I had an enlightening conversation today with a friend who is currently juggling work, school, motherhood and several big life decisions. This talk by Elder Faust came up in our conversation. You are already great women in my eyes, but seeing as some of you also juggle children, careers, etc., I thought I'd share this link in hopes it might bring you good cheer!
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/
"...you cannot do everything well at the same time. You cannot be a 100 percent wife, a 100 percent mother, a 100 percent church worker, a 100 percent career person, and a 100 percent public-service person at the same time. How can all of these roles be coordinated? Says Sarah Davidson: “The only answer I come up with is that you can have it sequentially. At one stage you may emphasize career, and at another marriage and nurturing young children, and at any point you will be aware of what is missing. If you are lucky, you will be able to fit everything in. Doing things sequentially—filling roles one at a time at different times—is not always possible, as we know, but it gives a woman the opportunity to do each thing well in its time and to fill a variety of roles in her life. The Book of Ecclesiastes says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Kat
2 comments:
Kat. Thank you so much for this talk! I have been struggling for months with the decision of whether to go back to work - I have two young children and worked as a labor and delivery nurse before my second was born. I'm excited to read this talk because I think it will help me make a good choice. I think it's true that as women, we can have it all - just not all at once.
:)
Kat, I love this thought. Sometimes I find myself sketching scenario after scenario of how the next decades will play out, particularly the balancing of family, PhD and teaching. Or since I moved back to Israel I've had to realize that, wow, I'm in a different stage of life that doesn't involve spur of the moment travel like I'm used to - in fact, this stage primarily consists of the same schedule of reading, writing, cooking and cleaning, haha. For a while I was complaining to myself that maybe something was wrong in my life, but I finally realized it was because I was yearning to fulfill desires that simply weren't in season. As much as I love raspberries, when they're out of season they're either simply unavailable or else they demand an extremely high price. It's been helpful to realize that if I am humble enough to prioritize my life according to the guidance of the spirit (emphasis on humility and emphasis on seeking and following personal revelation), I'll be enlightened to understand when and how I ought to invest in particular areas in order to be most productive (as in producing-ive, creative), most happy, and a better servant for God.
As a side note, I often need to remember that my seasons are not dictated according to the seasons of other women. From time to time I have to remind myself that just because some women are married at age x, have x amount of children in x amount of years, spend their time on x, y, and z - my choices are informed only by the needs of me and my family alone and by my personal relationship with God.
Thanks for raising this topic Kat! - I love how realistic and hopeful the metaphor of seasons is!
Post a Comment