Growing a Family: Our Sabbath Summer

This summer we declare a Sabbath Summer. By definition Sabbath means rest as to set apart as holy. I might not fully understand all of the complexities of what Sabbath means biblically, but what I do know is that Scripture calls us to "cease strive and know that I [God] am God." Psalm 46:10 (See a Full definition of Sabbath here).

So, our family is going to try this--- resting in God's provision. The rule of Summer Sabbath is simple: Trust God.

In practical terms this means sticking close-ish to home, not pre-planning our summer activities or daily outings. It means being obedient to where and when God calls us to go somewhere or do something. It means limiting the stresses of this chaotic season of life (and one of these stresses is taking my 1, 2, and 3 year olds anywhere by motor-vehicle by myself). It means focusing on the simple yet difficult command in Mark 12:30-31:

³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

We start this summer with loose boundaries of staying close to home, surrendering our friendships to the Lord and taking joy in celebrating God's Gift of Love through reading scripture and through service. Our goal is to get back to a more simple, clutter-free, media-reduced life, hoping that through this-- more authentic interactions will grow into long established friendships and serving others would become second nature.

If you know anything about me and my extroverted nature, this will be difficult. It is certainly a disciple that will influence (positively) many other area of my life... marriage, relationships with my kids, friendships and service to the church body and community. I pray that through this discipline of Sabbath Summer God will change the way I think and value the people and things around me. I am excited and slightly apprehensive at how this will all play out but after pondering it more I realized....

Isn't this how I should be living anyway?!!?

In those terms, it could also be called a "reset" summer. Whatever it is called, I pray that it brings Glory to God and refocuses our family to what really matters. So...here is to a summer full of the unexpected. A summer of trusting God. A summer of hopeful simplicity. And a summer of authenticity, openness and sharing the Gospel through lifestyle.

In Joy---

Maranatha

2018: My "reset" year

10 days into the New Year...I have made some pretty loft resolutions.

As I reflect backwards on the year before, I also dream about the year ahead.

My "backwards" year sure was eventful... discovered I was pregnant, took two trips to Canada and one road trip to Idaho, dealt with a house flood, birthed a baby who was born unexpectedly early with hours and days spent in and out of the hospital (not knowing if he would live or die), potty trained, my oldest starting preschool, attended two professional ballets, turned 35 and adjusted to being a family of 5 while both my husband and I work full-time. (And these are just a "few" highlights of 2017).

It was probably the toughest year I have endured to-date. EVERY WEEK offered a new challenge which allowed us to press deeper into God and sacrifice so much of ourselves to serve others and take care of the "things" (material and relational) God has gifted us with.

In 2018, my resolutions are big... focusing first on God. Trying to live more radically for Him by getting rid of the excessive physical clutter to make room to mentally focus on relationships.  My desire is to be more intentional about serving those around (my husband and kids included) by a willingness to be "inconvenienced" to obey the calling/directing of the Holy Spirit. It is a big resolution that can only be fulfilled IN Him.

My other "big" resolution is to take just a little better care of myself. It might seem silly to you but I realized I sacrifice so much for my family that I forget to take care of my basic needs... so at the risk of TMI, here are my other 2018 goals: washing my face every night; brushing and flossing TWICE per day instead of just once; being more active (I have been walking laps around my backyard as the kids jump on the trampoline...not exactly how I pictured working out but at least it is exercise); drinking more water and less coffee; and shaving my legs more (silly, I know).

So, here is to a "reset" year. Striving more fiercely towards God and taking better care of myself to being more intentional. It feels good to write these things down, to remember where God has taken me and where He wants me to go.

What about you? What are your big (and small) resolutions in 2018?

Growing a family: What does it matter

It is still hard to believe that I am a mother to three children. Even typing out those words it seems foreign.

I often wonder what makes me qualified for this role. What did God see in me to grant me such responsibility?

To be honest, most days are a blur. Only through His strength am I able to endure the daily demands of a 3 year old, 22-month old and 6-month old. Wild.

Removing myself, it seems overwhelming. How can anyone handle such chaos and still exude love, patience and kindness? How can one manage life: housework, cooking, cleaning, bill-paying, friendships, work, and sleep-deprivation to top it off.

