Let me explain...
Except for a few good friends, we know no one. It's just the four of us. That has been so so sweet. We have found our relationships to be deeper, more meaningful, and more purposeful. We are all we have here in GA and it has made us that much more thankful for each other. Brandon and I have found our marriage to be stronger than ever...being together, making more decisions for our family, figuring things out together as a team. We wouldn't trade this closeness for anything.
While we have plugged into an amazing church that we are so excited to now call our home, we have been mindful to not fill our plate too quickly. This, too, has been a blessing because it has allowed us, for a short period of time, to have undivided attention on our family life. We have no ministry obligations, no schedule to stick to, no place to be. And while we don't intend to be in this phase for long, as we believe body life to be so crucial to a healthy walk, we are enjoying this concentrated time together.
Along the same lines, we have always been known to be homebodies, but we are even more so now. We don't feel a need to get out when we have so much space that is ours. And I'm not talking space to separate from one another; space to get out and explore as a family. No longer are we at the mercy of finding free events and places to go to get out and run around; we have it right here in our backyard…and down the street at our private, community park.
We're also finding this allows for a lot more purposeful time talking about The Lord. "Lazy" afternoons at home have given way to more time in The Word, as a family, and has lent itself to more conversations focused on God and His character, as we are spending quiet time together, rather than being out, walking around amongst crowds, going, going, going. It's been amazing to see just how much Aaron has grown in his understanding of God and how much his little mind and heart are soaking up with all this extra time to "redeem". It's been a huge motivator for us to continue to lead less busy lives. Yes, we want to take on ministry related commitments eventually and want to start actively loving on others here in Georgia, but we have also seen just how important our family "down" time is and will be making a point to always guard it.
However, even with all this family time, we are so very blessed to be near some very, very dear friends here in Georgia. I don't think we'd be in the good place we are without them and it's been an encouragement to have a little bit of California here with us in Georgia. We are looking forward to deepening these friendships in the years to come and are excited that even more CA "family" will be joining us soon! :)
Another huge way we have been blessed in our move is financially, albeit, in a more "unconventional" way. Since we decided to "stretch" and buy the best house we could afford (rather than buy a place that needed a lot of work put into it OR buy a place that we'd outgrow and have to move again)…money is tight. And, tight can be scary, BUT we have also found it to be so freeing at the same time. There's not a lot of discretionary money these days but, now that we are without it, we wonder how we ever blew so much money in the first place on unnecessary and meaningless things. It has quickly shown us what is truly "necessity" and it's crazy to see how little we actually need.
We've always had a "budget" but it was more like a target to aim at rather than a absolute must. Today, we are at the counting pennies point but, seriously, I wish I had been here years ago!
I had been convicted, when we were moving out of our apartment, about how much food I had to get rid of that had been sitting in our fridge and freezer. We could have literally lived off what was in there for 3 months! And, yet, every week, I was going to the store and buying another $100-$150 worth of food, only to throw a good portion of it away because it had gone bad. Ouch! What a waste! I was just buying because we wanted something different to eat that week, not because we didn't have any food in the house.
Now, we are careful to eat through our fridge/freezer and pantry before going to the store. We are only buying necessary foods on a weekly basis (like produce and everyday staples that need to be replenished). And, oh my! This week…I spent $21, for the entire week!! It's truly been an eye-opener to see how wasteful we were being as a family and how well we can still eat, even on a super tight budget! And, as an added bonus, Brandon and I have both lost a bunch of fatty weight, since we aren't eating out, are more mindful of portions (and, of course, have stairs to constantly walk up and down). :)
All of this is helping us learn to be better stewards of what we do have and appreciating every little thing that we have been given.
(Disclaimer: no need to feel sorry for us…we are in a good place financially…just being uber wise with what we do have ;))
And one of the biggest changes with all of this is God is finally teaching me to be a woman of prayer. Shamefully, I've always been a lazy pray-er and, frankly, just not very faithful. I would pray over big needs (both personal and for friends) but those daily prayers of thanksgiving and seemingly small physical and spiritual needs were of little consequence to me. But, in stripping me of financial security AND being far away from friends to tell all my troubles to, I have come to finally, bow the knee and bring everything before The Lord. And what medicine for my soul that has been!
I have found being farther away from those I love has helped me remember to pray more for them. Before, I had been content to "do" and just "be"…now that distance has hindered both of those, I am learning to pray…and pray fervently...which is really the most important thing I could ever give them and the best way to actually show my genuine love for them. (So, to all my dear friends, you know who you are, I'm sorry that it took 2000 miles to finally be a true friend, but I now am truly, truly praying for you, in ways I never before have and I love you all so very, very much.)
In the same vein of thought, even the simple act of praying over my family's food as I prepare it has been a blessing…as I acknowledge that whatever portion (little or big), or whatever quality (organic or non), it all comes from Him. He is the one providing for us and I need not worry but, rather, bring it all before Him (Matthew 6:25-34). This applies to so many areas and I am so, so thankful for this "wake-up" call from The Lord; He is very kind to be long-suffering with me as I take so long to "get it."
