When you set out to begin your day, do you do so with a purpose and a plan or does life just kind of happen to you? Do you find yourself observing another person’s good fortune and wondering “Why not me?” Do you constantly feel like you are on a roller coaster and you can never catch a break? What makes your life so different from the folks that seem to have it all together? Life just seems to flow for them.

So much of life is determined by two things: What you put out into the world, and what you do with what it gives back. It is a simple statement, that is a pretty difficult concept to master. We must take ownership of our choices. If we chose to be negative and expect the worst, and we have a bad attitude, we can expect more of the same. If we prayerfully ask God to lead us through the day, being mindful of all His blessings, we will see a more positive outcome.

That is not to say that we will never experience struggles. We will still be late for work, or have to deal with the driver who forgets that slower traffic should keep to the right. We will still have folks who treat us badly. It is how we choose to respond that makes all the difference. We need to acknowledge our feelings, but our actions should not be governed by them.

When you live intentionally you act with purpose. What is the end goal? It may not be something you have ever really thought about before. Maybe you just get through life. Maybe your life is so crazy, hectic that you can’t imagine what you would do differently. Take a moment to slow down and THINK. Pretend for just a day that you are sick.This involves staying put in a comfy chair or in the bed and just being still. Pick a weekend day and spend a few hours in prayer and reflection. Ask yourself where in your life can you make different choices to bring peace?

Simple things like planning ahead for busy mornings, creating a schedule and keeping to it, and not reacting with emotion when things go wrong are all ideas. The important thing to acknowledge is that you are choosing how you want to live. Just one small change at a time. You do not have to bounce from one drama to the next. If others around you are very dramatic, choose not to engage in the drama they bring. You can calmly respond or choose not to respond at all. When the moment comes, pray quietly (or even in your head) for peace and choose a response based on the result you want. It takes practice, but it will change your life.

When situations I can’t control get crazy, I still proceed one step at a time keeping in mind the outcome I want. I make sure to use my dependence on God to keep me on track. I am never alone. Finally, try to make time, 10-15 minutes a day, to pray and ask God to show you the plan for the day. Then, moment by moment, depend on God to guide you and your days will change. People will respond differently and you will experience peace.

Keep in mind that learning a new way to be in the world will take time. Give yourself room to grow and don’t expect to always get it right. Remember to give thanks to God when you do! Enjoy the journey!

When asked the question, many would begin to answer with their name. Your name identifies you, certainly. Then maybe a job title or description would come next, status or community involvement might further describe who you are. We like to think we are the sum of these parts. We are not-not really. We were created for so much less. And in this case, less really is more.
The name, the job, the vocation, the earthly concerns in which we are involved-we were not created to be those things. We are created solely for communion with God. All those other things are added to our original purpose. God uses us, works through us to see His will on earth accomplished, but he desires most for us to know Him. The Lord wants us to walk with Him daily, to be consumed by our love for Him. He desires nothing more than for us to be in relationship with Him. Everything else we do is the fruit that is born out of that relationship.
If we know Jesus Christ as Lord, then our identity is in Christ. THAT is who we are! The mind blowing conclusion that follows is this: If I am in Christ, and He is in me, then whatever is true about Christ (His character) is then true about me! That means that through Christ I am Holy, blameless, worthy, righteous, and accepted by God. There is abundant freedom in this knowledge about ourselves.
The world, with its perverse sense of reality, may try to tell me I am not any of these things. The world wants me to need all of its material trappings, all of its “stuff” to feel acceptable. The real tragedy is when I believe that any of it will be enough.
For some, the idea of having one’s identity in Christ feels odd. We are not God. We are no where close to that perfection in our own flesh. However, when we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we accept the gift of salvation, we become a new creature. Our old self dies on the cross with Jesus. As the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, we are transformed daily into what God designed us to be all along.
So what’s all that got to do with who we think we are? When we have our identity in Christ, we are then free to ignore what the world (and those Christians who do not yet understand this concept) may try to tell us about ourselves. We know what God thinks about us. We are not as bothered by the judgments of others. The human side of us still recognizes annoying and bad behavior, but we are ruled by the Spirit living in us and those irritations recede into the background. They simply don’t matter as much. They certainly don’t define us.
Matthew 11:30 tells us that being a follower of Jesus results in a easy yoke and a light burden. This promise comes not because our circumstances suddenly change, but because who we are and how we interact with the world does. Praise Christ Jesus for such a marvelous gift!
Love in Christ,
Jillian

Whether you are just starting out on your home schooling
journey, or you have 5 home schoolers and 6 years under
your belt, home schooling can tempt you to fall into the
“pressure cooker” mentality. You may find yourself looking
over your lists to do, and the curriculum you have yet to
complete, and the chaos your home has become and
believing you just have to dig deeper and try harder to get
it all done. You sleep a little less. You stress a little more.
You watch as your relationships become strained. Most of
us have been there in the trenches with you.

So what is the secret to avoiding the pit of pressure? It’s
pretty simple to say and takes a life time to put into
practice. Are you ready? Here it is…Trust God with each
day. Pray with your spouse and ask the Lord what He
would have you complete for children’s education, for your
home, and for your family. Then agree that God’s plan is
the perfect one. There are enough hours in each day to
accomplish what God would have you do. Write it down.
Agree as a family to adhere to what the Lord has revealed
as His plan. Then pray to the Lord for strength to follow
where He leads you.

Now, here’s the rub-you can’t take the plan into your own
hands and run with it. You will run off track each and every
time. You cannot rely on your own strength to accomplish
God’s work. You have to allow Christ to do the work
THROUGH you. It takes practice and a strong commitment
to refuse to rely on our own resources to accomplish the
plans of the day.

The hope for us is that when we do let God do His will
through us, we are free! We are free from stress. God will
do what He wants-the way He wants. We are free from
worry. God will take care of His adored children. We are
free to be excited to see what God is going to accomplish
even during the hard times. We can trust that His plans for
our best are WAY better than our plans for our good. I
heard a story from author, Beth Moore that really helped
me visualize the concept:

Beth was walking one afternoon and came upon several
ducks quacking and fighting over a small muddy puddle on
the sidewalk. Just over the grassy hill, however, was a
huge lake! She commented that many times we are just
like those ducks. We are eager to fight for our place in the
muddy puddle when God has a beautiful lake set up for us
just out of our sight.

I challenge you to pray with your spouse as we begin this
new school year. Ask God to show you what He has
planned and where He would have you go. Then with
boldness embrace the freedom that allowing God to truly
run things brings!

With love in Christ,

Jillian Shiflett