I Don’t Know How You Do it All
/“How do you do it all?” is the number one question that I get. People look at me with genuine interest in my answer. I typically give a brief answer that varies around a central theme: God.
My children like to tell me that one question is not an invitation for a lecture. I keep it light but give honor to where my hope comes from. The latest iteration was this “God says with Him all things are possible; I have asked him to show me how.” The curious thing is this. Any explanation I have offered, the response so far has been the same. “I don’t know how you do it “
Pastor Mark talks about humility like this “ It is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of your self less.” There is a thing called false humility. I make the assumption that people know enough about me and ask me from that context. Still, I get this questions from friends and strangers alike, but the response is the same. “I don’t know how you do it”
This is my attempt at a more thorough explanation. One theory is that the response is a call for more information. ( I’ll explain another theory another time)
I am third born of six children. I was a scholar and a three sport athlete through high school. I was a part of the one percent of high school athletes that continue on and play collegiate sports. More specifically, I was a Division 1 student- athlete. I balanced my athletics with a neuroscience major. I was invited to tryout for the Olympics and that is where my volleyball career ended until my daughter, Alivia started playing. I believe my career was- so she can be. At Pastor Mark calls it “ a dream within a dream.” I want my ceiling to be her floor. She has access to it, but only if she wants it.
I am no stranger to hard work! I know how to get things done! I eat busy for breakfast. I imagine that is what people want to hear, but I have had to unlearn my work ethic to gain access to the fullness of what God has for me in this season. While I could point to my work ethic, I believe much of my early success was elevated by my mom’s faith and prayers. In 2022, I was chosen for an honor from the Patriot League and Colgate University. Posthumously, I recognized my mom. For the first time ever, I would stand on a Colgate stage being recognized without my mom’s physical presence, but she was in my heart. I have access to faith and prayers, but only if I wanted it. It wasn’t until my mom passed away that I came into this knowing. I felt the spiritual void of her prayers ending. It is this revelation that gave me the tools to pivot from raising two children to four children. It wasn’t all on my shoulders. I had access to the endless resources of my heavenly father.
I ask God all sorts of questions and He answers me. Over the past five years, I have been seeking God and learning to receive all that he has already freely given. I am raising four children while working full time in emergency medicine. My children are athletes and play club sports. In addition to writing, I invest in people through entrepreneurial projects. Still, I hope for more. I have been through some stuff, but God has made me a multifaceted, creative, and inquisitive person with a competitive edge. I want to live in the fullness of everything Jesus Christ died to give me (us). I refuse to allow the dreams He has planted in my heart to be limited by my thinking. He says that he is able to do immeasurable more that all I can ask, think, or imagine. Ok , God! Do I hear a challenge? Game on! I believe I have all the time to do exactly what God needs me to do. Every day, I am learning to hear his voice, know his heart better, and he is ordering my steps.
We all have the ability to hear from God and it is necessary that we do. Of all the infinite possibilities, we each are unique and have a special gift to give to the world that we have been predestined. We have been prepared for good works in advance. Through Jesus Christ we can have an interactive and experiential relationship with the Alpha and Omega to reveal our potential. It is an open invitation and one of the many gifts he freely gives.
As a family, we are meditating on this scripture. As my children ask me for things, I am asking if they sought God.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
God promises that his word does not return void.
I am learning to thrive in increasingly complex situations.