Finish What You Start!

 It’s the pile of freshly laundered clothes three feet away from an empty dresser drawer, the dirty dishes next to the sink, the candy wrapper sitting on the counter above the waste basket, the stack of junk mail that grows every day.

Can you guess what it is?

Unfinished business. Simple tasks started out of necessity or good intention left undone due to some excuse. I don’t have time. I’ll do it later. It’s not that big of deal. Other things are more important. I don’t want to do it. Maybe my spouse will do it. I’ll tell the kids to do it.

I recently found an old story I had written when my oldest was just a few years old. We were playing outside by our driveway. In an effort to multitask, I decided to bring the garbage can up from the end of the driveway to outside our closed garage door. For whatever reason, I stood there debating whether or not I was going to open the garage door and bring the garbage inside. I can do it later. I just wanted to do part of the job. Erik can finish it next time he’s out here. Little voices inside my head were debating the pros and cons of walking over to the keypad, punching in the code, putting the garbage can away, and shutting the door again.

Then I clearly heard these words: Finish what you started.

The authority in that statement reminded me how silly my excuses were and pushed me to finish the task I had started. It also challenged me to bring this idea of finishing into my life on a more regular basis. It’s the responsible, stress-relieving, God-honoring thing to do.

The Power of 60 Seconds

In this journey to become a finisher, I’ve realized that finishing often doesn’t take that long. It’s an extra three seconds to close the cupboard or put the trash in the garbage can instead of on the counter. The pile of dishes can be washed, dried, and put away in under 30 minutes. That thank you note or email you’ve been meaning to send will take two minutes and the phone call to your bank another 3-5 minutes. If I can get it done when I’m thinking about it, why not save myself the pressure of having another thing on my “to do” list?

I admit: My selfish nature often has an answer for that question. So I’ve put together two keys to help me keep up with the tasks life throws my way.

The first one is to learn what you can actually accomplish in 60 seconds. If you are warming something up in the microwave, instead of standing there for one minute, see how many dishes you can put into the cupboards before the beep signals your food is ready. How about your laundry—can you fold a full load of clean clothes during one commercial break or do you have to do it during two? 

A lot can happen in 60 seconds when you put your mind to it!

Follow the Prompts

The second thing I’ve learned on my way to being a finisher is to follow the promptings inside of me. I’m talking about those prompts I believe the Holy Spirit brings my way to do this or do that. Now would be a good time to make that phone call… pay that bill… run that errand…. Time and again, the Holy Spirit has proven to be my biggest helper in de-stressing my life in this way. He reminds me of tasks that need to be accomplished or ways I can finish what I start as I go about my day.

I don’t always recognize that these thoughts are the Spirit. They are easy to dismiss among the myriad of other thoughts running through my head. When I do find a thought I know is from the Lord (usually based on hindsight or context of the situation), I remember that voice, feeling, and prompting, and try to match it appropriately to future thoughts. More than once I’ve said to myself, “Well, if that thought was from the Lord and this is a similar voice, I need to listen to it and respond.”

I Challenge Me—and You

I guarantee that I am nowhere near close to being great at finishing. Daily tasks are so easy to push aside, but the Holy Spirit’s ideas and the 60-second rule help me save time and simplify. I challenge you to consider incorporating these ideas into your life. God will show you how to make these ideas work for you so you too can finish what you start.

 

my top 5 recommendations for moving!!

We are moving!

No, we're not moving states. We're not even moving cities. We are moving just down the road to a house that better fits our family's current needs. 

We are almost set to move next month, but we have one final hurdle before doing so: the inspection! It's happening tomorrow, which also happens to be the day before Christmas Eve, which brings me to my top five things you should know before you move. 

5. If at all possible, don't put your house on the market during the holidays. (Instead of a Christmas tree or Christmas decor, we've had a clean house for the holidays. Kinda weird!)

4. Make things easier for you whenever possible. (The kids are getting stocking stuffers and a new house for Christmas.)

3. When you prepare to put your house on the market, do NOT pack everything! (Unless you are selling your house after you have moved, you still need things in your house to make the weeks on the market less stressful... ask me how I know!)

2. Go ahead and get that house project done now so you don't have to worry about it when you actually want to sell the house.

1. DO NOT PACK THE CAN OPENER! (We were SO close on this one. Turns out my mother-in-law had graciously helped us get ready to put the house on the market, and when cleaning the kitchen, she put the can opener away in a different drawer... but there was a moment when the whole "the can opener is packed" feeling was upon us, and it wasn't good!)

Anyway, it's nice to be writing a blog again. Perhaps I'll keep on writing. In the meantime, Christmas is almost here! May yours be very merry!

how to help a grieving friend, part 2

Nine years ago, I wrote down some ways you can help someone who is dealing with grief (click here to read!). I started thinking about it again recently because of some dear people who have passed way too soon into heaven and my friends are grieving their loss.

