Sometimes in life, you can look at where you are and think, I never thought we’d be here. I remember early last spring feeling as though we were in a reprieve, a rest spot. I remember having this anxious thought during that time, “uh oh, what’s coming, Lord?” He told me to prepare for the ride ahead and to rest in the moment. Much easier said than done.
Then the rains started to fall and the flood waters rose. But somehow, I knew that was only part of the ride. My spirit told me something more was coming and it was going to be later in the year.
Now, here we are, more than four months into unemployment, thinking, I never thought we’d be here. This last week Andrew made it to the third round of interviews for a job we thought he’d get and then he was turned down. The disappointment and feelings of rejection are real. Even when you know whose you are and what God says about you.
I have friends right now facing cancer, chronic illnesses, losing a child, and more. Our situation pales in comparison. Yet, whether it seems big or small to you or to the world, I want you to hear this…
God cares.
He cares so deeply. He cares on an intimate level that only a soulmate can care on. He cares so much that He sends personal reminders at the most perfect moments just so you know He’s thinking about you.
A friend of mine will sometimes post that she was having a really really bad day and feeling miserable and sorry for herself, when along comes a note or sweet gift from a friend, right at the very moment when she needed it most. That’s God! He does those things for us because he cares so deeply for our every hurt, concern, hardship, and situation.
This morning a friend texted and said, “read Psalm 120”. So I did. It was in reference to a completely different situation in my life aside from Andrew not having a job. But then I kept reading and read Psalm 121.
I wrote it out so I could really let it sink in!
And wouldn’t you know it? There was EXACTLY what I needed to hear today. God prompted my friend to text that and get me right on the exact page where He wanted to speak to my hurting heart. And to Andrew’s.
He’s like that. All the time. Start looking for it and you’ll see it. Everywhere.
Another good friend of mine always says, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” I’m telling you, it’s so true!
I love Christmas trees! I would have one in every room if my hubby let me! I love Christmas, and celebrating Jesus, and I think it’s a worthy goal to celebrate all month long.
This year, our Christmas tree adventure wasn’t all that great. It was 7 degrees outside and I was cold. We rushed down a row of trees, the kids pointing to every one and shouting ‘this one looks good!’ Andrew kept looking at the next tree and the next tree. I finally just stopped at a tree and said ‘cut this one down!’ He thought there might just be another good one farther down but I didn’t care. It took less than 10 minutes, we were mostly frozen, but we got a tree.
Watching the kids pull out their ornaments from every year and remembering how old they were and where they got it, just fills my heart. I used to crave the perfectly decorated tree with matching ornaments, bows, and garland. But I’ve gotten over that and love our mismatched assortment of ornaments that all mean something to my family. I look at each ornament and remember the trip we took, or the baby we were blessed with that year. And my tree has deep meaning throughout the Christmas season because of that.
There’s something so magical about sitting in the living room in the dark (which comes around really early in December in Minnesota) and having the lights of the tree and the glow of the fire. It always reminds me of Jesus who is the Light of the World and commands us to be the same.
When it’s dark and cold and the blustery north wind is howling against our house, the lights on the tree warm our hearts and show us how important it is to shine our light brightly to those around us in this dark world. The darker the world and sin, the brighter Jesus shines in and through us.
This Christmas season, I hope you find time to sit, to ponder, and to truly fall in love with the Light of the World, the reason for the season, Jesus.
Long ago, when my oldest were little, I was invited to be part of a Bible study. A good friend invited me along. It probably doesn’t seem like it to those who know me, but when I enter a new group of people I get shy and nervous. But, I went with my friend and walked into a small group of women, most of whom I didn’t know.
Little did I know that evening would become my favorite evening every week. I looked forward to it eagerly and hungrily. I came to love those women like sisters. We cried together, prayed together, ate delicious desserts together, and learned so much about God together.
The leader of that group became a dear dear friend and mentor to me. She modeled godly life and love daily to me for many years. I still consider her one of the dearest souls I know, though we don’t see each other as often as we used to. While that Thursday night Bible study is no more, the lessons I learned and the relationships I made have stuck with me for 20 years.
I just had coffee with that wonderful mentor. I don’t think we’ve sat down together for five years which is just awful. But it was a sweet time today. She’s still just as amazing at turning every person she meets towards Jesus. She’s still just as encouraging and optimistic. I learned a lot about how to look at life from her.
Today as we were catching up, she was sharing a story about someone she’s been trying to encourage. Someone who fills their time and minutes to their fullest and yet is left wanting. One thing she was always so good at and I’ve tried to learn from her, is to ask good questions.
