Purpose

For the past 10 years or so, I've had a "word of the year"

Something that God has given me, where He whispers "I'm going to reveal this to you this year, unfold it farther for your heart"

Here are some of the past words

Worship (realizing it's an act of each moment - not just during prayer or singing, but in disciplining my children, in how I speak to my husband, in how I care about my neighbor)

The Fear of the Lord (recognizing His holiness. His authority. His worthiness. Putting life into perspective through that lens. Fearing the Lord causes gratefulness, and wonder, and excitement about such an awesome powerful God loving ME)

Grace (such a deep word. And I learned about accepting grace and recognizing grace and GIVING grace to others)

This years word is "Purpose"

I want to live intentionally, to know why I'm doing things, and what is important.

How is it going? Well, I don't deserve any trophies.

Parenting is a big one. Purpose means continually removing the clutter and going back to the basics. Obedience. Listening. Time. Hugging. Teaching God's word. Investing. Turning interruptions into opportunities.

Marriage is a big one too. We have had more time for "dating" this year - which has been great. But it's so easy to take each other for granted instead of intentionally investing. It's easy to become housemates, or partners, and lose the connection of soul-mate.

Time is a huge area. I find myself so busy all the time. My time filled up. But how much of that time has any lasting usefulness? How much of that time do I even value? And in what ways am I carving my life to "redeem the time" and invest in eternity?

I'm in the middle of a friendship struggle... I'm still asking God about it... but knowing the purpose of relationships. And at what point it is beneficial to "drop" a friendship. I've never found that necessary before, and I've never gone through this sort of a path before. I'm not sure what the answer will be. Maybe it's worth building this relationship, or maybe it's time to separate. God will guide me, but at this moment I really don't understand the answer yet, nor what He expects from me.

And last, but not least, is my home.

I want purpose in my home.

Not just in our family spirit and rhythm and rituals, but in the function of each room. In keeping clutter low. This is SO HUGE for me. To simplify in the home, and not have so much STUFF. I'd like to do this with the wardrobes to, to have high functioning outfits with less clothing in the closets.

I've moved towards this goal by having a rough "plan" for our weeks

Family meetings on Monday nights
Fuse ball games on Tuesday nights
Church on Wednesday nights
Exercise/soccer/biking/walking on Thursday nights
Date night on Friday nights (mom and dad, OR mom or dad with a kid)
Family movie nights on Saturday
Fire nights (roasting marshmallows) on Sunday

But I'm ready to buckle down and start purging clutter.

When we get back from vacation. I'm going to get a grip and simplify.

I've already embraced the feeling of less whenever I've "redone" a room.

When I intentionally remade the family room, I found ONE large photo for the wall, and ONE large sectional and ONE lamp... I've really enjoyed that room because it's just calm. Not stuff everywhere.

No pictures tonight. Just journal.