Motivated May

Since my last post was titled with alliteration I thought I might as well stick with the theme for this one too! And so, Motivated May is born. ;) I was talking with a friend the other day about planning and purposing in regards to our lives. We are reading Sally Clarkson's book Own Your Life and were both struck by these words: "Any great structure requires great planning. So it is with life." Do those words hit anybody but me?! If we don't have a blueprint for what we want to build...how are we ever going to build it?!

I'm going to be frank with you. More often then not, if I don't purpose myself to something I do nothing. I have thousands of ideas that fleet through my mind of things I want to do or want to try, ways I want to be or journeys I want to take. But none of them stick unless I purpose them to stick. I am one who desperately needs a bucket-list, of sorts, to get me where I want to go. I can dream all day long, but turning that dreaming into action is not always my strong suit. For that I need motivation and drive and, oftentime, a very specific plan.

I always know when God really wants to drill something into my head because He hits me with it again and again in a variety of ways. Being as I am a girl who loves analogies and being as I have a God who loves me very much, oftentimes He brings home truth to me via great analogies. Here is another one I was struck by: If we had half the tenacity and intentionality and game-plan as an NFL football team, we would be unstoppable (paraphrased from Mark Batterson). Think of it! You would never expect to hear that a pro football team opted to binge-watch their favorite program while eating mounds of junk-food all season instead of practicing and training and making choices to help get them to the top of their game. So why is it that I find myself opting to fill up with "junk" and then wonder why I feel frazzled, unorganized, and dissatisfied?! DUH!

I have a theory that if I start to purpose myself to small goals, over time they will snowball into me becoming more of the person I want to be. I want to be a woman of intentionality and purpose. I want my kids to know my delight and love through laughter and daily affirmation and purposed time together. I want my husband to know my friendship and commitment through intentionally finding ways to be a friend and lover to him. I want to see needs and have my knee-jerk reaction be to do something helpful. None of this comes naturally. It must be practiced and lived-out through our actions and choices each day.   

So this month I am purposing to be more present and more productive. Too much time is wasted on things that don't matter and don't bring life to my soul. So, for me right now that means less facebook and less television. It means more card games and more good music. It means ending the day with a clean kitchen so I can wake up with a smile of satisfaction, and starting my day with a few minutes in the Word so I can let it linger in my mind all morning. Little things to start my snowball into a more intentional life.

Love,