The Richest Way to Live

Just lately, the word ‘content’ has been on my mind. I guess I have been wrestling with whether or not this truly wonderful word could describe me.

Honestly, a post about living in contentment won’t be the most riveting thing you could read today. It’s just not the way of this world.  Many would say that being content means remaining stagnant or living in status quo.

How often do you purposefully step back to assess how content you are with your life’s current circumstances? For myself? Not often enough. I may be genuinely thankful and even say so in my prayers, but to live a life of contentment hasn’t always been a goal until recently. 

The adjective ‘content’, according to Merriam-Webster, means “pleased or satisfied with what one has or is.”  I also researched to see if this word has ever been declared a “Word of the Year.” It hasn’t. 🫤

We can’t be too surprised by that.  After all, most influencers are swaying us to redo our kitchens or shop the newest trend in wardrobes and reinvent ourselves in many ways.  Your friends are posting their beautiful, tropical vacation photos, and every accolade in their children’s sports journeys.  

It may be tougher than ever to sit in contentment!

My unpopular opinion is this: A content spirit is the richest way to live, and proves your trust in God.

Contentment.

It’s a resting in the provision of God, our gratitude abounding.

It’s knowing that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.  

It’s looking at the world through a more mature, wiser filter… and peace is its byproduct!

There’s a number of verses in scripture that point to these truths.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”  Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬ ‭

“I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭

“Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭30‬ ‭

“Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me.” Psalm‬ ‭131‬:‭2‬ ‭

Likely, the above verses were written in war, from jail, and during persecution, and yet, contentment even in those circumstances is possible! Comfort is not equal to contentment.

I observed my own sister this past summer. She was a near-perfect example of living in contentment. Just 2 days in to her North Carolina vacation, she had a mishap on the steps of the beach house, and found herself in the ER with some nasty fractures to her right tibia and fibula. Not long after, surgery came, and as she was in the process of healing (with lots of hardware now affixed inside), summer was rolling by. It was months of rest and no weight bearing. She couldn’t drive. Her adventurous spirit was now bound by the immobility of this leg. But, each time we chatted, she was not in the frame of mind to complain. She accepted the damage and prayed for healing. She was patient and her spirit was content in the circumstance. This is not to say she wasn’t frustrated or didn’t have bad days. I admired her steadfastness in the whole process.

It’s true- life doesn’t stop coming, whether it’s illness or injury, grief or disappointment, parenting or aging parents. 

So, Christians, let’s appreciate the privilege of being human. Giving thanks for the sneakers on our feet, the stars of a night time sky and everything in between.  Isn’t it true that we can find ourselves content just about anywhere we choose to be?

Right now, the heat has kicked on in our home.  The dishwasher is humming. My family is safe, dogs included- as they are both snuggled tight against me.

I hope you, friend, find yourself content in many moments today, tomorrow, & always. Maybe this truly wonderful word can describe you, too. Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁

 Photo by Michał Franczak on Unsplash

God’s Sweet Autumn

The Age of Distraction

There was a special maple tree of my childhood at the edge of my parents’ driveway.  I spent some considerable time on its branches, just lost in thought, appreciating the view. Likewise, the most time I ever spent looking out a window at the wide world was on road trips to vacation destinations.  Those simple practices, unknowingly at the time, were welling up a gratitude within me. To see beauty in cornfields, mountains, sunsets, and trees was to see God working in the world.  And even today, I am still that person in our car that gets a little too excited if I notice a pasture dotted with black and white cows.

My enthusiasm is usually met with a few murmurs from the backseat. The tablets and phone are just so much more thrilling than a hundred Holsteins.

Let’s be honest…it’s not just the kids.  We adults struggle with the pull of technology, too. Just look around the room at a family birthday, or after Thanksgiving dinner.

I know that personally, the lure of my phone has increased in the past few years. In many ways, living so attached to my technology causes me to detach from the Lord, my family, and many tasks at hand. It’s living with a mind divided, and constantly at the ready to receive the pings of notifications. 

Perhaps it’s a struggle for you, too?

But, maybe it’s not a new struggle, humanly speaking. In previous decades, it may have been the new family computer.  And prior to that, the multiple televisions in the home. Yes, it seems that the distraction of technology has been there for a while. 

With it fitting snugly in the palm of our hands,  however, likely this generation’s struggle with distraction is much more complex.  There is an ever-present, nagging worry inside of me that my children and their generation will have more difficulty walking with the Lord, and pursuing Him on purpose.

Their minds are wired for quick, easy, and entertaining.  There’s more noise now than ever. There’s more feedback now than ever. Living in a state of nearly-constant scrolling and watching chattering YouTubers, conversations with people are challenging, let alone conversing with God. 

When the electronic devices of this day direct our every thought & every move, it seems the power of Holy Spirit is pushed away.

Oh, He is present, for sure. But, us? We are elusive, preoccupied.

Our awareness can be dulled or completely gone altogether. Dull with checking emails… dull with commenting on pictures… dull with browsing online sites endlessly… with as much as we can do on our phones, it can truly make our minds dull to the life in front of us.

The cure for this dullness lies within these phrases:

“How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done! Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next. No speech or words are used, no sound is heard;”

                                                                        Psalm‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭

Our children and theirs that follow must learn to live in awe of the world created by God. He is, after all, the first influencer, content creator, and blogger (see Genesis to Revelation).  He is still reigning king, our guiding Holy Spirit, and risen Savior. 

