In this informal, devotional‑style video, Chrystal Hurst reflects on how the pandemic’s “worst of times” can become the “best of times” by deliberately using the extra time at home for personal and family growth. She shares a stream‑of‑conscious narrative about everyday chores she’s finally tackling—decluttering bathroom products, cleaning the car, cooking meals, running, and twisting her hair—while also noting tasks she still needs to complete, such as deep Bible study and writing. Chrystal explains her participation in a 90‑day Inner Circle challenge with other women, describing how the group’s structure helps her set goals and stay accountable. She details how she turns routine family moments (grocery trips, dinner prep, cleaning) into opportunities for teaching her children responsibility, setting a positive atmosphere with music, and fostering spiritual practice. Throughout, she emphasizes a mindset shift: viewing limited time not as a barrier but as a catalyst for productivity, joy, and deeper relationships. The video ends with an invitation to join her Facebook community and Inner Circle resources for further support and conversation.
Chapters
Maybe not. Okay, maybe there we go. See, this is what happens when you get up in the morning and you're not really ready for the situation. Alright, let's see. Now I think you guys can hear me. So here's the deal. I said I would get up this morning and be here for about 15 minutes because I missed y'all and I am here. Okay, so what I was thinking about is how the worst of times— you know that quote, the worst of times could be the best of times? Um, and so I was thinking about all of the things I've been doing that I've been needing to do, um, that I'm still not doing. But there's a lot of things that I've decided that all of a sudden I want to do. Let me give you an example. In my bathroom right now, I have Ulta Beauty Store. I mean, basically Sephora, CVS. I have so many things because hair, and you don't know unless you try it. I have, you know, half empty. I went to shampoo my hair. Y'all, I finally, finally washed this mess and I went to go shampoo it and I had like 4 bottles of almost gone shampoo. You know what I mean? It's like at some point I'm gonna combine them, but the reality is, is combining them is a lot of work. So you gotta do this with the, you know what I mean? Like you have to do all this to get it out. Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning. And you know, it's too much work. And so the easiest thing is just to start with a fresh one. So then you collect 5, 6 almost gone shampoos. Hey, London, England. So I, I, you know, I have all these things now that is on my list. Not only is it on my list, um, but it's on my— it's on my— it's like it's on my plan. It's not my plan. Like, I have a 90-day plan. See, I'm all— I'm all over the place. I didn't start right. If you're like, who's this girl on my feed? Let me figure out who I am. I don't even know if I can do that. But you know, y'all have heard me talking about the Inner Circle. There we go. That's who I am. Y'all have heard me talking about the Inner Circle and with certain girls in the Inner Circle at a certain level, we're doing a 90-day challenge together, 90-day journey. And on my list of things was decluttering. This is before, this This is before COVID-19. So this was a part of my plan before COVID-19. Then COVID-19 comes and I'm sheltered in place. So I'm not going anywhere. Now my husband and I take a once a week date trip to the grocery store. Can I just say this about that? And I'm going to come back to the worst of times can be the best of times. Y'all don't let me forget where I was going. Can I just say that taking your kids to the grocery store is challenging? Taking your spouse to the grocery store is challenging also, because if the kids pick up something that they shouldn't have picked up— I gotta put my mic over here closer— if my kids pick up something that they shouldn't pick up, I tell them to put it back. Stop it. Didn't I tell you that we weren't going to— this is what you do with your kids. With your spouse, I mean, you could say that, but things might not go so well for you. So my point is, that's my weekly trip out of the house. So yes, there's work. Yes, there's kids. Yes, there's, you know, meals to cook, but there's still a little time to clean out the thing. So somebody shared a quote with me and Andrea said, I tell my husband, put that back. So somebody shared a quote with me and it says, I used to say that the reason why I hadn't done all the things I hadn't done is because I don't have the time. That was my reason. Now I have the time, so obviously it's just me. And I just want to say, it's just me. It's just me that I just now washed my hair. It's just me that I just now cleaning out my, my bathroom stuff, which I haven't done yet. But the worst of times can be the best of times, because let me tell you about all the other things that are getting done. Um, I'm supposed to, uh, be writing And I'm writing, but I gotta, I gotta put the pedal to the metal, um, here pretty quick. And so, um, I should be doing that as well. I have my journal over here with my Bible, and I have opened my Bible, but the deep Bible study— okay, just being honest here. But here's what has been happening. Here's what has been happening. What has been happening is I've been making biscuits. I made a killer beef stroganoff. Yes, for those of you who are gonna ask me, that recipe is in the resources. And I have been— I've been running, walk running, doing the C2-5K app on my phone. Let me take this off. So now you know who I am. Um, I have been twisting my hair. It has got to be at least, y'all, at least, at least 2 years since I've twisted my hair. Um, I'm about to, I'm about to— uh-oh, what's that? Uh, I have cleaned out my car. I have, um, oh, I've taught my children all the things. My son last night said, um, I have this list on the wall of all the things they have to do every day. Okay. And, um, because I'm tired of saying it, but I realize also that the list doesn't mean they're going to do it. So yesterday I just had a moment and I