{Introduction - Although you are welcome to use my living in yellow list, please know that I wrote it for me. I share a few truths and thoughts not that I think you need them, but that I need them, and writing about them helps me do just that. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4}
Only three weekdays left in September and six priorities remain on my list, and if you were to walk into my house this week, you'd likely wonder how serious I am about half of them. It's the way life seems to unfold for me these days.
I'm probably not remembering correctly, but I think my days were more predictable when all the spaces were filled, and as mundane as the daily tasks may have been, they moved me along in an orderly fashion.
But predictable isn't my goal, so I go with the flow - a consequence of being available on one hand and chronic illness on the other. It doesn't change my priorities - just reminds me that I'm not in control, keeps me humble and prevents perfectionism from taking root.
So I seize this late-night, early-morning moment - a temporary lull - to begin wrapping up my September thoughts before it's time to turn the page.
Nurture "hidden art"and Create and Share Beauty
For most of my thirty-six year marriage {next month}, Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking {originally published in 1971} has been my go-to source for inspiration at home. As defined by Schaeffer, hidden art is the art that is created in our every day lives outside our careers and professions, and includes everything from how we decorate our homes to the food we prepare and serve and the way we entertain ourselves and others.
Not only is "hidden art" a reflection of our individual and unique personalities, it also reflects our worldview. That doesn't mean that our homes must look like churches or be filled with Christian images, but we are image-bearers and that as much as we have the resources to do so, the care we take to create order and beauty and share it with others can be a reflection of God's character in and to the world around us.
Humbly share what I've learned - especially my mistakes and failures
There's no shortage of Scripture to remind me of what God thinks of the proud. It's not self-deprecation for me to take little credit for whatever gifting God has allowed me to enjoy - I'd rather avoid His discipline than take credit for any of it. So I don't mind telling you that I'm not all that and a bag of chips and where I've made mistakes - where love has covered a multitude of my sins, and grace and mercy have been and remain abundant beyond measure.
That doesn't mean that I don't stand tall on who I know I am in Christ or that I don't have strong beliefs and therefore tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine {Eph. 4.14}. Come sit with me on my backyard swing and we'll talk doctrine and living as the esteemed, redeemed daughters of the King. Over tall glasses of iced tea or mugs of fresh-brewed coffee, you'll hear just how strong my beliefs are and how sure I am of God's sovereignty over all things, but I also know that those who have spoken truth into my life and have taught me how to love and live like Jesus have done so with humility, and they have encouraged me to grow by their willingness to be transparent, honest and vulnerable.
