Lessons from the Lord - January
Happy February 1! I am finally getting time to sit down write - hot tea within reach & babe asleep. I thought I’d highlight a little of what the Lord taught me in January.
My main goal for January was to rest well and focus on what I love – literally first thing listed in my powersheets! (If you don’t know what these are – they’re fantastic! Let me know and I can show you!)
Last year I just kind of felt out of control most of the time, scatter brained & unable to focus on what tasks needed to get done. My life lacked routine – well at least routine that I enjoyed.
I blamed it on being a new mom – which I still feel like a new mom, but my baby is TWO (brb, I’m crying.)
Adjusting to being a mom was hard at times – figuring out how to stay home, take care of a babe, run new business, have conversations soley with a little human who couldn’t say one word.
I gave myself grace where I lacked routine. And that’s okay.
I knew coming into this year that in order for me to take care of myself, I needed to set more of a routine– better rhythms and schedules to help us thrive as a family.
One thing I wanted to implement this year in order to have better rhythms was to wake up before J. She typically wakes up around 7:30/ 8 – so I now have my alarm set for 6.
It has made ALL the difference. I accomplished this goal around 80 percent of the month.
My next goal was to read & pray during this time. I am going through the bible with the Chronological reading plan.
This hour (ish) of time spent with the Lord, sipping my coffee with a candle lit has been SO precious to me. I’m a better mom when I take this time for myself & prepare my heart for the day.
So that would be the first thing the Lord has really taught me this month – taking the time to fill up my own cup. Being a mom & a wife – I naturally want to make sure everyone else is doing good before tending to my own heart. It will do no good trying to serve the Lord, your family, or your business with an empty cup. Even if that to do list is staring you right in the face – time with the Lord is always better spent.
The second is that I think the Lord has been whispering for me to give up trying to win the rat race. Starting a small business is hard – trying to create all the right things, post the right things – AT the right times – it is mentally exhausting. I’ve had a slight mind shift with AP Letters in where I’m leaning into the Lord & focusing on where He wants the whole thing to go – specifically with my voice & products. It’s been a freeing process – I feel less pressure to conform & just make things because everyone else is! I started this business to bring Him glory & I want to get back to that being my sole focus.
And the last thing I want to mention that He is teaching me is something I think we all struggle with – our extremely mundane lives. When you really think about ALL of the things we have to do every single day it can get really depressing. Doing the dishes, brushing our teeth, the never ending laundry, diapers… SO many diaper, the list goes on and on. I just started reading a book for a bible study called Christ-Centered Exposition, it’s over Ecclesiastes, it says, “… the only way to live a meaningful life in this meaningless existence is to find satisfaction and contentment in what God has given us.”
This is it, folks. Seems so simple. It’s NOT. It’s so hard. It’s something we MUST strive for every day. The book also paraphrases Matthew 25:14-30, “Jesus says those who are faithful over the small thing are given responsibility over greater things in His kingdom.”
It’s important to remember the small things you are doing – diapers, dishes, dinner – you are serving a way bigger purpose.
I hope you can find encouragement in some of this! Let me know in the comments what the Lord has been teaching you!