Welcome to Life On Purpose

My story is not one of epic proportions. It is not great or triumphal or even very exciting. But it is normal. And I think that is what I have to share here. Embarking on this adventure that is motherood has not been easy, nor has it been predictable. And the more women I talk to, the more I find that all us moms are struggling with the same issues of success & defeat, community & isolation, freedom & guilt, joy & saddness. And none of us think that anyone else must feel these things. Well I'm starting to figure out... that's just ridiculous!

I have been blogging half-heartedly for several months now, knowing it's something I enjoy but not completely sure what I want to share with the blogging community. Then I stumbled upon an article by a guest-writer at one of my favorite blogs, Passionate Homemaking. The Lord struck me right in the heart as I read the very words of my life difficulties in front of me on the computer screen, written by a woman I have never met, and probably never will. She had me crying, alone, in the middle of my kitchen. I hadn't been blind-sided like that since my junior homecoming date dumped me for someone else 2 weeks before the dance! (OK, maybe that's another issue.) Please read the article now. Just go do it. No really... now.

Remember the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23? Whenever I read them I have an inner dialogue that goes something like this:
"Love, ok got it, Joy, duh life is great!, Peace, no problem, I'm a peace-maker, Patience, been married for five years, I'm a master, Kindness, hellOOO I am sooo nice, Goodness, I'm goooood on goodness, Faithfulness, still believin'!, Gentleness, gentle as the Snuggle Bear, and Self-Control, .........ah crap."

It's that darn self-control that gets me every time! For as much as I think I've mastered all the other fruits (which I really don't; there are definitely uglies that rear their heads in other areas), I KNOW that I am almost completely lacking in the area of self-discipline. And it doesn't help being married to the king of self-discipline. (I bet you didn't know there was a king of self-discipline. Well there is, and he's downstairs doing something responsible right at this moment.) But self-discipline, or self-control, is exactly what God is trying to work into my stubborn heart, because there's no way I will accomplish what He has set before me and called me to if this continues to lack in my life.

"As mothers, our daily submission to God, and our willingness to surrender to what He desires to accomplish “under the surface” directly corresponds to how (and to what extent) we will eventually fulfill God’s overall purpose for our lives."

Self-discipline is so difficult because it involves putting what I want aside, and obeying what God wants. Sometimes the two wills go hand in hand. But usually it's more like, "I want to stalk people on Facebook," and God is like, "I want you to do a load of laundry so your son has clean clothes to wear." And these things sound so small that it's easy to grow indifferent to them. But the Lord prepares us for the big thing with lots of little small things first, so that we really know what we're doing (His Will) when we get to the big thing.

That is why this fresh-and-clean blog is called "Life On Purpose." What I can share in this crazy cyber-world is some encouragement on finding passion and purpose in the day to day things in life, as I do my best to submit to my Creator and honor Him in all the small things, trusting that He is preparing me for more than just folding clothes, picking up blocks, and cooking dinner. When you feel like being a Mom has lost some purpose (as I have often felt), remember that you are sumitting to God by serving your family, and that is something He can and will use in GREAT ways! This is not a craft blog, or a sewing blog, or a cooking blog, or a Christian or ministry or Stay-At-Home-Mom Blog. It is a blog about life; a conscious life. So sometimes it will include all or none of these things. Above all, it is intended to encourage and build up. I will be honest about life and motherhood and the things I learn, and I would love for you to stay tuned in and do the same.

(If you have been following/subscribing to tasha.tulip, go ahead and switch over to Life On Purpose as I won't be posting at tasha.tulip anymore. Tasha.tulip is now the name of my business [more on that another day], and I will eventually be deleting the blog after moving over a few posts. Thanks guys!)