Priorities

Welcome to the blogosphere, my friends! We I recently decided to deactivate our Facebook account and thought that we would hop on over here to keep the updates rollin'. I can't guarantee you how good I'll be at keeping y'all updated, but I promise to try my very best. Scout's honor.

For those of you wondering why on Earth we're finally doing this (I've done it twice before, but only for like, an hour), the answer(s) is/are simple. I want to get back to what's important: doing life with my family. This isn't to say that I can't live my life with my family AND have a Facebook account. But honestly, it's become quite the addiction problem. And besides, who doesn't want to spend more time with this:

Instead of doing things that invest into our future as a family, I constantly find myself checking Facebook to see who's doing what or who just got the new _____, or who's going where on what vacation. It's disgusting actually, this problem of mine. Instead of making memories, I'm checking to see how many "likes" I have for the picture I just uploaded 15 seconds ago. To be completely honest: my priorities are out of whack. Quite frankly, my family doesn't need a wife/mother who is more preoccupied than she already is. They need an attentive, focused, hands-on, contributing member to the family. Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing. And sorry, Facebook, but I'm quitting you.

Like I've said: I need to get my priorities in order and if this isn't my order, it's not good enough and something has got to change:

1. God
2. Husband
3. Family
4. Ministry

Confession time: Did you know that I spend more hours on Facebook than I do at church, bible study, reading my Bible, and personal time spent with our Lord combined? Yikes, sister. No wonder things seem to have a higher degree of suck to them lately. My husband actually told me that he thought I was falling away from God/church. How's that for a loving slap-to-the-face?

And speaking of the best husband and father to our child that I could have ever hoped for:

Who wants to miss out on times like this?! These memories are precious and once the opportunity is gone, there is no getting it back. Lord, I pray that I may seize every opportunity You give me to make the most out of every situation. I know that you aren't supposed to pray for patience, because let's be honest, nobody wants to be tested. However, I pray that I could be half as patient with my husband and daughter as he is with me. I'm not the easiest person to be around and have probably been a total buzz kill lately but you know what? My husband still loves me unconditionally, tells me I'm beautiful when I have snot running down my face and mascara smeared half-way across my forehead, <--- don't ask how it got there, I really don't know, and am just plain mean-spirited. THAT, y'all, is a God-fearing man who has been sent by a merciful, loving Father, to shepherd my heart and to teach me how to be better. My husband makes me want to do better, to be better. Not just for him, but for our family.

Ahh, yes. My family. I mean, not to be vain, but how cute are we?! I wonder how many moments I've let escape us, how many conversations I've killed, and how much nurturing and love I've let slip by because I've had my head down, totally tuned out to the world around me, checking up on the latest status updates. My husband didn't marry me so that he could be a single parent until I've returned from scrolling through the endless amounts of status updates. My daughter doesn't want a mom who doesn't listen to her day-time stories of triumph and tribulations on the playground because I'm too busy getting involved in the latest drama on Facebook that doesn't even concern me. My family needs me and I need to give them that. We need to be a cohesive unit, doing life together. We need to teach our daughter the values of life, the excitement and beauty surrounding her, and how to love and love well.

This is her, serving food to the homeless community in downtown Houston.

 

How could I not nurture her desire to help others who are in need? You can't teach that kind of compassion and for her, it comes as natural as you can get. You want to know what is so cool about her love of helping others that almost brings this momma to her knees? She gets it. She knows what it's like not to have a roof over her head, just the clothes on her back, and wondering where her next meal is coming from. She understands how much it means to have a helping hand, a welcoming smile, and a warm meal in her belly. She can identify with the very same people that she's ministering to. That's incredibly valuable and I just wonder: how many of us can love with such compassion and vulnerability? She's a blessing for sure, that one.

 

And as much as I love to see the postings on Facebook, I'm challenging myself. To be a better follower of Christ, a more loving wife, a more attentive mother, and to love those that need it the most, just like my daughter has taught me to do.