She asked this friend, “Do you think you need more silence in your life?”
That just struck me so profoundly.
Silence.
Pacific Ocean, San Diego
When do we experience silence? Do we ever purposefully sit in silence? And when it is silent, are we filling it with our own thoughts, to do lists, projects?
Are we ever truly just silent? Mind and body still? Just listening?
It was a convicting thought. One I intend to ponder.
When we drive is the music filling the space? Or maybe screaming kids? When we fold laundry or do dishes, are we listening to a podcast or YouTube videos? When we sit on the porch are we scrolling Facebook?
I used to be much worse at filling every white space on my calendar. I used to look at an empty day as a place to put another activity, say yes to another playdate, drive to another event. Now, I look at those white spaces and see opportunity to say no, stay home, rest, catch up on things, and just be present with my family.
So, I’d say I’ve improved as far as how busy I am. I still have a ways to go. But to really just be silent…
That’s a new opportunity for learning and growth for sure.
You’ve seen the saying “Be still and know I am God” on signs and t-shirts. But have you ever really stopped to think about what that means or where it’s from?
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
God will be exalted in the nations and the earth. It’s inevitable. It may not seem like it in the chaos of our world, but it’s coming. Be sure of that. And be at peace. Whatever you are going through, whatever chaos, crisis, catastrophe you are facing, Be Still.
Be still and know that he is God. He is on His throne. He has your best interests at heart. And He’s powerful enough to see it through to completion.
Do you need a little more silence in your life? I do. It’s time to let those white spaces on our calendar be silence. It’s time to sit and listen without asking, pleading, wanting. It’s time to know that He is God.
“Oh good, we’re just so busy.” “We’re in a busy season.” “Life just keeps rolling along all too quickly.”
Familiar conversation? It seems no matter who you ask, you get a response about how busy someone is. It may sound a little different but it seems there’s a common theme.
Why are we all so busy? What are we filling our time with? And is it worthwhile?
I think all too often we fill our time with work, activities, errands, and entertainment because it’s what everyone else is doing. Keep up with the Jones’, right? Our kid’s friends are doing gymnastics, we better put our kids in. The neighbor just got a new car, we’d better put in more hours and get one too. Our friends just moved to the country, we’d better start looking for property too.
We may not put it into words, or even conscious thought, but we’re comparing all too often. Comparison steals our contentment and joy every time and yet we do it. And it’s frequently a bad habit we don’t even realize.
Also, we make ourselves busy because it makes us feel important. We believe we have to be doing something in order to be worth something. If I fill my schedule and try to keep all the plates spinning and show success in all these areas, then I’m worthy. Then when someone asks “What’s new?” I have a list to share.
At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of a year, do we really feel successful, fulfilled, satisfied with all our busyness, running, and frantic pacing? Or is it more likely that we feel defeated because we didn’t quite achieve enough, discouraged because someone else did it better, and exhausted because we aren’t actually supposed to do, but be?
Did you just take a deep inhale right there? Can you relate?
I know I can.
I’ve been convicted about Sabbath for a long time now. Like, a really long time. We’ve clumsily attempted taking a Sabbath here and there only to have it overshadowed by the to-do list.
Recently I’ve been reading Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this book and take your time with each chapter. In her chapter Rest, she says, “Sabbath rest is a tithe of time…” and “…rest is not a suggestion. It is a command.”
Those hit me hard. I have seen God multiply our finances innumerable times over the years, so much so that I couldn’t even begin to add up the amount He’s blessed us with, simply because we’ve been obedient. We’ve learned to tithe our finances no matter how tight the month appears because God always, and I mean Always, multiplies it and covers our needs and, often, covers our desires as well.
If I know that truth in my very depths, why would I assume He would do any differently when I tithe my time? I’ve learned there are amazing blessings in obedience so why should it be difficult to be obedient with giving my time to Him?
Maybe because I’m a slow learner, just like the Israelites as they wandered the desert. How many times did they have to relearn the lesson that God can be trusted? How many times must I learn that lesson?
I got to this point and thought, okay God, I’ll try to trust you with my time. But how do I actually make this work? How do I actually set aside time that looks different? It’s supposed to be holy, set apart. What does that look like?
It’s obviously going to look different in every family, but for me a few things really helped me bring this down to the practical.
First, get everyone on board. The whole family has to understand the Sabbath and be willing to rest and make it look different. In our home, we sat down and actually created a Sabbath list. I asked the kids, “if you could do anything you wanted on a family day, what would it be?”
