Every Day.

I knew that writing 500 words every day for 31 days would be a challenge, but I didn't expect it to feel so hard on Day 3. Yikes.

I keep thinking I need a list of topics to help me know what to write, but that's not true. I mean yes, I'm sure that's helpful, but it's not the reason I've been putting this off today. 2pm is not super late, but I was wanting to get this done before lunch and I ended up doing a bunch of other things before this that didn't really need to be done. Don't ask me how long I've been on Pinterest or Instagram.

The truth is it's hard to do things every day.

Whatever it is you are working towards, it's hard to do a little (or sometimes a lot) of it every single day. In my false reality, I think it would be easier to become a better writer, a better athlete, a better artist, a better ______________ , if only I could spend giant chunks of time on it. I think that if I wasn't homeschooling and had a few more hours to myself every day, THEN I would surely accomplish all the things on my list.

So not true.

I've had to fight off a lot of guilt this Christmas break. I've spent a lot of time on things just for me. Which isn't wrong to do in and of itself. And I'm not saying I've been wrong in it either (thus, fighting off guilt). But I am realizing that I am living my life a bit backwards from a lot of others and that I can't look at what they are doing to dictate what I ought to be doing. For people whose children are in a typical school setting, Christmas break is some of their only time to chill out, spend time with their kids, and go on adventures together. For me, it's some of the only time I get (besides parts of summer) to really do whatever I want. And I know this time is rapidly coming to a close.

But back to the every day idea. Doing things in large chunks of time is great. We often can get huge tasks finished and large jobs tackled in times where we can really dedicate ourselves for a longer period of time than we usually have. But from everything I've read and observed, the great artists became great because they work toward becoming better in their craft every day.

Sure, they take days off and go on vacations, but they don't wait to move until they have the large chunk of time to really make a dent. They use the ends of their hours, days, weeks, and months and fill it in with small progress. And that is hard to do. It's easy for a week, or a few days, but to march ahead knowing that to gain skill in your desired field will require lots of continual little baby steps, where progress will be slow and you might have little to show for it for an extremely long time... it's a little daunting.

I think that's why I am a bit crazy today, a bit paralyzed in my efforts. And I know it makes zero logical sense. Any progress is still progress. So, I'm still here. I'm writing. And I'm going to do my best to keep trusting that doing a little something every day, no matter how small, is still something worthwhile.

Called to Live for Him.

What does it really mean to live for Christ? For your life to no longer be your own, but God's?

I think hashing out this question is something people work on their entire lives, so I hope you won't expect to come away with a clean, organized list of things you can hop to right away and have "living for Christ" all figured out. But, I hope you do leave this post encouraged, ready to look at your daily life with a renewed perspective, realizing that hope for eternity is something you can focus on to give you endurance.

I don't think the bible is unclear about this in any way; we are Called to live for God. Even in the Old Testament, God's Call to His people over and over to seek Him, to live not for the things the world offers, but for the things He loves. This overarching Call included things like obedience, service, sacrifice, and more. But this same Call continues today. To live for God doesn't include all the same things the Old Testament (the old covenant) required, like animal sacrifices and diet restrictions, but the goal is the same: to have fellowship with God.

The whole reason we needed the old covenant was because of our human condition. We were slaves to sin and left to ourselves, with no way to come into the presence of God. Now that Christ has given His own life to pay for our sins, we cannot continue living the same way as before. We aren't saved from our sin so we can then go along our merry way. It's a completely different life that we should have.

The bible describes this difference as being dead or alive. In our sins, we were dead. Not just destined to die, or mostly dead, but completely unable to come alive and know God. We were totally incapable of putting into our lives the kind of goodness that He gives us. We see it in Colossians 2:13 and Ephesians 2:1-7. And Paul, who authored both these books of the bible, says again in Romans 6 that because we were dead before, we now need to leave the deadness we were enslaved to. In verse 11 he says "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Being alive in Christ means fighting sin, knowing that we don't have to submit to it, and then choosing to live for God instead.

Living for ourselves naturally leads us into sin. When my thought-life is full of my own ambitions, or consumed with what I am not getting, I am constantly on edge. I snap easier, I do selfish things without thinking, and I usually use my time in ways I later regret (hello Pinterest and Facebook). However, when I am living for God, I am no longer consumed with meeting my own needs. Instead, I look for what God would have me do and He helps me grow to love it.

Photo by Juliane Liebermann

Living for God doesn't mean you have to have a certain type of job or a particular type of lifestyle. It's more about how you look at your job, about how you look at your life. Instead of constantly looking at what you can do to make things better for yourself, you look at what you are already doing and how it can be done for God. It means you find your motivation not from looking to your future here on earth, but to the future we have in eternity with God.

Colossians 3:1-4 is such a perfect description of the perspective we need to have. When we come to know Jesus, when we accept the Call to be part of God's kingdom, we are raised from the dead and into Christ. Any life we hope to find is in Him alone. It is only seen dimly right now (1 Cor. 13:12) but when Christ appears, we will appear with Him in glory. So as Colossians 3:1 says, we have to seek the things that are above, since that is where Christ is. That's the only place we will find anything of lasting value. It's what we need to pursue.

In order to do that, we will have to lose the life we hope to build here. I'm not saying give up trying to do anything with excellence, or get rid of any nice thing you own, but we need to be honest with the ways we are pursuing the world and our own selfish fulfillment instead of pursuing God.

Jesus makes it very clear in every gospel, in multiple chapters: you will need to lose your life in order to find life in Christ. He says this Matthew 10 and 16, Mark 8, Luke 9 and 17, and John 12. In paraphrase, Jesus says that whoever seeks to keep their life will lose it, and whoever will lose their life for Him will save it.

So, are you currently losing or saving the life you have? Are you investing in the life you'll lose when you die, or in the one you will gain when you meet Jesus?

These are hard questions to answer. I can't say that I am doing this right all the time. I'm constantly confronted with how much of my time is spent on me, or how many of my frustrations are because I want my own way.

As I've thought through all of this during this past month, I have tried to ask myself these questions:


What is the root of my frustration? Myself or others?

What do I hope to accomplish right now? Something for myself or something God desires?

What are my thoughts focused on? My own benefit or God's?


It became pretty obvious that most of my unhappiness stems from my own desire to have a good life here on earth. When I'm upset with my kids, it's generally because I have an idea of how they should be. When I'm frustrated with my circumstances (traffic, bad hair day, giant zit on my chin), it's almost always because I think things should be different, more convenient for my schedule, or work together to make me look good. When I am annoyed with my husband, my friends, or pretty much anyone else I interact with, it's frequently due to my idea that I should be having things my way.

