Oh my goodness, I am so excited about my current surroundings. I have always wanted to be one of those interesting people that sit in a coffee shop and work on their computer. So often I wonder what they are typing away about. Is it a blog? Or something for work? Are they secretly saving the world using the “of course it’s free” wi fi? I’ve never had the courage to ask any of them, but today I get to be one of them! I am officially sitting at a table in my favorite coffee shop with a cup of joe typing away looking ever so busy and interesting. Dreams do come true. I am so glad you are on this journey with me so I can share these useless pieces of information with you.

My life richer with you in it.

Seriously though, I love the whole idea of a coffee shop, always have. I imagine all the wonderful relational things that happen in places like this and it makes me smile. Friendships have deepened over cups of expresso, broken hearted tears have spilled into creamy lattes, and hot summer days are made more bearable with a frozen coffee. All of this and I haven’t even mentioned all the baked goods that line the counter begging to be devoured! Definitely one of my favorite places on earth.

Why, you ask?

Our lives are so busy these days. Shops like these remind me to slow down, take in the scenery, to stop and smell the roses and breathe. That is nearly impossible without intention. Honestly, I can get up on a morning and the next thing I know it is nearly bed time. My day gone and filled with good things, yet I haven’t had a chance to stop and really enjoy any of it. All kinds of busy but not always anything meaningful. Can anybody relate to that?

Was life really meant to be lived this way?

I’m not going to pretend to be any kind of expert on time management, on anything really, but I have to ask myself in the midst of all the flurry, what’s it all for? If I am honest, so much of what fills my days has nothing to do with the personal goals I have begun to set for myself. I waste too much time watching TV. There is nothing wrong with watching TV, but it can be such a consumer of my time. Or I’ll blow and hour on social media. Again, I see nothing wrong with social media, I am a big fan. But, it can steal my minutes and leave me feeling empty and unaccomplished. Or I say yes to yet another volunteer position so that I don’t have any time left to spend with the ones I love most. I could go on, but you get the idea.

So many of the things that waste my time also take me away from human interaction. It’s like a cheap counterfeit for what God really intended. I believe with all of my heart that He intended our lives to be intertwined and woven together. To be an integral part of each other’s story. That cannot happen if we are so busy being homeroom mom for all of our children that we don’t get a chance to spend any time with the children we so desperately try to be there for. Let me be clear here, I was homeroom mom more than once and loved it, but what we need to achieve is balance.

Decide what your goals are and if the action you are agreeing to fits within those goals, then go for it. If not, then take a pass. That brings me to the idea of goals.   Have you thought about those lately? I am trying to figure out exactly what my goals are so I can start aligning my life up to them. I want to be effective, aiming for those goals and sticking to it until they are accomplished.

A long season of my life passed where I felt disheveled and in need of direction. Like I was walking in the dark, not sure where I was heading. Then the Lord led me to pray a phrase that I learned in my Nehemiah Bible study (written by Kelly Minter). It began to change the way I think and I’ve felt my heavenly Father slowly moving the rudder of my soul in the direction He knows I should go.

Life is starting to take on structure and purpose.

The prayer is so simple and I would encourage you to pray it for yourself. It is based on chapter 2 of Nehemiah. He had been questioning God about leading His people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. A very daunting task, and one that would require supernatural strength. Nehemiah needed to know that it was God who was calling him and not just a warm fuzzy feeling that he should help the poor folks of Jerusalem who didn’t have a wall to protect them. He knew it would be hard and risky, but if God had put the desire in his heart to do it, then He also knew he would not fail.

“I had not told anyone what the Lord had put in my heart to do.” Nehemiah 2:12

“Show me, Lord, what you have put into my heart to do” has become my cry, my mantra. It is written in my prayer closet and burned into my heart. Because when all is said and done and the last person walks away from my graveside service, I want to know that my life mattered more than a hill of beans. Ya know?

That it was all for something.

I need direction, focus, and goals to set me on the path that leads to productivity in things that have eternal value. By all means, if the Lord calls you to be home room mom, then be the best homeroom mom ever. But, at least stop and ask him before committing to it. As a matter of fact, I challenge you and me to stop and consider any opportunity that comes into our lives. Use the standard, “Lord have you put this in my heart to do, or is this just one more thing to keep me busy?”

I want to do the things that have heavenly value. And I bet you do too.

Well, my coffee cup runs empty. I’m pretty sure I looked very important sitting here with my computer open, typing away. No one will ever have to know that I am completely average and not working on some formula to save the world or something. That will be our secret.

For now, I think I’ll just take a small low fat, decaf toffee nut latte with whip to go.

We’ll save the world next time.