I am a mom who works in healthcare, and time can be very hard to manage. I work nights, so I rest during the day and try to get things done around the house before heading back to work. In theory, this division should work well, but in reality, it wasn’t working as smoothly as I had hoped. During the day, while I was home, my children were at school. In the evenings, when they returned, I was preparing to head out for work. There never seemed to be enough time for meaningful interaction with them—or so I thought.
I felt as though I was sacrificing quality time with my children on the altar of being a great physician, and I desperately wanted to find a bridge across that divide.
One morning in December 2025, I woke up with a heavy heart. I was sad, and I knew exactly why. I stayed in my room alone for a while, then eventually went downstairs to talk with my husband. He works from home, so he was easily accessible. I poured out my heart to him, and he listened. He didn’t judge me; he simply listened. He heard my pain points and truly understood me as I shared everything with him. His response would change my perspective moving forward.
We both acknowledged that time during the week was limited because of work and school. He pointed out that if what mattered most with my children was impact rather than the quantity of time, then I needed to approach every interaction with intentionality. This insight helped me develop a new mindset: whatever time I had with my children, I would be fully present. I removed distractions and engaged with them wholeheartedly.
The changes began when I started being more intentional with the time I already had. I began getting our youngest children—our four-year-old twin boys—ready for school in the mornings and praying with them before their dad dropped them off. On days when our middle child, our only daughter, had a half-day at school, I helped her with her homework. I also picked up our oldest child from school and used the drive home to have meaningful conversations with him. Nothing about my schedule had changed. The hours were still long and demanding, but I had learned to recognize and use the opportunities within the time I already had.
It’s not about being a superwoman—believe me, I’ve tried that, and it led quickly to burnout. There is both internal and external pressure to be a certain kind of mother, but I made a decision long ago to be the mother my children needed. That would be enough. I let go of societal expectations and chose to measure my success in parenting by how my children were doing.
The Lord used my husband to shift my focus—from believing I had no time for my children to realizing that I did have pockets of time that, if used wisely, would allow me to be present as a mother while still maintaining excellence in my career. I didn’t have to choose between the two. I could do both, and I could do them well.
I began to see opportunities where I once saw dead ends. And with this new vision came the strength to carry it out.
The hours stayed the same, but I was fueled by a different perspective—one that saw possibilities and chose to seize them. New vision always comes with a driving force, a force that compels you to act and to exhaust every opportunity so that, in the end, you can say you gave it your best.
So where do you see yourself right now? Do you feel stuck? Step back and take a different look. You may discover an opportunity where you once saw stagnation.
Who are you talking to? Are they reinforcing your frustrations, or are they speaking life into you—words that lift you up from where you are? Are you surrounded by “yes-men” who never challenge your thinking, or are you intentionally seeking people who will speak truth, even when it’s uncomfortable?
If you want a different outcome from what you’re experiencing now, you must learn to see things differently. There is always a way around an obstacle. It’s not always obvious when we’re standing on the same plane, but when we invite others to look with us, they may see beyond our blind spots.
Sometimes we become so accustomed to our present reality that we can’t see new opportunities. That’s why it’s important to speak with someone you trust and ask the Lord to open your eyes—to help you see rivers in the desert.
In Genesis 21, we read the story of Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, who was sent away by Abraham so that there would be no contention over Isaac’s inheritance. In the wilderness, Hagar and her son, Ishmael, were exhausted and thirsty. Fearing her son’s death, she sat some distance away and wept. But God heard her voice, and He opened her eyes to see a well that had been right beside her all along.
“Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.” (Genesis 21:19)
Two important lessons stand out from this story:
First, Hagar had reached her breaking point, and she lifted her voice. If you don’t speak up, no one can help you.
Second, she drank from the water. After receiving direction or an answer, you must act on it.
We can become so consumed by our present struggles that we miss the hope within them. It’s important not to remain silent. Open up to trustworthy counsel and begin to implement the changes you are shown. It still becomes overwhelming for me at times, but because my heart and perspective have changed, the work feels far more rewarding.
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