Tag: Priorities

Best Days

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best-daysI am writing this in my dark living room enjoying a quiet night with the soft glow from the Christmas tree lights.  My husband actually put our tree up this year and I have loved looking to see where he put my favorite ornaments. I have several but one of the gems for me is a stack of pancakes. It’s right in the front about halfway from the top and every time I look at the tree, I can’t help but see it first.

 

I bought it a few years ago because it takes me back to some very cherished memories. When our kids were growing up, we spent many family vacations camping.  One of our annual traditions was camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness with our small group families.  Even long after our group stopped meeting regularly, we still camped together once a year.

 

Camping is bike rides, camp fires, late nights, pancakes, bacon, homemade donuts and chili.  We played kick ball with all the kids, roasted marshmallows, ran 1/2 marathons, worked puzzles and played games. But mostly, we talked.  We spent time catching up with each other like we couldn’t do when we were attached to life and work at home.  We challenged each other and prayed for each other.  Those were the best days.

 

As I reflect on 2016 and anticipate 2017, one thing I’m reminded of is that I can appreciate the past and the relationships formed there but I can’t live there today.  I can appreciate traditions and memories but if I try to hold on too tight to those traditions and memories, I will miss the new ones waiting to be formed.

 

I’ve taken a few mornings this week to think about what I want for 2017, what I am asking God for in the New Year.  I want to focus on the present and what God is doing today. I want to do hard things, the things I’ve been putting off, the things that scare me.  I want to take time to talk to people when the moment arises, I want to be flexible.  I want to connect with people like I did in those best days sitting around the camp site. I want more best days.

 

Reminiscing about those favorite memories has been so good for me this Christmas. I find they are pointing me to all the possibilities ahead. What are you looking forward to in 2017?

“Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? 
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.”
Isaiah 43:19

Slowing Down To Listen

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This summer, I hope to experience a slower schedule, time to focus on relationships and the opportunity to regroup and listen to God.  Truth:  That doesn’t happen unless I get intentional about it.

 

On of the ways I am slowing down is by mapping out what I want to accomplish this summer within a reasonable timeframe.  I am trying not to take on too much while also building more margin in my schedule.  I still have my usual responsibilities so I have to get creative!  On my days off, I am really trying to take the day off.  This may require me to work a little more on necessary things through the week but it’s so worth it!

 

A bad habit I started which I thought was giving me a jump-start on my day is checking my email on my phone when I wake up.  I realize this is stealing my focus first thing in the morning and the emails will be there an hour later.  When I spend the first part of my day focusing on God, I am way more productive and able to handle things led by Him.  So I decided to change this!

 

Being intentional meant finding several different ways to spend my morning with God.  Here are some of the things I am doing but not all in the same day!

 

  • Bible Reading – I have a great reading plan I’m working through and I have been experiencing the living Word this summer! Even if it’s a passage I have read many times, God is faithful to bring a fresh perspective and truth.

 

  • Worship – I love worship. I am not the best singer but I don’t think God cares.  I turn worship music on in the morning and I carry it around with me wherever I am in the house and even when I move to my car.

 

  • Listening – In the past I have gotten caught up in having to read or pray or worship to the point where I am not really listening. When I listen to what God is putting in my heart or how he wants me to see a situation, my perspective changes and my stress diminishes.  My best environment to listen is when I’m on a walk or sitting on my porch.

 

  • Devotional Study – I love understanding who God is through what he reveals to others. Sometimes hearing what someone else has been through helps bring clarity where we need it most.  My go to devotional right now is A Confident Heart by Renee Swope.  Many of the Clubhouse team are reading through it currently and this is what Natalie had to say about it:

 

“I constantly have doubted who I am and if true faith and trust in God was in me.  In A Confident Heart, Renee Swope shares her own struggles and how when we understand who Christ is in us, the confidence in God and faith in Him comes. 

Renee speaks in terms that are so relatable through her own stories and victories! This book is helping me refocus on the truth and principles I learned in Freedom and gave me more proof of God’s love for me. .  I am not letting abandonment and rejection from my past define me.”

 

What are some things you are doing to be intentional with your time this summer?

