Sowing for Harvest

Dear Friend,

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year at your house! It was mostly hacking and fevers at mine, though we didn’t much let that keep us from celebrating. What else is worth baking and eating about a dozen stuffed jalapeño puffs when you’re sick if not the birth of our Lord and Savior and another new year?

¹⁷ Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail; And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. [Habakkuk 3:17]

I know you’re worried about all the things you want to fix this year. The strive to be everything you are capable of is a tempting path to follow. I am nothing but supportive of making positive changes that improve your overall well-being.

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.           [Romans 12:1-2]

In the midst of your hustle to get fit, organize your life, make cuts in your diet, and manage your finances, remember to be still. God wants you to be healthy and to have your life in order. Know that God still desires your attention and is always ready to give you His during periods of transformation. He still has a plan for your life.

⁹ A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.             [Proverbs 16:9]

The good news is that seeking Him and fixing your life go hand in glove. When you ask Him for better ways of doing things and then have the stillness to listen, He will reveal answers to you. Those answers may not be what you wanted or expected to hear but you can trust that God knows better than us what will work best for our good. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.          [1 Corinthians 2:12]

This new year has brought about a desire to be brutally honest with myself about what is truly important and what simply isn’t. I am utterly tired of focusing too much energy on things that don’t bring me or my children closer to God’s plan for our lives. It goes like this: there’s an event to plan and execute. I stress myself by building this event to require more than I have to give. I plan to do too much, often overspending in the process.

By the time the event arrives I’m already exhausted from the stress I HAVE CREATED that I give myself a pass on immediately resetting our schedule, our space, and our focus. This inevitably results in complete chaos when one more thing goes sideways in our lives such as we all get sick.

Don’t misunderstand me, I think there’s nothing wrong with a big party and rest is important after an event or stressful day. I’m simply talking about shifting my mindset to be content with a simpler version of whatever my fantasy is and that the conclusion of that event occurs once all the remnants of it are cleaned and put away. In other words, no more extra Christmas decorations sitting in open bins in my bedroom and no more treating four birthdays every year like major milestones.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.     [Matthew 6:33]

“Being busy is not a satisfactory substitute for being holy.” — Jo Ann Leavell

I am determined to simplify this year, to create more time and space for stillness and peace. One way I plan to do this is by reducing my workload in areas such as celebrations. I can’t justify doing everything myself or from scratch if it means I become flustered and joyless in the process. My family may not look back and remember the cake I spent 16 hours designing, baking and decorating or the gifts I spent weeks hunting down but they will remember that leading up to every special occasion I was hyper focused on a million other things over being present.

Our children likely won’t remember most of their presents on their birthdays, but they will remember Mom and Dad’s stress around too many Christmas obligations, how exhausted Mom seems after every extravagant birthday, and how often we are too tired or busy to connect.

¹ Therfore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. [Philippians 2:1-2]

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of a new year. Open a crisp new planner and fill in all the ways we are going to be more productive and efficient. Is the reason most resolutions are abandoned so quickly because of will power? Is it because we were being dishonest with ourselves about our own capabilities? Or it because in our spirit, we know that isn’t what really matters? That we aren’t spending enough time in connection with our families, in stillness with God, and developing the eternal fruit of the Spirit. I invite you to set aside the trending resolutions and resolve to do the work of creating a rich life, filled with connection and love. We have a wonderful year ahead of us, don’t waste it!

Love,

Eileen