A Moment with Sandra Miller

Although I’ve been blogging for close to two and a half years now, there are still a lot people who do not know about my passion for the process of balancing one’s blessings; and what drove me to write the book Balancing Blessings and Obtaining Order. Thanks to Ashley my assistant and her thought provoking questions here is an interview I did with her over a year ago. God Bless.

Ashley: Sandra, can you tell us, what your book is about?
Sandra: Balancing Blessings and Obtaining Order is essentially an eleven step process designed to help women get some semblance of balance and order in every aspect of their lives in light of God’s Word and will. This is achieved by helping women first understand how blessed they really are, and how habits, processes, and being out of kilter affects their effectiveness for God. But the book doesn’t stop there, its main purpose is to walk women through the actual process of conquering their clutter, managing their household finances, pursuing their passions, making their ministries matter, living more healthier lifestyles, and so on--essentially involving into the Proverbs 31 woman most of us long to be like.

Ashley: What makes this book so important?
Sandra: What makes this book so important is its purpose. The purpose of this book—which is also my ministry motto—is to help women manage their time, so they have more time, to invest that time in the things of God. It is my personal belief that when God is actively involved in the various aspects of our lives we are more effective women. An effective woman is focused, an effective woman blesses, an effective woman produces fruits that honor and glorify God, and those around her. An effective woman is not perfect, but she does have the flexibility to stop when God says stop, to turn when God says turn, and to hold up and seek God when He desires to take her in a new direction.

Ashley: What inspired you to write Balancing Blessings and Obtaining Order?
Sandra: My life, my friends, women… I started feeling as if women (including myself) were losing a big chuck of themselves trying to be all things to all people; and trying to live up to everyone’s expectations (including their own). Growing up my mom stayed home, and my dad provided for the family, so for a long time I was torn between doing what my mom did and being the superwoman that society wanted me to be. That’s just a snippet of the expectations and responsibilities that women struggle with every day. Some of us have overextended ourselves to the point of exhaustion. We are living life on a roller coaster that won’t stop, until we decide enough is enough and are able to say, “Forget what society thinks I ought to be doing; what is right in the eyes of God? What will allow me to look back five or ten years from now and give me comfort and peace that I made the right choice for myself, and my loved ones?”

Ashley: Who are you, what do you represent to other women?
Sandra: I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, and a sister in Christ to every single woman out there who believes they need God as much as I do. What do I represent? I represent today’s Christian Woman who does not believe in the status quo; but believes “godly common sense” and flexibility is the key to living a productive more balanced life.

I’m getting healthy and fit not to look good in a bathing suit, but so I can more effectively run my race for God. There may be a year where I can focus on my career, and help build up the family’s emergency fund. There may also be a year where I’ll have to stay home or work part-time, because it’s necessary to home school my son, tend to my marriage, etc. What I can tell you is that society will not dictate my choices, God will. What I hope to be for Christian women is a symbol of what balance and order through God can brings…love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness…

Ashley: What reading audience did you have in mind when you wrote this book?
Sandra: All women, but more specifically my sisters in Christ.

Ashley: Do you think the path to balance and order is the same for everyone?
Sandra: I think each of us have our own individual struggles. Some struggle more with managing money than others; yet some are dealing with weight issues to the point that their weight is impeding their ministry and their livelihood. The wonderful thing about my book is that it’s flexible. Once you’ve read a short introduction and the first two chapters, you decided where you need to go from there. It may be to Step 4: Exercising and Eating Healthy, or to Step 5: Conquering your Clutter. The path may not be the same for everyone, but the destination is the same; and that destination is to be the godly woman that God has called each of us to be.

Ashley: What authors inspire you?
Sandra: I am inspired by so many wonderful authors: Elizabeth Gorge is one, Max Lucado is another, and of course Michelle McKinney. I guess what attracts me to an author is the spirit of their books, stories (personal and biblical), and their focus on God and God’s Word.

Ashley: How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?
Sandra: Anything you want to know about me and my endeavors can be found on my web page at http://www.balancingblessings.com/. I can also be found at the following locations:

• Blog: balancingblessings.blogspot.com
• FaceBook: www.facebook.com/Balancing.Blessings
• Twitter: twitter.com/BalanceBlesses