Award-winning author Jocelyn Green graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. A former military wife, she loves to encourage her readers through both fiction — novels inspired by real heroines on America’s home front — and non-fiction.
She’s quick to tell you that she’s an ordinary mom, who occasionally falls behind on household chores and often relies on make-ahead meals. She’s also an introvert who loves public speaking. Her best ‘writing pants’ have elastic waists. And she’s big on listmaking.
Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two small children in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Let’s talk about your new book, Free to Lean: Making Peace with Your Lopsided Life (Discovery House, July 2017). Please tell us about it.
Free to Lean basically explores the idea that balance is the wrong goal — and that it’s not only acceptable to lean into our God-given priorities for our particular season of life, it’s biblical. We all go through seasons of life, and God gives us certain responsibilities for certain times. We need to embrace those seasons and live in harmony with them.
Free to Lean helps readers to:
> Stop feeling “less than” for not being able to do more
> Shed the burden of other people’s expectations
> Find ways to prioritize and order your life
> Learn to recognize the various seasons in each of our lives
> Develop the five pillars even the unbalanced woman must lean upon
> Grow in your confidence of God’s plans for your life
We don’t have to “do it all.” We can lean into our priorities, and lean on God for the strength we need.
What motivated you to write it?
For years, I would often get the question, “How do you do it all?” And my answer has always been: “I don’t!” I was amazed that people assumed I was excelling in every area of my life, when in reality, I focus on a couple of priorities, and cut corners in other areas of my life to make more room for what I think God has called me to do. I wrote this book to help other women feel the freedom to do the same. We really don’t have to do it all, or do it all well at the same time. It’s OK to prioritize!
What is the one ‘nugget’ of inspiration you want most to pass along to your readers?
Choosing the best over the good is good stewardship.
To break that down just a bit: there are so many ways we can spend our time, and most of them are good opportunities. But we are being the best stewards of our resources when we say no to what is good so we can say yes to what is best for us in our current season of life.
A few fun questions…
What’s a Green StressCon Chart?
My husband developed the Green Family StressCon Chart so we would know right away what our limits are in several areas, including dining, hospitality, special events, etc. If neither of us has any stress at all (rarely!), we’re at StressCon Alpha, which means I cook homemade meals five times a week, we host families and friends for meals and fun, I keep up with routine cleaning, for example. Our levels go from Alpha to Delta, with Delta being the most stressed out we can survive. Our limits constrict more and more with each level. It’s just a guide we use to communicate how we’re feeling and what we can handle. So if I tell my husband I’m at StressCon Charlie, he knows that instead of inviting people from work over for dinner, they should just go out to eat instead. And I know that instead of baking treats for my kids’ violin class, it’s OK to show up with a package of Oreos instead, because that is all I can handle. ?
What’s your favorite go-to family meal when time is short?
Leftovers? Does that count? ?
If there are no leftovers, I’ll consult my freezer and hope it is stocked with meals I’d made previously. If it is, I’d just pull something from there. In winter, it might be white bean chicken chili, and in summer, it could be Caesar chicken for my husband to grill.
If the freezer’s empty: sandwiches, anyone? (That’s what we’re having tonight, in fact!)
If you could win your choice of 1) a housekeeper, 2) a personal chef, or 3) a personal shopper for a year, which would you choose?
Housekeeper! Or maybe a personal chef. Tough call between those two. But I think… I’d rather have a clean house.
Thanks, Jocelyn! It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.
Thanks so much for having me!
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For more information about Jocelyn, visit her website and/or on Facebook or Twitter.
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