The Intentional Life

    It was a random Wednesday night. My husband had of course fallen asleep in about 3 minutes and I was lying there, listening to his breathing, wishing I too could fall asleep that easily. As I lay there wishing, a sense of melancholy came over me. And, as is my nature, I follow that emotion and try to figure out where the root originated. And so, my mind began to think back through the day. As it did, I started to take note of everything I didn’t get done. I didn’t get the kitchen cleaned up and decluttered like I had wanted to. I did zero work on that book I dream of publishing some day. I made no sales in my online business. I didn’t get any exercise in. At my office job I did many things, but nothing that felt like it really made a difference in anyone’s world. Basically, I felt like I didn’t move the ball forward on anything.   I eventually fell asleep, somewhere in the middle of my rumination on my failures. And, with the unfinished business in my mi...

  We all like the idea that our time is not wasted, yet how often do we fall into the time warp of distractions: social media, emails, procrastination, streaming videos, and lack of priorities. We know these things can suck up our time, but yet we fall into their traps time and time again. How can we break free?    Small, intentional moments.   Of the myriad of things we do each day, we want something to count– not just in a quantifiable way, but in a soul-filling, joy-inducing way.     God's word calls us to be purposeful with our time, even calling us to “redeem” it. To redeem something means that you buy it back. But, how can you take back something that is fleeting and slipping away constantly?   We have an Enemy that wants to distract us, to keep us from our mission of spreading the Gospel and God's love. Every moment spent distracted from that work is a moment that he has won. So, to redeem the moments we are in right now,...

  Money. There was this guy who had a decent house, nice car, and a fridge full of food. He knew people who had more than him, but he knew a lot more people who had less.   Due to a well-timed investment he suddenly saw himself with a windfall of money. He had so much he didn't even know what to do with it. So, he decided he needed to buy a better car, build a bigger house, and trick out his kitchen with one of those double sided fridges just because he could.   He was thrilled. He had a huge place to entertain, a sweet ride, and a fancy kitchen where his hired catering staff could create grand feasts for him. He thought, “This is it! I have made it! Now to sit back and enjoy life.”   Unfortunately, that night he died of heart failure.   If this story sounds familiar, it's because you may have read it before. It's found in Luke's gospel, chapter 12, just modernized a bit.   If you think you are no where close to where this rich young man was i...

 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....

  Relationships. "Mom, can we go frisbee golfing?"   In my head, my first thought is, "No, I'd rather not go out in 95 degree heat and toss a frisbee at targets for 2 hours." I'd gladly read a book in the shade, go for a hike, take a nap, or go for a cup of coffee. But frisbee golf?   But, when your 14 year old asks to do something WITH you, it's best to jump on that train because you don't know when it will pass by again.   So, we went frisbee golfing. And though it did end up being fun, the most joy was seeing my son doing something he enjoys and being a part of it. It's life-giving to the relationship.   I see this play out big time in other areas as well when it comes to our kids. I pretty much take life seriously and don't slow down to have fun a whole lot. But setting aside my own interests, and taking up one of my child's instead, always proves fruitful.   When I'm tempted to groan and maybe even sigh at the one h...

  Home. Laundry. Dinner prep. Dishes. Sweeping. Toy pick-up. More laundry.   There are just some chores that, no matter the size of your family unit, require almost daily attention. And often it’s all we can do just to stay on top of those daily tasks.   You’ve got other housekeeping items you would like to get to. But they all seem to require more time that what you have on a Tuesday evening. If you find you are stuck in getting started on any of those big-sized cleaning projects in your home, then it's time to start small.   Look at the large project as a whole, and then break it down into smaller tasks that can be accomplished bits at a time. This will help you start to make progress without leaving the house feeling like it’s been pulled apart in the middle of a big undertaking.   For example, I know our kitchen cabinets need cleaned out, everything wiped down, and reorganized. I generally don't have a 2 hour chunk of time that I can devote to ...

  Thoughts Flying gives me anxiety. Well, actually, the process of getting to fly gives me anxiety. I love the lift off, the cruising through the air, the view from the window, and the sudden stop when we land on the ground. None of those things causes my palms to sweat or heart to race. What gets me is the part where you stand in line, waiting to scan your ticket, show your ID, and walk through the scanners. The process of finding your gate and making sure you are in the right spot at the right time makes my shoulders tense and my breathing to go shallow. Questions loop through my head: Is my ticket correct? Am I in the right line? What if we don't get through in time and miss our flight? What if the machine rejects my ID? What if I set off the metal detectors? What if they find something in my bag that I didn't realize was there? Can you relate? As I near the kiosk where the security guard waits, I feel akin to a fugitive, trying my best to look normal and safe ...