February 2026
Have you ever wondered how the shortest month of the year can feel like it lasts forever? Yet it also goes by in the blink of an eye. I feel like this month got away from me in more ways than one. I have had to reevaluate what I am doing and how I am using my time. It is very easy to agree to things in the moment and not realize how they are piling up on you. How do you restart when your goals are on the fritz? How do you come back from an overwhelming schedule?
Go back to God’s Word. This is of first and foremost importance. When everything feels like it is too much, make time to spend in God’s Word. Find time to pray and to seek the Lord in family worship. Do not neglect gathering with other believers on Sunday. Enjoy the time of worship and fellowship at church. Take a day to rest and meditate on God’s Word. Give yourself one day to let things go. Give yourself the motivation and desire to continue in personal time with the Lord. It may mean teaching your children to give you uninterrupted time when you are seated in a certain place, or they see you with your Bible, or some other clue like that. It may mean using naptime to read the Bible rather than cleaning up something. Which may mean more little helpers when you are trying to clean later. It is worth the time to make sure you are attending to your spiritual health. Not only are you helping yourself in your daily needs, but you are also setting an example for your children. You are showing them the importance of God’s Word in your life. What you consider a priority, they will as well.
Sometimes you have to change your schedule a bit. Sometimes you have to scale back what you are doing or say no to some things. There are some things in my schedule that I cannot change. I have a child who needs to be in various therapies every week. That being the case, there are other things I enjoy doing that I may need to step back from in this season. We are also homeschooling, so I need to make sure that there is sufficient time for instruction. My children’s education has to be a priority over what I want to do. Sometimes you have to choose between two good things. Just because something is good doesn’t mean that you have the time to do it. It may be healthier to say no. This is something that I have had to adjust this month. I found myself so overwhelmed, going from one thing to another and feeling like I was never at home. I didn’t have time to keep up with all I needed to do. So my husband and I had to sit down and discuss what was necessary, what I could give up, and what I had to scale back. Each month, I should probably reevaluate and consider more ways to prioritize my family and my home. It can be very easy to agree to too many activities that all may be good, but together overwhelm and create chaos. As I scale back on what I am doing outside of the home, I am going to take more time to focus and improve what I am doing in my home and with my family.
Finally, I am working on some “autopilot” options around our home. As our children get older and are able to help with more of the chores, I am trying to include them in the maintenance and cleanliness of our home. They can take dishes to the sink, and the older ones can wash them. They are able to put their folded clothes away, and some can also fold them. We have started putting laundry directly into the washer and washing as it fills up. Not only does this help us cut down on the amount of clothing we need, but it also forces me to keep up on laundry. I have to fold the laundry in the dryer to make room for the load that is washing. I won’t lie, sometimes we have overflow into a basket or a pile on the floor (especially after a busy weekend), but we can usually work through it and get back on track in a day or two. Having this system of laundry in place helps me keep up with a task that I would put off far too much. Cleaning dishes and the kitchen at the end of the day makes for a great start to the next morning. It is much easier to keep up with the dishes if you don’t wake up to a big pile of them. Trying to get as much done to “tidy up” each evening gives every morning the feeling of a fresh start. This is also true of cleaning up prior to going on vacation. You will already have laundry and unpacking when you return, and having a clean house to come home to makes it easier to tackle the tasks ahead promptly. I don’t do this perfectly. There are days when I look around to see disarray in every room. There are days when I just can’t fit it all in. I try again the next day.
When we get off track, we don’t quit; we try again. When we go overbudget in a month, we reset and try again the next month. When I look at my goals for this year and see myself falling short, I remind myself that failure is not final. I can start again. I can rework my schedule. I can sweep the floor tomorrow. Check my priorities, line things up with God’s Word, and start again. I draw strength from Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in you inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.