Tag Archives: living

Life in a Pressure Cooker

Life in a pressure cooker -- the Bible and high pressure seasons.

Have you ever been in a season of life when it feels like you are continually under pressure, the stresses of life literally piling up from seemingly all areas? As time has gone by these last few months, I’ve increasingly had the image of being in one of those pressure cookers building up pressure until it is about to burst. Thankfully, in our modern day, God-sends like the Instant Pot (all the praise hands for this miraculous device) don’t really have the issue of exploding anymore as the pressure cookers of yesteryear did, but in this image I keep having, I keep seeing that the pot can only handle so much pressure. The pressure valve is right there, ready to release and bring that pot down from that high pressure point, but it’s a choice to let the pressure out in that safe, desired way, before the pressure literally blows the lid off. 

You know when you’re going through something that you know you are meant to, but that there is a very certain way to walk this road in a healthy way? God has reminded me again and again of some truths during this season that are essential to living this time in such a way that doesn’t end with a  pressure cooker explosion. 

Rick Renner’s interpretive version of 2 Thessalonians 1:7, formed from the Greek meanings of the original words in this letter, found in Sparkling Gems from the Greek, sets us up well to dive into this: 

“To you who are going through difficulties right now, it’s time for you to let up, take a breather, and relax. We know what it’s like to be under pressure, but no one can stay under that kind of stress continuously. So join us in learning how to loosen up a bit. Shake off your troubles, and allow yourself a little relaxation and time for recreation…”

I found it fascinating that God lead me to Renner’s in-depth study of this verse that just happened to talk about being under pressure. Life has a way, especially in some seasons, to pile it on, and we have the responsibility of learning how to use that pressure release valve through healthy habits of recreation and relaxation. 

Taking a Sabbath is a very important part of creating a habit of rest in our lives, but this verse goes beyond that to highlight the need for relaxation and recreation, which is distinctly different than the time of dedicated rest and refueling in the Lord we should take each week. 

In my life, learning how to relax has looked like creating time to read again this year. I’ve hardly read these past few years, yet I once read over 100 books in a year as a teenager. Being goal-oriented, I set a goal of reading 12 books this year at the start of this year, but as I’ve walked it out I’ve recognized the most healthy way to truly relax through reading is to just structure in time to read and reflect, and not to worry about how I’m doing on schedule with reaching that goal in time (also, Audible. It’s a Godsend!). 

Recreation…it’s something that takes a little more intentionality to uncover, but I think that’s on purpose. God created us to enjoy the things we do, and He enjoys seeing us having fun. When I lived overseas, I learned that there are certain things in life that different people enjoy that heavily enhance one’s ability to endure things. For some people living in third or fourth world countries that call first world countries home base, it’s hot showers. For others, it’s an occasional treat that reminds them of home (cheese, anyone?). There were little things that I and the others around me could give ourselves to enrich our enjoyment of the season we were in, something that had a huge impact in heavily decreasing burnout and enabling me and others I knew to choose simple pleasures and habits that were refueling in their own small but extremely impactful ways. There is something I learned in that time of life that is so important- God created each of us with our own set of likes, dislikes, and fuel for our tanks and fueling that tank isn’t just a good idea, but actually necessary for long-term health. I discovered that walks along the ocean did a tremendous amount for stress relief, and that’s translated to me recognizing how much parks and lakes can be pressure relieving here in the land-locked state where I now live. Learning about the fuel God gave you, those specific things that are refueling for you, is a great joy in itself and in it you discover an aspect of God’s character, because you’re made in His image and those things are a part of who He is. 

It’s time to release the pressure valves. We weren’t made to live with the pressure building all the time. Yet I love that 2 Thessalonians 1:7 is specifically recognizing that there are times of high pressure that will come, as well as healthy ways to handle these times. 

What about you – what are some ways you need to practice relaxing and taking time for recreation? What are some new things you can explore in your life to enrich the season you find yourself in and circumvent a pressure explosion?

Take some time to journal your thoughts today. Ask the Lord what things you need to incorporate into your life to create a natural pressure release in order to not just avoid a pressure explosion, but to build healthy pressure-relieving habits and activities into your life.

—————————————————————————————————–

Read More

The Squeaky Green Home

squeakygreenfbcover (1)

My new year’s resolution this year was to slowly make-over the personal care and housekeeping products in our home. With Christmas money, I converted my cosmetics to a brand that used fewer ingredients that are known carcinogens. A month or two later, as my most-used household chemicals were getting low, I switched to a plant and mineral-based all purpose cleaner. Recently, we got around to choosing a better laundry detergent.

By now, you’re likely asking, “Why?!” What’s wrong with the stuff I’ve been buying? We all want homes that are safe, clean, and healthy. My intention is not to point out the bad, as much as it is to tell you about what is better. No one likes scare tactics, so my desire is to present you with a list of facts and leave the decision up to you.

