Figuring out what is most important to YOU

It has been a really, really busy couple of weeks.

We had seen that our friends (originally from Perth, but they had moved to Sydney) were on a road trip and would be passing through our little town! So we offered to them to stay with us whilst they were passing through. They had 2 young girls and a little baby boy. Our house was full of life and love and chaos for 5 nights.

However, in this time, I truly learnt some valuable parenting lessons, and also asked some questions of myself and Matt about what we are truly doing here.

Our friends who stayed with us have quite an amazing story. He was accepted into the Navy (just like my Matt), but was training to be an officer. Everything was going to plan, until one day, out of the blue, he got hit by Meniere's disease. This disease took all of their hopes and plans and dreams right out of their hands. He was just about to pass over as an officer when he was discharged from the Navy and was told he would only be able to work in a role similar to someone at a McDonald's drive-through. Not quite the life they had planned for themselves.

They sunk themselves into a fantastic church in Sydney and enrolled into Bible College, and he has just recently been ordained as an Anglican Pastor. The reason for their travels through our humble town were that the were relocating from Sydney to Shark Bay to pastor the Anglican church there.

They live off a pension. It wouldn't be much. We would most definitely be on a fair wicket more than what they are. Yet we still complain, we still struggle to make ends meet. Yet they are content.

It really made me question what our purpose was on this earth. One night, as I was speaking to Tam, I had mentioned to her how when I was in highschool I had always wanted to go on a missions trip to Africa. Always. I had had prophesies over my life that involved ministry and speaking in front of thousands of people and impacting people's lives in that way. As I spoke to Tam, and laid down my shortcomings in this area, she humbly reminded me, that even though I may not be living out ministry in the way I had hoped or dreamed I would, that I was still capable of ministering to so many by just doing what I was doing....hosting people, praying for people, donating to people in ministry. Just because I haven't yet been called to ministry myself doesn't mean my life is any more insignificant.

I sometimes feel like we are always chasing the money. Always chasing to earn that little bit more to make ourselves more comfortable. To pay down our mortgage quicker, to be able to provide better for our kids, to enjoy our lives that little bit more. But when is enough, enough? Who knows what tomorrow may bring? For tomorrow may bring the end of everything you had planned and dreamed of. It may bring the death of a loved one, your husband, your children. It may be the end of a career. We should be living in the now, and making the most of what we have. And for Matt and I, i felt very humbled to be content with where we are, where God has placed us. To not worry so much about money and where it may come from. Obviously, to live smartly (and not past our means) but to live with purpose. Supporting those that we can, and trying to better ourselves in the process.

Matt and I spoke about joining a bible college for ourselves. And we would absolutely LOVE to be able to connect into a church and home group that really stretches us and challenges us. That is what is most important to us at the moment. As when we are trusting God and following his calling, and working on our relationship with him....everything else kind of becomes a blur and our focus on what is important sharpens. And when that happens, everything else falls into place. 

After our good friends left, I had another very busy weekend of makeup in town, 18 makeup applications over 2 days and 1 makeup education session. We were hosting a makeup artist in our house at that time too, and Matt was working the whole weekend, so the girls were getting watched by their Aunty and one of my friends alternately. It was mayhem and as much as I loved getting out and being involved in the makeup (and I was SO, so proud of doing it all on my own), it was very emotionally and physically draining in so many ways. All i wanted at the end of it all was my family. I wanted my girls back home with me, I wanted my house empty of guests, and I wanted a HUGE cuddle from my Matt, my rock. I needed to take solace in my family. 

I learnt alot from both weekends about staying true to yourself, and what your values are, but in the process, valuing yourself and not letting that be taken advantage of.

So, if you take anything away from this, I pray it would be this:

:::Stop apologizing for yourself, for your downfalls, for your family, for the state of your house.
::: Be content that you are doing what you need to do to survive, to get by, to be happy.
::: Trust that you are where God wants you to be at this specific moment in time.
:::Be kind, be generous, be giving, but don't let anyone take advantage of you or your family.
:::And above all else, forgive, and let go.

Keep on keeping on. Keep being kind. Keep praying for others. Keep supporting others. Don't forget who you are at your core. Don't forget your maker. 

Be encouraged, but don't lose sight of what is really most important in this life.

xxx