Stayin' Focused- seeking the Inspired Life

My dear friends-
Is it hard sometimes to stay focused? I don't believe I have ADHD- but sometimes my brain gets so fractured - overwhelmed with the WIDE variety of things that are going on- that I get overwhelmed and just want to crawl in bed, drink lattes, surf online, or read. Not that any of that is bad :) - it just doesn't really help me to "press on and take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me (Phil 3:12)". I've been working with a life-coach since June (Linda Stoll @ Creekside Ministries) and have found it so challenging and so rewarding! I worked all summer and into the fall clarifying my callings and working to get my calendar and my days to reflect what I state to be "my priorities". Linda challenged me to put the two (calendar and priorities) side by side- see how they match- and then work to either be realistic about my priorities, or change my use of time and resources to reflect them. It's been quite a journey- one I encourage you to embark on! I must warn you though- it's not easy! :) In taking this journey- I've discovered SO MUCH about myself- good and ... not so good!

One of my newest challenges- is staying focused. I did all this work to clear out my calendar and make time for what truly matters to me- but left unchecked- I would easily and quickly fill it right up again! Reminds me of the Scripture-

Matthew 12:43"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.

Not wanting to end up worse than before I started clearing out the schedule- it takes real intentionality to put myself in the place of being filled up with the Spirit of the Lord in a disciplined daily quiet time- which for me- really has to come in a quiet house when all children are still sleeping! And then living out my calling as wife and mother and homeschool teacher and pastor's wife, etc. as the Lord leads me during the day. There are so many good things asking for our time and attention each day. How do we choose between them? How do we say "no" and not feel bad? How do we allow ourselves to just live OUR callings and not someone else's and do it well- really, really well? I've concluded: only with His grace- and only with His constant help.

I don't know where you're at in your journey. May I encourage you to sit down- write down your priorities- then glance over your calendar (or imagine a day's time) and see how they line up? If, like me, you found they didn't match up well- don't get overwhelmed and head to bed to sip on a latte'--- head to the Word and let the Lord lovingly remind you of His callings for you- first, to be His treasured daughter (or son!)- then- to share that love with those He's placed around you.

I love you friends!!!
~Katherine

Did you decide what you don't want to miss?

Did you read all the way to the bottom of the Dec 8th post? (Probably not.) Let me just recap something that I'm finding really important. Think ahead to January 5th or so. Kids are trudging back to school-everyone's getting back into the normal routine- what do you wish you'd done. What gives you that unsatisfied feeling? "It went by so fast we didn't even get to ________!" Fill in the blank... I'm trying to change my to do list to not only reflect "have to's"- which will always be with us- but to put on my to-do list some things that are TRUE PRIORITIES for me and my family!

Of course these things will be different for all of us. Some of mine were making a gingerbread house with the kids- and I wanted to read Little Women to the girls and end the season watching the movie together. These things probably wouldn't be in your top 1 million- but I know you have things, too! So, why not take a moment to decide now what is truly important to you, and decide to get it done first. You can bank on not having time "left" to do these "too-important-to-miss" things!
Now- get off the computer- and GO MAKE SOME MEMORIES!!! :-) unless of course it's midnight and hubby or the kids are asleep- but put it TOP of tomorrow's list at least.
love to you all...
~katherine

PS- In response to SusieQTpie's comment- NO :) This is NOT the gingerbread house we made LOL! Just a good representative "gingerbread house" I found! Ours was an "out of the box" kit! (I'm just cracking up here-) And- Ryan & I were just talking of posting a pic of a gingerbread house that Hope brought home from a church activity tonight made out of small graham crackers- it's half eaten and roof fell off! That would be good humor!

Several things...

There have been several things I've wanted to post about this week... but, it's been a little crazy so I've had a hard time sitting down to do it. Now, dog-dead tired, I'm here, ready, willing, and ... well, evidently not able, because I CAN'T REMEMBER ANY of the many things I wanted to share! Well, I suppose that's what I get for passing my neurons out to four other creatures ...

Josiah turned 4 today and is sleeping tonight for the first time in a "big boy bed". I'm feeling a little sentimental about it all... I go most of the year without being a really sentimental gal- but, the older my kids get, the more I find their birthdays bring it out in me. It's a good thing. :)

(time passing at the speed of light- or life!)

So, now that I'm typing, I'm remembering one thing... I was driving home alone (an extremely RARE experience) on Friday from a dr. apt- (everything's great- no need for curiosity or worry!)- and was listening to Greg Laurie on the radio. He grown son passed away in an automobile accident this past summer. When I turned on the radio, I joined them as he's describing when his wife called him asking where there son was- he texts his son, "Where are you? Call me"--- "But," he says, "he couldn't call me, he was in heaven." Well, that's MORE than enough to make the tears start flowing- and a mother is certainly inclined to feel even more sentimental when her darlings aren't IN the car squabbling with each other (effectively ruining any potential sentiment- not that mine would squabble with each other... pastor's children are perfect after all! lol!!!). But, I felt the Lord reminding me of a truth. There is no dress rehearsal in life. THIS IS IT! We have to be the parents/grandparents/spouses/friends we want and need to be now. This is our children's only childhood. Our spouses only marriage (hopefully- or at least their LASTING one!) Thinking of kids though- the issues they grow up with are born NOW- not later when we've figured it all out. It's the time to put selfishness behind- and make the kids, my spouse's needs more important than my own.

Philippians 2:3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

It's not that any of these things is really new news. It's just that in the humdrum of life, the sense of urgency tends to wane. But, what more perfect time than advent, to recommit to being ready- recommit to being present- to recommit to being alive and fully engaged in the lives of those the Lord has place around us, in our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our neighborhoods, etc ? In an email I got- it was suggestd that we make a holiday "hit list" rather than a to-do list. I thought this wise. What things do you not want to get to January 2nd and not have done? Write those things down. Complete this sentence... "I'll feel really let down if I don't __________." Move that up on the list, and move something like... cleaning under the sofa, down. (You don't do that regularly, do you?) Blessings to each of you as you seek to live out your "inspired life"...
~katherine