But a life lived for God... that's obviously different. When I am seeking to live out God's will through me, it changes my reactions.

When my kids do something wrong, I ask God how I should deal with it or what He wants to do through it.

When I'm stuck in traffic, I tell myself that God knows and that the details will all be worked out just fine.

When my husband does something I don't like or a friend doesn't invite me into their life, I can take hold of God's perspective and seek to love them despite my feelings and no matter their actions.

This road of living for Him is not easy, but He will help us do it. It will include sacrifice, sanctification, and probably some suffering too. But it's an eternal investment. The more we see the things we want on earth and their limited ability to bring us anything valuable, the easier it will be to lay them down and seek after God's eternal treasures. The more I sought to give what I have to others - including my money, my time, my energies, my gifts - the more I loved living my life!

This is an amazing aspect of living for God: He gives us greater joy now and greater rewards in eternity.

If this feels too challenging, too overwhelming, or not tangible enough for you to embrace right where you are, take a deep breath and relax. It's not an all-or-nothing type of endeavor. Here are a few tips that have helped me.

- When I am doing something boring, mundane, or challenging, something that I really would rather not do, I simply tell myself "This is for God, not me."

- When I get up in the morning, feeling less than enthusiastic about the day, I tell myself "God has something I can do today, and it will be worth my effort."

- When I am annoyed at all the people around me, I say to myself "God can love other people through me, and it is worth the effort."

Overall, the best tool we have for fighting the "right now" mentality that keeps us from living for God is preaching to ourselves. We must point our eyes to Jesus. Remind yourself that God is here, God can fill you, God can enable you to live exactly how He desires. Tell your soul that it is worth it, that even when you fail you will have new mercies to cling to, and that God really will direct you as you choose to step into action.

Give yourself grace. Be open to seeing God in your circumstances. And like I'm finding in all of these calls, everything becomes easier (and honestly, only actually doable) when we look to Jesus's example, rely on the Holy Spirit's power, and submit to God's eternal promises.

I hope God instills in you the desire to live for Him. I cannot convince you that it will be worthwhile, but I know you will find this to be true once you start taking these steps. I'd love to hear how it goes for you! Please consider joining my Called Facebook group and interacting with a bunch of us over there. This journey is always better with more friends to walk beside. You will find more riches here on earth and much more in eternity with a simple willingness to start working with God instead of trying to convince Him to work with you. Are you in?

Answer by Obeying.

Can a month focused on being Called to Surrender my own will really be exciting and fun?

I wondered this when February 1st arrived and as I look back I can genuinely say it has been a great blessing. In fact, I find it odd that as believers we would have any other ideas about surrender and obedience. Why do we think it is a bad thing? Hard, yes. Bad, never.

As I listened to Lysa TerKuerst's book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, I realized that most of the reasons she gives for wanting to say no to God were rooted in fear and most of the reasons I disobey God are fear-based too. Soon after, a new friend pointed out that true obedience to God flows from a heart that loves Him perfectly. And then the Holy Spirit reminded me that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).  The tricky thing about all of this is that we cannot love God perfectly in our own power. We are dependent on Him to give us a longing for what is holy and perfect and good.

Maybe this is frustrating to you or even causes you to feel defeated. But remember, this should bring you relief! God wants to give good gifts to His children (you, me, all of us!) and He desires that you should love Him perfectly and grow in obedience. To get started you will simply need a willingness to surrender and a commitment to following Him.

We can know in our heads that we should obey, but we cannot make our hearts desire it the way we envision or wish. That aspect of desiring to obey God will have to be left in His hands. However, the really amazing thing is you can choose to do what you know is right even when you don't feel like it. Growing in obedience and surrendering to God's ways is a journey. How determined are you to stick to that path?

Photo credit unsplash.com by Lucas Favre

Thinking through all of this has forced me to look at my actions and level of commitment, which is kinda rough. How determined am I to do what God calls me to, both in the daily practice of living a life that honors God and in the random times of day when I feel the Holy Spirit pressing on me to do something I wouldn't normally do? Like asking the customer service representative over an online chat if they know Jesus. Not my typical thing, but God is not the God of acceptable cultural behavior. His ways are far higher than our own.

As I've thought and prayed over what to share, I figured I would break down the most prominent fears I have been thinking through regarding disobedience and encourage you to overcome them.


Fear of Difficulty

Fear of Failure or Inability

Fear of Outcome

Fear of the Opinions of Others


There may be some overlap, and maybe you have other ideas about what these fears include or entail. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Be sure to join our Facebook group to chime in or feel free to comment below.

Fear of Difficulty

I becoming most stressed when what is required of me seems far beyond what I am capable of. When I wake up with a list of to-dos that feel near impossible the struggle to get my day started is long, arduous, and frustrating, and I generally end up getting out of bed far later than I had hoped. It doesn't make any sense that when I have a lot to do I'd struggle so much to get going or wrestle so hard to obey God in being diligent with my time or in being kind with my children. If I was smart or even a tad more self-disciplined, I'd get up earlier and start hammering away first thing. If I had more faith in His purposes I'd be more expectant that God is doing His work through me, even when it feels monotonous or unimportant. But the truth is that I am often crippled by the idea of how hard this type of obedience might be. 

It's easy to get this way with big and important commands that are obviously far beyond our own means. And maybe you're like me, struggling with the daily grind type of obedience as well. We look at what God is asking and feel like it is more than we'd rather do. We know loving our neighbors is right and good, but have you met them? It's hard to even hold a conversation with them! We look at the laundry pile, the homeschooling, and the errands that all need done and sigh. We look at the dream God has given us to write that book, or travel to that distant land, or start that business, or go to school, but looking at the whole picture of what that might entail seems like a lot of work, possibly more than we are willing to do. 

This is when we need to remember God's power. He is the one who gives us strength to complete the tasks He lays before us. When we think we can do something in our own might, we are deceived. He has given us many different gifts, skills, and resources to function in our day-to-day life but we forget that it still all depends on Him. When the next task looks like it will take more than we've got, He needs to be our source of strength to overcome the challenge. We cannot let what we do not yet possess deter us from obeying God right now. The following verse helps me remember to obey even when the job ahead seems like it will be too hard.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,

And young men shall fall exhausted;

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not grow weary;

They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:30-31

Fear of Failure or Inability

Fearing the difficulty of a task and fearing failure or inability are very closely connected. You recognize how difficult (or near impossible) obeying God for the long haul will be and you fear you will not be able to walk this path every single day. You know you are bound to mess up and would rather just avoid that level of failure and operate from the safe place of success. 

