The Intentional Life

  Relationships. No one likes an imposter. Someone who says one thing and does another. We value authenticity. Being able to believe that the way a person acts and speaks is who they really are, not just a show. We appreciate being able to trust others in this way. And I would assume others would value this in us as well. But, have you ever found yourself acting different for other groups of people than with others? Sure, there is a time for business-self and casual-self; that’s not what we’re discussing here. I’m talking about swaying your stance on things just to please the people who you are with. It may lead to temporary smooth waters, but what ripple effect could we be causing? Peter was up against this when it came to the believers in Antioch. Paul saw it and called him out on it:    But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  For prior to the coming of some men from James, he used to eat with the Genti...

I came across a picture today from 2012. Three toddlers sitting in a living room. One child sitting in the middle of an entire box of tissues recently emptied and strewn about the floor. Another sitting on top of a coffee table, blanket covering the head, most likely singing a song to herself. The third, smiling proudly as she was no doubt the culprit who not only emptied the tissue box, but also the four other toy bins that were scattering across the living room floor. I can look at this picture of my three children now and smile... because they are no longer toddlers. They are no longer dumping toys in the middle of the floor and leaving them there. They are not drawing on walls and putting every last little thing into their mouths. They use one Kleenex at a time, and 8 times out of 10 actually throw it away. I’m glad I took that picture. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t seeing the charm of those little cherubs smiling up at me. I’m sure I was feeling stressed at the mess, inadequate to get ...

  Thoughts. This past week I received some devastating news about a friend. Though I am on the fringe of it, and not directly affected, it still rocked me back on my heels. As I processed it in my brain over the next 24 hours I found myself asking these questions of God: “Why do you have to take someone so full of life? Why do you have to take someone who is doing good things for you? This person has a spouse and kids - why are you allowing this to happen?”   I know I am not the first person to ask these questions when life suddenly doesn't make sense. And I know I am not the first person to question God's plan. This isn't the first time and this isn't the last. God is not intimidated by our questions; He knows our gaze is finite. But just as it is OK to ask God questions, it is not OK to go to our own human thoughts for the answers.   If we're seeking answers of God, then from God is where we need to get the answers.   For myself, during this time of questioning an...

3 separate birthday celebrations A winter storm that brought a foot of snow Still trying to  feel our way along through a pandemic. And grateful for the times we were able to see family because of the antibodies we all developed over Christmas! Some peoples' lives have lots of exciting things happening. That may be our life someday.  But, for now, it's living with joy where we've been placed, working with what we've got, and shining the Light as bright as we can. Here's our corner of the world in February....   Madeline turns 11. The first, and maybe only time, I actually bought an ice cream cake. She caught me in a moment of weakness, I guess. So much snow. But we've found in recent years, if you dress accordingly, you can enjoy it so much more! Birthday celebrations with the Steffens. You can almost hear the chaos in the below picture.... A certain 5th grader had to miss her Valentine's party and instead get to have a COVID test instead. I guess the ...

  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...