Jesus.

By no means am I saying I have it all together. I am blessed if I am able to remain "cool" throughout the day and react in love rather than frustration or annoyance. 

Some days I feel like I just go through the motions, not fully engaging with those around me or cherishing the moments of snuggles or hugs. This saddens me.

My friend's mother passed away earlier this month from cancer. I have know her since I was in 8th grade...practically a lifetime. What are the things she treasured the most? A clean house or basking in the warmth of a happy family? If she could answer, I am most certain she would say family.

In the light of eternity, what on earth really matters? This is a challenging and convicting thought. How would you answer it?

I'm sure like many of you, I get caught up in my to-dos, my social media, making things perfect or clean, well organized. But what does it matter? Do I spend time sharing Jesus? Breathing in each moment of my chaotic and sometimes overwhelmed life? What can I remove (mentally or physically) to make my life less overwhelmed and focused on the things that truly matter?

The practice of being present, no matter what my "present" looks like, clean , dirty, happy or fitful...it is my present. The one God has granted to me. In the chaos-- in the unknown--in the overwhelming--- GOD.

God. He is the only one who qualifies me for this role of motherhood. And I am blessed.

Growing a family: Getting rid of it all

It has been a process over the last 2 1/2 + years. It has been painstaking, forsaking things that once brought me so much joy. It has been a process of reclaiming my mental space in the midst of my physical world: decluttering.

I go through phases of my "get rid of it all" rampage. Yesterday was one of those days. I boxed up half the toys and up to the attic they went for future sorting/donating. And did my kids notice today? Not at all.

My closet is another one of "those" spaces. Only 6-months postpartum I still have high hopes that I will fit into my old "skinny" jeans (a reality I am not sure about after having 3 kids!) yet I still have a plastic tote stored away of my "when I am healthy and back in shape" clothes. The remaining items are things that kinda fit...maybe if I squeeze in, don't eat or better yet don't move. Others have small tears or snags from the laundry machine while other just don't fit me properly anymore but for the lack of anything better they take up valuable drawer space.

Oh, the kitchen! How many gadgets and trinkets have collected over the 7 years we have lived in this house. Do I really need that lemon squeezer thingy. What about old knives that no longer cut but were given as a gift. The countless unused plastic bowls and utensils. To be honest, I only use a handful of tools because, lets face it, with three kids aged 3 years of age and under plus working full-time while being a full-time stay at home mommy does not lead itself to much cooking.

So in order to create some type of control over my physical stuff, I purge. I am finding that the less material possessions I have, the more thankful I am for what I do have...the more I appreciate it, use it and enjoy it.

As I go through my clothes, I find that the struggle and stress of getting ready in the morning is slowly shrinking the more the number of items in my closet shirk. I have found that I also do less laundry too! Both a perk!  My eventual goal is to create a capsule wardrobe consisting about 50 items...if anyone wants to come over and help me with this one, I am more than willing to accept!

The toys feel like an endless battle, though. Almost like something that is not mine for the taking... yet also something the little creatures in my house don't always pick up after or take care of. Although the amount of toys has been reduced, it seems like a losing battle. We have become more selective on what we bring into our house and have created an easy organizational system which allows toys to be easily stored and retrieved. I have tried the "rotate the toys" thing but for me it feels like move the clutter from one spot to moving the clutter to the attic. I think this is an area we will always have to work on.

Keeping a "get-rid-of-bin" in an easily accessible location has helped this process greatly. I no longer have things piles in the car, attic and the basement. There is a one-point collection.

Throughout this process, God has been teaching me and reminding me that He is more than enough. That my abundance is a blessing from Him and in my abundance, I need to share. These lessons transfer well into the conversations I now have with my children...not only teaching them gratitude for what they have but also generosity as we share what He has given us. It brings up many points about need vs. want. It reminds me that God wants me to not just give from my abundance but to sacrifice to Him. It helps me check my motives and desires before I purchase something. Decluttering and purging creates space for me to spend more time with my family rather than just managing, cleaning, folding, and putting away stuff. I recently asked myself what I spend the most time doing in my daily life....the honest answer what shocking. How can I refocus on what REALLY matters, spending less time managing my stuff? Getting rid of it.