Long, healthy doses of looking up and around in this world- that’s the antidote. The remedy also lies in digging into the Bible and discovering truth, rather than scrolling through the world’s ideas.

Parents & grandparents, if we can enjoy a sunset stroll without a phone, so can they. If we can model a family holiday without a phone, so can they. If we can read the Word, star-gaze, enjoy a dinner, spend some friend time, sit at the beach…..all without a phone, so can they.

Let’s be mindfully encouraging this next generation that boundaries with technology are ESSENTIAL to walking with Jesus. Usher the wonder of this world purposefully into their days—- just be sure to put your phone on the counter, too. 

Psalm 8

“LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Photo by Marina Liashchuk on Unsplash

The Bus Stop Walk

It’s August yet again! That statement comes with a shred of disbelief. (It always does.)  I am just sitting in the quiet of this long morning, thinking of the routine to come in a couple weeks which is accompanied by much organization, hustle & bustle to get everyone where they need to be. 

My blog has fallen silent for a while. I was a busy mom this summer, and it left little time for pondering, let alone writing much down.  But now, thoughts are turning to a new school year. For me, in my 19th year, I am starting a new venture in 4th grade. My kids will be in 6th and 2nd grades.

In education, we talk often about ‘best practices’…what works well, what keeps things moving smoothly along in the classroom.  I would love to share one of my favorites that works right here at home, daily, before school begins.

The stretch of road you see above is our brief walk to the bus stop before my son, Colby, crosses the road and waves goodbye for a day of middle school. The steps to get there are few but very precious to me as a mama.

In all, it’s about a 60-second walk, but we make sure that for most of those 60 seconds, each morning, we invite our loving Lord to be a felt presence in Colby’s day. This short path has also heard prayers of healing, pleas for guidance, and the asking of blessing in the friendships that we keep.

It may not seem like much, but I know neither length nor simplicity of prayers diminish their impact. Give or take a few days, it’s 180 times a year that I can very intentionally cover my son in prayer for his day. It’s a best practice of a believer raising up a believer.  Praying WITH him, and not just FOR him has been a very practical step to building up his faith foundation.  

I love to imagine that it delights the heavenly realm each day as we start out from the driveway, faithfully calling on God…sometimes in warm, early autumn beams of sunlight and other times, rushing out into a dark, frigid & snowy daybreak.  Just as my son is equipped with backpack, notebooks, and water bottle, I also like to think of our morning prayers as a last before-you-get-on-the-bus safeguard for the day ahead.

These middle school years are formative, uncharted, exciting, and a bit rough. But Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” 

These days will surely pass, and one day, some years down the road, Colby will drive himself to school. I also love to imagine that our sacred ‘best practice’ finds its way into those car rides… embedded into a faith that is all his own.

Our daughter, Hope, gets this prayer time, too, in the car ride to school. We get to share a bit more conversation in the morning, and then she is off to her classroom which is right within the building I also teach in. One day, though, this special stretch of road will be hers and mine as well. ❤️

Lord, thank you for walking with us at all times. Thank you for this stretch of road.  I pray that faith is strengthened in our kids when we purposefully invite You into our day, every day. I ask that each parent who might read this, be encouraged to have prayer time with their own children on a regular basis. May You show us how “wonderful it is when Christ displaces worry at the center of our lives.”  Amen!

Preferred, Adored, & Chosen

Moms.  It’s a subject near & dear to my heart. It’s among life’s greatest blessings to be one.  What an experience to be loved by one.  One thing is true— a mom becomes a giver the day she births her child. 

There have been some earlier days that my children seemed to pilfer every joy that was mine.  It’s like having the most delicious, decadent bar of chocolate to enjoy in total seclusion at the end of a long, busy day—- and then having your two kids, discover this secret moment, & plop right next to you begging for you to share it. And you do. That’s motherhood, though.

You know what else is? 

Making the breakfast toast instead of blow-drying your hair.  

Falling into bed utterly exhausted only to be awakened by a fearful preschooler.

Buying the sneakers for your son, when your ‘newest’ pair is at least two years old.

An excellent mother denies herself a hundred times a day. Don’t you agree?

It’s doing the inconvenient or selfless act when you would rather not. These moments of your time and sacrifice are the tiny, but strong threads that tie you to your children. You do all of them, day in & day out, because of love. 

It’s servanthood, this mothering thing. And soon, rest assured, the needs won’t be as immediate.  The time will come when their independence is gained, and you have some personal freedoms again. 

In the meantime, a great indicator of being a wonderful mom, is when you are preferred, adored, and chosen by your children. When they seek you out for the hug, the answer, or the snack… even if you are on the toilet, and dad is standing in the kitchen!

Motherhood.

Relish it.   The love you are giving now, will be experienced, understood and passed down to the next generation.  

Continue it.  Your impact also empowers your children to go out and love the world.

Your love, selflessness, and tireless work lives on in many ways! Happy Mother’s Day!

1 Peter 3:4: "You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

Proverbs 31:28–29: "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

Thank you, Lord, for my own mom. Love rooted itself in me because of her. Please give mothers the strength to meet each day and its challenges with Your joy and gentleness. Make us givers of good things, so that our home abounds in Your love.  Amen!