Tag: simple life

Living Simply and Intentionally This December

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Hello, friends! It has been a minute. I have been concentrating on accomplishing a few 2018 goals before the year ends, and have been busy!

What a blessed year it has been. It has been a year of growth for me, for sure. I’ve grown closer to the Father as I’ve learned more and more about His truths.

I’ve been stretched as we have strived to live more simply. I’ve also been stretched as we have squeezed our finances to pay off our mortgage as quickly as possible.

As we end the year, I would love to encourage you to live more simply and intentionally. Just yesterday, I learned that while the United States contains only 3% of the world’s children, these same children own 40% of the world’s toys. This statistic is mind boggling to me.

Our children need things like a secure home life and a present mother to grow into happy and healthy adults, not an abundance of toys. I am now doing my best to encourage our children to embrace the simple and important things in life. But please believe me when I say I didn’t always used to live this way. I’m so thankful to the Lord for the work He has done in my life!

We all can do our part to fight the consumerism monster. Even in December, it can be done!

I hope to begin posting again more regularly in the near future. I am on Instagram almost daily, and you can find me there at redeeming_home.

Be encouraged, mamas. You are doing the Lord’s work!

Finding Joy in the Small Stuff (Fall Edition)

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With the time change and pending election, I’ve let myself get into a bit of a funk. I’ll admit, I’m totally in the wrong. I am beyond blessed with anything and everything I could ever need. I should be focusing on my blessings, and not insignificant hardships.

I’ve been reminded that renewing our minds with God’s Word on a daily basis is so important, mamas. Honestly, to be at my best, I need to renew it every few hours, at the least. I’m so grateful that the Lord has given us a lifeline in His Word.

Today I would like to share some wonderful things about fall that help to lift my spirits. Instead of seeing the short days as a bad thing, I need to remember that the Lord is offering us sweet rest in these next few months.

We can look at this time of rest with joy, knowing that we have more time to grow closer to Him. More time to study His Word. More time to pray. More time to enjoy our families. Speaking of families, I shared my family’s testimony which was featured in Above Rubies last week on the blog. You can find it here.

There is so many simple joys to look forward to during the fall.

  • Studying Scripture
  • Family time
  • Colorful leaves
  • Long walks
  • Warm blankets
  • Crackling fires
  • Hot chocolate or coffee
  • Pumpkins
  • The harvest
  • Craft festivals
  • Good books
  • Fall decor
  • Dried herbs
  • Sweaters
  • Boots
  • Baking
  • Apple Cider
  • Candles
  • God’s Appointed Times (Feast of Tabernacles, Trumpets, etc)
  • Time to plan the new year
  • More sleep to reset our bodies
  • Fall scented essential oils

The Lord is good, all of the time. All of nature speaks of His goodness, and fall is such a beautiful time to get outside with our families.

I’ve come to realize that the little things in life aren’t so little. Simple joys equal big time happiness. Let’s take the time to see the little blessings that surround us today.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Slow Down, Mama

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On the heels of my last post, I started to think about what it really means to embrace peace and quiet. Oftentimes I think the reason that quiet is hard to come by is because my house is loud. With eight children and many pets, I figured this just came with the territory.

But then this evening while working on a few of my Etsy orders, I began a time of self-examination. My hands were working quickly when my five-year-old tugged at my shirt. I barely glanced at her bright smile before continuing what I was doing.

Then a few minutes later, she was back. This time with a glass of water and a piece of bread “in case I was hungry.”

The above items can be found at Proverbs31.life

Well, my heart melted then and there. I had been so busy that I barely gave her a second glance a few minutes earlier, but she had still taken the time to do what she could just for me. Sure, water and bread wasn’t the grandest fare, but the gesture was as sweet as could be.

Wait a minute. Could it be be me that needed to quiet herself, and not my family? Could it be me that needed to slow down?

What happened next? You guessed it. Conviction. How often do I put regular tasks over a short conversation with my daughter? Worse yet, how often do I neglect my husband or even time with God for something as trivial as social media? I hate to think of what we all might miss if we fail to stop and really cherish our families.

Sisters, all signs are pointing to the fact that God wants us to slow down. He often whispers loudest once it’s quiet and all of our attention is focused on Him.

As for my five-year-old, this time I took the time to slow down and give her a big “thank you” and a hug as I drank my tap water. Boy, did her eyes shine!

A slow life doesn’t equal a boring life. Lots of times it signals a life full of contentment.

Today, may that be my aim.

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth.’”

Psalm 46:10

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