Article August 23, 1999 Issue

Working parents: how to still the storm of a busy life

Anchor your life in the kingdom of heaven.

By Colleen Douglass

Life with children and a career can be quite a balancing act. Mine has certainly been no different. During one period in particular, I felt as though I had more balls in the air than anyone could reasonably keep track of. I was working more than full time running my own business, which required a fair amount of travel, and I had married a man with three children, who all lived with us. I was also involved in church activities and in timeconsuming volunteer work.

Frequently, I had heard that in order to get organized one must prioritize, but that in itself seemed daunting. Here I was, helping to raise someone else's children, who deserved my care and attention, and attempting to grow a business which was a great love of mine. I felt pulled in every direction possible—by my husband, his children, our extended families, demanding clients, and the organizations for which I volunteered. I always knew that if I chose to have children, they would take priority in my life, but these were not my children. Was I to give them the same consideration? And what would be the cost of that decision on my career?

I recall thinking often about Christ Jesus' promise that "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), but it seemed that kingdom surely eluded me at times. Having embarked on what felt like very stormy seas, I often wondered what to do. Interestingly, I was often literally on the high seas as well, since I spent a fair amount of time on ships because of my work. Ultimately, what I learned from my time on board and at home is that varying responsibilities which seem to be at odds with each other can be a laboratory for proving that, as the Bible says, "all things work together for good to them that love God, to themwho are the called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28).

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