• Home
  • About
    • My Favorite Things
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Request Form
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • Shop
    • Freebies
  • Contact
  • Blog

Andrea Fortenberry

Time for a Breather

December 27, 2017 By Andrea Fortenberry

27 Dec


I hope you had a great Christmas! My family enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home.  
Things were different this year for a few reasons. I didn’t do a lot of the things I normally do for the holidays:

  • For the first time in 17 years, I didn’t do Operation Christmas Child boxes.
  • I didn’t buy and mail presents to my friends out of town.
  • I didn’t do Angel Tree at church.
  • I failed miserably at doing an Advent calendar for my kids. (Although they’ve forgiven me since we gave them a puppy a week before Christmas.)

This year, it was all just more than I could handle, in my heart and in my schedule. My heart was especially heavy these past two months, as my parents’ divorce will soon be official. Divorce is hard on kids of any age, even adult children.
Additionally, I felt like I had very little margin, time and energy to do these things I normally do. When I look at my calendar, we had something going on just about every single day. My to-do list ran over with so many things.
It was a bit much for me.
How about you? Are you weary from the hustle and bustle of the holidays? Are you in need of a breather?
Me too.
So here’s a few things we can do to reset:

  • Get back in God’s Word: When I am overly busy, it’s easy for me to skip reading my Bible. I prefer to do it in the morning, but sometimes the demands of the day or the unplanned things of life (oversleeping, children losing their shoes, etc.) steal my attention. And within a few days, I find myself grouchy and irritable, signs that my soul is hungry for God’s Word. So let’s try to get back into a routine of spending time with God. The verse at the top of this post is one of my favorites and encourages me to make time with God a priority.
  • Take some time for yourself: You have been busy overseeing all the holiday things and serving those around you. You deserve a breather! Look at your calendar and schedule some time to do what refreshes you. (Maybe you’ll have to wait until your kids are back in school, but that’s okay. Scheduling it now will give you something to look forward to.)
  • Dream for 2018: What do you want to accomplish this next year? Spend some time dreaming and making goals for 2018.  Share them with a friend to help keep you accountable.
  • Prioritize Soul Care: As women, sometimes we think coffee, a pedicure or a shopping trip will fill us up. While those things are enjoyable and provide a much-needed diversion, they don’t keep us refreshed for long. Sometimes when I have a few hours out, I come back feeling like I needed more time. And it’s often because I didn’t spend time nourishing my soul. So make sure you schedule time to be with God, worship God, be inspired, and do what God created you to do.  When we spend time doing these things, our souls feel nourished.

It was around this time last year that I felt burned out from the holidays and had not spent much time and effort on soul care. When I finally got out of the house and sat in the quiet of Barnes and Noble, God gave me the idea for Restore. He reminded me that I wasn’t alone—that other moms need restoration and refreshment too.
So I’d love for you to join me at Restore – Soul Care for Moms 2018 on January 19th! I know you’ve been busy and may not have had a chance to get your ticket, so I’ve extended the early-bird registration through today, 12/27.
Because we’re blog and e-mail buddies, use the coupon code SUBSCRIBER for $3 off your ticket (no expiration).
Earlier this year, I wrote two blog posts I think you’ll find helpful as you make time for a much-needed breather:
An Hour a Week to a Better You
Spring Cleaning the Heart
Can I pray for us today?
Lord, We are tired and we are weary from so much going on during the holiday season. Thank you so much that we can come to you for the rest our souls need. Nothing is too hard or heavy for you. Please help us to reset: to make the time to be with you, to read your Word, to be inspired, and to have fun doing what you created us to do. Thank you for being the restorer of our souls. Amen.  

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: busyness, Christmas, experiencing God, God's encouragement, God's Word, holidays, motherhood, rest

« You Don’t Have To Do It All
Restore is Less Than a Week Away! »

Meet Andrea


Hi! I’m Andrea Fortenberry. I help women find freedom from perfectionism to show up for the life God has for them. Being a wife and mother of two gives me lots of material and teaches me oh so many things!

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Join Andrea

Search this site

Recent Instagram Posts

It’s podcast day! 🎙This episode of The Perfec It’s podcast day! 🎙This episode of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Mothering with @simijohn is 🔥🔥🔥.

Simi points us to our true identity, how to live authentically, and how to prevent burnout. She brings such a good word!!

You don’t want to miss this episode!
What do you wish your people would help you with? What do you wish your people would help you with? 

Dishes? 🍽
Laundry? 🧺
Sweeping or mopping? 🧹
Watching your kids? 👦🏻👧🏻
Spending time with you? ⏱

You have to ask them! I’ve learned this the hard way, wishing people could just read my mind and know what I need.

It’s an unrealistic expectation, one I know I’m not capable of meeting either. 

It’s really freeing to let that expectation go and instead just ask for what I need. It reduces stress and bitterness and leads to more peace and harmony, in my home and in my relationships.