I also thought about it because someone sent me something that made me remember my brother, who passed away in 2009... which is why I wanted to write how to help a grieving friend, part 2.

Here's the story... in the stack of Christmas cards I got this year, I received one from a close girlfriend. It got shoved away in my desk, so I forgot to open it until yesterday. When I did, it wasn't the normal Christmas card I expected. It said, "A gift has been made to Samaritan's Purse in your honor." Now, Samaritan's Purse is an awesome organization that I am happy to support, but it wasn't until I opened the card that I was floored.

The inside read:

I immediately cried. I hadn't seen his name written out for years. It reminded me that he was more than just a family memory. He was a real person that I used to hug and live with and make memories with. It was such a moment to treasure to just reflect on him and love on him and know that someone across the world was getting blessed because of this gift in his honor and they knew his name. 

Whoa... it blessed me!

And I wanted you to know... if you want to help a grieving friend, do something out of the ordinary and in that person's honor like this. Surprise them weeks down the road, years down the road. Write down the anniversary on your calendar. Write down a note to do something for them in the future. Do something now to let them know that you remember and care about them. 

I vividly remember nine months after Brody passed that we got a card in the mail from someone just talking about him... and it came from someone who wasn't necessarily a close friend we talked to every day! That blessed me so much! So much love and outpouring comes immediately after something happens - and yes, that stuff sticks with you too - but there's something special about someone remembering when the world has moved on. 

So if you know someone who lost a friend last year or the year before that or years or decades ago... or even last week, send them a special note. If it was a recent loss, make a note of the anniversary and send them a gift next year and the year after. Do something out of the ordinary and unexpected to show you care... it will bless them! 

In the books of Revelation, we see this description of God.

“Who was, who is, and who is to come”

I like the message translation.

“The God who is, the God who was, the God about to arrive.”

I like that. He’s almost on the scene. Get prepared. He’s almost there!

healed as they went

"As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'

"He looked at them and said, 'Go show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

"One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, 'Praise God!' He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

"Jesus asked, 'Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?' And Jesus said to the man, 'Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.'" -Luke 17:11-19 NLT


I've had a phrase that I've been thinking on over the past few weeks.

"healed as they went"

The concept comes from this passage of Scripture. The lepers were healed as they went. Consider how odd it must have felt for them to walk away from Jesus without seeing immediate change in their bodies. Maybe they expected that because lepers were thought to be contagious, and they knew they shouldn't get close.

Jesus didn't even touch them, yet they were cleansed through their obedience.

They had to turn around and walk without seeing immediate change. That must have been hard. I'm not exactly sure when the change came, but it says they were healed as they went to see the priests... I imagine it came slowly. Once they started to see a difference, I bet their excitement rose.

Placing myself in that story helps me imagine that God doesn't always answer as we plan or want Him to. Obedience is key. Trusting Him is key. Don't stop believing if He doesn't do as you expect. Anything is possible when you believe.

One reason this is a big idea for me is because my hubby has been going through a lot of health issues. Right now, he has some opportunities that I believe as he walks them out in faith and trusting God, he will be healed as he goes!

Now, God may not answer exactly as I plan, but I'm learning to trust Him through the process as these lepers did, even if I don't see things right away. HE IS STILL AT WORK! All caps to remind me it's always the case.

passing on the love of books

I've hit a busy season with work! Through it all, my goal is to keep reading to my kids.

I finally remembered to ask Erik to take our pics... I've been reading with these kids on couches and next to beds for years, and the space we need as we read keeps expanding as they get bigger. 

Here's our latest pic and I love it. 

Keep reading to your kids... and grandkids! Which prompts an extra shout out to my mom, who reads to the kids via Facetime! YAY! 

don't despise the little things!

We're hosting a baby shower at my house on Sunday, and so we are in full pick up the house and clean mode!

Yesterday, my five-year-old was vacuuming the stairs and when he stopped he said, "Mom, mom! I figured out how the vacuum works!" He went on to explain how our hands hold the vacuum down and air comes out that pulls up the crumbs/dirt. 

It was a really fun moment, because a couple days ago, his older brother did something similar with a zipper. He had been zipping his coat and must have  been contemplating how it actually worked, and then told me, very excitedly, how interesting it was and how he figured it out. 

It goes to show you that kids are always trying to figure out life! This is one reason I value homeschooling. I get to hear all those moments of discovery... and they happen all the time, even when they are helping with chores or putting on a coat. They don't need tons of extra stuff to learn. They just need a safe place to learn and someone who will guide them through it! 

I'm certainly not perfect, but I'm enjoying it!