The Intentional Life

  It’s inevitable. At some point in time, someone in your life is going to let you down.   Your expectation of what you thought they would say or do falls short and you are disappointed.   Someone you trusted is caught in a lie. A friend who is loyal is found to have broken your confidence. A family member who you held in high regard is shown to be deceitful.   I recently had an experience of finding out that a person I thought of as one of integrity was part of an aggressive, foolish act. It left me feeling deflated, a bit confused, and very disappointed. As I was sitting at a red light, fighting tears, I handed it to God. I asked Him what I was supposed to do with it.   And He reminded me of the life of Moses. I was prompted to dive a bit deeper and so I took a walk through the books of Exodus and Numbers. Time and time again Moses was disappointed by God’s chosen people, the Israelites. Either they were complaining, disobeying, or doubting. Moses ...

 Dear Child,  You are a treasured child of the King.  The world is going to tell you that you are going to lose, but take heart - THEY DON'T KNOW THE RULES. Don't take it personally when some kid makes fun of your mismatched-on-purpose clothing choices or the stuffed animal that you brought in for show-in-tell or calls you some name that brings tears to your eyes.  They only call you that to make their own selves feel better.  There is something about you that threatens them.  And by calling you out on your 'lameness' somehow makes them feel like you are back to their level. I want you, dear child, to be sure of yourself, knowing God has created you as a unique individual, with unique qualities and tastes.  The best person you can be is YOU, not an imitation of someone else. People's valuation of you should not matter, only God's valuation of you should.  Measure yourself by His ruler, by His Word, not by the measuring stick of your peers....

  As we are midway through the year , I thought this would be a good time to look back over the 7 topics of the Intentional Life and give links to one of each topic, in case you missed any of them.   I am in the process of writing a book that is along the same lines of these topics, while also addressing the effect of what living with anxiety has on all of these areas. If there is someone in your life who you think would benefit from this topic, will you please pass this on to them? Ask them to subscribe to these weekly emails so they too can begin on this Intentional Life journey.   To pass on the link for signing up to your family and friends, copy and send this link to them : https://bit.ly/intentionalmomentsanxiousdays   “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12   The future book will help us see that as we ask God to help us to number our days, that He will in turn give us a heart of wisdom. With a heart of wisdo...

Summer. Schools are winding down on the strangest school year ever and I know students and teachers both are looking forward to a reprieve! Last summer, though some things may have felt like summer, many things were unusual and maybe not how the typical season is spent. Because of that, you may be feeling the pressure to make up for it this year. And with that pressure the anxiety that you've got to make it the best summer yet.   Whenever I feel that anxiety rising in me, I know it's rooted in expectations that I've placed on myself. And when I can root out those expectations and replace them with intentional moments, days seem more manageable and enjoyable.   So, instead of setting a bucket list that I feel pressured to complete, I'm looking at ways I can be intentional with my kids this summer. Small ways of being intentional in different areas of life that can make this summer purposeful and refreshing for our spirits. Here's a few ideas I think I...

  Intentional Relationships. I knew it as soon as my eyes opened. It was going to be one of those days.   The day felt dark and overwhelming. My legs felt sluggish and my mind slow to start.   There wasn’t anything in particular that made me feel this way. Or perhaps it was everything that did. Depression doesn’t always operate by a formula. And despite having the right tools to be pro-active and head it off, sometimes it finds a new way to come in.   I went through the motions of the day. I know the motions by now and can hide the hard parts from the kids while I shuttle them off to school. But then, in the silence, alone, it’s a little harder to fight.   I made it mid-morning, without a whole lot of productive things accomplished, when the phone dinged.   A text. From a friend. Just reaching out to say she was thinking of me and wondering how I was doing.   It didn’t make me do a 180 on my mental state. I continued through my day as I had be...