said, you know what? Don't even ask me. Don't even ask me about a screen. Don't even fix your mouth to talk to me about a screen until the list is done. Don't even ask me. I'm sick of talking. But then there's another list on the whiteboard that says, here are the projects that I've noticed that need to be done. So we don't have a rhythm of chores, like beyond the daily chores, like cleaning up the kitchen and all that we do. But like, when you collect the trash. The rule is collect the trash when you need to collect the trash, like when it's full or right before the trash collector comes. Get it then. That, like, that's the thing. We're pretty good about that. But, um, you know, they, they, they have to be reminded to do that. And I'm sick of talking. I'm sick of talking. So I put the, the projects on the wall. So I put mop on the wall yesterday because Um, you know, there, there is a lady who helps me clean, and while we keep it up, she, she, she goes into the deep, goes into the deep. So the boys have been pampered for a while. Let's just say that when you have a mother and two big sisters, you just don't really do things. And then when your mother tries to teach you how to do things, boys are different than girls. They're just different. I show them and they— it's— they gonna get it though. So anyway, it had been a long time since my children have had to mop the floor. So when I said to my oldest son, um, this is what I want you to do from the project part of the board, he looked at me like this. You, you want me to You want me to do the dishes and mop? That's, that's what he said. You do the dishes. So listen, my job last night, between the kitchen helper and the mop floor and the, um, and the picking up of the trash, which he missed one trash can, but between these things, um, the best— the worst of times are the best of times. Let me tell you why. Because this is what I did last night. I might even, I might even put this up later on my on my stories. So I decided if I'm gonna be the sergeant around here, because that's how I feel right now, I feel like the sergeant, the loving sergeant. If I'm gonna be the sergeant, I am going to set the atmosphere. Somebody say, set the atmosphere. Come on, I'm waiting for you to say it. Say it out loud. Set the atmosphere. So I turned on my Spotify. So all day long I play sleepy music. That's what my Youngest son calls it sleepy music. I play worship music, but it's kind of, you know, mood, get you in the mood. So there's a lot of Bethel and Hillsong. I got a little massage situation on Pandora and he says, "Mom, the music is making me sleepy." I'm like, "Yes, but it's making me spiritual and you want your mother to be spiritual this morning." But last night I put on, I turned on Travis Greene and I put on some high worship, you know, the worship that makes you want to dance. So y'all, I was in the kitchen, uh, chopping salad for dinner, seasoning some salmon, warming up some macaroni and cheese. I had one son, uh, tearing up some kale because we're gonna make some kale chips today. But last night, you know, getting prepared. Somebody say get prepared. Say it out loud now, get prepared. And so, um, we were doing that and nobody was in the mood. Nobody's in the mood to clean off the table. Nobody was in the mood because they're mad because I made them run. I made the two younger ones go out and run by themselves. And the oldest one, he don't know it yet, but he about to get up this morning because he thinks— he doesn't think I know he missed it. He told me he had something to do, then he told me later on he would go. But anyway, the point is, I was the— I was the mood setter. So I turned it on, and I turned it on loud, and my kids were like, Mom, can you turn it down? I was like, no, I'm not going to turn it down because we are about to have fun here. We're gonna have fun. You hear me? We're gonna have a great time preparing dinner together. And then I told them that after, after dinner, when it was their job to clean up, that they could pick the music. So last night, y'all, the worst of times, literally for them, were the best of times. So not only am I making biscuits and beef stroganoffs and running and twisting my hair, not writing as much as I should be, not cleaning out the bathroom, You know, not diving deep into my Bible study like I should be doing because I mean, we have time. However, laughter, cleaning, joking, teaching, training, dates to Costco, sitting out on the backyard. I've been wanting to for years get a picnic table after hearing about the turquoise table where you paint your table turquoise, you sit out in the front yard and it's just, People are interested because who has a turquoise table? I just call Lowe's and they have picnic tables. I think I'm about to go have my husband pick one up and we about to make it a project and I'm gonna sit it out in the front yard and talk to the neighbors as they come by. And the boys are gonna be like, why do we have to paint the table? Because the worst of times can be the best of times. I wanna ask you to think about that question today. How is the worst of times, the best of times for you right now. And if you want community and conversation, I always like to remind you all, check out, uh, not that one first. Check out the Facebook group. There you go. Because I'm only gonna do 15 minutes. Y'all didn't think I could do it, but I'm about to, I'm about to do it. And then if you want to know more about the Inner Circle videos, there you go. Conversation with Michelle from yesterday is still up. That was some of the worst and the best of times too. A lot of crying, a lot of laughter. And then all the other ones, Lisa Turkhurst, Priscilla Shire, Alina Pitts, all the other ones from the last 3 weeks, they're in the inner circle too. Would love to have you join. And know this, 'cause it's 7:15 and I gotta stop talking before it turns to 7:16. Y'all, we have plans for you. Oh, we have plans. That's all I'm gonna say today. What I wanna tell you though, is the worst of times can also be the best of times. How is it for you? Talk to you later. See, I can do it. I can do it. Bye y'all.
