Day 21: Enough and the American Dream are not friends { pt. 2 }

The other side of the American Dream has been affecting my world a lot lately. As my husband and I prayerfully consider the future, we've received a lot of advice:

You're young. Do whatever you want while you can! 

When your college debt is paid off, go on vacations, buy things and treat yourself. 

Get all your adventure out of your system before you settle down and have a family.

I trust that the intentions behind the advice are good. But I must say that I'm disappointed overall with the assumptions behind these tips- that the world is ours, we are entitled to play, spend and live lavishly if that is what we desire. We get to choose what makes us happy and operate out of the timeline of our very perfect, very American expectations.  I'm disappointed because of the way it matches what I hear so loudly from the media and product marketing. 

I want it. I deserve it. I will get it. Now. 

It's really gross. 

Shouldn't we, the people of God, be giving different words of wisdom? 

The message of enough teaches me contentment. It tells me that having more is not bad, though it should never become my identity and source of happiness. Enough teaches me gratitude for what it is that I do have, peace about what I do not. Enough reminds me that abundance comes from the hand of the lavish Giver, not from my hard work or what I can buy. Enough says that His way is the very best way. Contentment is a choice. It's the fruit of understanding the message of enough. 

If I were an older, wiser woman speaking to myself today, here's what I would say:

No amount of money will make you feel fulfilled and secure. 

A happy, full life means being submerged in purposeful Kingdom work, not running around looking for something better.

More stuff doesn't mean more joy, it just means more stuff. 

Your life has never been about you and it never will be. Work, make decisions, and dream about the things the Lord dreams about for you. Then pursue those. 

Just another way that enough and the American Dream are so very opposite. Which do you choose? 

Day 20: Enough and the American Dream aren't friends. { pt. 1 }

There's this message floating around the workplace. It's a message so subtle that it's easy to buy into without even knowing what you're subscribing to. It's not implicitly stated. Though it is powerfully real. 

It makes me sad. 

It's a message coming from the belief that hard work is the ultimate virtue. 

Outwork everyone. 

40 hours is a minimum. 

Time off is never an option for success. 

Home life can never stand in the way of professional life. 

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for hard work and purpose and productivity. It's no accident that one of the first conversations the Creator had with Adam and Eve was to assign them a job in the Garden. Work is built into human DNA. This way among multiple others is what makes us like the Creator Himself. 

BUT. We were created for rest and for pleasure and for relationship too. For dancing, for eating pie and sipping strong coffee, for laughter, for snuggling. These are equally valuable parts of being human. Life requires a delicate balance between each. 

This workplace message is the foundation for the American Dream: hard work, independence, autonomy and grit. And those things are good. I am thankful for our founders' work on our behalf. I am thankful for freedom and opportunity. 

But WHEN, oh when did the American Dream become the ultimate goal? When did this become our object of worship? If work becomes our identity, we miss the big picture. We fall terribly short. 

The result of this message of the American Dream has been troubling-workaholism, perfectionism, families with 1.5 parents, and dried up, crumbling personal lives. Sure, your career is successful. You will make some good money. You will feel powerful. But at what cost? 

Is this the abundantly more life that we were created for? Surely not. 

The message of Enough touches this area of our culture. It floats into the workplace, subtle like the message of workaholism, though it's available to those who will hear it. Enough marches to a different beat and sings a different tune: 

Work hard, but remember who you really work for. 

Do things with excellence, but know when to stop. 

Perfectionism is a losing game. 

You are not your work. Remember what is truly important. 

Set boundaries, go home for dinner, Kiss your wife, play with your kids. 

And so we get up, go to work and the messages of enough and the American dream go to war within us. We get to choose which one wins. 

I pray that believers will rise up as first class employees, business owners, doctors and professionals. But may we model something different in the workplace- something balanced and healthy and whole- the message of enough. 

Day 19: The Gift of Daily Bread { pt. 2 }

Bread is my favorite. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Appetizer. Dessert. Midnight snack. 

And this is exactly what the people of Israel consumed all day. Everyday. For 40 long, arduous, hot, tiring, years. 

In part 1 we learned about the symbolism of bread: life, sustenance and nourishment. Bread was a most basic element for life together and worship. It meant provision. It symbolized the heart of the { more than } enough God. 

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness...

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not...  So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, 

“At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. 

And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat.

And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less...whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat...

Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. 

{Exodus 16} 

Here's what I'm learning about daily bread and enough from the cranky Israelites: 

1.  Enough is only delivered one day at a time. God could've chosen to rain a flood of Manna that never spoiled in order to provide for them for the entirety of the wandering years. Yet He chose to give just exactly what they needed each morning. Storing up extra manna for longer than a day meant that it would rot away. Do I meet with the Lord daily to gather exactly what He wants to provide for me? His job is to provide enough. Mine is to walk outside of my tent and receive it. Every day. 

2. Daily bread isn't always what we ask for, but it's just what we need. The Israelites complained because what they thought they needed was rich, gourmet food like they had when they lived in captivity. Knowing their fickle, ever changing wants, Yahweh heard their outcry but met their need instead. He provided simple, basic, raw, dry sustenance. Not fancy, but exactly what their bodies needed to sustain life. Similarly, I must remember that the One who designed me knows my deepest needs and how to meet those. I can ask for what I desire but ultimately need to submit to the truth that He knows what is best. I know that He will provide what is enough. Exactly what I need. 

3. Enough has always been and will always be about Him. 

• You shall know that it was the Lord. 
• You shall see the glory of the Lord
• That they may see...

He heard their grumbling and had compassion on them. He rained down bread from heaven. He instructed for them to keep about a cup full of Manna. Why show compassion? Why ask them to remember? So that their very basic need to eat would direct them to Him. So that as they ate each crispy bite of the flaky bread they would taste his provision. So that someday when their grandchildren asked how their people stayed alive in the desert, they would show them the cupful of sustenance and bow in reverent gratitude to the God of Heaven. Enough blesses His people but it's always been and will always be about His fame. It's for that exactly reason that I can trust that He will provide. It's just what He does. 

Day 18: The Gift of Daily Bread { pt. 1 }

Daily Bread. 

This common phrase tossed around in church circles seems to lose its meaning with overuse. 

What does it mean? And what does this have to do with enough? 

Growing up, the smell of bread meant Sabbath. Sunday afternoons we walked in the door from church greeted by the warm, inviting smell of homemade bread baking. It symbolized the end of a long work day for my pastor dad, a day for napping and homework and reading and football. Coupled with a rich creamy stew, this was our one big meal of the day before we started to slow ourselves down. When that loaf was done baking, it would slide out and I would watch my dad slowly cut each slice. I would put a small pat of butter on my slice and watch it slowly melt then savor every soft bite. Leftovers meant THE best PbnJ's the next day at school. Bread was the foundation of a sacred experience for my family. 

This was the same for the Israelites of the Old Testament. 

The word "bread" was used to describe any type of food. Bread was the most organic, most basic, most essential, most common food. Those of that time would've recognized the metaphor of bread, as it was used to describe life, sustenance and nourishment. It was an element of hospitality, of worship, of priestly consecration, of fellowship. It's not irony that at the last supper, the body of the soon-to-be-crucified lamb of God was represented by bread. 

Bread meant provision. Bread meant life. Bread meant { more than } enough. It's no wonder why God showed himself as the Jehovah Jireh, abundant provider by providing this basic sustenance to His children as they wandered disobediently in the desert for many years. 

Bread connects me to enough because of the way that it makes me think of the flesh that was torn for me. It makes me think of the way that even just waking up with air in my lungs is a gift. Basically, bread makes me thankful for the most simple, yet profound things that are lavishly provided. 

Tomorrow, let's learn more about daily bread and enough, shall we?  

Day 17: What I pray when I don't have enough.

This is a repost. If it's cheating I don't care. 

My heart needs this prayer like a dry sponge needs moisture. 

It's the inspiration behind the name of this blog, the truth God branded on my soul about 4 years ago. I need to go back to it, to state it again and again and claim it for myself. For this ordinary Monday. 

May you soak in the promise of John 15 today, friends. I know I am. 

Oh Lord, my Provider
today I lack. 

So I recall your promise to me. 

You are trustworthy. You have always kept your promise. 

Remain in Me. Abide in my love. 

 Remain, stay, continue, live, set up camp under the protection of your love.

Do this and fruit will abound. 

Apart from me you can do nothing. 

My efforts 

My striving
My best intentions devoid of you are flat and useless. 


I have told you this so that you can 
have JOY- real and complete. 
Where is the joy when I strive and struggle? 
Take me back to that spacious place
That vast expanse under the covering of your love. 


