I have got to get better about posting here! It’s been very hit or miss with posting and that is not what I intended for this space- hopefully that will change this year.
I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, mainly because they fail 80% of the time and then I usually have this wake up moment 6 months into the year and remember my resolutions. I’ve also done a word of the year the past few years. Last year was intentional. I had set a few goals with that: intentional with family, my walk with the Lord, my health. The biggest result of being intentional was with my health- with the reality of blood pressure medicine at 37, I realized that something had to change. I made some pretty drastic lifestyle changes with the help of a health coach and lost 30 pounds! I still ended up having to be on blood pressure medication (thank you family history and a stressful job!) but overall, I feel so much better.
I wanted going into 2020 to be different this year, especially because I know that I’m wrapping up my 30’s and 40 is quickly approaching for my husband and me (but he gets there first this year- I have another year!) All of my grandparents lived well into their 80’s and I know that we never know how long we’ll live, but it’s quite possible I’ll live past 80 if Jesus doesn’t come back first. So I’ve essentially lived half of my life. As I was reflecting on the last decade, I realized that there was a lot of life and living packed into ten years and really into the last 30.
I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to end my 30’s and enter the next half of my life. The word “less” kept coming to mind. I know that minimalism is the all the rage now and believe me, there are times when I want to just get rid of all the stuff in my house. However, I began thinking outside the box of “less.” To have less to have more of what really matters.
Less and More
worrying and anxiety, more praying and faith
checking out on social media, more focused on the people right in front of me
distracted living, more being present in my life- I don’t want to miss anything!
buying stuff, more being content with what I have
complaining and griping, more gratitude and joy
listening to the world, more of really listening to the Lord
I could go on and on but you get the picture. Life is too short to be focused on the more. A few days after Christmas, I saw on FB where a friend of mine passed away suddenly. I literally lost my breath for a minute when I saw her husband’s post. They were cottage parents at one time at the children’s home where I used to work and we both had a passion for foster care and adoption- they had adopted a sibling group from foster care. I have loved reading Joseph’s posts on FB about Stephanie and her faith. Their family was planning to go full time living in an RV, traveling the country and homeschooling. They were planning to put their house on the market a few weeks after she passed away and had literally sold almost everything they owned. Now a father was having to start over with 4 children- living a life that none of them had planned. Talk about living with less, but really living with so much more- the hope of Jesus Christ.
John 3:30 says “He must become greater, I must become less.” I’ve been reminded through this verse that less really is more.