Anyways, that's just a little glimpse into how The Lord has been using our time in Georgia to grow us into a more thankful, more Christ-centered, closer family. In our minds, we are content to live out the rest of our days here, but we know that God can do and move where He wills so, for any length of time we have here, we are grateful and will do our very best to redeem our time for His kingdom and His glory.
Along the same lines, we have always been known to be homebodies, but we are even more so now. We don't feel a need to get out when we have so much space that is ours. And I'm not talking space to separate from one another; space to get out and explore as a family. No longer are we at the mercy of finding free events and places to go to get out and run around; we have it right here in our backyard…and down the street at our private, community park.
We're also finding this allows for a lot more purposeful time talking about The Lord. "Lazy" afternoons at home have given way to more time in The Word, as a family, and has lent itself to more conversations focused on God and His character, as we are spending quiet time together, rather than being out, walking around amongst crowds, going, going, going. It's been amazing to see just how much Aaron has grown in his understanding of God and how much his little mind and heart are soaking up with all this extra time to "redeem". It's been a huge motivator for us to continue to lead less busy lives. Yes, we want to take on ministry related commitments eventually and want to start actively loving on others here in Georgia, but we have also seen just how important our family "down" time is and will be making a point to always guard it.
However, even with all this family time, we are so very blessed to be near some very, very dear friends here in Georgia. I don't think we'd be in the good place we are without them and it's been an encouragement to have a little bit of California here with us in Georgia. We are looking forward to deepening these friendships in the years to come and are excited that even more CA "family" will be joining us soon! :)
Another huge way we have been blessed in our move is financially, albeit, in a more "unconventional" way. Since we decided to "stretch" and buy the best house we could afford (rather than buy a place that needed a lot of work put into it OR buy a place that we'd outgrow and have to move again)…money is tight. And, tight can be scary, BUT we have also found it to be so freeing at the same time. There's not a lot of discretionary money these days but, now that we are without it, we wonder how we ever blew so much money in the first place on unnecessary and meaningless things. It has quickly shown us what is truly "necessity" and it's crazy to see how little we actually need.
We've always had a "budget" but it was more like a target to aim at rather than a absolute must. Today, we are at the counting pennies point but, seriously, I wish I had been here years ago!
I had been convicted, when we were moving out of our apartment, about how much food I had to get rid of that had been sitting in our fridge and freezer. We could have literally lived off what was in there for 3 months! And, yet, every week, I was going to the store and buying another $100-$150 worth of food, only to throw a good portion of it away because it had gone bad. Ouch! What a waste! I was just buying because we wanted something different to eat that week, not because we didn't have any food in the house.
Now, we are careful to eat through our fridge/freezer and pantry before going to the store. We are only buying necessary foods on a weekly basis (like produce and everyday staples that need to be replenished). And, oh my! This week…I spent $21, for the entire week!! It's truly been an eye-opener to see how wasteful we were being as a family and how well we can still eat, even on a super tight budget! And, as an added bonus, Brandon and I have both lost a bunch of fatty weight, since we aren't eating out, are more mindful of portions (and, of course, have stairs to constantly walk up and down). :)
All of this is helping us learn to be better stewards of what we do have and appreciating every little thing that we have been given.
(Disclaimer: no need to feel sorry for us…we are in a good place financially…just being uber wise with what we do have ;))
And one of the biggest changes with all of this is God is finally teaching me to be a woman of prayer. Shamefully, I've always been a lazy pray-er and, frankly, just not very faithful. I would pray over big needs (both personal and for friends) but those daily prayers of thanksgiving and seemingly small physical and spiritual needs were of little consequence to me. But, in stripping me of financial security AND being far away from friends to tell all my troubles to, I have come to finally, bow the knee and bring everything before The Lord. And what medicine for my soul that has been!
I have found being farther away from those I love has helped me remember to pray more for them. Before, I had been content to "do" and just "be"…now that distance has hindered both of those, I am learning to pray…and pray fervently...which is really the most important thing I could ever give them and the best way to actually show my genuine love for them. (So, to all my dear friends, you know who you are, I'm sorry that it took 2000 miles to finally be a true friend, but I now am truly, truly praying for you, in ways I never before have and I love you all so very, very much.)
In the same vein of thought, even the simple act of praying over my family's food as I prepare it has been a blessing…as I acknowledge that whatever portion (little or big), or whatever quality (organic or non), it all comes from Him. He is the one providing for us and I need not worry but, rather, bring it all before Him (Matthew 6:25-34). This applies to so many areas and I am so, so thankful for this "wake-up" call from The Lord; He is very kind to be long-suffering with me as I take so long to "get it."
Anyways, that's just a little glimpse into how The Lord has been using our time in Georgia to grow us into a more thankful, more Christ-centered, closer family. In our minds, we are content to live out the rest of our days here, but we know that God can do and move where He wills so, for any length of time we have here, we are grateful and will do our very best to redeem our time for His kingdom and His glory.
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