Remain in Me. Abide in my love. 
Help me to put down roots, 
set up my makeshift tent, this temporary dwelling under your wings.
Teach me to be still and soak in the melody of your truth
that in that vast expanse I may discover my belovedness 
And yield fruit that they will know I am yours. 

{ John 15 }

Day 16: Over commitment issues and a book recommendation.

There is an area of my life where there is an overabundance and it’s not a good thing.

Sometimes there’s just so much extra packed into one day.

Coffee with a friend

4 meetings in a row

Complete that deadline

Make dinner and deliver it to a recovering friend from church.

Find something fast to re-heat and eat for dinner

Run to the social gathering

Get home late and crawl into bed exhausted

Usually extra is fun. A little extra whipped cream on that mocha, a little extra ice cream on that piece of pie (is it a bad thing that both of these examples involve dessert??)

I can tell when I’ve packed the days too full when I start feeling grumpy. When I start to daydream about escaping to a little secluded cottage by myself, I can tell that I’m reaching my max. Even high extraverts have limits! I’ve found mine.

This is a frequent flier topic around our house these days.

Many times when Thursday night rolls around, I realize that we haven’t allowed ourselves even an hour to sit, look each other in the eyes, enjoy a meal or a movie or a conversation. And the little 6-year-old in me who wants to get her way gets cranky. The other night on such a Thursday I brought this up on our way out the door.  The look on my husband’s face was a mixture of caution, bewilderment and a bit of relief at my declaration.

I’m the one who schedules us this much, huh?

With an I’m-not-going-to-answer-that-but-thanks-for-coming-to-that-realization response written on his face, my over commitment issues slapped me right in the face.

Busy isn’t bad, but frazzled hurry is dangerous. It acts as sandpaper on our sense of wellbeing, on our relationships, on the health of our home. I had become a Queen of Hurry and the calendar proved it. In fact, I no longer had control of our calendar; it had become our dictator, bossily barking us through the day. But I had given it that power.

So I saw this book on a friend’s bookshelf.

It had me at “The” (because let’s be honest- how cute is this cover?!) And the subtitle, “making wise decisions in the midst of endless demands” felt like it was written for me, the Queen of Hurry.

Do I have any other hurried friends out there?

I recommend this gem of a book. I think Lysa and I are soul friends- she must’ve been thinking of me as she lovingly wrote each page. A few of my favorite quotes are:

The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep. The schedule you keep determines the life you live. And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.

Never is a woman so fulfilled as when she chooses to underwhelm her schedule so she can let God overwhelm her soul. 

I will not let the awkward disappointment of others keep me from my Best Yes appointments with God.

And so I’m un-learning hurry. I'm working through my over commitment issues. I’m disowning my addiction to extra activities (even though they are good ones) because I’m realizing that it’s definitely not the life abundant that God ever dreamed for me. It’s going to take time but I’m learning to say “enough is enough” in order to have space to connect, clean the house, do something fun, and play and work with my husband.

No is not a bad word, and yes is getting less abused these days. Here’s to a healthier, more fun, more balanced pace of life.

Day 15: A halfway checkpoint happy dance

Day 15! That's halfway to 31! 

This is my halfway checkpoint. 

These 15 days have been stretching, inspiring, challenging, and life giving for me. I'm not sure that I've ever done something 15 days in a row before...except for maybe blow dry my hair or drink my morning cup of coffee. 

Day 15 feels like a pitstop. An intermission. Halftime. Rather than look ahead at the second half, I'm celebrating the first half. 

Back at day 1 I started before I thought I had enough. Now two weeks later I'm still wondering if I do. 

However this journey has been so much fun. Some days I've predetermined the words and other times it's like I'm having an out-of-body experience as I watch in wonder at the words as they pour out on the page. 

These stories from Scripture, these personal stories are true and ever full of vitality and grace. As I re-tell stories of provision, meditate on the truths of Scripture, I'm changed again and again. 

I've given my measly lunchbox over each day. 
I've started mixing and kneading bread dough before I had enough ingredients. 
I've poured out the last of my oil supply and watched it fill up, up and spill over in abundance.

It's halfway! I keep writing with full expectation that my God of { more than } enough will keep giving lavishly. 

I've needed these words. And if you've needed them too then that's cool too.