How do you do it?

After a person asks me how I became published the next question is usually how do you do it? By that, the speaker generally means how do I homeschool four kids, cook, clean, do laundry, and write. I suppose to others it might seem I'm doing something unusual, that somehow I'm accomplishing more than the average mom. I'm not. There are millions of women who accomplish more in an hour than I seem to in a day. If you don't believe me, come into my house and take a look around. I've got laundry piled up waiting to be washed, a dishwasher filled with dishes, homeschool stuff spread from one end of the house to the other. My writing desk is the one spot in the house that is just mine. It's piled high with manuscript pages, advanced copies of my books, and various things that don't belong in my writing world, but somehow find their way to my writing space.

The funny thing is, I don't mind. I like finding little dolls, cars, blocks and hand-drawn comic strips littering my desk. I love knowing that at any moment my writing will be interrupted by one of my four kids. I enjoy the overlap of homeschooling and writing, and I am overwhelmed at the privilege I've been given - that of teaching my kids not just their academics, but what it means to work hard, to persist, to face disappointments and keep going. They've watched me succeed and they've watched me fail. More than that, they've watched me using my God-given gifts and pursuing the path I believe He has chosen for me. That said, I'm often tired, drained, and not quite sure what I've accomplished during my hectic, busy days. More often than not, I feel like I'm treading water rather than swimming toward shore, working hard and seeing little progress.

How do I do it? I don't. But I keep trying. And in the end, that's all God asks.

I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I'm an author. But before I am any of those things, I am God's creation, His child, created in His image and loved beyond measure. In the end, that is all that matters.

Whatever path you're walking, I pray you will hear the lilting melody of His grace, see the beauty of His love for you, and feel the overwhelming joy of His presence in your life. May you know His infinite mercy as you journey toward the place He is calling you to be.