Did you hear that? That was me blowing the dust off of my keyboard after taking a break from writing and basic content creation in general. I’ve been M.I.A. from both my blog and social media since this past winter, but I promise I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. Really. I have plenty of dirty dishes and a needy dog to prove it. Believe it or not, there was a method to my madness. Here’s the backstory.
At the start of every new year, my husband and I take time to fast, pray and ask the Lord for guidance for the coming year. (I wrote a blog on it if you want to know more).
One of the things we consistently do at this time is ask that He give us “words” for our year that we filter the next 365 days through. One of the words that I felt was very specifically for me this year was “BE PRESENT”. Essentially, be where your feet are planted.
For me, that meant being extremely present with my daughters this year. They are at awesome teenage and pre-teen ages right now, and I am LOVING it. (I know, sounds totally crazy, but I am.) Around last January, I strongly felt the Lord saying to lay everything else in my life down, or at least touch it loosely, and focus my attention on nurturing and pouring into my girls.
In fact, I truly believe this command was from the Lord because I lost all passion for writing and social media which, if you know me, is typically not my character. Granted, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with social media, but writing? That’s the whipped cream to my hot chocolate. When I lost my drive for that, I knew God was trying to get my attention, and I needed to obey.
I also felt like He wanted me to REST. There are seasons that He takes us through, and times of REST are not a bad thing. If you’re a “do-er” like me, those rest times can be confusing. But we need it! Now, rest didn’t look like kicking my feet up and binge watching Fuller House all day. Nope, my days are still packed, but it’s been a focus shift that I needed to refuel my passions and put present priorities in place.
Are you feeling that there is something the Lord is asking you to put down, even for a minute, to be more present with your kids? It doesn’t mean He’s not going to tell you to pick it back up again at some point. And when He does, it will feel right and your cup will still be full enough to pour out for the people around you.
I believe the Lord gives us the desires of our heart, and He also amps them up and tones them down as a way of directing us in our lives. He knows when and where our talents and giftings are best used and right now for me, it’s being present with my girls. I only have one shot to be the kind of mom I want to be. I only have one opportunity to mold and shape these phenomenal humans to love and serve God, be kind, compassionate, hopeful of their futures, and strong to withstand the assaults of this world. And that time with them is short.
Recently however, I’ve been feeling the green light to get my creative juices flowing again and begin sharing the little nuggets God gives me as I walk, stumble, and run through this race of life.
Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
If you’re not sure about the season you’re in or the path God has for you, pray this scripture! Ask Him to teach you the way you should go and spend time with Him. He will show you!
So here I am. I’m (kinda) back. My priority is still being super present for my girls, and I may be a little inconsistent here, but my peace comes from the Lord, not a social media algorium.
And hey! It’s great to see you again.
