Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
    • Created for Communion
  • Contact

What everyday balance really looks like

December 7, 2018 by Kristin 6 Comments

Yesterday was one of those days I was out and about the whole time my kids were in school. I took care of a couple of things for myself, lunched with a friend whose story overlaps my own in many ways, walked with another friend who is honest and real, and addressed some Christmas cards in the grocery store parking lot because I had some extra time after I ran in for a few things.

It was a soul-filling day for my 63% extroverted self.

Today I met my best friend for a morning walk – reminiscent of what we used to d0 before our kids starting growing up and she went back to work full time. And I don’t have much else planned today until the same friend and her family come over for dinner and Settlers of Catan.

I also anticipate being at home, working at a slower pace through my to-do list, will be good for my soul.

I don’t believe balance truly can be achieved, but I believe we can recognize no two days are truly the same and find some balance in that. Balance can be defined as “an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.”

While I was driving around town yesterday, I listened to Banning Liebscher on Annie Downs’ That Sounds Fun podcast. I had to jot something down when I got to a red light because I want to let it sink in my soul: “We have to slow down a little bit and be okay without constantly amazing people with some new something that he showed me or did with me or I’m trying to blow you away with this revelation or this funny thing. Let God do something with your life.”

Let God do something with your real, unbalanced life – and then we’ll find the only balance that matters because God is actually bearing the weight to keep us upright and steady.

*****

I actually started mentally writing this post in my head last night, so it’s fitting the Five Minute Friday prompt is BALANCE. I’m linking up with the FMF crew. Join us as we set the timer for five minutes and just write.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Five Minute Friday Tagged With: life, motherhood, quotes

Comments

  1. Vicki Johnson says

    December 7, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    “…the only balance that matters because God is actually bearing the weight to keep us upright and steady.” Yes! thank you for writing this post.
    It is good to hear another person say what I’ve been thinking. 😉
    I don’t have to wrestle with trying to be an Instagram phenom or a writing whiz. I need to keep my center focus on Jesus.
    I’m your FMF neighbor at #19.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 7, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      I’m glad you be encouraged with this post, Vicki! Thanks for being here.

      Reply
  2. ~Karrilee~ says

    December 8, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Oh, I love this, friend! (And I listened to that podcast with Banning and Annie, too! So good!)

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 10, 2018 at 7:54 am

      Thanks, Karrilee! I’m glad to see you here.

      Reply
  3. Tara says

    December 8, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    That’s a great quote. I’ll have to listen to that podcast episode.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 10, 2018 at 7:54 am

      I didn’t know who Banning was before, but I really enjoyed the episode. Hope you do too!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Happy birthday, Ben!
  • Favorite Christmas Gift Ideas
  • How to teach kids to take care of home
  • Shadows at Dusk
  • Fighting For the Soul of Your Child

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

DAY 5: SOMETHING THAT WAS A CHALLENGE for @anchore DAY 5: SOMETHING THAT WAS A CHALLENGE for @anchoredwomen's Reflect & Refresh Challenge

(Yes, I know, I went quiet there for a few days. I'm back!) 

I love having older kids, but our family encountered a challenge this year for one child as adoption trauma, genetics, hormones, school stress, and medicine side effects collided for a perfect storm of mental health challenges. We’re still sorting through it all, waiting for an appointment that we hope brings direction for the next steps, and taking it one day at a time. 

We are forever grateful for our everyday friends who have walked alongside us so well. This challenge has interrupted many things, but we’ve also learned a lot about ourselves. One of the greatest joys is knowing my three kids with different personalities and preferences as individuals, and this challenge has magnified that and reminded me how blessed we are, even on the hard days. 

#bettertogether #friends #friendship #momlife #reallife #adoptionislove #adoption #teenagers #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #faithlife
We had the best time cheering for our varsity girl We had the best time cheering for our varsity girls at the KCAA Holiday Classic in Independence, KY, on Friday and Saturday. And our girls brought home the first place trophy after an exciting, intense 53-51 overtime win against Oak Ridge Christian Academy last night. 

Cate was named to the all-tournament team and had her most-ever 19 points (and two chipped teeth!) in the championship game. I’m so proud of her and her friends. And to think she hadn’t played organized basketball until four years ago. In fact, @ncca.lions girls played in its first game four years ago yesterday. Look how far they’ve come!

Here’s to such a fun 4-0 start to the Lions fifth season of girls basketball. Go Cate! And go Lions! 💛

#basketballseason #highschool #momlife #weekending #documentlife #thisis16
DAY 4: SOMETHING THAT WENT REALLY WELL for @anchor DAY 4: SOMETHING THAT WENT REALLY WELL for @anchoredwomen's Reflect & Refresh Challenge

Spring Break 2023 was the first time we vacationed with friends. We all boarded Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for a week of sunshine and fun. It was such a great time – so much so we hope to do another cruise with the same friends sooner rather than later.

#reflectandrefresh2023 #newyear #reflections #bettertogether #favoritethings
DAY 3: ONE BOOK THAT IMPACTED YOUR YEAR for @ancho DAY 3: ONE BOOK THAT IMPACTED YOUR YEAR for @anchoredwomen's Reflect and Refresh Challenge

“The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Restless Age” by @mrdanielgrothe . I posted about this book before, but I read it on a whim after hearing someone reference its theme on a podcast. And I loved it so much. It echoed so much of what God has been teaching me in my small-town life. The tenth chapter — Stability in Friendship — is basically a summary of my book, “Created for Communion.”

