Five Minute Friday: SUNRISE

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is ONCE.

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One of my favorite things in the world is when the sky changes colors. The black to dark blue, to purple, to orange then pink, and finally light blue. And reversed at the end of the day. My kids know this about me. When we’re together, we all marvel together. If we are apart, they will ask me if I saw it. And if I’m exceptionally busy, they will come and find me, wherever I am and make me stop and come look at the sky. And though it might be a small inconvenience at the time, I am so grateful they help me pause in the midst of the chaos. It’s a sort of reset for us all.

Back when Jude was in school, our drive coincided with the sunrise. Every morning we would thank the Lord for creating the beautiful colors for us to see and acknowledge how the Lord goes out of his way to reveal himself to us, even when we least expect it! Such a beautiful way to begin our day together. 

Five Minute Friday: ONCE

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is ONCE.

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Sometimes the thing is too big. Sometimes it seems too unattainable. Sometimes it seems as if it requires too much of me. It paralyzes me and I don’t even try because it seems too out of reach.

I’ve lived in that train of thought for too much of my life. Too many of my minutes consumed by the weight of the task, no matter how big or small it seems to others.

But what I’ve been noticing is that sometimes all the thing requires is a leap of faith. Not looking at the whole, but staring with one step. My mind doesn’t need to map out the entire journey. My body doesn’t have to take giant leaps at a time. I just have to take the first step. I have to just be courageous once. Sometimes the hardest part of obedience is the beginning. 

Five Minute Friday: GRATEFUL

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up. Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week’s prompt is GRATEFUL.

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2020 has been nothing but a wild ride. An absolute crap-shoot where you have no idea what you’re waking up to. Uncertainty abounds and tensions are at an all time high. 

Yet...

We have so much to be grateful for. Despite all of the hard that happened in 2020, there have been many big amazing things that have happened this year. But for every big praise there are dozens of tiny blessings that go unnoticed because they are so ordinary.

Milk in the fridge.

Gas in my car.

Water in our pipes.

Thank you Lord for being a God of the details. Thank you for thinking of things that I don’t even notice. I take it for granted, but when I take a step back I am overwhelmed with gratefulness that you are a God who sees the big picture.

STOP.

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Five Minute Friday: ANOTHER

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up! Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week's prompt is ANOTHER.

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I have missed writing for about a month now...

Just like everyone else, I've been sequestered at home, sheltering in place to keep my family and my community safe.  Of course, as an essential employee in community ministry, we have responsibilities to make sure our children and families are taken care of.  So every other day we are out and about sharing the Gospel and providing snacks bags at our ministry center, drive-through style.

Things are so crazy right now, aren't they?  I'm having a hard time keeping track of the days... There are so many things going on in our world right now, but also, things are crawling.



What day is it?

What work do I need to get done today?

Are we on Day 2 or Day 3 of our school work?

Am I paying enough attention to our three year old, as I'm working from home, helping big brother with homework, and trying to hold it all together?

Are the children watching too much tv?

Have I read a book to the 1st grader today?

Is writing one sentence REALLY worth crying about? Is there more behind his breakdown? How do I make it better?

When is the last time they kids bathed?  When is the last time I bathed?

What am I cooking for dinner?

Am I giving them enough independent play or not enough?

What time should they be in bed, now that schedules are crazy?

They are hungry again?  Seriously, ANOTHER SNACK?!

So much is being asked of us right now.  How can we possibly add any more to our plates?  One thing on top of another.  and another.  and another.

The only way to get through it is to go through it.  So, this I know... We can do it.  We will make it through.  And we will come out of this more connected than ever.

Stop.

Five Minute Friday: Table

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up! Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week's prompt is TABLE.

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I've been doing a study called "Rhythms of Renewal" by Rebekah Lyons.  The subtitle is "Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose".

As soon as I saw those words, I knew I needed to participate.  The premise of the book is that there are four rhythms to our lives.  These rhythms are ways that God designed for us to live and consist of input and output rhythms.  The input rhythms are Rest and Renewal... taking things out of your life so that you can put the important things in.  The second two are Connection and Create.  