Even in the secular realm, that coping mechanism is being undone. Researchers are finding that we actually learn best from making mistakes, seeing where we went wrong, and making a plan to do different next time. If the world is taking on this challenge without the help of God, shouldn't we be even more willing to try? After all, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us from mistakes that might undo God's good work, and we have relationship with the One who can enable us to do far more than we ever dreamed. 

This is when we need to remember not just the strength and force of God's eternal power, but the daily sustenance He will give to us. He will never break His covenant with us. He will continue to provide for you in anything He calls you to pursue. I immediately think of Joshua being called to lead the people into the promised land. Maybe he saw how the people failed to trust God and had to wander the desert or how Moses had failed to obey and ended up not entering into the land. But God speaks to Joshua, commanding him to take the people in, to follow His law, and He takes the time to encourage Joshua. We can trust that we will not fail when we choose to obey God. When we walk with Him, He holds us up. Remember God's consolation and words or exhortation to Joshua.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

Fear of Outcome

Not seeing where the path of obedience will lead us can rattle the strongest warrior's nerves. We have no clue what it will mean to sell our house and move across the country. We cannot fathom what homeschooling our children, inviting a stranger to live with us, or taking a new job in a new industry might mean for us long term. This fear of the outcome of our obedience is where we must really come back to knowing and trusting in God's character. 

In the monotonous routines of daily life, we have a hard time understanding what it will do for our lives to make the small sacrifices of daily obedience. They often feel insignificant. Or maybe you feel called to obey God in giving up an outlet of social media and it feels too drastic; you cannot fathom what life at home or at work will look like if you are not connecting with people online. No matter what call of obedience you hear from the Word or from the Holy Spirit, you must trust in God's good plans if you are going to obey. 

Do you think you are able to make the best decision about the path of your life? Do you understand that God knows the events in your future and what you will need to be prepared for? Do you trust that all of these things will truly result in the greatest amount of goodness and joy and prosperity for you in eternity? I'm not saying these things are easy to navigate, I'm just saying we need to face them and make a decision. Like Abraham, even when we do not know the outcome, we can trust that God is good and will never lead us down a path that isn't worth the effort, sacrifice, and losses we may face along the way. When God first calls Abram, we only see that God told Abram He would make him a great nation, bless him and make his name great. However, he must have known or felt something about God's goodness in order to follow Him down that unknown path to that unknown land. I love what Hebrews says about Abram (now called Abraham) in this regard. We need to look to our eternal outcome, to God's eternal promises in order to find the strength to obey God in a world of unknowns.

"For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."

Hebrews 11:13

Fear of the Opinions of Others

I care far too much about what other people think. Most of the time, when I find myself wanting to do anything except what God calls me to, it is because I am worried about what others will think. What will that stranger think if I ask them about Jesus? What will my parents or in-laws think if we raise our children this way? What will my friends think if I share that bible verse or article on Facebook? In case you didn't already know, you cannot serve God and serve yourself. 

When we are prioritizing what other people think over what God has instructed us to do, we are fearing man instead of God, we are serving ourselves instead of serving Him. If we let ourselves go down that road we eventually become so deceived that we do something terribly stupid, something terribly selfish. Make sure you take a look at Acts 5:1-7 to see what happened to Annanias and Sapphira when they believed they could serve themselves and gain a good opinion from others all while looking like they were serving God. They cared more about the opinions of men and it led them to sin and destruction.

I do not want to be them for many reasons. I want God to look at my heart and be pleased. I want to be willing to follow Him anywhere, even if I am afraid and it feels like I will be risking my reputation or giving up more than I am comfortable with, I want to be determined to obey whatever He calls me to, casting aside the opinions of others and highly valuing the opinion of God. This doesn't mean we never take input or advice, it simply means sticking to the truth when we fear it may cause others to look at us differently than we prefer. It might be minor, it might be major, but our first priority needs to be obedience to God's ways. This verse reminds me that trusting in God and obeying His call is always the better option.

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe."

Proverbs 29:25

So there you have it, my very generalized examples of why you might struggle to answer God's call to obedience. What is stopping you? Being aware of your fears is a great place to start, but at some point you have to choose what you will do. Taking the initiative to know God more deeply will help add some strength to your resolve. Spending time in prayer and meditation over the Word will give you ammo to fight the spiritual battles you are sure to encounter. Then, you will need to decide whom you will serve. Self or God? We know which one has the best outcome. Obey and watch. I have never regretted it, even when I did it scared. Do it anyway! 

I highly encourage you to find someone you can trust to hold you accountable. Not just a friend who will encourage and agree with you in your struggles, but someone who is willing to displease you in order to speak the truth. You might think this kind of relationship would be destructive, but if you are both committed to serving God, it will be a great blessing on your life. Pray for God to reveal who that person should be in your life. He desires that we would sharpen one another and grow stronger in our faith and obedience.

I hope the final week of seeking to understand surrender and obedience will bless your life. It is encouraging and emboldening me in multiple ways. May we all be strengthened to follow His call and become a people known for doing whatever it takes, whatever He asks. May God's name and goodness go forth! 

Called to Know God.

If you are new around here and have not been following along the last few weeks, I'm starting a year-long endeavor here on my blog! I haven't been this excited for a project of this length since, well, never. Because, a whole year? It's kinda long and probably a big commitment. But, with a monthly plan and paring back on other endeavors, I am committed and ready to see where this takes us.

My purpose in all this is not just to have something fun to study or interesting to share, but I see it as something valuable I can investigate along with others. Understanding our Calling and searching for meaning are endeavors with no definitive end in sight. There will always be more to know, more to figure out, more to take action upon. But the aims in life that will always be the same are the things God specifically calls us to. They are the same whether you have ambition to be an artist, an engineer, a teacher or to work in sales. We can pursue these Calls upon our life and I suspect they will help us live better, with more joy, and more confidence. Who doesn't want that?

Over the next 12 months I am going to offer a prompt each month for exploring a specific action, a certain way to be, or a certain gift to receive that is part of our Calling as Christians. January's Call is "to Know God."

Each post for the new month will include some questions. Some of them will be used each month, and some are more specific to that particular month's Call. I will also have a scripture or two that we can anchor our Call upon and help remind us of the purposes we have in life that are solid and true.

Let's start!

January: to Know God.

Questions:

1 - What does this mean?

2 - Am I answering this call now? How or how not?

3 - What can I do to actively pursue this call?

4 - How do I think pursuing this call could change my daily life?

5 - What are some important things to know about God?


Bible Verse: 

"And this is eternal life, that they would know you the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." 

John 17:3

What I hope to Discover:

I hope being more intentional to Know God will help me feel more peace in my struggles, more security in the ways I am insecure, and a better, more heavenly perspective on my life. 

