This is not the life I should have

Over the weekend, my son and I had the opportunity to work the Compassion table at a youth conference. On Saturday, we were able to hear Lincoln Brewster share a bit about his family life. It struck me when he said, "If they had taken a vote in high school to see who would be least likely to be a worship leader, I would have won that contest."

I could so relate to his statement. I never had any intention of relying on anyone for anything. My goal was to climb the corporate ladder and be one of those 'look, she has it all together career moms'. I know God must have been laughing, because He knew the path my life would take.

Be a stay-at-home mom? No way!

Be a homeschool mom? Not ever in my lifetime!

Minister to children through an organization I had never even heard about in high school? That was something that was never on my radar.

My life is different today than I would ever have thought possible. And I am in awe that God loves me so much that He has allowed me to do things I never thought would be a part of my life. Makes me kind of wonder what other plans He has for my future.

My One Word for 2015

Last year was the first year that I choose One Word to define my focus for the year. I have to tell you, that one word was so fitting for those first few months of last year. And has continued to remind me of the many blessings I have in this life.

This year, one word keeps standing out to me...

My One Word for 2015: Focus

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines focus as "In optics, a point in which any number of rays of light meet, after being reflected or refracted; as the focus of a lens."

As a photographer, I know what it takes to focus on the right subject when taking a photo. But as a person, many times, I can get so easily distracted just trying to accomplish the simplest task.

Take today for instance. For weeks, my desk has been haunting me with its clutterness...

cluttered desk

Ugh! So today, I took time to plow through a lot of the clutter on this desk. After a couple of hours between working on the desk and doing a few other things around the house, the desk ended up looking like this...

My de-cluttered desk

Ah! Perfect? no. Better? yes! In fact, there are a few other areas of my home that could use this kind of attention. But the thing is...I was able to focus (somewhat) on this task until I reached a point of contentment with the results. I don't want to be too focus driven, but I know I can do a better job of focusing on certain areas of my life.

For 2015, I want to focus on a few things:

  • my relationship with God
  • my relationship with my husband and my children
  • my home
  • my Compassion children and my Compassion responsibilities
  • my photography
  • my reading list

And I am going to focus on this Bible verse for the year:

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrew 12:2 (Amplified)

Focus on Him. I know in my heart that this is what I need to do each day, each moment...but there are so many distractions in this life.

Will I focus on Him every moment of every day? Probably not. But if I continue to remind myself that He is who I need to focus on, He will help me to do what is pleasing to Him. There is no checklist of goals or resolutions I need to complete each year.

Have you chosen One Word for 2015?

Ideas for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

When my kids were little, I learned about Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes and I loved how this was a tangible way for my kids to help share with other children at Christmas time. These shoeboxes not only end up being a small gift for a child at Christmas, it is a way to share the gospel with these children, so they may learn that Jesus loves them.

The Samaritan's Purse website has some great tips on suggested items to pack in a shoebox. I want to share with you what we included in our boxes this year.

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox items for a girl

For the little girl's box we included:

  • toothbrush and toothpaste
  • wash cloths and soap
  • bangle bracelets and plastic cups I found on clearance after Easter
  • rubber bands
  • hard candy
  • crayons
  • Play-doh
  • little doll
  • Bible theme game tablet
  • memo pads
Operation Christmas Child Shoebox items for a boy

For the boy box, we included a lot of the same items, but we made sure to include:

  • hot wheels
  • bouncy balls
  • pencils
follow your box labels

Samaritan's Purse makes it easy to follow your box by allowing you to pay for the shipping for the box online. Once you pay your shipping online, you are prompted to print out your labels for your box. Just attach these labels and you will be notified by e-mail to let you know what country your box or boxes are heading to.

Collection of Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes occur every November. Through the year, you and your family can be collecting items to put in your shoeboxes and praying for the children who will eventually receive your gift for Christmas.