Written By: Clarissa Mangaran
At the beginning of every quarter, I take time to pause, pray, and evaluate how I’m doing in different areas of my life. Three months is about how long it takes before I notice I’m drifting from my priorities. I ask myself questions like:
- Am I thriving or just surviving each day?
- Are my priorities getting done?
- Have I been spending time with the Lord?
- How is my relationship with my husband and children?
- How is my physical and mental health?
This past quarter, my answers weren’t good. The dominant feeling I was experiencing was overwhelm. I felt scattered and unfocused. I was busy all day do a lot, but I never felt like I was getting anything done. I would hop from one task to the next, struggling to keep up with it all. On top of that, my health—already impacted by an autoimmune disease—was suffering.
Something had to change.
Cluttered Home = Cluttered Heart
I began by identifying what was hindering me most. The answer? Our home was bursting at the seams. The physical clutter was draining my mental energy and stealing my time.
So we purged—hard. Every drawer, closet, and cabinet got a makeover. With all six of us involved, we tackled it in less than a month. And what a relief it was! Suddenly, I could breathe. I wasn’t constantly tidying or mentally cataloging what needed to be cleaned or organized.
“Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it.” — Proverbs 15:16
That one act of downsizing opened the door to peace in my environment—and made space for peace in my soul.
Your Body is Speaking. Are You Listening?
When I’m too busy, my body is the first to let me know. My autoimmune symptoms flare up. When my schedule is overloaded, I reach for quick meals instead of nourishing food. I sleep less. I become reactive instead of reflective.
The cycle is vicious: too much on my plate leads to worse health, which leads to even less ability to manage the demands. And often, the very first thing that gets cut is time with God—the only thing that truly sustains me.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
The Schedule Purge: Making Room for What Matters
After decluttering the house, it was time to declutter our schedule. I started asking some tough but necessary questions:
- Why are we doing this?
- What fruit is it producing?
- Is it drawing us closer to God or pulling us away?
- What would happen if we let this go?
Weighing our commitments through a biblical lens helped clarify what was worth keeping. For example, discipling our children and investing in our marriage are God-ordained responsibilities—those remain top priority. But other things, even good things, were stealing time and energy from the best things.
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” — Ephesians 5:15-16 (NLT)
I don’t want to be so busy doing for God that I forget to be with God.
A Word for Military Spouses
If you’re a military spouse, you know your schedule often feels dictated by forces outside your control—deployments, TDYs, frequent moves. It’s a lifestyle that demands flexibility, but it can also breed overcommitment in an attempt to fill the loneliness and instability.
To you, I say: you don’t have to do it all. You don’t have to say yes to everything out of guilt, or fear that you’ll miss your window of impact in this fleeting duty station. The Lord sees you, He knows your burdens, and He offers rest to your soul—not just someday, but now.
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” — Isaiah 30:15
It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to make space. It’s okay to rest.
Practical Tools That Help
I use block scheduling—not because I’m naturally organized, but because I’m not. Assigning tasks to days and times frees me from decision fatigue. I also delegate—our kids share chore responsibilities, and we have a rotating chart to avoid burnout.
Here are a few tools that help us stay on track:
- Weekly family meetings to adjust schedules and set expectations
- Phone app limits (like iPhone’s Downtime) to reduce screen distractions
- Prioritized to-do lists with non-negotiables like devotional time, sleep, and family dinners
None of these things are magic fixes. They’re simply guardrails that help me keep God, family, and health at the center.
The Eternal Perspective
Ultimately, everything in this world is fleeting. Our schedules, our stuff, even our achievements—they won’t last. But time spent with the Lord, time invested in our families, time carved out for eternal things? That’s where real fruit grows.
“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:17
So let’s pause. Let’s reassess. Let’s let go of the things that burden, and cling to the One who carries us.
Closing Encouragement
If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now—mentally, emotionally, spiritually—know this: You’re not alone. And there is hope. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Jesus isn’t asking for performance; He’s inviting you into His presence.
You don’t have to do more.
You might just need to do less—on purpose.
Let this be your permission to purge the unnecessary, refocus your priorities, and find rest in the One who gives it freely.
Written By: Clarissa Mangaran