The first thing I am going to do is look through the bible at different verses that speak directly to what it means to Know God. I'm also going to listen to a couple books on Hoopla or my Library's audio book app. Here are the two I am starting with:

Knowing Christ Today - by Dallas Willard

Walking with God - by John Eldredge

I can't recommend these books wholeheartedly yet, as they are new to me, but I would love it if you did end up reading or listening to them and telling me what you think! I have read other books by both of these authors and do find them theologically sound as far as I know. For sure, the Dallas Willard book will take some brain-effort, just so you know :)

Lastly, there are a few ways you can participate in this with me.

1 - Join our Facebook Group! Anyone can join and you are free to participate as little or as much as you want. I will post other questions along the way and you'll have an easier time interacting with others there as well.

2 - Sign up for my Monthly Newsletter or Blog posts. There is a free download to be had when you sign up, and there will be monthly freebies as well.

3 - Follow me on Instagram @jojococamo. I post all kinds of things about my life on there but as I muse, think, and pray I am sure to post little tidbits regarding this endeavor here and there. Plus, I love following you (if you're into that kind of thing) and seeing what your life is like.

4 - Lastly, if you don't sign up for the newsletter or blog post alerts, you can always just check in monthly here on the blog. I will have a new post on the 1st of each month and then a follow up near the end, revealing my thoughts, insights, expectations, and actions.


That's it for now! Are you excited? What are you hoping to find here? I hope we can be a good example of a flourishing, growing community of believers and move with confidence in the things God calls us to. Have a blessed New Year. I can't wait to hear from you!

Daily Staples of Love.

I feel like I have done a lot of growing up this previous year. Not just learning a few life lessons here and there, or because of all the intentional studying I've done, or that I've simply become more knowledgeable about life in general. But I truly feel as if I am finally gaining some wisdom about how to live a good life and I am working hard, begging God to make these new habits a part of who I am, the way I naturally live.

Several books I have read this summer, or am currently reading, have contributed to this growth tremendously. And while watering my potted plants out back the other day, a lot of these separate ideas and random thoughts were connecting in my mind. I recently read something totally unrelated that connected well with these ideas I've been wanting to share with you and I hope they encourage your heart and bring you peace.

I'm sure you're all familiar with Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare. The unlikely candidate wins the race (don't worry, I'm not talking any politics in this post) and the fastest, most able, most likely candidate loses. And what was the determining factor? Was his mindset to blame, or his actions? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? If his mindset was different, surely his actions would have been different as well, you think?

I'm seeing what an impact our thought-life has on our actions. This is not just popular psychology  either, the bible talks about it too! See Romans 8:5-6 and 12:2, 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Just like the hare, it's easy to let what we think is going on around us dictate our choices, instead of letting what we know is right and good determine what we do.

This is giving me more reason to pause and consider what I'm doing, how I'm reacting, and what I am dwelling on more throughout the day. Our thoughts shape our physical minds and that should cause us to take what we think more seriously. What we think about ourselves, the God we serve, the family we love, and the life we live hugely impacts the actions we take throughout the day and throughout our lives. Not just the major, life-altering decisions, but the little choices that pile up. They carve the path we travel and cumulatively create the life we live.

Being a homeschooler, I have tried to make my home a haven for my family. We are here a lot, and I want it to be peaceful, relatively tidy, and a period of life my kids will look back on with fondness. I should say now, I am not naturally gifted in this, and I don't feel like I do a great job. Since our move to this new house, I've been trying to be more intentional about it, but it so easily slips my mind. I can definitely see when my kids are more on edge because of my mood, but I'm not very good at those small daily habits of keeping my attitude in check or keeping my reactions from getting out of hand. I forget that cleaning the whole house at once is miserable, as is dealing with a ton of negative emotions in one sitting (read: sob-fest), but if I can just do a little of the work every day, both emotionally and physically in my home, it will feel less overwhelming to tackle and navigate.

As I was watering some plants the other day, some of these thoughts and pieces came together. Watering the plants out back was originally Asher's chore, but he has not taken to it as well as I hoped, and I've often been too distracted or too tired to remember to remind him to do it. So, on random mornings, I'll go out there by myself and gain a few moments of solitude. These plants, they are not doing so well. Some are dying, a few are totally dead, and some will get to looking very wilty then perk back up again after a few continuous days of watering. All of these plants need more than just a big soaking here and there. They need a bit of water every day. The same goes for so many things in life for us.

This is one of my more regularly watered plants... it's less green than when I got it, but surviving better than the plants outside. 

My kids need more than just an intense season of schoolwork, a few deep conversations about God, or random spurts of love and affection from me. It is the small, daily actions that add up to the life of abundant peace and joy I so desperately want for my kids. 

My kids need a regular diet of hearing God's word, of receiving affection from me, of having their minds stimulated by truth and beauty. And in regards to enjoying life and having lots of opportunity, sometimes the big, huge thing we think will be memorable for a lifetime turns out to be a big flop. For me, it's the little things my parents did that I remember most fondly, habits of spending time with us, or just enjoying being together.

This has been a comforting revelation for me, as we are not big vacationers and don't do any camping, and as my summer has been a bit more "me-centered" than I intended. The guilt over not giving my children what I see other moms giving theirs has been hard for me to navigate. One lifestyle does not fit all families, and I know what my kids need better than anyone else, but it's hard to fight feeling like I could be doing more for them. And while yes, a vacation to Disneyland sounds like a blast, it is not what will make my children's lives wonderful. More importantly, my daily attitude and interactions with them is what will enable them to get the most out of life.

It will never be the rare, extravagant vacations or sparse, exotic experiences that determine the outcome of their hearts and lives.

If you struggle with feeling let down after big plans have been made or large events have been thrown, or if you have a hard time figuring out what to do to make your home more life-giving, don't think that a magnificent vacation or elaborate birthday party will make everything magically wonderful. Those are blips of fun and excitement thrown in, not the foundation of your lives together. It is the daily grind that will either grind you down or polish you up. It is the moment-by-moment interactions with your children that will shape how they see themselves and how they see the world around them.

I do want to talk more about little habits and tricks you can implement, just small things to help you see how easy it can be to get your mind into a better space, but that will have to wait for another day. The big task I am working on right now is making my daily reactions to the kids better. Instead of being frustrated with the continual questions, I am setting clearer boundaries (with explanations) for them, then giving them my full attention when it is needed and appropriate. Instead of being in a huff about having to help my four-year-old with something, I try to act like I am glad to serve her (because really, I should be happy to help) and make sure I actually see her, acknowledge her, and notice something I love about her during those small moments.

These little tasks might seem silly or inconsequential, but it is building a habit of appreciating my children and teaching them how to love and live with other people. It's taking actions I know are good and beneficial and putting them into my life intentionally. I want to naturally enjoy chatting with my kids, but if I only do this when it's convenient for me, my kids will pick up on this and no longer strive for my attention.

