Oh girl, we all have felt it, right? The struggle to do it all, get it all done, and not be totally undone in the process! Working moms, empty nesters, single women, and stay-at-home moms all deal with the struggle to juggle! And that struggle can leave us worn out and frustrated.


According to the General Social Survey, which has tracked Americans’ moods since 1972, women have become increasingly less happy. Though there are many different reasons they feel this way, one big reason for less joy and more gloom is the struggle to juggle — the pressure we feel to do it all.

Think about it: Decades ago, women kept house, raised kids, shopped, cooked, and a host of other domestic duties. Today, lots of women keep house, raise kids, shop, cook, work full-time, run car pools, volunteer, often doing all of this alone.

Instead of us girls lowering our standards with the increased demands, we’ve raised them.

Success isn’t getting it done; success is getting it done well, on time, and with creativity and the Pinterest-worthy pics to prove it!

We juggle trying to eat well with exercise with jobs with making sure the kids have matching socks with volunteering with serving with…ahhh…let’s just say, with all that juggling, it’s easy to drop the ball!

Consequently, when a ball drops, we tend to beat ourselves up. If things aren’t going well in our relationships, we feel like failures. If we are feeling the stress of juggling, we may get so emotionally exhausted that we take things more personally at work. And, when we just get so tired of holding it all together, we either lash out or just swallow our stress and try harder.

So, what’s a girl to do? End the struggle to juggle. That doesn’t mean you quit doing something you’re called to do, it just means you quit trying to do everything in your own strength. In your mind’s eye, see yourself trying to hold all the balls. See yourself trying to hold it all together. Then, drop all the balls right now for just one second at the feet of Jesus and lift your empty hands to the Lord.

The struggle to juggle ends when we surrender to Jesus.

Jesus promised that His strength is made perfect in your weakness. (2 Cor. 12:8, 9) It’s okay if you aren’t perfect. His strength is. You don’t have to do everything and you definitely don’t have to do everything perfectly! That woman at church who you admire because she always looks so put together probably left her bathroom and kitchen looking like a category 4 hurricane hit it!

The woman at work who always seems so upbeat and sharp probably hasn’t been able to pull off anything besides drive-thrus and boxed mac and cheese for family dinner since she started this job!

We all deal with the struggle to juggle and we all drop the ball.

Oh sister, if we are going to end the struggle to juggle, we need to drop the guilt and pick up grace! We need to empty our hands of the need to do everything perfectly and receive God’s perfect strength!

Give the Lord your heavy load and ask Him to hold you and hold it all together for you. He will.

Then, give the same grace to yourself that you give to others — you don’t expect them to do a million things well and go a million miles an hour, do you? Of course not. Have realistic expectations of yourself also.

Do what you have to do and do what you are called to do. But, don’t do the self-shaming and the constant comparing. You don’t have any more hands to hold those heavy things. Drop those balls because those are the ball and chains that keep you bound to unrealistic expectations!

Lord, we are Your daughters and we need You to help us know what to drop and what to put in Your hands. Help us to steward what you have given us. Hold us up when we think we can’t stand up or handle one more thing. It is in our weaknesses that Your strength shows up best. Thank You, Lord. Show us Your strength today. Amen.

In the comments, write a prayer for yourself or a sister who needs God to step in and carry her.