Often I have moments where I’m like, “I was made for this kind of life.” Ever since we left to go overseas, I’ve loved the rhythm of my days. Especially versus the 40 hour work week. See, I’m not much of a task person. It’s not that I can’t, and I do enjoy projects, but it’s just that I’m either in my head with ideas or focused on people most of the time. And I have to disengage from that to live in this Western world of tasks and busy and go go go.

So that’s what I mean about loving this stay at home life. For one, we don’t always stay at home! But I love that my life is focused on taking care of my family and engaging in relationships with my friends, in our neighborhood, at my part-time job, in my women’s group, at church. And reading – both interesting and varied ideas on the internet and books. It’s good stuff. It would drive lots of people crazy. But I actually feel like I’ve been waiting for this type of lifestyle all my life!

(Please don’t burst my bubble and tell me how much harder the above will be with additional children. I’m pretending that’s not the case!)

(Which also reminds me of something a co-worker told me once. I go, “You always burst my bubble.” To which she replied, “But Jamie, you have so many bubbles to burst!”)

But because I was a busy addict when we first moved into a calm, relational culture, God was kind and gave me a verse I clung to at the beginning:

“For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2Pet1:5-8

So in God’s mind, these are the things that make us effective and productive for His Kingdom. Interesting, huh? Especially to our American minds. This will either be a relief to you or a giant challenge. It’s some of both for me.

Okay, last three:

“Patience is restraining my impulse to do God’s job for Him!” – Boundaries

1Cor10:31(Paraphrase): Everything I do, help me do it with the goal of seeing You and others seeing You in me.

2Cor3:17-18: I am being transformed into the likeness of the One living in me – ever increasingly and from Him

It’s His work really. Yeah, we have things to do in cooperating, no doubt. But let’s rest in the fact that there is a God, and we’re not Him.

Have a good one!