What do you need to ask for help with in this season?
“He is not here, he is risen, just as he said. C “He is not here, he is risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” -Matthew 28:6

He is Risen indeed! ☀️
Some thoughts from this past week that I forgot to Some thoughts from this past week that I forgot to post until today. 😁

Our latest series @cornerstoneonline has been "What's Love Got to Do With It?" Last Sunday, @iamlandonmacdonald gave a great word on loving our enemies. His message inspired this month's Five Things Post. 

Loving our enemies, or even people we know and love with whom we disagree, isn't easy, but it's possible. How do I know? Because Jesus showed us the way.

Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While He hung on the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive the people, because they didn't know what they were doing. What love!

While He walked the earth, He loved those who were often overlooked or considered unworthy. He crossed cultural boundaries and pursued relationships, even with those who disagreed with Him or misunderstood Him.

When we remember Christ's revolutionary love for us and rely on the Holy Spirit, we can love our enemies and people who are difficult to love. Imagine how the world could be transformed if we went out and treated our enemies as Christ loved us!
Every Good Friday I think back to my most memorabl Every Good Friday I think back to my most memorable one, in 1997 when I 
lived in Israel.

My parents let me skip school to go with them to Jerusalem to watch the Good Friday ceremonies. Thousands of people followed the procession along the Via Doloroso, The Way of Sorrows/Stations of the Cross, which are marked throughout the city. 

We visited The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located over the site of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. I saw people weeping and touching The Stone of the Anointing, the site marking Jesus’ anointing after His death. I too touched the stone and marveled at being where Jesus had once been—where He had been on the day He died. 

What I didn’t realize at that time was that Jesus died for me. I grew up knowing that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, but I understood it corporately and not personally. 

The time I spent in Israel truly began my walk with God and I came to realize that yes, Jesus died for us all, but He died for me personally. On the day He died, He knew my name, the sins I would commit, the issues I would face and the work He’d need to do in my life. And knowing all of that, He willingly went to the cross. He went because of His love for me—and for you!

While Good Friday is often a hard day to think about, how our loving Savior died the most gruesome death, I’m so grateful for it. I’ve often held my son and thought about how I could never sacrifice him for someone else. I’m so overwhelmed by God’s amazing love, love that sent His Only Son to die so that 
we would be forgiven and free in Him. May we live and walk in that freedom today and every day!

“God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and send his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:8-10

#goodfriday
If we're not careful, we can easily lose ourselves If we're not careful, we can easily lose ourselves in being a mom. It can consume us physically, mentally, and emotionally, if we let it. 

I want to remind you today that you're still YOU underneath your title of Mom! It's important for you to care for yourself and to invest in yourself in every season of motherhood. 

Get to know yourself as who you are today: 
▪️What do you like to do? 
▪️What refreshes you? 
▪️What makes you tick? 
▪️What areas of your heart need help and healing? 
▪️What dreams or desires has God put on your heart that deserve investment of your time and/or money?

Three things that have been extremely helpful to me in these areas:

1. Christian Counseling: I have had a monthly appointment for nearly seven years. It has been life changing and I'm so thankful for the healing and freedom that have come from it.
2. Personality Assessments: I've come to understand myself better and appreciate who God made me to be. I've especially enjoyed the StrengthsFinder test, 16 Personalities/Myers-Briggs, and the Enneagram. (Last week's episode of The Perfectionist's Guide to Mothering was all about the Enneagram.)
3. Travel and Conferences: Both of these things fill my cup, I love traveling and I love learning. I've made it a priority to do these things as often as time and our budget allows. I'm so thankful to a very supportive spouse and kids who realize that I come back a better me, which trickles down into being a better wife and mom.

How are you investing in yourself? What tips do you have for other moms that can help them do the same?
Any Enneagram fans out there? 🙋🏻‍♀️ A Any Enneagram fans out there? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Anyone not sure about what the Enneagram is? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Whichever boat you’re in, this episode is for you! 

I had a great conversation with my friend, Amy Wicks @simplywholehearted.
Amy is a faith-based Enneagram Coach, workshop creator and speaker. She is also the voice of the weekly Simply Wholehearted Podcast. 

We talk about what the Enneagram is, how it can be helpful in our lives, and how each type has its own unique struggle with perfectionism. 

I’d love to know, what is your Enneagram number?
You just never know when you’ll want a little so You just never know when you’ll want a little something. 😋

Swipe over to see the treat I’ve been enjoying lately. Just finished the bag tonight, I need to get more the next time I go to the store. You only need a few little pieces. 

What are your favorite sweet treats?

I also love Reese’s peanut butter cups, and Haribo gummy bears and cherries. I try to hide them from my kids, but they’ve discovered my hiding spot. 😆 They don’t enjoy dark chocolate though, so that’s safe no matter where I put it.
Follow on Instagram

Copyright© 2021 Andrea Fortenberry