Alhamdulillah! I am thankful I do not have that much crises, responsibilities and trouble shooting back to back like some people I met. Their lives are stretched and stressed - while trying to solve the world's problems, they are indeed frayed and fragile.
We are only human
We are only human, though we have so much love for the less fortunate we can only do so much. Sometimes we try to oblige every request (genuinely urgent) but it should not be on a regular basis where we end up neglecting our own family responsibilities.
What have we been missing?
While trying to help others, we miss our children's parent day, report day, sports day, Annual PTA meeting and also our religious activities and classes. We of course never really fulfil all these obligations in toto but we need to give some attention to activities that are important to our children and also our own spiritual development.
Difficult to let go
Sometimes we get so committed that every day is full of activities and meetings, trouble shooting and more meetings. In fact once we get involved, it is difficult to let go. People seem to depend on those who give results and those who fulfil promises. Well and good. But not when its at a crazy pace. Not when they use emotional blackmail to make us feel bad when we say no. Our hearts may want to drop everything else and rush over to help but we must know our own responsibilities.
There are many ways to serve Allah SWT
So we end up saying no to our own children, our parents, our spouse. We even say no to ourselves. There are many ways to serve Allah SWT. Family responsibilities must come first and then we make some time to help society. Organize and learn to delegate. Learn to trust that others too can do our job. No one is indispensible.
The world will still go round without us
If we were to drop dead tomorrow, the world will still go round. Live goes on, death goes on. Everything will go at its own pace in the universes, as predetermined by our Mighty Creator. If we are no longer here, there will be someone else. That someone is not apparent because we are so busy trying to do everybody's job by ourselves. Life goes on.
Our bodies have rights over us
Our bodies have rights over us. We have individual responsibility to take care of our body. If we neglect ourselves, we will be emotionally, spiritually and physically deprived. When the body deteriorates, where will we house our soul? Our bodies will be broken due to self neglect and we end up being of no use to anybody. We need to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others.
Our families have rights over us
Our families have rights over us and we need to nurture our souls by seeking spiritual guidance and motivation. We do not want to be a high achiever in our outside projects and activities and end up being a miserable failure at home.
No matter what we do, it is Allah SWT who helps us and it is He who decides our destiny. Have faith that He has His own plan and He knows best.
Be Moderate
We need to be moderate on a daily basis. Once a while we can go full steam when there is a genuine need to do so. Some jobs can be handled by others, train them and give them opportunities to grow and blossom into individuals who can contribute and serve with confidence and sincerity.
Have a Succession Plan
Have a succession plan. Train and guide others so that projects and plans can continue smoothly in case we fall ill or drop dead. That is more practical as we can plan for continuity and success.
Everything needs a plan and strategy.
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