Overall, I am learning that these small habits, the little ways I act, and the little ways I react to others, make a large, long-term impact. Sadly, I'm not usually very impressed by my own actions or reactions, and I definitely need God's help in aligning my life with the way He wants me to live. Little by little, my heart is being filled, my mind is being renewed, and my kids are being loved. It might not look glamorous or exciting, but over the course of their lives it will look like love, commitment, intentionality, sacrifice... all the things they will need to understand and observe in order live a good life.

If I could encourage you in one thing today, it would be to love them well in any small way you can find. Don't let discouragement about what you can't do, rob you of what you can do. Water the people in your life every day! Don't wait until you have something fantastic planned. Wipe those bottoms with a sweet smile for your child, answer their questions with a "yes dear" instead of a "what!?", and tell them what a gift they really are every chance you get. Make love and encouragement a staple in your home. Do it every day and enjoy the growth you will find all around you.





*In case you are curious, here are affiliate links to some of the books I have been enjoying that have contributed to some of my thinking:

A Hunger for God by John Piper
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Anchored In by Micah Maddox

Leaving On a Jet Plane.

It's that time of year again! Time for me to hop on a plane, endure a LONG flight, and be blessed beyond what I can imagine. Seriously, it's that great.

SheSpeaks is a Christian women's Writing and Speaking conference, and the team at Proverbs 31 Ministries really goes all out on our behalf. Meals are amazing, the setting is gorgeous, and content is motivating, bible-based, and ever-so-practical. There are loads of books for sale, even more lovely women who have the same burning passion to share God's compelling truth with others, and an enormous amount of great conversation.

Last year I met handfuls of women I loved, and thankfully, I have kept in touch with many of them! It's been incredibly fruitful to be connected with these Christian Writers and Speakers. They bless me through their persistence, their failings, their advice, and their friendship. You know who you are ladies :)

This year, I decided to take the Writer's Track and meet with a couple publishers. I have been working half-heartedly on several book ideas, and I figured having a set appointment with a professional would gently force me to get going on them. It worked, that's for sure! So Friday evening and Saturday evening I get to meet with two different leading women in the publishing industry. I feel well prepared, but I also know this is simply dipping my toes into this world. I cannot wait to glean from them, hear their opinion of my ideas, and make even more progress with my writing and sharing.

In most settings like this, it's rare for someone to walk away with a book deal solidified. Instead, many walk away with contacts in the industry and a plan for refining, pitching your idea again later, and the only real promise you may get is for LOTS of work ahead. But honestly, I am up for that! I am here to learn, not to land a book deal. I am flying across the country to fellowship and grow, not for the sake of my own name or career, but for God's glory, for His plan. And while all these things will hopefully culminate to my book coming to life someday, what I really want is to be used by God so that others know Him better. This is the phrase I am going to repeat to myself over and over when I get nervous, when I over-analyze my outfits, and as I do my makeup. All the surface stuff, all the "results" from my time, are in God's worthy, capable hands, and I can most definitely trust Him to do something wonderful, no matter what it looks like to me.

If you don't follow me on Instagram yet, I want to give you a heads up: I started a more formal account that will pertain to just my writing, blogging, and speaking. There will be weekly encouragement, and at least monthly giveaways! Right now, I am giving away the book Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst. Go find me @joellenlarmstrong and enter right away. The drawing is tomorrow - yay!

I hope this week is life-giving for you, no matter where your responsibilities take you. I can't wait to share more with you this year, and be sure to come back next week for an update on my time at SheSpeaks. Here are just a couple pics from last year - such good memories!

Flying solo! Also, PDX carpet rules.

I was SO nervous. My only coping mechanisms were deep breaths, prayers, and selfies.

It was awesome to sit up front and listen to Lysa share tips to getting your best idea for a book out of your soul and onto paper.

They had such a lovely set-up for getting photos taken!

All the ladies from the Suite 314 Speaking Group.

And last, but not least, both ladies names Sarah May were in one of my first sessions... sitting one row apart. God is so funny like that. They are both wonderful! 

More Favorite Things!

To all of you faithful followers, however few you might be, I hope you have not missed my weekly posts and are at least enjoying some other good reading. The weekly commitment is just a bit much for me right now, so monthly posts are going to become the norm!

This summer is jam-packed with speaking, reading, writing, attending, learning, and likely a lot of swimming with my kids :) Even though my schedule feels a bit overwhelming right now, I know it will be a great summer, filled with life-giving, beautiful moments and lessons. Lots of work for sure, but I am confident bunches of wonderful goodness will come from all of it.

For something a bit lighter, I thought I'd jump on and share with you some of the things I am enjoying right now. Coloring, accessories, books, oils, decor... I have so much fun stuff to show you! I hope you enjoy it all as much as I do :) Affiliate links are included.

I found this company last night... how cute are their watch bands! It's hard to pick just one. I'm thinking something colorful and floral, or teal blue. Teal blue matches everything, right? 

I'm in the middle of a lot of books right now (who am I joking, all the time), but in preparation for speaking at a couple Classical Conversations Practicums in June, I am finishing up this book about the way we ought to teach. It is SO good! Hitting the nail on the head. 

While doing spelling with he boys lately, I've been coloring these lovely little pages, just to be doing something a bit mindless but beautiful. It's been fun :) Though, here are a couple other books I like too...

I recently started working out again at StrengthFarm in SE Portland, where I was before we sold our old house. It's about a 20min drive now, but it gives me time to pray, listen to books, or just enjoy some peace & quiet. I love lifting weights, and with an in-house Physical Therapist, it was an easy choice. I couldn't make the drive from our rental in NW, but our new place is much closer and I am SO thankful to be back! 

As many of you know, I have totally jumped onto the Oily train and have been running a business with my sister. I recently bought this water bottle and am LOVING it. I bring it everywhere and add in some Lemon, Peppermint, or Grapefruit oil for a little zing and wellness :)

This month, you get a FREE 15ml Tangerine when you buy your kit, so if you've been pondering that decision, don't wait! 

Last month, I won this sign because my little sister tagged me in an Instagram Giveaway - I think it might be the best thing I've even won! So pretty, right? The woman who runs her shop is fairly local, so check out her Etsy Shop and her Instagram and be inspired (and buy a sign). 

This is me a few weeks ago, after a Physical Therapy session for my knee, enjoying a couple hours without kids (thanks to my AMAZING friend Mary). I've been trying really hard to eat better lunches, and it is easier to do with avocados in the house. How are they so delicious? No one else likes them, so at least I don't have to worry about avocado thieves around here!

