Time & Intentionality

This morning I've been thinking about time. About how I never seem to have enough of it. How I feel like I am always chasing after it. Trying to catch it. Slow it down. Stop it. There are so many things to do each day.

I wish I could capture time. Keep it. Tell it to wait so that I can get everything done. Yet, I suppose I'm getting the things done that the Lord wants me to get done...or maybe not. Intentionality must play a part. If I am intentionally using my time, will I still be chasing after it? Seems not, and yet...craziness happens despite my best intentions to be intentional.

I've been pondering intentionality. Questioning what it looks like lived out and how I can stay motivated enough to be consistently intentional. I have a tendency to decide to do something and then completely forget that I made the decision to do it. There is just so much going on...time spinning fast.

I want to live an intentional life. Intentional for Christ. In every. aspect. of. my. life. Yes.

The question is:  what does an intentional or intentionally lived life look like? In real time. Time crammed full with children. School. Noise. Screaming toddlers. Sickness. Laughter. Good. Bad. Boring. Exciting. Life.

A life of purpose. A life of beauty. A life of order. A life of love. A life of sacrifice. A life of praise. A life well lived. Christ.

Yet, how? What is it? What does it look like? And how do I find time and strength to attain and maintain it? Revolutions in my mind.

Elisabeth Elliot's famous words come to mind..."do the next thing". And yet,...

I was reading another blog that I enjoy and the author was answering a question from a reader who asked how the author of the blog never got tired of being intentional. The author answered that she does get tired, but that it is a good tired. I agree. Work is good. Being intentional is good (and important), but I also agree with the questioner. Living an intentional life is not easy. It is tiring. Especially for a wife whose husband is often absent due to long work hours or other obligations. Intentionality then falls primarily on the wife/mother - and for a mother of many this can be a tiring thing. A difficult thing.

Weary. There is always the call of the couch. Do you hear it? It calls, "come and sit for you are weary". The computer calls too, "come and lose yourself in endless web pages and other's words". And books. They call too. And the shower. Ha!

As mothers we must laugh. Find humor in the crazy. Proverbs 31 says, "she laughs at the time to come". I've been thinking that we must laugh at the days that are. Today. This moment. It helps us stay sane. Or me at least.

My husband is once again teaching from 1 Peter. This book of the Bible is all about intentional living. Holy living. Glorifying God. Good works. Following Christ. And suffering. I'm going to try to carve out a few free minutes today to delve into it's pages and see what I can glean about living intentionally.

But now another is calling me from his crib. His babbles say, "Momma, come and get me. I am awake. I'm ready for the day. No more sleep. Here I am!" And so I go...to begin my intentional day or not. We shall see.

May the Lord bless you my sweet friends.

My return, Ethan turning 1, and a 15% off coupon

In a few days Ethan will turn 1.  (Yes, that is his bottom in the picture.)

Can you believe Ethan is turning 1?

Well, maybe you can, but I almost can't. In honor of his upcoming birthday on the 14th (the same day as my dear husband's birthday) and my return to blogging I have a special 15% off coupon from Just Simply Baby to share with you. Just click on the link at the bottom of this page (scroll way down and use my affiliate link) and pick your favorite diaper - maybe like this one that Ethan is wearing in the picture (sorry, I am going to have to work on perfecting my baby-in-cloth diaper pics) or this one which I also adore - and then use the code 15OFF at check out. This coupon is just for today so don't procrastinate.

I have two Just Simply Baby diapers in different prints (and I am about to use my coupon and order a few more - probably this one, and this one, and maybe a minky - because I'm in love with minky diapers) and not only are they cute as can be, but they work. In fact, I don't have a single cloth diaper that doesn't work. I am in love with cloth! Yes, with 6 children! Ethan is my first cloth baby and I can't tell you how much I regret not using cloth sooner. Almost as much as I regret waiting until I was 29 to start having children. Anyway, I'll be writing more about cloth soon. So, if you have a question, ask. In the meantime, buy a diaper.

Need more incentive - here it is:  you can buy two diapers from Just Simply Baby for the price of one regular name brand diaper like, say, Fuzzibunz. And they work the same...maybe better. And if you use my affiliate link then I get credit which is the main reason why I am blogging again...as a way to help my family by bringing in a little extra income - think Proverbs 31. She grew a vineyard, I'm blogging. You get the picture. (I'm being right up front - I need the money and the free diapers so...buy from me.) Ya know - 6 kids need clothes, shoes, food, and I need to satisfy my cloth diaper addiction - you get the idea. And maybe someday soon I'll figure out or remember how to attach picture links...cause right now I just can't recall how to do it. Oh, and be prepared cause the blog will be changing as it is in a renovation stage right now. So no questions about why I only have 5 kids in the banner.

Happy shopping.

More on Motherhood

Motherhood gives us the opportunity to interact with history. Our prayers don’t just become part of protecting our children from harm and from hazards of their own making. With God in control, our prayers for our children can make a mark on our nation. True women, like Hannah (see 1 Samuel 1-2), trust God enough to believe He has great things planned for the babies He has given us - babies we give back to Him for His use, His kingdom, His glory. -Janet Parshall

Rain!

This morning I went to the window and what should I see?
Rain!
Beautiful, blessed rain.
Bess, my sweet, emotional five year old came to window beside me this morning and asked, “Mamma, what are you looking at?” Then she saw it too, “Rain! It hasn’t rained in years!”
Or something like that. I think the news said 120 days.

Praising God for the rain.

On Motherhood

Motherhood gives us feelings of fuzzy blankets and baby rattles and toys to line the crib. But motherhood is actually one of God’s refining fires. The reality of motherhood is that it’s a place to learn surrender, letting go, trusting and believing that God is God. -Janet Parshall