by Angela May

Be the best mother.
Be the best wife.
Be the best in your career.
Be the best friend.
Be involved in your child’s school.
Be involved in your child’s sports.
Be involved in your community, your church, or both.
And be all this all of the time.

Sound Familiar? It doesn’t even cover the other big things such as managing the family schedules, appointments, buying and preparing healthy meals, keeping the house orderly and so on. Oops, and I completely forgot to squeeze in daily exercising (actually I just didn’t have the energy by day’s end).

I know it’s unrealistic to believe that I can be all, do all, for all, all of the time. But I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only person guilty of setting these superwomen type of standards for myself, or at least letting the world convince me that these are the standards I must meet.

The word ‘busy’ takes on a whole new meaning when you become a mother. And for me, I usually feel behind in both my professional and home life. Local author Joanne Ellison assures me I’m not alone. That’s why she’s on a mission to help women deal with the pressures of trying to be “Superwoman.” A wife, mother of three and grandmother of ten, Ellison is a national speaker and creator of Drawing Near to God, a 365-day Bible devotional.

Ellison says her family’s life is excessively busy and often tells others the story about the time she was driving her car that had a slow-leaking tire. She was in a remote area and needed to put air in it but she pressed onward. When she finally did stop at a service station Ellison said she was told, “If you had only stopped earlier you wouldn’t have damaged the rim of your tire. And now it’s a lot more work to fix it.”

It’s a relatable analogy. Ellison’s tire was empty because it was pushed too far and caused greater damage than what was necessary. Our own spiritual tanks leak out and when neglected too long, hit empty damaging our attitude and sometimes our families. Ellison says of her own busy life raising children, “I’ve had several moments of recognizing that I’m on the rim of a tire.”

Ellison’s main message to women who feel exhausted and empty in their superwoman role is to start with making space for God instead of letting life’s daily demands squeeze Him out of your life. “Be sure that you get first things first - Making space for God - it is often the first thing to go.”

“There is a tremendous responsibility on women. We should be accomplished. We should do great things,” Ellison states. “No matter what our goals are, if God is not first, then we are always going to leak out.”

Ellison says Drawing Near to God was written with the perspective of making sure prayer and meditation focused on quality time, not length of time. “I said I want it to be a mini-little bible study in two minutes.”

One of the practical tools Ellison uses and shares with others to help them battle the pressures of being “Superwoman” involves imagining a dinner plate loaded with all the daily demands. “I draw it out and ask God if there is something that shouldn’t be on here.  Over the course of time, I’d take things off except the non negotiable things. It’s a very powerful thing that I’ve done many times.”

Ellison says the root of her overburdened plate was always people pleasing. “Shoulda. Woulda. Ought to. We go back to the superwoman mentality.”

Ellison, who comes from a family of doers with a history of accomplishing a lot, doesn’t discourage women from setting the bar high and dreaming big.  She just wants women who are striving to be the best, to take some time out for themselves each day to get filled so they don't empty out prematurely.

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One lucky NewbyMom reader will win a copy of Ellison’s devotional, Drawing Near to God. To enter the contest, post a comment or like this post on Facebook.

To learn more about Joanne Ellison visit www.joanneellison.com
Ellison is also leading a small group discussion Jan. 12-March 15 (Thursday mornings) titled “The Book of James: Attaining Spiritual Maturity” in Mt. Pleasant. For registration information visit her website.

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