I may have linked to these before, but I just adore them. They are perfect if you pick up one of those coloring books. Nice color, super-fine tip, and they fill in with even color so easily! Great for other uses too, though watch out for bleeding through thinner pages. 

We just finished reading this book with the Richardson kiddos this morning, and we also read The Magic Finger earlier today too (super quick, super entertaining). I just love almost everything by Roald Dahl. He just seemed to have such a great sense of what was funny and entertaining for children without diminishing the value in beautiful language. I am slowly collecting his books each visit to Goodwill or Value Village or when they are discounted on Amazon.

Lastly, we are really enjoying the pool. Though, my oldest seems to think we should just swim every day for hours on end. Their fair skin and hay fever require them to take breaks, thankfully for me! I am enjoying the additional exercise, but this mama has things to do too... I can't lounge all day. Not until August anyway ;)

I'm sure there are many more things I could share, but the list is too long and our attention spans, I'm sure, are too short. I hope you look around your life, find the beautiful things you can revel in, and enjoy your summer with your family. Don't despise the small, don't cling so tightly to your agenda that you hate the interruptions, and don't forget to love the people in your life EVERY day! 

If you want to stay a little more "in the loop" as far as my life goes, come follow me on Instagram @jojococamo

Happy Almost Summer!

On Not Being a Quitter.

Gosh, yesterday I wanted nothing more than to be a giant quitter. I know I'm not the only mom to find herself here, but it still doesn't feel great.

I like to think I'm just very busy, maybe slightly over-committed, but this really isn't true in regards to time. It is extremely true in regards to mental energy. For some reason, our culture views the need for down-time, quiet moments, and private reflection as a weakness, for those who don't quite have it together enough. I know this is becoming less of an assumption as it used to be, but while it may not be looked down upon as much, it's still feels like people presume if you are capable of more, you are more worthy of high regard, or just better in general. I'm sure most of my friends and family would not say this flat-out, but I feel a pressure, or maybe an expectation, to fill almost every minute of my day with productivity and usefulness. Needs at church, needs in friendships, needs in my marriage, needs of my children, and the constant pull to do my absolute best in every single endeavor - lately it feels like more than my mind, body, and soul can tolerate.

Yesterday, nothing in particular triggered this quitting response, but at the end of every finished task, there was another task, sitting impatiently, waiting to be picked up and executed. Floors, laundry, schoolwork, dinner, fight-club interventions, etc. There just isn't enough of me to do it all, which is fine when you can hire out the cooking, the laundry, the learning, or the childcare, but those are things we haven't upgraded to quite yet. And for some reason, I'm too stubborn to give up my other endeavors to better balance the demands of my household - I'm still not sure what that means for my future, but I was definitely too stubborn about all of it yesterday.

I get in this funk where I look at all the things on my plate, and since they cannot all be done at maximum effort, I'd rather not do a single one. I long to quit everything. I dream about escaping to a magical, tropical island with little to no responsibility. I am not sure exactly what I'd do with all the time, or with any of my life at that point, but this all-or-nothing fire rages and consumes almost every rational thought in my head until I'm furious about the 10 crumbs that got knocked off a kitchen counter after I had swept and mopped. I sure hope I'm not alone.

Last night, while I was still taking deep breaths, breathing in my happy-oils, and trying to vent a little here on my blog, I started taking steps toward not believing all the lies that keep me in that all-or-nothing mode. Voices tell me that since I started something, I need to finish it. Assumptions linger about what that lady or this person thinks about my capabilities. My inner person taunts that if I can't be the best, I am wasting my time. Doubts creep all about, making me wonder what on earth I am actually doing with my life. All of these things going on in my head need to be shut out so I can enjoy what's going on right now, but I can't seem to quiet them as quickly as I'd like.

I have made improvements. I don't doubt myself as much as I used to. I am mostly okay with not being the absolute best. And I'm pretty darn sure my kids are on a great path, learning all kinds of important things and growing in their ability to think about the world. They have more opportunity than I did as a child, so my guilt over wanting to give them more needs to take a back seat. In order to talk myself down from this level of crazy, I work hard at telling myself the truth, because from there my path is far less confusing, overflowing with grace, and leads to the ultimate destination. But telling myself the truth has to be more than just a positive word, or an uplifting song. The only truths worth clinging to are the ones found in God's word. And if I'm not going there when I feel like quitting, I'm not filling up my mind with any sort of goodness strong enough to dispel the lies attempting to make a home in my brain.

So today, while I don't have any particular choices I am looking for wisdom about, I find that I need a general wisdom to help me know how to interact with my children, my friends, and my spouse in ways that show honor, respect, and sincerity. I need wisdom about what is right, on how to think more rightly, so I can act more rightly. And James 1:5 is a guarantee I cling to...

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

It's humbling to ask for wisdom when you don't actually want to change, but I know I can't stay in these trenches forever, wanting to quit every other day or acting like a jerk because I'm unhappy with myself. I'm not sure why it's so hard to ask God for good things. I know "good things" doesn't always  mean easy, fun, fulfilling, but the end results are always worth it. If I can just remember that God's ideas of absolute best is the only idea that matters, the only thing I need to embrace, my quitting days will be fewer and far between. I don't have to be the best, the most, the awesomest, or the greatest, just willing to embrace the here, the now, the ugly, the not-so-fun, and whatever else happens to show up. It will truly have to be God-enabled, but I'm pretty sure it'll be worthwhile.

I hope you can relate to this struggle. And I hope my struggle enables you to take courage in yours. It's not just you, it's not just your situation, and it's not just our culture. Our world is falling apart, and the only solid rock we have is God - His promises, His path of redemption, His love.

Learning to Love the Challenge of Growing.

If you remember a while ago, I posted a little about myself and my struggle with certain strengths and desires here. I listed my top five strengths according to the survey in Now, Discover Your Strengths tried to better explain my constant desire to finish well, to do my best, and achieve the greatest possible outcome I can control. As I seem to be given many opportunities to grow in my areas of weakness, lately I have been inspired to see how I can use my strengths in ways that don't seem so obvious at first. These strengths are things I've known about for over 15 years now but I have rarely looked at them objectively, seeking to leverage them in order to fulfill a purpose or achieve a goal - despite being an achiever! Ha! But lately, I've been intentionally embracing these parts of myself and trying to enjoy them, to let them be a blessing to others, even if the opportunity to use them is less than pleasant, and grow into them as much as I can.

I've often been told I am energetic, passionate, and that my excitement over something rubs off on other people. But let me tell you, I hardly ever feel like that energized person for more than moments at a time. This really got to me the last couple years, as more and more strangers would talk about how I inspired them or encouraged them in their learning, or their ambitions, and I would feel a little bit dumbfounded. I tried really hard not to look confused, but that is definitely how I felt.

