"Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil."
Proverbs 15:16
I know this scripture points mainly to materialistic things, but I'm going to stretch it a little bit today. Okay?
I am a wife, a stay at home mommy, a homeschooler, a seamstress, a cook, etc, etc. You get the picture right? Truth: I've been overwhelmed, a little snippy with my girls, forgetting more than usual, unable to focus on important conversations, not listening well and couldn't figure out why. So, here I am, 4 months after starting homeschooling, finally having a light bulb moment. That light bulb moment came from reading a blog (Which, I can't seem to find at the moment to reference.), remembering something I read in a book, and rereading this scripture this morning. Here's the break down and my conclusion.
The book: About eight months ago I read the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, I've posted about it before. She wrote about having to subtract something from your life before you add to it to prevent overload and becoming overwhelmed. Well, wouldn't ya know it, I did it again! I added homeschooling and didn't subtract ANYTHING! Homeschooling has been amazing and it has been the absolute right choice for our family in our current season of life. I knew it would be time consuming before I went into it, but WHY, WHY didn't I remember Lysa's words!
The blog: Hopefully I can find it again to reference it for you. Electronics = distractions and eat up waaaaaaay to much of our time. It is not necessary to check Facebook 257 times a day. It is not necessary to read every online news article It is not necessary to text for 3 hours a day. It is not necessary to watch 5 hours of t.v. I wasn't this bad, but you get my point. Things with screens need to lessen their role in my life.
The scripture: Simple, it's better to have little, because when we have much there is much turmoil. To expound, the more we add to our lives, the busier and more stressed we become. The less we have to organize, plan, create, do, the more peace we have in our lives. Which also equals to better quality time with our family and much more time focused on God. I know we have certain obligation to fulfill and there will be busy times in our lives, but it shouldn't be constant.
So, the conclusion. Less sewing. It was a hard choice, but my brain demands more space for homeschooling and I don't mind giving it more. Less electronics. This is difficult because most of my communication with Mr. Hagge is via Facebook, but I've got to slack off and trust God will have me check it at the right times. But, more music! I've noticed, since turning the t.v. off more, that music brings great peace to my house. I know there will be more changes to come, but I foresee a peaceful year for me and my girls and if I happen to have a ton of extra time on my hands, then I will sew a garment or two, but not full time.
That's it, that's my story and my song of taking away, simplifying and being present with those around me. I hope these words have inspired you to take away before you add more and prayerfully considering what you add before you do.
In Him,
CH
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