Living In The Moment

For some folks, myself included it is so easy to use lots of brain power thinking about what is coming up next. Whether that is the next turn you are going to make on the way to the store or what you will do in the next six months.
Once you have stepped onto the future “brain train” it is hard to get off, in fact often times you spend your journeys looking out the window and only getting off between stops.

While I am a big believer in the fact that keeping our destination in mind is very important I think there is something to be said for living to the fullest in the moment we are in.

Our Christian journey in scripture is described as a walk. Walks are slower; along the way you can see the small things that you would miss at a greater speed. A person who needs some encouragement, a special treat that God has dropped into your day, a divine appointment all of these are prime candidates of things that can be found as we open our eyes in the now.

God is the same yesterday today and forever He describes himself as the I AM, not the I will be, or the I was, but God with us.  Being created in His image we should display the same characteristics that He does.

The season that you are in will never come the same way again.  Last night I was speaking on the phone with a friend, she is on the verge of having a major change happen in her family. Things will never be the same again and though she has a few months to prepare, the time and culture she is currently in have a known deadline. Many of us also have an appointed time in what we are doing or the people who are around us, that will soon come to an end, we just don’t know it like she does.

Honestly would you be a little more patient with the distractions (people) in your life if you knew you’re your time with them was short?

Would you recognize the gifts the Lord gave you along the way? Last fall I was working the registration for a camp. The sky was a brilliant blue with a lively wafts of cool air streaming in the breeze, just enough to keep it from being hot and I was inside looking out again. I silently wished to myself that I could be outside just for a while. 

Interrupted in my reverie by the need of the moment I turned toward the work.

Soon a problem arose that required me to head to a different building about a mile away.
On mission I stepped outside only to realize that I had loaned my car to someone else and would have to walk. I grumbled out the door and down the first section of sidewalk.
A breeze blew through my spirit reminding me of my desire to spend time outside. “You see,” said the Lord “here is your outside time” I slowed down and began to enjoy the rest of the walk seeing it as a gift rather than the annoyance that it seemed at first.
Yes, there have been other times when I missed the message and marched from point A to point B without a thought that it was the Lord that was intervening in my day.

But on the days when I look deeper into the detours of my day I find the Lord listening to my heart and shaping my outside world in the most delightful ways.

Have you recently found yourself on a detour? What did it look like to you? I would love to hear about it!

Organization is Cheerful, Immediate and Complete

Sometimes I still need a mom to tell me to go clean up my room house. My mom used to always tell us that true obedience was cheerful, immediate and complete. I’d like to borrow that mantra, and alter it for my current stage of life.

True Organization is cheerful, immediate and complete.

You see I’m moving into our first home this week, and as I pack up my little 1 ½ bedroom apartment, I am simultaneously shocked at how many things I have half-finished here and there, and intimidated by the thought of keeping a 3 bed, 2 ½ bath, home (with an additional cottage) organized. The problem is, I am both the person who can’t rest when things are in disorder, and the person who is easily distracted from the task at hand (did you see that butterfly… ooo… a mini Snickers bar!).

So today I am waxing philosophical concerning my housekeeping skills and making the following observations:

Disorganization comes from:                          

• Not dealing with things the first time I handle them.
• Not carrying things to their complete end.
• Which results in a frustrated and discouraged housekeeper.

Hmm… let’s review… Cheerful, Immediate, Complete. If a system is too complex I simply won’t remember it. Surely three little words will stick the landing (pardon the Olympics reference, but it’s that time of year). 

All the best organization books (of which I have read several) say that the key to organization is how many times you handle something. If you bring the mail in, don’t just put it on the table to be moved before dinner, moved again when you are cleaning later, and then moved again when you actually need it. Sort it immediately. Find a system for each area of disorder, and stick to it.

If it comes through your door, deal with it immediately, deal with it completely, and give your family the benefit of a cheerful mom.

Check out my Pinterest board, Making Life Smarter, for some of my favorite organization solutions which I intend to implement in the new house.

The Joy and Challenge of Leading Your Kids Towards Jesus

One morning during my quiet time as I was praying aloud (a habit I've formed when alone to keep my heart focused on the Lord) my little 13 month old daughter toddled up. She tapped my knee. I looked up and smiled,

"Hi sweetie."

She made the sign for prayer.

"Yes, mama is praying to Jesus."

She quickly signed "please", then "up" so I pulled her into my lap.

She tapped my knee again.

"Please", "More", "Pray"

My heart jumped! It's so difficult to tell how much a child of one year can understand. My husband and I pray so much for our little girl to have a heart that recognizes and responds to the Lord at an early age. That morning will always stay with me, both the joy and delight of her response and the reminder that she will imitate what she sees in me.

Joy comes in all shapes and sizes. I think though one of the greatest joys we can experience as a Christian is the joy of seeing someone we love and have invested in take steps toward spiritual growth. Our "children" choosing to seek and follow the Lord on their own. I don't care if you are single, married with no children, have children of your own, or if you are separated from your children, this still holds true. Paul (a single missionary who spent most of his life on the road or in prison) spoke of his "children" with great love, and John, speaking of those He nurtured in the faith said, "I have no greater joy than to see that my children walk in the truth." There is something in our hearts that leaps in response to the delight our "children" experience in the discovered joy of following God on their own initiative. Our spirits rejoice with God, and them, as we see first hand God responding to their seeking heart.

Don't loose the teachable moments, don't let complacency corrupt our thinking by allowing the feeling that our example is unimportant or unnoticed.

Every moment is seen, every moment important.

“Mommy” The best worst job in the world

“I just can’t wait till they start school!”

“Once the kid’s get up in the morning, that’s the end of my sanity.”

“Can’t I even go to the bathroom by myself?”

I’ve heard statements like this repeatedly, and sometimes I wonder if I'm abnormal because I don’t share these sentiments.  I’ve always known that something was wrong with me. I seem to always be just out of the loop of how a woman of my age and station should behave. Obviously I’m not doing the mom thing right if I’m enjoying it right?

Sure there are times I don’t want to be interrupted, sure I get tired of how demanding a toddler can be. But when I do, I stop and remember that my daughter is a soul with a body. That she is uniquely her own person. That she is created in the image of God, and that out of all the people in the world God entrusted her to my care. She is not mine, and she is not an interruption. Raising her is simply the most important thing I will ever do, and doing so is not a menial task that makes me less of a woman, but rather the closest I can come to joining the hand of God in action.  

Answering my daughter lovingly, and taking time to laugh with her is not an interruption but the most important work of heaven. 

I think anyone who has dealt with the constant needs and demands of a child has known what it is to be frustrated with the responsibilities of parenting. However listening to and participating in conversations about these trials has caused me to pause lately and wonder if feelings like these, though valid, are right.

So the next time your kiddo wants to sit in your lap while you are trying to write a letter, wants one more story, or interrupts your grownup conversation. I hope you will take a second look into your child’s eyes, and see the God-created spark of the eternal soul that God gave specifically to your stewardship. And when you look, see that there is nothing more important than unreservedly giving your child the next few minutes.