They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Luke 5:6-7

To help pay my son’s college tuition, I started working for a realtor one day a week, doing some of her marketing and administrative work. She told another realtor about it and he hired me. Then his social media rep told another realtor about it and she hired me too.

Obviously, it’s great when word of mouth is positive and leads to more income. But it also led to more work than I anticipated, cutting into my writing time and pulling me away when my kids needed me.

No matter how much I tried to juggle it all, I just couldn’t keep all the balls in the air.

I’ve been in this place of overwhelm more times than I can count. But I’m slow – slow to admit I can’t do it all; slow to realize God’s not asking me to do it all; slow to realize it’s okay to ask for help.

When Jesus told Peter to put down his net after Jesus preached from his boat, the net was filled with so many fish, the weight was about to break it. Had Peter been too stubborn to ask for help, the net would have torn, all the fish would have escaped, and he’d be left with nothing but shredded rope in his hands.

Instead, Peter signaled to his partners in the other boat to come and help. He saw the value in the term “partners,” recognizing that it meant people who have a stake in the same game. He also knew that when individuals come together to work toward the same goal, they’re supposed to share the workload.

I finally realized that if I didn’t want to have balls dropping all around me, and shredded net in my hands, I had to signal to my partner for help. I sat down with my husband, John, and laid out all the fish on my plate. When he finally understood the quantity and weight of what I was carrying, he willingly agreed to help.

He now does the grocery shopping every week and cooks dinner on Thursdays. It’s enough help, for now, to relieve the pressure, give me pockets of time to rejuvenate, and keep my net intact.

Questions for Reflection:

*Are there so many things on my plate that I’m feeling overwhelmed?

*Do I have a partner that I can ask to help so my net doesn’t get torn by the weight of it all?