I don’t read a ton of non-fiction, but when I do the messages tend to matter in my life, and this book is no exception. “The Power of Place” is one that will encourage me for many days to come. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #bookshelf #bookstack #books #bookreview #bookstagrammer #booklover #bookblogger #socialmediachallenge #CreatedForCommunion #holyfriendships #bettertogether
DAY 2: BEST NEW DISCOVERY as part of @anchoredwome DAY 2: BEST NEW DISCOVERY as part of @anchoredwomen's Reflect & Refresh Challenge

I love to haul around a sort of big bag (aka purse) so I can have all the things with me in the car, but I don’t want to haul that bag into stores or short errands. I had a Lululemon crossbody bag that was about the size of a fanny bag that I really loved, but it was pale pink and always looked dirty. This year I discovered an off-brand crossbody bag on Amazon that is even better than the Lululemon AND IT’S $20. And it’s so easy to just throw in my big bad when I don’t have it slung over my shoulder.

https://amzn.to/3sSWwHa

You’re welcome!

🎁 If you're looking for other gift ideas, I put together a list of some of my favorite things, including this handy bag! bit.ly/KHTgiftideas

#reflectandrefresh #socialmediachallenge #favoritethings #reflectandrefresh2023 #giftideas #bestbag #linkinbio
DAY 1: ONE THING YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR Is it chea DAY 1: ONE THING YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR

Is it cheating if I say I’m grateful for my own book?! I don’t say that in a conceited way, but I say it because the book – the actual pages and the process – really sums up what I’m grateful for this year. 

The longer answer is this: My community of people is among the greatest blessings in my life, and I’ve seen that so clearly this year. 

I had the idea to write a book about biblical friendship. I had no idea I’d love the process of studying friends in the Bible as much as I did. God was so good to keep leading me to different stories and truth. Sermons echoed what I was learning. My real-life friendships were enhanced and I became keenly aware of the importance of friendship – both with God and others – in my own life. 

My dear friends & pastor Katie & Kory Cunningham wrote the foreword, Mandy Roberson and her fantastic team at @marketrefinedmedia helped bring my book to a beautiful reality, and so many friends shared their stories in the pages. The whole researching, writing, and publishing experience was wonderful. 

Since I published “Created for Communion” in September, I’ve been in the trenches of a dear friendship in my life shifting in ways that are both part of life and hard to accept. My teenagers have walked through their own friendship tensions. And our family has been in a hard season this fall that I haven’t been able to share publicly yet those in our everyday life know details and have walked alongside us so beautifully. 

In a year of changes and shifts, I’m grateful not to be alone and see the goodness of God. 

I’m joining Kayse Pratt from @anchoredwomen for this annual Reflect & Refresh Challenge. Yes, I’m a day late, and that about sums up my life these days.

#reflectandrefresh2023 #reflectandrefresh #newyear #socialmediachallenge #reallife #bettertogether #authorlife #CreatedForCommunion #friendship #holyfriendship #author #book #bookstagram #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #linkinbio
A few weeks ago, I learned I’m allergic to trees A few weeks ago, I learned I’m allergic to trees, grasses, weeds, dust mites, mold, cats, and dogs. No wonder I always feel like I have unnecessary fluid sitting in my ears! So today I started allergy shots. Here’s to hoping it helps! 

#allergies #allergyshots #countryliving #reallife #thisis44
‘Tis the season for @sophie_cousens, apparently. ‘Tis the season for @sophie_cousens, apparently. Scroll to see how @timehop reminded me today. 

I finished her newest book, “The Good Part,” last night. I read it in a couple of days — so that tells you how I felt about it. 

I don’t usually like stories that have time travel or leaps, but this book worked well with its “13 Going on 30” vibes. 

Perhaps it’s my age (44), but I remember being a teenager and young adult just wanting to get to the good part of life. Of course, since then I’ve walked through trials and griefs of many kinds. Would I want to skip them? Of course! But I also know those struggles and challenges have shaped me. 

Anyway, back to the book. I loved the characters & their relationships with one another, especially the friendships that spanned all the parts of life. 

Obviously, I recommend all of @sophie_cousens’ books.

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #bookreviews #books #weekending #favoritethings #timehop
Thanksgiving Break was good for my soul. I liked b Thanksgiving Break was good for my soul. I liked being away for a few days and then still having a weekend at home. 

“Counting My Blessings” by @seph_schlueter has been an anchor for me and on repeat around here lately: 

🎶 … One, two, three / Up to infinity / I'd run out of numbers / Before I could thank You for everything / God, I'm still counting my blessings / All that You've done in my life / The more that I look in the details / The more of Your goodness I find / Father on this side of Heaven / I know that I'll run out of time / But I will keep counting my blessings / Knowing I can't count that high … 🎶

I want to count some blessings before regular life resumes tomorrow:

📚 I enjoyed selling some of my books at @hopethatbinds’ bazaar with Cate by my side. We’re already brainstorming ways to make our table even better next year. 
🔥 We were invited for soup and s’mores by friends who rented a lake house for Thanksgiving. Sharing about real life stuff with familiar friends was so good for me. 
💛 Our pastors at @hardinbaptistchurch started a new series through Ruth and the first sermon was so good. 
🎉 We celebrated my boy turning 14 all week, including with a birthday lunch today at Gran-Gran’s house?

What blessings are you counting? 

#thanksgiving #givingthanks #choosingJOY #documentlife #reallife #weekending #authorlife #momlife #boymom #livingfaithfully
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Kristin Hill Taylor | Site by MRM