Nathan came downstairs a few weeks ago and suggested to me that we needed to be doing things more deliberately. Waking up early in the morning (*sigh*), carving out schedules to maximize our time during the day, basically ruling our day and not just letting it pass by without having accomplished something significant.
This. scared. me.
What exactly did this mean for me? No more sleeping in after having someone need you during the night? No extended time on the computer needing to know to next status update to pop up on my screen? No more blaming _______ (add whatever i didn't get accomplished for the day) on the kids? This was sounding like an extremely daunting goal to me. However, I knew I needed to get on board.
My husband has disciplined himself to get up everyday at 5:45am.
To me, this has never made sense b/c I feel like if I know I need to be somewhere at 8am - I should get up at 7am b/c it only takes me an hour or less to get out the door.
Nathan has his quiet time every morning - while i struggle to fit mine in amidst the unfolded laundry, dirty dishes and 3 little darlings that beckon me.
He is able to sit and read some articles online or answer emails in peace - while i try to do it when i ought to be spending my time engaging my kids and not shooing them away b/c they are distracting me from this all too important task.
He has a solid hour and a half to himself each day - while i hit the ground running, rolling out of bed when the kids wake up - immediately hopping into mom mode and not having a second to think about giving God my day and asking for His strength. (this normally comes mid-morning when i am at the end of my rope (because of all of the distractions calling me) and call out in desperation to God to change my situation.
As much as I hate to admit it sometimes (most times :) Nate is usually right. :)
The Lord knew that I needed this man in my life. I am thankful for his direction and am ashamed at the pride that I have let control so much of my life these past 3 years.
Pride? Yes. For instance:
- I don't have to get up early. I need my sleep and can get it all done no matter what time i crawl out of bed. (check out Prov. 6. I can't do it on my own and that thinking is described as laziness - OUCH!)
- I don't have to work out first thing in the AM - I can fit it in during nap time. (let me introduce you to the 30 lb. problem protruding from my frame and attest that this is wrong.)
oh too many to type!! but you get the idea.
so - here I am. Deciding that I need to be living deliberately. How can I teach my kids "you must eat healthy, pick up your clothes and put them away, exercise for good health, be in God's word b/c it's so vital to your existence, etc..." if i am not living this in my own life?? What a great weight I have felt (no pun intended) . The Lord tells us to cast our cares on HIM. So, with open hands of surrender, I have asked Him to help me with living this life He has given me deliberately.
Far too long i have done what I have wanted and now it's time to stop wasting these days that He's so graciously given.
How?
Well, I am still fleshing it all out- but here are a few...
1. Waking up @ 6am (that was REALLY hard to type!! :) to spend time in God's word
2. Beginning The Cash Envelope System- although I feel as though i run our family of 5 on little - I am interested to see if there is any place that I am wasting money. And I would like to help towards setting a savings goal and meeting it.
3. Setting a daily schedule for myself each day. (i did this today for the first time and I actually have TIME to sit here and type this b/c I have taken care of so many things already today. seriously...when's the last time you have read a post like this!!?)
4. Eat from our pantry for the next 4 weeks (minus dairy, bread, and fresh produce)
5. Stay home more in order not to be tempted to impulsively spend on a good deal :)
6. Lose this pesky mass that keeps me from looking and feeling the way that I want.
And there I will stop for now! :)
If you have made it this far, you may now be treated with pictures of the darling little envelopes that I made for my wallet. Get the tutorial and free template download HERE.
If you hung in there until the end...give yourself a high five!
Are YOU living a life that is DELIBERATE? I am going to do it!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Living this life Deliberately
Posted by Shyla at 3:18 PM
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10 comments:
I absolutely LOVE this post! So well written! It was very encouraging and convicting to me as well--I have been thinking a lot about these same things and have written them out as goals for 2010. Especially now, having recently recovered from PPD, where I just tried to survive each day, I feel like I have a lot of lost time I need to try to make up!
We must be reading the same blogs because your adorable envelopes look very familiar :)
Oh, and, yes, I am one of your blog stalkers--sorry!
I commented on this via fb, but just thought I'd put in here that I had to laugh when you said you were scared when Nate said that. Ryan will sometimes make announcements like that and I feel the exact same way...and he's almost always right too!
I'm right there with ya, Shyla, "pesky mass" and all.
Oh my goodness. I feel the SAME way about waking up early . . . and exercising. However, I start running (ack!) on Friday with a partner. Good thing is that I don't have to meet her until 7:30! LOL!
Your envelopes turned out so pretty!! I think you will find it amazing to see how much you can save when you are paying cash. It's always a work in progress for me, though. This month we decided to allot my husband some more gas money, and added $10 a month to the date night fund. It's always changing, but so much fun to keep up with now!
wow, shyla, i haven't seen your blog in MONTHS adn this was a really good one to hit. that is awesome! i have really had to tighten up my reigns of time since our move since i am homeschooling now (just Preston.) i will have to catch up more on your blog when i have time. :)
i have a new public blog now that our kids' adoptions are all finalized! (however it isn't too exciting.)
blessings,
Janelle
Way to go Shyla! I am so proud of you. You have let God work in your life and I love seeing you so happily married and a mother of 3 little ones. Thank Gd for His Grace in our lives that helps us grow when we need it (like at the point of marriage, the birth of the 1st, the 2nd, and then the 3rd) Hope you have great success in your goals and as a Faithful servant of your Lord.
Your post made me laugh b/c in our house I am the one who says things like "we need structure," "we need a plan," etc. :-)
I hope things go well with your new goals! I have to be a work by 7 a.m. so the sleeping in thing is totally foreign to me now. But I definitely struggle with the consistency thing - eating healthfully, exercising regularly, keeping tidy & organized, etc. It's a human problem! Your post is encouraging & I love your envelopes! We haven't tried the cash system yet; I'm too addicted to cashback bonuses & other credit card rewards. We don't carry a balance so it still seems like a good trade off to me. Maybe I should try it though & see if we save money? The budgeting thing has me continually flumoxed...what's the best way???
great post, Shyla! I hear ya on the waking up early thing and staying home more to avoid spending $ on the "good deals". Both things I need to work on. Thanks for the reminder and the scriptural motivation!
Thanks so much for this post! God's timing is perfect - I'm reading through Crazy Love right now and being convicted of many of these same things. It is encouraging to know that I'm not alone!
Oh, Shyla. We have to get together sometime. I think we think a lot about some similar things.
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