Do Less With More Focus

I recently ran across this great quote from the brilliant gals over at Small Fry. This past year of my life has been filled with more change than I have thought I would have the strength to muster but the Lord has been gracious to provide peace. When we moved back to Atlanta, I didn't know what specific direction He was leading me in but the one thing that I heard from Him clearly was this, "be patient and watch me work". 

I'm a jump-in-with-both-feet kind of person and it's both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that I totally and completely commit to whatever it is that I am involved in. The curse is that there are so many great things to get involved in, that I often want to commit to multiple things at once. Trial and error has proved that this is an exhausting and unsuccessful cycle in my life.

Drew and I's time living overseas allowed us to see that the hustle and bustle of constantly living with a full plate for years at a time is not a life-giving way to live, it's a life-taking one. Choosing to put something on my calendar should not reflect a need to feel accepted. Instead it should be a purposeful choice to choose community and life giving structure to my life. I'm actively seeking to measure the amount of rest in our lives versus the busyness. So here I am, pursuing to live a life that is honoring to the Lord, use my gifts wisely, work in a way that is edifying and not over commit. I love the ministry that I have the privilege of working for and I truly want to give my energy and focus to them so that I will have more emotional, physical and spiritual energy to pour into my marriage, my relationships and my faith. 

The Lord's word of warning to watch and wait to see Him network was the truth that I needed to hold onto when facing a mountain of unknowns. The beauty of not rushing to commit is that you are able to fully know that He brought the opportunity to you. It wasn't birthed out of striving or frustration, it is graciously given as a gift. I feel more peace about my decision to focus on fewer things in my life and know that I'm hearing the Lord more clearly without the other distractions. I know that the most difficult thing now will be to stay on this course for the long haul but I know deep down that it will be worth it.