When Life Feels Too Heavy
Earlier this year, life felt like it was spinning out of control. A family member ended up in the hospital, and when they came home, I suddenly found myself juggling countless follow-up appointments and caregiving responsibilities. On top of that, there was also a shift in my personal life that added another layer of stress and uncertainty. Meanwhile, I still had to deal with school responsibilities, work demanded my focus, and my business needed attention.
In that season, I wasn’t thriving — I was barely surviving. Some days, all I could do was show up for the most urgent responsibilities and hope tomorrow would be a little lighter. I didn’t have time for meal prep, long workouts were absolutely out of the question, and a carefully planned schedule consisted of me just getting up and making it to work on time. And that’s when God began teaching me: it’s okay not to be okay. That season stretched me to see balance, endurance, and flexibility in a new way — balance looked like survival, endurance meant showing up one more day, and flexibility meant letting go of my own expectations and trusting God instead.
Balance Isn’t About Having It All Together
For so long, I thought balance meant being able to keep everything perfectly managed. But real life doesn’t look like that. Balance doesn’t always mean equal time for work, family, faith, and fitness. Sometimes balance simply means putting one foot in front of the other and trusting God with what you can’t carry.
Ecclesiastes reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). That verse became a reminder that not every season will look the same — and that’s okay. Some seasons are about growth, while others are about holding on to God’s strength just to make it through. Real balance sometimes means being flexible — adjusting when life throws you off course — and enduring even when it feels like you’re crawling instead of running.
It’s Okay to Just Survive the Day
We live in a culture that glorifies productivity and perfection. But God never asked us to be superhuman. He asked us to lean on Him.
In those overwhelming days, balance looked less like workout schedules and more like:
- Eating what I could manage, even if it wasn’t “perfect.”
- Taking a short walk to clear my mind, even if it was only five minutes.
- Allowing myself to cry and pray instead of pretending everything was fine.
- Giving myself grace for the days that I slept in a little due to physical and emotional exhaustion.
And honestly? Some days I didn’t even manage those things. But God still carried me through. His strength was enough when mine was gone. Those moments didn’t look like discipline from the outside, but they were acts of balance and flexibility that kept me moving forward. They were small ways of enduring with God’s strength.
Trusting God With the Rest
The truth is, balance isn’t always about carefully distributed time and energy. Sometimes balance means admitting, “I can’t do this right now,” and letting God hold the pieces together.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Some days, glorifying God looks like a workout and healthy meal. Other days, it looks like leaning into His presence with empty hands and saying, “Lord, I’m not okay, but I trust You to carry me.”
That lesson changed how I saw balance — not as something I had to create, but as something I could rest in through God’s strength. And sometimes that balance includes endurance to keep pressing forward and flexibility to let go of what you can’t control.
Reflection & Call to Action
If you’re in a season of survival, know this: you are not failing. You are still faithful. God doesn’t expect perfection — He simply asks you to turn to Him, even when all you can offer is your weary heart.
Reflection Question: Where do you need to give yourself permission to not be okay, and invite God to carry the rest?
Write it down. Breathe. And remember: balance isn’t about holding everything together — it’s about letting God hold you together, giving you endurance for the day and flexibility for the unknown.
Girded with Strength Fitness 
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