The first two were difficult for me to implement, but I did it.  I did a weeklong fast from Social Media, which doesn't sound hard, but the first three days were TORTURE for me.  Did I know that I was addicted to social media?  I knew I was always on my phone, but I had NO IDEA how connected I was to it.  As a result, I had more time, I was able to do things that were truly important to me, and I wasn't nearly as mentally overloaded as I typically am.

As hard as those two were, I knew the doozie for me was coming in the "Connection" week because this is something I have always struggled with.  As an introvert, all I want is to be left alone and be given space to decompress.  However lately, I have felt closed in, isolated, alone and something else that I can't even name.  In the aforementioned book, I came across a quote this morning that took my breath away.  

"The enemy of our soul wants us to be isolated and alone.  He knows that when we're isolated, we're easy prey.  Why?  When we're alone and vulnerable, we feel afraid.  When we're together and vulnerable, we become brave.  A brave group of vulnerable people acting together in faith is not easily overcome by anxiety and stress."

Since I've gone through this study, I have met with a few of my friends to decompress these feelings and in the process found out that I am not alone.  There are others just like me, longing for a connection that is just a table away.

So, I believe I've found my answer.  I need to set the table and be the type of friend I'd like to have.

Five Minute Friday: BEFORE

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up! Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This week's prompt is BEFORE.

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Before I was a wife, I was free to be selfish.  I was free to do what I wanted, to go where I wanted, to see what I wanted to see.  I was unchained but desperately wanting something more.

But today, I am a part of an incredible team.  I have found my life partner and we are better together than we were apart.  I am so thankful for the man my husband is.  I no longer want to go, see or do anything without him.  

Now, I am free to be complete with my other half.

Before I was a mom, I was care-free.  I was selfish with my time, energy, body, and mind.  I was free to go on spur of the moment adventures.  Every night was date night.  There were no sitters, no bedtimes, and no issues with putting on shoes.  

But today, I have two amazing kiddos.  I will say 7 and 3 are no walk in the park, but they are my best buddies and I love them more than anything in the world.  They are worth all of the unselfish things that it takes to be a momma.  

Now, they are my everything and I would literally fight bears, lift cars, and go to the ends of the earth for them.

Before today, I was tired.  I was overwhelmed.  I was crippled with the troubles of the 'before'.  

But today, I will stand in the truth that I am fought for and brought in from the ends of the earth, by someone who loves me most of all.  He tells me this: 

"I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places- firm muscles and strong bones.

You'll be like a well-watered garden, 

a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,

rebuild the foundations from our of your past.

You'll be known as those who can fix anything,

restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,

make the community livable again." (Isaiah 58:12-12)

Now, I am whole, I am complete, I am truly free.  I can use the "before" to shape my after.

Before, I was on my own.  But now, I have everlasting life and will never be alone again.

Five Minute Friday: RISK

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up! Five minutes of free-flow writing shared with whoever wants to read it. This weeks prompt is RISK.

I have just finished a Bible Study called Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons. This is an amazing feat in and of itself because I never finish things, so I'd just like to say that I'm really proud of myself.

The final lesson of this study was over Creativity. The premise of the week is that God, our Creator, has invited us to create WITH Him. This allows the overflow from our renewed and refueled hearts to go somewhere productive. I have never really thought about that before, but my heart has been intrigued to see what shape this could take.

Upon pondering where this lesson might lead me, my mind settled on how much I have previously enjoyed writing... I wrote a few blog posts many moons ago, but as time marched on, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed just writing.

I think the thing that God has placed in me is a passion to share stories, both my story and the stories of others. I am grateful to have a job where I get to share the lives of others in order to bring LIFE to others.

As much as I enjoy writing social media posts regarding our ministry at Hope for the Hungry, I feel the Lord telling me to do more. So, here I am, 5 years and another kid later, writing on my blog again. This might just be a post for today, or it might be something that sticks around for a little bit. Only time will tell. What I know is this: it feels good, and it feels right. I have things to say, and if I'm the only one who reads them, at least they are out there. And that's enough for me.

END.