The list is great! There are fun farm projects, hiking and day trips, playing board games, going out for ice cream. My kids were so astute to even add worship God with music, read His Word, and pray. I’m sure it will change and be added to as we go, but I’m excited we can actually start to do those family things we always talk about doing.
Second, prepare for the Sabbath during the week. A couple close friends and I were talking about how to do this and we came up with a few things. Get the house chores, errands, grocery shopping, and other projects done on other days during the week. This might sound obvious, but it really requires a mind shift. If I need to get the laundry and other house chores done on other days, then those days need to be open enough to allow for that. Which means I need to say no to extras so I’m actually home to do those things. Which means I need to look at my calendar and see the open spaces as opportunities to prepare for the Sabbath, not as spots to be filled.
We also have to trust. We can’t take one the mindset that I just have to work harder and faster and get more done on those other days so I can rest. I need to trust that God will multiply my time just as He multiplies my finances. I can’t look at my to-do list and think, well great, now I’ll really never get this all done. I need to look at that list and say, God, I trust you to get done what needs to get done, and to remove from the list what isn’t important right now.
Third, I believe we need to go into Sabbath willingly and cheerfully. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7.
God wants us to want to give, so that He in turn can show us how much He can give. He loves and desires to bless us, I’ve seen this from experience. We can actually trust Him.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
We aren’t perfect at this, in fact, I’d say we’re newbies, just trying to figure it out. We’ll probably stumble and be clumsy along the way. But, prayerfully and hopefully, with God’s help, we’ll start to honor Him with our time.
We spent a beautiful February day pruning our fruit trees. Usually in February we’re huddled inside by the fire watching the winter wind whip the icy snow in swirls and drifts around our property. This winter has been vastly different from most I remember. The temperatures have been mostly above freezing when they usually rare get even up to 32 degrees. And many of the February days have felt like spring. So, we took advantage of them and started pruning.
When we first moved here, the orchard was in tough shape. There were plum trees that were so overgrown you couldn’t see through them or walk between them. They bore teeny plums that were mostly pits. They didn’t last long. We attempted pruning but they were too far gone and we ended up cutting them down.
The apple and pear trees weren’t much better and needed desperate pruning and chopping. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing when I started. I watched a lot of YouTube videos from actual pruners, read myriad articles, and asked others. I still went really conservative when I first pruned.
There were five types of branches to prune. Those that are diseased or dead, those that grow inward, those that grow straight upward, those that grow straight downward, and those that crisscross.
I’d say the first couple years I pruned a few branches, leaving a vast majority for fear I would harm the tree. As the years have gone though and I’ve learned more about pruning, I’m much less conservative and far more generous in my chopping. The pile of branches after we’re done is impressive and takes numerous trips to the burn pile from the orchard.
One thing that has struck me is that 4 out of 5 of the branches to prune are healthy. They aren’t diseased or dead. If left, they would bud and bear leaves.
This year, I’d say 99% of the branches we cut off were healthy, live branches. So why remove them? If they aren’t dead, why bother?
Well, if left, while they would bear leaves, they wouldn’t bear fruit. And, in fact, they would choke out the tree and not allow other branches to bear fruit either. It would actually be detrimental to the fruit tree and not allow it to have full life.
Taking away a branch that doesn’t bear fruit is easy. It’s easy to see a diseased or dead branch and it doesn’t feel all that painful to cut that away. But it’s hard to cut away those branches that look healthy and strong. It’s difficult to bring the clippers to the base of those branches that are still green and supple.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1
The orchard at sunrise! Look at those pruned trees!
It’s the same in our lives, isn’t it? It’s not usually that difficult to find the dead and diseased parts of our lives and allow the Lord to prune those away. Although, let’s be honest, it is sometimes hard to let go of some of our stubborn sins.
But, isn’t it even harder and more painful to allow the Lord to prune those things that seem healthy and good? What about those activities or schedule fillers that we can justify as good and helpful? What about those people that make us laugh and send us funny memes? What about that Caribou coffee every morning? What about those kids’ sports that keep us running every day of the week but seem good for the kids? What about that podcast you listen to in the morning instead of tuning into God’s Word?
I’ve heard it said that Satan doesn’t have to tell us God isn’t real or unimportant, he just has to keep us busy enough to not think about God. Is that where we are? Is that where you are?
Are you willing to let the Lord prune that which looks healthy?
The Lord has called each of us to a purpose. To know Him, His Word, and to glorify Him with our lives. If we want to actually fulfill this purpose, then we have to allow him to cut away that which causes us to fail. And it might just be a bit painful.
God may ask you to stop spending time with certain people because, while they make you laugh and desire to spend time with you, they aren’t encouraging you toward His kingdom but actually away from it.
