The Intentional Life

  Heart. At times I find myself gripped by overwhelming anxiety. It consumes my thoughts, making it hard to concentrate. Sometimes I can tie the anxiety to an event, a trigger. But sometimes, it's hard to pin down.  When anxiety creeps in and takes over, the simple tasks of the day to day can suddenly seem difficult. Cooking dinner, helping with homework, running errands. When we find ourselves in these moments, it can be hard to see past it. Our perspective shifts and our anxiety becomes the wind in the sails, directing our thoughts and actions. This is when we need to remind ourselves of truth, allow God's promises to fill  our sails, driving back the lies that anxiety can bring.   Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.   Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.   Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.  Psalm 37:3-5   Look to His W...

  Time. A couple years ago, my husband and I spent a few weeks in Africa, visiting and encouraging our friends in the mission field there.  There were many things that were strikingly different in Kitwe, Zambia compared to my small Midwest town, as I'm sure anyone could guess. Among many things, one thing that stood out to me was the use and concept of time. One day there was need for a part for a machine that had broken down.  Here in America, we could drive to a store, find the part, check out, and head home.  With the presence of self-checkout, we could even get that all done with zero human interaction.  The amount of time spent on the whole thing could be minimal. In contrast, in Zambia we drove to 3 different parts stores, each time first asking the owner how he was, how his family was, etc, and then discussing where the part could be found (spoiler alert, NOT in their store).  We spent an entire afternoon trying to find the part and in ...

  Money. I had a savings account in 3rd grade. I had to open an account because I had all this loose cash laying around. When other kids were spending their quarters as soon as they had them, I was stashing mine away. Any time I received money at Christmas, birthdays, or the occasional earning for doing a job, I stashed it away in a clothes drawer. Eventually it got to be a bit much, so one Saturday morning in 3rd grade my dad took me to the bank and helped me open a savings account. Oh, that felt so good! Just knowing all that money was sitting there waiting on me for… well, I really didn’t have a plan, I just liked knowing it was there.   At first glance, this can look like a responsible elementary child making wise decisions about her money. Sure, saving is a responsible thing! But what was my motivation? Was it to because I wanted to be a good steward with the blessings God gave me? Hardly. The motivation was more about control and fear. Because, when that ba...

We rang in the New Year in a quiet fashion. Just a small party of 5. All 3 kids are now at ages where they can stay up til midnight without a major meltdown. So, we played games, ate snacks, and toasted the new year with  sparkling cider. We weren't expecting a huge change with the flip of the calendar, but something about saying goodbye to 2020 felt better than other years when December turned to January. Our January ended up running like any other one we've had, just with a bit of pandemic restrictions, which we've come to feel as the norm, despite our affinity for them. We celebrated the beginning of the last year of 30's for Paul.   Helped Paul with the high school basketball broadcasts by either running the camera or keeping stats. I love that it has become a whole family affair.   We enjoyed a few snowfalls, the one at the end of the month bringing enough that we finally got some sledding in.   I tried my hand at Dutch Oven bread and felt like I actually had su...

  Relationships. As far back as I can remember, my Grandpa Herb would call me on my birthday. I loved getting that phone call where he would sing just for me. As soon as I said ‘hello’ he'd launch into the melody. Then he'd ask about my day, talk about the weather, and wish me a happy birthday. My family lived hours away from my grandparents and we only got to see them a few times a year. So, hearing his voice, and knowing he was calling just to talk to me - it was a sweet moment I looked forward to. He and my grandma had over 20 grandchildren and I know every single one of them got the same kind of call on their birthday. The first birthday I had after he passed, I grieved the loss of that occasion. But, thankfully, his daughter (my mom!) has continued this tradition with her own grandkids. My kids love it when Grandma Karen calls and sings them happy birthday. I'm thankful that she has continued the tradition with the next generation and that my kids get to ha...