and even as I've had to just do less because I mentally can't handle more Jeff Meyers words have resounded into my mind once more.

"Empty your plate, or God will."

Yes, I'm learning. It's obvious I'm doing certain things better than before. But it's only because God had to teach me first - by upsetting the whole plate, and me having to dig through the mess on the floor seeing all of it for the first time and needing to decide, "What's really worth putting back on?"

Especially after it all felt completely ruined after being turned upside down.

Of course you could be one of those that God is still calling, "Do more!" 

But I feel all of us might need a break... and realize that doing more might be doing a lot less so that way God has room to do His stuff. 

The thing is, He's going to do His stuff anyways... it just might be a little less messy if you don't have your junk (priorities) in the way.

Is it just me - or do some of y'all struggle with plates that are just way too full of your dreams?