Statistically, the chemicals used in our topical cleaning products that you get from the grocery store are linked to issues like asthma (seriously – is it really okay that you need to turn the exhaust fan on to clean your surfaces?), reproductive issues, headaches, eczema (rubber gloves anyone?), disrupted endocrine systems, and even cancer. That is not okay.

What ingredients should you look out for as you choose your household products? The most common ones to watch are Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Triclosan, Parabens, Aluminum, Mineral Oil, Synthetic Fragrances, and Phthalates.

Is there a  quick way I can look up the products in my house and see if they are safe? Yes! www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners is a great resource (you can look mainstream brands up or score the ingredients of lesser known brands to see how they rate).

The good news is that there are so many options for cleaning with natural substances. Baking soda and vinegar really, truly works! There are plant-based solutions available, too! In addition to these, I like the added sparkle and purity that cleaning with essential oils brings.  

There is so much to learn about creating a healthier home…. so much that we want to invite you to a free educational class on the topic! It goes live on September 15th at 7:30 CST (but you’ll have a chance to look at all of the information after the event is complete, too). Join the event here. We hope to see you there!

What is one thing you’d like to learn about, in terms of safe household care? Comment below and tell us!

Reclaiming Your Time

Reclaiming Your Time

Busy, busy, busy. Time starts now- better get everything done. We’re having a party, they’re having a party. What are we going to do tomorrow? We live in a nation of ulcers and panic attacks and sleepless nights and everyone just…needs…to slow…down.

I lived in Haiti for about a year and a half, and I remember how hard it was to adjust to the different pace of life when I first moved there. Here in America, and in many other similar cultures, we seem to be slaves to busyness. In Haiti, on the other hand, things started when people got there and definitely not before. Schedules hardly ran anything, and once you adjusted to that pace of life, you found yourself much calmer and much more rested.

Since moving back to the States a few years ago, I have readjusted to the way of life here. Life is busy, there are lots of things to do, and I found myself exhausted. I thought about how much I had done, how much there was to do, and I just wanted some time to relax. I think of myself as a good optimizer. I optimize my time, my schedule, and many things in my life. With that, I feel like I am a great time manager. So, what was wrong?

I began to consider the last time I had had a whole weekend off. It had been a long time. Our culture celebrates busyness and those that make time to refuel are sometimes scoffed at- as if they just don’t have “enough to do” or somehow have the kind of life you could never have and have the “luxury of rest”. The truth is, though, people who live with a consistent time for refueling have chosen to live that way. It doesn’t happen by accident.

In that moment, I realized I needed to reclaim my time. After Jon Acuff issued a challenge to “do summer”, I decided my project was going to be spending 15 minutes a time on my schedule Monday-Friday and work on making my Saturday & Sunday work-free days. Now, believe me, I know the summer is typically full of small excursions and family trips for all of us, and that can contribute to the busyness, but the basis of my project was simply changing the way I had allowed myself to think. No longer were Saturday and Sundays going to be eligible days for work duties, and to start with, I was going to make sure I had at least one completely free day every week. In that free day, it was time for rest, fun, family, and friends. No work. At all.

Perhaps you think this is a ridiculous idea, but even God took a day of rest of the seventh day. This is the basis of the Sabbath- a day of rest. Rest is vital to the body, spirit, and mind. We need rest, we need downtime, and we need to be less busy. In fact, having some time to just rest can make you more efficient in your work or “busy” time.

So, today, I am issuing you a challenge- decide to reclaim your time. Make the decision to no longer let “to do”s govern your life. There will always be things to do and ways to be busy, but surely a day of the week to not do any work is important for all of us. As I recognized- if we have “too much” to do in 6 days, we have too many commitments, and it is time to start reshaping those, too. 

Taking a day of rest is not foolish or unrealistic. It is vital to our wholeness and happiness. God Himself knew this and instituted a day of rest. I encourage you to make the choice to change your schedule and change your habits and create at least one day of the week for rest, pleasure, and fun. We don’t have to be victims of society- we can decide what we want to do with our time. Take the challenge. Reclaim your time!

Maximize Your Space With What You’ve Got

Maximizing Your Space

Perhaps you’ve decided it’s time for a change in the look of your home. Perhaps your budget isn’t allowing for any new decorative pieces this month, but you want to spruce things up. Perhaps you have a lot going on in a small space and you aren’t sure what needs to happen. Perhaps you have a large space and you aren’t sure how to fill it up with what you have. Today, I want to share with you how to maximize your space with what you’ve already got on hand. 

Before we got married, my husband and I took a look at the house we were going to live in together and brainstormed how to make it work in a way we both liked. My husband was already living there, so we had to think outside of the picture that we saw in front of us and decide on a picture that would work for us as a couple. I only realized what a great thing it was that we did that together when we were assigned to do that very thing, just a couple months later, in a pre-marital counseling session (read: communication exercise). Our little brainstorming session transformed the house from a bachelor pad into our future home together, utilized every piece of furniture either one of us was bringing into the marriage, and made plain which pieces we most wanted to add down the road. 

