Speaking to the Stress…
August doesn’t feel like the calm before the storm – it feels like I’m smack in the eye of it, clutching a Target receipt and wondering if I just bought school supplies or accidentally financed a small island nation. The freedom of summer is slipping away fast, and every conversation now seems to revolve around practice schedules, supply lists, and how exactly I’m supposed to feed a family of four in the 12-minute window between one child’s dance practice and another child’s soccer scrimmage. I’m genuinely concerned about the remnants of our drive-thru dinners that’ll be fossilized under the passenger seat by September. My backseat already has a new ketchup stain. I’m not even asking questions anymore.
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While I’m scrambling to keep up with school prep, there’s this whole other layer: the spiritual rhythms I’m hoping to see change. Church calendars are back in full swing. Small groups are starting. The youth group schedule looks like a full-time job, and my teenager is apparently booked every Wednesday and Sunday through 2026. We saw some glimmers of spiritual growth in our kids this summer, and I’m praying – really praying that they remember something the youth pastor said in between the memes and snacks this summer. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get back to my own rhythm with God… but the only “quiet time” I’ve had lately was driving early this morning by myself in my SUV listening to the encouragement from YOUR radio show. I keep telling myself, this is the year I get spiritually grounded. I also told myself that in May. So far, the results are… not impressive. But listening to your radio show really helps. Thanks for including me in your discussions!
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I don’t feel old, but I l realize I’m aging with every new school year. Physically? My dad bod has some complaints. Summer tired me out. Kids staying up late, fried food, late-night ice cream, zero routine. I want to work out – I genuinely do, but the idea of getting up at 5 a.m. to sweat before work just isn’t easy without the accountability of a friend meeting me there! Crossfit doesn’t feel like self care. It feels like hazing. And no amount of foam rolling is going to fix the fact that I haven’t sat down for a peaceful, home cooked family meal since July.
Routines are changing, and I can’t stop them. There’s the emotional whiplash of sending teenagers back into the wild. One minute I’m so proud of who they’re becoming, and the next I’m panicking that peer pressure and social issues can undo fifteen years of intentional parenting. The drama is already bubbling – friendship reshuffles, social media chaos, the return of homework-induced meltdowns. I’m budgeting extra for coffee and therapy. First bell hasn’t even rung yet.
Underneath all this chaos is this aching desire for balance – a desire that sounds noble on Pinterest but laughable in real life. I imagine family dinners with deep conversation and laughter, but half the time someone’s eating cold spaghetti in the car while I explain – again – why we don’t scream at Siri when she mispronounces “Chipotle.” I’m not “ready” for the school year. I’m bracing for impact, whispering prayers while I find yet another crumpled permission slip in the laundry.
But here’s the thing I’m learning—God is in the details I can’t control. Psalm 121:8 says He watches over our coming and going. That means every drop-off line, every forgotten lunch, every anxiety-filled night where I second-guess all my parenting decisions. He’s in that. He’s already ahead of me, and He’s holding my kids when I can’t.
Take the lifechanging stories and the honest observations from your family life and build discussions out of them. Ask better questions and bring your listener into a discussion if you want to bring your showprep ideas to life. If you need help, join Creative Cardio HERE. This is what we do for our members each week. $40 gets you in.
