So, as a way of getting to know each other, might I share that on a Myers Briggs Personality Test I test as an ISTJ. If you’re looking for order and the comfort and bliss of the systematic, I’m your girl. If you want excitement and novelty and newness, well, that’s not really my strength. Extroversion and the world of emotions feel a bit like writing with my left hand. For me, its awkward and shaky and doesn’t flow as smoothly as my introverted, thinker side (much to my frustration at times!).
I’m feeling a bit like a duck out of water these past couple months as I realize that most of my life for the past year and a half has been novel and new. We’re in a new city, making new friends. I’m a new mom with a new daughter, new routines and just recently, a new job and a new church. If I’m honest, I’m getting a little tired of all the change. Yet with an ever changing child on my hands, it appears I’m in for lots of change in the coming years. So I want to write a couple of posts that will be grounding in the coming days and months. I want to remember the things I can fall back on when everything feels up in the air.
Someone once told me that Paul is at his pastoral best in his letter to the Philippians when says the following:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true,whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think on these things. Whatever you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, put these things into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8
I appreciate this verse because it invites and challenges the thinkers, feelers, introverts and extroverts in all of us into a life of consideration and practice that’s full of integrity. If you’re going to think…and you will…think honorably, purely, admirably. Consider the things that are lovely. And then don’t stop there. Put those noble, beautiful thoughts into practice.
I can get stuck in my own head. If I’m not intentional, I can get caught up in a merry-go-round of thoughts. Recently I’m realizing that the only thing I’m putting into practice are hours of considerations of my own considerations! If that’s not the definition of an incredibly unhelpful merry-go-round, I don’t know what is. Paul’s reminding me to get back to basics. I want to remember what is true and put it into practice. This won’t always feel easy or natural but then again I only need to do it one moment at a time. Looking forward to getting these thoughts out there in the coming days.
What, on this day, is true for you? How is this truth honorable, right, pure, lovely or admirable? I would love to learn from you!
Courtney Beck Writes 
Oh sweet friend I know exactly what you mean here. Being a mom is such a huge change and it impacts every area in your life. I can get bogged down in all the nonsense but I love that verse too. I feel like whenever I need peace in the chaos of my own head this verse brings be back to calm. God’s unfailing love and protection over me and my family is what I think on. Anytime I need reassurance I just look back on the last 15 or so years of my life and see how he was the one directing my path and I’m so grateful for it because I usually have no idea what I’m doing. Love you lady!!
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Love you too Kimmy! My Virginia/what are we doing in Texas pal 😉
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Oh my goodness! I so want to comment! But I’m not as good at it as you !!
I love this! First, I love you as a person and so sseing your thoughts expressed like this is wonderful. You’re very articulate.
What has God invited us into? Great question. How amazing is it to be invited into relationship with the omnipotent Creator and King of the universes? As I walk through life, I discover that relationship involves submission and trusting and laying down my will and spending time in prayer. Making it, prayer, my strategy for life. How else does an “invisible ” God become so clearly visible? Letting you see a need. Pray for it. Pray for it some more. And then seeing it come into reality from a direction you didn’t even knew existed. Being a part of His masterpiece-while watching Him paint? Awesome!
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Amen sus! You are such a faithful prayer and are always inspiring me to connect with God more and more. Love you more 🙂
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Awesome, Courtney. You are the gift to all of us. And I look forward to your future posts.
I’ve been reading “The Water Will Hold You”, by Lindsay Crittendon. It’s about how she’s come to terms with God. Her writing style and objective are similar to yours.
What I’ve learned through painful experience is, God sends signals to us all the time. The hard part is for us to discern them. The more attuned we are to His signals, the better we can follow His plans for us. (Actually, I might be the last person on Earth to have grasped this notion.)
God is an amazing God! (Where have I heard that before?)
Love you lots, Dad.
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awww. My pops sending the love. And yes, I think you are right. It can be hard to become aware of what God is actually calling us to. Someday I’ll have to blog about a dream I had where you and Andy kicked some serious A** on my behalf. IT WAS AWESOME :-). Love you.
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I love this….
I especially like the insight “can you have it all… do you want it all..?” Personally I do not believe that someone can have it all… that perfection is reserved for heaven in my book…. yet I truly am not meaning to being cynical, just there is never going to be that sort of perfection on this earth.
Even a career oriented woman who is raising a family that finds a great workable balance will have some struggles on either side… unable to make ALL the events for her children that she may want to, or missing an important meeting at work because the “plague” has descended on her home. Or the stay at home mom who at times struggles to have lost her professional identity and feels vulnerable in relying solely on another…. or the FT working mom who may struggle from exhaustion and over-commitment to get it all “right”.
This make me think of the Jack Nicholson movie As Good as it Gets – often people question is this “as good as it gets??” and it is infused with disappointment. I attempt to rephrase it as “this may be as good as it gets…” a beautiful Spring day, cancer/illness/hardship free (as far as we know) listening to the chirps of our children that are happy and healthy albeit at times annoying… the mundane of the your husband coming home to the usual routine and sharing his day, the good and the bad….and one day we may realize that that WAS as good as it gets, and it was all a blessing…
I ruminate on the reality that a week a go today that my beloved cousin “woke up” for the last time…. apparently he had an amazing day, and a week later he has been laid to rest…. I believe now, that he has it all.
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I agree Stasia. Someone told me once “you can have it all but probably not at the same time.” That has been a very grounding sentence for me…so sad to hear about Bill. I recall meeting him a couple of times. Am praying for his gorgeous family this week.
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