Here are five easy steps to help you maximize your space with what you’ve got:

  1. Decide on your vision for the space. It is completely fine if this vision changes as you go through this process, but start with what you want the space to look like. Don’t be too dreamy- think realistically, in terms of what you have to work with- but also don’t be afraid to go outside the conventional box of how a space should be set up, in order to fit your taste. If drawing or writing things down helps you, go for it.
  2. Start with the furniture. Rearrange your furniture first to cut down on the need to move things around a bunch. What feel are you wanting for your space? Do you prefer open or compact? Move things around to fit your personal style.
  3. Gather all of your decor in one place. Put together all the choices you have to choose from. You can literally gather all the decor from your entire house if this is a house-wide project, or just the room you are working on if you are only planning to do this for one space. If your ultimate goal is to do the entire house, I encourage you to get all of your decor together from the start to make the most difference in the feel of your space. Don’t forget to grab any DIY pieces or pieces you have in storage before going on to step 4. 
  4. Cultivate the feel you want the room to have with your decor. Are you the less-is-more type? Do you like lots of little trinkets? Arrange your space to reflect who you are. If you have a bunch leftover, that’s wonderful! You can later disperse them around the house as you go from room to room, and if, when you are finished, you still have stuff left over, that’s okay. Don’t over-do it; by doing one room at a time, you will be able to figure out the look (and amount of decor) you like most. If you feel like you need more decor, that’s okay, because…
  5. When you have finished, decide what’s next. Do you need some fresh paint or a new color in the near future? Possibly an accent wall? Do you need some additional pieces? Do you have a bunch of decor leftover? Make a list of the priority pieces to get or replace. Sell or give away any unneeded extras you may have. If you sell anything, you could use that money to turn around a buy an extra piece or two.

Viola! You now how a completely re-thought space, and if you have applied this to your entire house, you likely have remixed some of your furniture or at least decor piece placements. Your space should feel better utilized, and you should be able to see what the natural next step is to further develop the space. Feel like you need a bit of inspiration for the vision of the area you want to improve? Head over to Pinterest to find ideas, and don’t forget to follow us while you’re at it!

Reborn Studios Patriotic Giveaway

INDEPENDENCE DAY GIVEAWAY! We are so pleased to be partnering with Reborn Studios for a special giveaway in honor of the anniversary of our nation’s independence. There are five ways you can sign up for this giveaway, with a maximum of 5 entries per person. Please follow the instructions in the box below to enter the drawing for the Patriotic Hand-Lettered Print pictured above. Don’t forget to check out Reborn Studios on Instagram for more great prints like this! Stay tuned- the winner will be announced on July 3rd! Giveaway open to all residents of the Continental United States.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Living Your Best

livingyourbest

Comparison: It’s the thief of joy. Especially among women, comparison is rampant. You likely know how the story goes- you want to be prettier, more capable, able to do it all. You can see those who you perceive to be those things, and you slowly become bitter and dissatisfied with who you are.

The secret is, living this way corrupts what you have. We all have our own giftings, our own beauty, and our own talents. However, comparison tells us one of two lies- we are either better, which is not true (Romans 3:23, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”), or, all too often, it tells us we just come up short, and we just aren’t as good as so many other people, which is also untrue.

I want to challenge you today to stop comparing. Be YOU. YOU are gifted. YOU are beautiful. YOU are- wow– unique. Do you know what a gift that is? You are the ONLY you. Why not embrace that? You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)- embrace God’s plan for you and grow in that.

Be the best you you can be. Stop trying to be that one friend who seems to have it all down, that one woman who seems to being a living Pinterest board, or that woman on television. Decide to be you and find out what YOU are gifted in. One of the most liberating things to someone stuck in comparison is the realization that there is no one like me, God made me for a reason, and that I am special. Say those things. Believe those things.

So, what am I suggesting you do? Three simple things…

  1. Stop comparing. If you struggle with comparison, I highly recommend reading the Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. This is a fabulous book that addresses many things that start in the mind, including comparison and discontentment.
  2. Focus on maximizing your God-given gifts and talents. If you aren’t sure what you are good at,  StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a fabulous book based on the premise that each of us has natural strengths that we have the capability to become much better in than other strengths that don’t come naturally to us. Maximize your giftings by focusing on those that come naturally to you.
  3. Lastly, join me in the 30 Day Living Your Best Challenge. Ask a friend to do this with you, or to simply hold you accountable, and for the next 30 days commit to shutting down those “I suck” and “I wish I was like…” thoughts and, instead, to discovering and maximizing your giftings and your talents and thanking God for all He has given you and made you to be. 

It’s time to start living the best life you can have. How rewarding would it be to look back on your life one day and know you lived to the best of your ability? Let’s not be those that would look back and see a life riddled with discontentment and marked by having always wanted to be someone else or in someone else’s shoes. Comment below to let us know you are joining our challenge!

~Don’t forget to register for our ongoing giveaway at the bottom of this post.~

(Disclosure: Some links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. As such, should you order through those links, we will receive a small commission off your purchase. Thank you for helping support this blog so that we are able to continue bringing you fresh content!)