Days after a big event, or after and meeting where I got to talk about a subject I love, I'd often crash emotionally and wonder if I was being something other than my genuine self in those settings. It wasn't until after SheSpeaks last year that I began to connect the dots about this mystery in my life. With each passing month I am gaining more clarity about myself, my role, my choices, and see the different modes in which I operate. It wasn't that I was not being genuine during those times, but rather than much of my life does not include room for my natural strengths to be used, at least, not in the ways I envisioned, not in the ways that easily rejuvenate me.

How does one "achieve" as a SAHM without making herself overly proud of the role she is in? Plus, I'm bad at cleaning, so my daily list of accomplishments is rarely something to boast about. How does a SAHM feel good about the progress of her projects at home or the things she got started when it's very taboo to brag about home-life and homeschooling your children? I definitely think that is not the way to go, and it would just build walls. How could I possibly Win Others Over or win at anything important when I often prefer to stay home and read a book? Yeah, it definitely does not feel like a lot of winning on those days. Are you seeing how I was feeling? So many of my strengths are not ideal for being a homeschool mom.

For long bouts, I let this defeat me. I succumbed to the idea that a good homeschool mom makes everything from scratch, is 100 percent content to sacrifice most of her time for her kids, or is a patient, soft-spoken, morning person. If I met another woman who didn't struggle with the desire to accomplish something important, I automatically assumed she was better than me, or that something was terribly amiss in my heart. Women can be like this, as I'm sure you know. We analyze ourselves by comparison, it just comes naturally. But we need to start analyzing ourselves by God's standards.

Several things will happen when we do this.

We will be more humble. When we see that we can never live up to the level of perfection and love that God calls us to, we will receive His grace much more willingly and happily.

We will love other women without judgment... or at least less. We will recognize their flaws as innate, not purposeful or impossible to overcome and we will be quick to forgive and overlook offenses. We will desire to see good things in them, to know them better and be real with them more regularly.

We will be free from our own judgements. We will see that God has made us in particular ways for particular purposes, and different seasons of our lives will grow us in different ways. This will enable us to embrace difficult seasons, knowing they are not the only season we will have in life. We will not be fearful of enduring hardship, because we trust it will end in due time and will have its desired effect.

According to God's word, He is preparing me for good works, according to His purposes (Ephesians 2:10). A long season of sacrificing in ways that are not natural, or even desirable, is preparing me for different hard seasons, which may feel easier after having endured those other hard seasons. I will be stronger because of them, or at least, more willing to endure, because I know there will be another spring at the end of each desolate winter.

While I truly love homeschooling and being home with my kids, I see this season not as the pinnacle of my life, but as a season of preparation and opportunity. Part of the great opportunity lies in being the primary person my children turn to for help. They have come to trust me, to see me as the first person they can come to for whatever need they have. What a blessing that is! Another part of this opportunity is the chance to grow in ways that are uncomfortable in the comfort of my home. I stink at serving, I am often a lousy house-wife, and usually pretty bad at being tidy. But, I'm not called out publicly on these things (unless you count admitting this all to you). I can work on these in private and avoid being shamed in front other others. I can get help from people who love me as needed, and my job is not at stake because of my failures.

The preparation aspect of my role at home is a little harder to remember on difficult days. I have many interruptions throughout my day, a lot of people asking me questions, and so many demands placed upon me, both from myself and from others, that I am forced to be more organized and more intentional. But somehow, I still end up getting sidetracked, becoming distracted by other people's success or by my own misery (yes, that's a little dramatic, but I'm just trying to be honest here). I forget to trust the Lord and work with His plans instead of dwelling on my own. When I put my heart into my "work", no matter what that looks like on each particular day, I can trust this work has a good purpose, one God has set in motion to accumulate and build and grow into another purpose He has for me down the road. When I despise this work of being steady, patient, service-minded, and giving, I miss out on being ready for the other works He is setting on my path. They get delayed, or maybe I'm simply less prepared when I finally catch up to them, and there are few things I hate more than not being prepared for something important!

I hope you are catching my drift in all of this rambling. Our strengths are not always used in all the seasons of our lives, but we can find ways to grow no matter the situations we find ourselves in. I am practicing my strength of Winning Others Over by trying to Win my children's hearts and minds over to the Lord's purposes. I try to use my strength of being an avid Learner to show to beauty of learning to those I encounter, young and old alike, and homeschooling really does afford me great opportunity in this certain strength. While my strength of being an Activator is hard when often stranded at home with obligations other than the tasks I'd like to accomplish, I can work on getting the kids started on their tasks, investing in their needs and goals, finding contentment in God's purpose behind being home, not just in my own goals or personal endeavors.

Most of all, I really want you to see how your strengths can still be used in situations that are not what you had planned, or even what seem fitting. No matter where you find yourself, you can use your God-ordained gifts to grow, bless, and be content, despite every single challenge you encounter. When you look back at these seasons of difficulty, you will smile seeing all the ways you grew, all the ways God prepared you for the situation you are currently facing, and know that once again, you will grow, learn, and be fully capable to walk in the truth.

On Being and Giving.

Last summer, I read Madeleine L'engle's book A Circle of Quiet per the recommendation of a friend of mine, Angela. She's an avid reader and an excellent writer, so I trusted her recommendation without question. If you remember, I more than loved it. It was indescribable to read pages from a woman's mind that seemed to come from my own, except, said better and with far more life experience and adventure than I feel able to bring. Anyway, I keep coming back to the word Madeleine was fixated on: ontology.

Actually, I don't care much for the word, but I am intrigued by the concept: Being.

I love accomplishing tasks. Big or small, if they get done and I can show evidence of the validity of my accomplishments, I am one happy woman. Not for long though, as there is always more to do, more to prove, more to achieve. But the older I get, the more I want to be loved for who I am, not just for what I do. This is great for the saved, because it isn't our sinful nature that defines us, but our being children of God that determines our worth. And I'm finding my happiness is linked to this difference in thinking too: we are not what we do, but who we are becoming.

This idea keeps popping up in everything I do, all the movies I watch, all the books I read, and many of the interactions I have with my kids. Finding our center, our being, the part of us that God made tick a specific and purposeful way, is going to bring us more peace than any other endeavor on earth. Like it or not, we will not find that peace if our hunt in not centered on God. It is only in Him that we find any purpose worthwhile.

He did not create us so we can glory in ourselves, and a major part of our purpose in being created by God is to have fellowship with Him. Our being brings Him glory, and His glory brings us happiness. It's insanely simple and completely generous.

