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If you’ve ever felt the struggle of balancing work with family and personal relationships, you will feel so connected with my chat with Rachel Swanson. As a best-selling author, speaker, and mom of wanna be triplets, Rachel talks about the balance of her home and work life and how to prioritize all of it.
Finding peace and not feeling guilty… Isn’t that the common struggle when it comes to the work-home balance? We narrow in on the idea of seasons in our life. Rachel talks about how currently she has to set aside certain kinds of activities regarding friendships and prioritize her work. She’s free to have a coffee and chat with a friend in the mornings but chooses work at this time. This is because saying yes to one thing is saying no to another. But this isn’t a forever season nor is it set in stone. Rachel gives an example where she felt God calling her to drop everything and connect with a friend even in this season of being a laser focused on work.
This came directly from putting God first. Rachel affirms that if you believe that God will guide you he will help prioritize your life no matter what day week or season that you’re in.
Rachel opens up to us about a time in her life that she calls a spiritual depression. Postpartum Rachel was feeling low self-esteem but there was more to it than a chemical or hormonal imbalance. Her husband brought to her attention the emptiness and depression that she was experiencing. Rachel says that it was more of a spiritual depression because she was living and believing the lies that Satan was telling her about her worth. Feeling like she wasn’t good enough, feeling like she wasn’t worthy, and then believing it put her in a state of darkness. The heart of the story means so much because this is where we see beauty coming from pain. It is during this time that Rachel was given a new path in her life away from her job as a dental hygienist and into writing and speaking and sharing God’s word. Ironically, this all came about by getting raw and real (and sometimes angry) with God.
God supplied Rachel with a woman who meant toward her and spoke truth into her life. What a valuable gift to have! What a treasure! I pray that if you’re struggling now that you begin praying for mentorship in your life as well.
What was ultimately missing from Rachel’s life was God. She says that the sin of believing an identity that was placed on her instead of the identity that she has in Christ was keeping her from a fulfilling life and intimate relationship with God.
Rachel and I talk about the heart of the matter… Which is our hearts. Guarding your heart and not trusting your heart seem to be similar methods in Rachels arsenal to keeping her mind and actions on the right path.
We muse over how we know when God is speaking to us in our lives. I love the example that she gave when you’re in a crowded room and you hear your mother calling out your name. In that same way, we can know when we hear from God. It was those sorts of instances that allowed her to take step-by-step actions into the new role that she has now as a writer and speaker.
Rachel pumps us up as she explains how exhilarating it is to step out in faith and follow Jesus even when we don’t understand the path that he’s putting us on. She gives an example of Peter walking on water with Jesus. And how we also can come along for the ride on God’s journey and do amazing things.
One of the amazing things that Rachel does is creates a way for you to connect with God and your children simultaneously. Enter Big and Little Coloring Devotional. The beauty of the book is it was designed so that you can have stillness with God while you’re also teaching your children scripture.
Rachel has a passion for getting women on fire for their purpose. And she knows it starts with a relationship with God. Be sure to follow Rachel and all the fun on her Instagram. And check out the Big and Little Coloring Devotional!
