Up until a couple of days ago I was fairly certain that I wouldn't return to the blogging world (maybe ever), but as I was cleaning the toilet (glamorous, I know) that 'still small voice' began speak to my heart. For the last 9 weeks I've tried to simply 'be still'...at least in terms of ministry. I've spent the summer relishing the time with my Darlings & the Lone Ranger, prepping for the beginning of our homeschooling journey, crafting for Fall...yes, I know that it is still Summer, but I LOVE Fall so don't judge ;0), reading blogs instead of writing them, & simply seeking Abba's will for my life at this stage and at this time...it's been good. Our family is in a period of transition...Belles 'N Whistles (Darling #3) has fully entered the toddler stage. Bottle-broke & on-the-move...meaning our fearless adventurous one keeps me on my toes. Sweet 'N Sassy (Darling #2) spends most of her time alternating between adoring & aggravating Goldilocks...meaning I'm perfecting the art of refereeing. Goldilocks (Darling #1) is ready, READY to begin school...meaning she asks every 5 minutes (literally) if its Fall yet. Quite naturally as they move from one stage to the next, I too, go through a transition period. For the majority of the last 5 years I've been pregnant (3 babies in 4 years, yes it is mathematically possible & yes each pregnancy was planned)...& taking care of babies, so to have left that stage and entered another has been a big deal to me...I know now that Abba led me to take a writing break so that I could fully enjoy my final days in the baby years. Just this week the last bottles went into the trash as Belles 'N Whistles finally yielded to the sippy cup...and it was a triumphant moment! Two weeks from today, I make yet another transition from Mommy to Teacher. Homeschooling was a calling that the Lone Ranger & I felt led to very early on in our parenting journey, & one that we have been preparing for ever since. It's almost surreal...and incredibly intimidating...to be on the brink of living out a dream. Close as our Darlings are in age, we will most likely have a new preschooler each year for the next 2 years...lucky for me I get to repeat the same curriculum 3 years in a row as well! It's an emotional and rather daunting experience to knowingly enter the next stage of your life...one that will encompass nearly 2 decades!
Alas, I have gotten sidetracked & need to return to the topic at hand...blogging...it only makes since that if I am in a period of change in my family life that my mission undergo a change as well...hence the new name & the new look! 'There's No Place Like Home' is the new title...those who know me, know that I am a Wizard of Oz nut...but I assure you there is more to the title than just than just the opportunity to yield to my nerdiness! Throughout my sabbatical from writing, that phrase kept running through my mind. My heart's desire remains unchanged...I long to know & understand the vision that God has for women. Very simply He desires that we strive towards righteousness & imitate Christ in any and all roles that we fill...daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends, employees, & etc. It has become more and more clear that we, Christian women, must accept & embrace our unique identity...the one that He designed for us. We must lay aside the feminist expectation that we endeavor towards the masculine nature & simply be who we are created to be...WOMEN. Quite frankly, we cannot hope to truly be successful in pursuing righteousness if we are endeavoring to be something that we are not. It's time to step into the shoes (Ruby Slipper connection) that He desires us to fill!
As I have pondered this concept, another has come to mind. The ability to accept that we have a feminine nature, unique in its expectations, is to acknowledge that the opposite is also true...men have an equally particular God-given role to fill. From scripture we know that men are called to be the heads or leaders of their households (1 Corinthians 11:3), but we as women are to be the heart (outlined in Proverbs 31:10-31)...and to me that is an equally high calling! It's no small task to be the pulse of your household! The priority of our lives, as godly women, is to maintain a healthy heartbeat in our home...and that's where the new title comes in, There's No Place Like Home. When we hear the word 'home', we immediately think of place, but truly we should think of people...by home I mean family. 'Home is where the heart is'...so when I say home I mean those precious dirty-faced kiddos and that handsome man who still takes your breath away. I wanted the title of the blog to be a reminder of our mission...of our purpose...of our calling...we, sisters, are to remember that There's No Place Like Home, nothing more worthwhile nor more rewarding than being a visible representation of Jesus in the lives of our family...whether you're a working mom or a SAHM (stay at home mother) the task is the same...whether your children are in the womb or have gone on to build homes of their own...the calling is the same...whether you are barren, single, or dreaming of the mother you one day will be, the mission is the same...we are to be the heart of our home, our family-whoever that might be.
As I enter a new chapter in my life as a wife, as a mother, & as a blogger...there will be some changes. Many of my posts will more resemble a diary of sorts...anecdotes, memories captured, reflections of the day, & confessions of failure. Many posts will still have a focused point, but will most likely be less formal in nature....I simply cannot put the time into perfecting those posts as I once did. Please do not take my writings as gospel...please do not use me as your connection to The Lord. Pray on your own, read on your own, & seek of your own...because I am not a biblical authority! My greatest hope is that this blog might be an opportunity for you to see & be encouraged by the striving...that you too might want to take this journey...along the yellow brick road, if you will (sorry, I couldn't help myself) towards discovering God's divine & biblical vision for us as women. Successes & failures, joys & sorrows, rights & wrongs...all documented in order that I might remember the journey towards becoming the woman He wants me to be...that I might be ever mindful of His Unending Love & Amazing Grace...
It's good to be back...I've missed you!
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