Consider this. When I look at the ocean, the more I know about it, the more I experience it, the more I see amazing life within it, then the more peace reigns over me while I am there. When I look at flowers, the more familiar they become, the more I can name them accurately, the more I can tell their smells apart, then the more of a joy they are to me. Are you seeing the trend? The more we know the being of something, the more beautiful it is to us. This is true for God, and true for ourselves. The more we know God, the more we enjoy Him. The more we live true to the spark of creativity and potential He put within each of us, the more we are glad to be us. We must always give all credit to God for His amazing design, grace, and purpose, but we have to also recognize the incredible beauty He planted in each of us.

So here are my two pieces of advice to be happy with you, with your particular and original being, and I do not give these independent from knowing God - that is the first must!

1. Look at yourself less. I know, it seems weird to love yourself more by looking at yourself less, but it really is true. The more you focus on what you are now, the less time and energy you have to become the person God is shaping you to be - wonderful, perfectly formed, and a blessing to others. Stop looking in the mirror so much, stop thinking about what you could have done, and stop wishing to be something other than the current version of yourself.

2. Give kindness. It's the best way to be the best you. Recently, I read a snippet about how trying to please others doesn't actually please them, but being a happy and pleasant person to be around is what actually pleases other people. If we think more about smiling at our children, paying attention to the needs of others, and being gentle towards those we encounter, the joy we spread will outnumber the stars and cause us to be more in line with the purposes God has for us. You won't feel deprived of self-care, but you will be blessed by spreading love so generously, by having God's Spirit moving through you.

That seems really easy, completely over-the-top dumbed down. Maybe it is, but I know it works. When I smiled and waved at my daughter on her bike the other day, her surprise quickly turned to joy in both of our hearts. When I encouraged my son to do the same thing on her next trip around the sport-court, we tripled the joy between us. We all became a little more us, a little more the way God wants us to be: giving, joyful, purposeful, pleasant.

As the joy quickly turned to the grumps in our house, I reminded my son "It doesn't matter what you get in this life, it's what you give that makes the difference". It's also what makes you specifically you. What you give to others is part of the intentional design of our creator. The ocean gives awe, flowers give cheer, clouds give rain and inspiration, and those qualities, along with thousands of others, are what make each of these creations uniquely divine. So it is with us.

What you give is forming you every day, both in your own being and in your being towards others. If you want to be happy with who you are, or content with what is going on in your life, think less about you and think more about what you can give. It's the upside-down way to peace, and it was God's upside-down way to redemption as well, in giving us His Son. My prayer is that my life will lead you to aim high in enjoying your giving, whatever that looks like for you. Giving up vices, or giving up time, giving up bad attitudes, or giving away your cash. What we give says more about who we are than our words can ever articulate. You were made to give life, and God empowers us to give more than we can imagine, even more than exists within us. That is the biggest blessing in our giving - feeling the movement of God in our lives. Enjoy becoming who you are meant to be by loving the act of giving. It does not lead to loss, but to the greatest abundance you can imagine, and more.

Funky Town.

In case you've watched Parenthood... no, that kind of funky town ;)

I have been in a bit of a writing funk lately. Actually, maybe just an overall funk.

Closing on the house got delayed... again. And again, and probably will one more time. But who really knows, because our brokers are not exactly being communicative anymore. Fun, right?

I had already scheduled the painters, given our rental agency a move-out date, hired movers for our really big stuff, and was going to call Stanley Steemer, but now I need to rearrange all of that. I've actually been waiting until the last-minute to initiate all our utilities for fear of closing getting delayed, and I'm super glad I did. Our signing date was going to put us in a pinch because of a High School event I need to attend in my hometown, but now we don't even know when signing will be, so we're waiting on that detail. And I'm trying really hard not to look at the house with too much longing. I know it's just a building, and I want my hope to be on Christ and His work, but this has still been a trying process.

In reality, this is all just regular life stuff. No terrible road bumps, no deaths in the family, no financial disaster (unless you count spending all our savings next week), no threat of my husband losing his job, no crises or drama that is completely out of the ordinary. Not for me at least, but there are many for which this week has been filled with far more uncertainty than I can imagine.

In all of the recent drama with Trump's executive orders I have been forced me to look more closely at the lives of refugees and immigrants around the world. My housing troubles seem very small in comparison to the lives many of these people are enduring. I don't even enjoying hiking with my kids sometimes, because they whine and bicker over the course of one or two miles. I cannot imagine endless hours of walking through dangerous territories, or on over-filled life-rafts, or wandering aimlessly through packed tent cities. And this is just a small area of the world, not including the villages, cities, and countries enduring massive poverty and danger on a regular basis. It is heart-breaking, eye-opening, and humbling.

I read a really great article by David Platt about the way Christians should respond, and I think you will benefit from reading it too. If you are not a Christian, I hope you will still read it and see that this is the heart of Jesus, the desire of God - the protect, offer refuge, and give hope.

I am sharing all of these things for a couple reasons. I want you to be updated with our house-stuff. For some reason, a bunch of you are interested in it ;) I also want you to consider your responses to those you witness enduring hardship. Are you cold, uninterested in what you can do for others? Or are you compassionate, but possibly lacking ideas on how to participate in helping those in need? Or maybe you are already actively serving, helping, meeting needs to those less fortunate. In every circumstance, difficult or easy, I think J.F.K.'s quote seems very appropriate: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

I know there are extremely varied opinions about what is best for our country, but we can all look at our family, our friends, and our neighbors, and ask what is best for each of them. Jesus did not look at what was best for himself, but what was best for those around him, for us. If we can take our eyes off our own troubles and can serve those around us with a genuine interest in their well-being, our country will be transformed, person by person, neighborhood by neighborhood. It's too easy to wallow in the challenges we face, but the world needs us to take our eyes off ourselves and get to the hard work of serving each other.

Witnessing all of this uncertainty, both in my own life and seeing it in the lives of others, I am learning how little I actually need to know in order to be an agent of love. It's easy to think we need to figure things out and wrap our minds around everything going on in order to be of use, but it simply isn't true. Loving and serving are effective tools in creating relationship, being a positive impact, and making the world a better place. While our words can be lasting and powerful, our actions are proof of those words. They confirm the words we speak (or type) are true.

As you go about your week, I hope you'll consider the correlation between your words and your works. I hope that for every time you think about your own problems, you are praying for the problems of others. I hope your days are not filled with self-consumption, but investment in the people around you. While history often only highlights people of prominence, it is the individual people of our world who make our lives better, and if we are busy making the lives of other people great, our world will be great as well. Check in with your kids, your spouse, your friends, and your co-workes - see what you can do to make their lives better, not for the sake of being a great person, but for the sake of showing the greatness of genuine love.