 

Come to the Table

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Family dinners have always been important to me but I have to confess, it can be a battle to find a time that works for everyone.   Busy schedules, band practice, and other commitments constantly pull us away from the table.  Not to mention the times I don’t know what to cook, I forgot to thaw the chicken, someone has an attitude, or they’re just too picky!  When I want to give up, I dig in, fight through and remember these truths:

 

  • It doesn’t happen unless it’s on the calendar.  As our kids have grown and their schedules become more complicated, we all have to talk about it and choose our family dinner nights.   We’ve eaten as early as 4:30 and as late as 8:00 just to have a few meals together each week.  Because everyone is part of the decision, they make more of an effort to be there.

 

  • It’s not about the food.  I have gone from cooking for 5 with a few picky eaters to cooking for more than 10 at Sunday lunch.  My worry has changed from “will they eat this” to “will there be enough”!  I won’t deny that food has to be part of the focus.  But both home cooked or take out can bring your family around the table for connection and conversations.

 

  • It’s about the people.  We have tried to create an atmosphere where friends are welcome but cell phones aren’t.  We call it being “fully present”.  We’re not perfect at it but putting cell phones away at dinner gives us a better chance at connecting with those in our presence. Sharing Highs and Lows of the day is a great way to get everyone, youngest to oldest, talking and the memories you are making are priceless!

 

  • You may need a bigger table.  I started making a big Sunday Lunch when I realized it was one of the few times we were all available and it’s become a Bonham tradition.  I admit though, some days I’m tired and I don’t feel like cooking or setting the table.  But when the door opens and one more walks in, I see how my kids welcome their friends and it motivates me to keep going.  I was glad to buy a bigger table… some things are worth the investment!

 

  • It’s worth it!  At this point in life, I see my efforts paying off.  Our kids are in their early 20s now and not all living at home, but everyone still looks forward to the connection that happens when we come back to the table. When we are face to face, talking and listening, laughing and fighting it out, family is found. Our relationships are richer because of the meals we have shared together and the people who have sat with us along the way.

 

So don’t let the excuses of being too busy keep you from connecting.  Talk to your family and friends and decide when you will come to the table.  You won’t regret it!

How Was Your Day?

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Have you ever made arrangements to have people over and your day didn’t go the way you planned?  You were late getting home and the clean up you thought you would have time for didn’t happen.  You end up running around throwing things in closets and cabinets to straighten up.  For me, everything gets piled up on the washer and dryer.  I mean a huge pile!  It’s pretty ridiculous.  I pray no one opens the laundry room door because while my house looks orderly and clean on the surface, behind that door is a mess!

 

 

One of my biggest struggles is keeping my relationships and responsibilities in the right order in my life.  Many times, I have good intentions but what ends up happening is I look like I have it all together on the outside but if you talk to my kids or my husband, or my friends, they might feel differently.   Years ago, I heard a question posed to a woman in leadership, ”How do you keep your priorities balanced?  God, Husband, Kids, Ministry, Friends, etc…?”  Her answer was simple: “If I keep God in first place in my life, everything else will be brought to my attention when it needs attention.”

 

She wasn’t saying that we shouldn’t have a plan to spend time on our important relationships and responsibilities.  She was saying that when we make our relationship with God our first priority and we invite Him into our schedule each day, He leads us.  If something needs some extra attention, He will prompt us and help us make the time.

 

So what does it look like for God to be first in my life?  I think it starts with inviting God to be in charge of each day.  Trusting that He can use anything that happens to bring me closer to Him and show me where He is working.  Putting God first is my choice every day.  When I do, my relationship with Him will grow … instead of reading a few verses in my bible, I might read a chapter.  I’ll find myself praying and inviting Him to direct my steps when decisions need to be made.  When things go different than I planned, I look to Him to help me figure it out and I am much more peaceful because I know He is in control.

 

Here is a simple prayer that may help you.

God, you know the things that are most important in my life.  You know all the things I am responsible for.  As I make my plans, you see where I need to make adjustments.  I invite you to interrupt me and point out the areas I may not see.  Lead me today so that you are first place in my life and I am doing what you want me to do.  Amen