God may ask you to set aside that good book or funny podcast because, while they entertain, they may not encourage godly thoughts and pondering of His Word.
God may prune away all those extracurricular activities because, while they may be fulfilling to one child, they are dividing your family and preventing family time.
God might just be telling you to quit buying those extras because, while they boost you up in the moment, they aren’t giving true contentment and satisfaction.
Why does God want to prune these things and probably more away?
“…that it may bear more fruit”
That YOU may bear more fruit. More of your days being faithful to His call, more of your heart and mind focused on His goodness, mercy, and grace, more of your time discipling your children to know and love God, more of your good works serving your husband and children and church. That YOU may bear more fruit.
When I truly started believing my fruit trees would bear more fruit if I was relentless and harsh in my pruning and I put that belief into action, I truly saw better health and harvests from my orchard. It’s painful to do and I sometimes question if I’m doing it right, and even Andrew will say, are you sure you want to cut that much away? But my faithfulness each year in generously pruning has paid off.
Allowing God to generously prune your life will pay off far more than my orchard ever will. He loves you and wants the best for you. He will only prune anything that would destroy you or harm you, even if it seems the opposite at the time. You can trust Him. He knows better than you or I what we need in our lives.
Let Him prune and watch the harvest that will come!
Sometimes the best revelations come when you’re talking with a good friend. Yesterday I was having a great conversation, just catching up with someone. Someone who has been on a giant life journey the last two years of rediscovering herself and who she is in Christ.
It’s been a beautiful journey to watch and be a part of. Sometimes she allows me to be her sounding board and I feel privileged that I’ve gotten to be a part of it. It’s been painful, joy-filled, encouraging, and sometimes scary to watch as God rips open seams she’s sewn across her heart and fills those hurt places with His love, mercy, and grace.
I’ve watched her faith grow and mine has grown in the midst of it too. It’s always awe-inspiring to see God work. I often just stand shocked and then think, I shouldn’t be so shocked. My God is a big big God and nothing is impossible with Him. But, every time I’m shocked. I guess that’s part of what stirs and grows our faith in these things.
In the midst of a conversation about projects (which are never-ending around here), we started talking about being busy. It’s morphed in her life, and to be honest in mine as well. Being busy used to be a status symbol for her, it was what defined her. And I think most of us can relate to that. Our culture applauds busyness, rushing, hustle, adding another thing to our to-do list. Even our kids are many times defined by what they do. I still distinctly remember overhearing a woman talking on the phone and the person on the other line must have asked about her kids. Her response struck me as so typical and yet a little sad.
“Oh, we have a track runner, an artist, and a dancer.”
Her children were defined by their activities. I think many of us define ourselves with what we do. It’s hard to tell others about ourselves without sharing the busyness.
But what happens when we are only defined by our work, our activities, our progress in something?
One thing I’ve heard from my friend throughout her journey is that her work and how good she was at it was what defined her. So, if something didn’t go well at work, even if it wasn’t directly her fault, she took it as a personal hit. It became so important to do it all right that she became completely burned out and despondent.
Enter Jesus.
I won’t share her whole journey, that’s for her to share. But I will share what she’s learning, and what I’m learning as well. As she’s been on this journey I’ve been frequently convicted by her steps. In a good way. I’m seeing where I’ve been defined by the wrong things too.
We’re both learning that Jesus defines us. We are children of the One True God. We belong to His kingdom as princesses of the King. We are accepted by Jesus and not just accepted but adopted into His family as sisters. We have full access to an all powerful God. We are loved, no matter our pasts, no matter how many times we mess up, and no matter what others think of us.
I might have to digest these longer and break them down. What does each one mean for our lives? How does it make what we do different? How does it change us?
Often I see others praise and call out children around them for what they do, especially in Christian circles. They loudly praise and honor the sports kids are involved in. They want to know all about their practices and games.
What about the kids who don’t do sports? Are they less than? What if they are artists, comedians, Bible enthusiasts, book lovers, or animal whisperers? Do those activities matter less?
They do to that specific person because he or she is “into sports”. But those children certainly are less than. I think that as adults we need to be willing to see kids for their wonder of the world around them, their love for the Lord, their trusting faith, and their care and compassion of others, not what they do.
We need to be careful we aren’t putting certain people on pedestals because of a certain activity. Especially as adults. It’s our job to teach kids how they are defined and if we’re only praising those who do sports, we’re missing the mark by a long shot.
Let’s all practice defining ourselves and others by Jesus, not by the world’s standards!
Desired Haven Farm 