I spent a good portion of my Christmas vacation decluttering my house and making several trips to the local donation center. Each time I was greeted by the same young man who showered me with compliments. Needless to say, this only made me want to visit more.
Recently, I dropped off the last box of donations, but my “secret admirer” was not there. There was no “Hi Beautiful”, no “I hope to see you again.” Nothing. I was greeted by a nice young man who nonchalantly took my boxes and handed me my donation receipt. While I was slightly disappointed, I later realized that the purpose of donating these items was not to secure a compliment from a good-looking man, but to give away my unwanted things to someone in need.
So often we are disappointed when things don’t go as planned. We may even become frustrated and confused especially when we think we’ve done all we can to bring those plans to fruition.
We work hard at our jobs with no recognition or promotion in sight. We toil at cleaning our homes only to have them dirty within minutes. We share our ideals and values with our children only to see them make poor decisions.
But instead of being disappointed at these unwelcome outcomes, perhaps we need to revisit the purpose of our actions. If the purpose is not clear, then the actions following won’t deliver the results we want. If our intentions are selfish or ego-centric, guess what? What follows is a recipe for disaster.
Since penning my last post in which I essentially “came out of the spiritual closet”, I have been presented with multiple opportunities to ponder its purpose. Why did I choose to share this with my readers? What did I hope to accomplish? Couldn’t I just continue writing about my parenting journey with no hint that it was based in a spiritual practice?
Sure thing. I could’ve kept it all to myself and just minded my own business. I could’ve continued to raise my kids in this manner and just kept quiet about it. Besides, there are enough books and resources out there on faith-based parenting to fill the Library of Congress. Famous people are sharing their insights on a much bigger platform so what’s the big deal about me sharing mine? Won’t my voice simply get lost in the spiritual clutter?
It might, but I don’t believe it will and here’s why.
I have been blessed (though I didn’t think so at the time) with many challenges in my life. Thankfully, none critical or tragic but real-life everyday challenges in which I’ve learned many lessons. This is why I can relate to many different people in many different circumstances – all with the common thread of being a single parent in a modern world.
I look at the events of my day and say to myself – “What did I learn?” And if I can’t see it right away, I pray about it because the last thing I want to do is repeat a tough lesson over and over again. I’m a Type A kinda gal and I want to get it the first time – not the twentieth.
I don’t have time for repeat performances and I bet you don’t either.
More importantly, I don’t want to be the example to my children of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That’s the definition of insanity and believe me, they already think I’m crazy!
So, what now? What can you expect as a Parenting for Purpose subscriber? What value will reading my posts bring to your life? How will I make a difference for you?
My hope is that you will see that practicing my faith on a daily basis has improved my life immensely – my life as single mom but even more so my life as a human being. I hope you will see that even though I mess up…a lot… that I learn from my mistakes and try again. I hope you will see that when I’m in trouble or going through a tough time, that it’s my faith I rely on to pull me out. I hope that the lessons I’m sharing will inspire you or at minimum, cause you to take pause and consider if you might be experiencing the same thing.
In a nutshell, I hope that I can be that light – that voice – that helps you to improve your life. Sounds lofty – maybe even unattainable – but that’s what it is.
My spirit’s calling is for you to know who you are and how very important your role is as a parent; how what you do makes a difference not only for your children, but to future generations.
So, stay tuned! There’s lots to share; lots to learn. I’m excited to begin this journey with you.