Skip to main content

Building a life.

Living is a process of building. Building life. Building relationships. Building a routine and a day-to-day. I have been reflecting recently on the process of building in this season of my life. As different bricks in life are coming into place, it’s almost like an invitation to be faithful in how I build them into my life and steward them. I can either hold them loosely or choose to fix them into this life I am building.

I recently added an extra job into the mix. A job where I work with people. People who function differently and yet still have complete value in the eyes of God. People who I find it a challenge to connect with, and yet realize are very much connected into the heart of God. Again it’s an invitation to embrace the opportunity to get revelation of what God’s heart looks like for these ones. As I work with them I want to see them not just as another job I am doing, but as a job I can do with purpose and the right perspective.

Perspective. Life is lived through perspective. Right now the pace of life has gone from slow to heading into busy, and yet I desire to see it not just through the perspective of walking through the tasks of every week, but through a perspective where my life can have a greater purpose then just making ends meet and contributing to our society functioning.

Society. It’s funny how it seems like having entered into the Norwegian society, there are a number of expectations and things that are simply part of living in a country of many shifts in weather and climate. With outdoor activities being high on the list of extracurricular activities in the life of the “average” Norwegian, raingear, skiing equipment, wellington boots, raincoat, hiking boots, winter jacket, and numerous items of clothing made of wool make up quite a list of needed items. Yet at the same time I look at my life and wonder how much of it is really necessary. I don’t want to fall into the trap where I feel like I “need” a bunch of things to be in place here. And yet, I must admit that I do see the wisdom of it. The wisdom of a raincoat and boots when it’s cold and raining, so I suppose I will have to acquire them in time.

I keep building. Building a home and a life here in Norway. Trying to be intentional in the places I am and go, and steward the things I am doing well, while looking for God’s heart in them.

And as I build and journey, and as life goes from slow to busy, I try to remain at peace. At rest in God which is a “rest” that doesn’t change with the pace of activity. A peace and a rest which is constant and eternally available.

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday children's prayer | Handing out shoes and feeding toddlers.

No day is the same here. After getting up early (which seems to be what I do here), and eating breakfast which was bread with butter (accompanied by an amazing cup of coffee given me by an American friend), I headed to the prayer room for children's prayer. This is a prayer time where the children come voluntarily to pray before school on Tuesdays and Fridays. Entering the room I was so impressed by how it was full of children eager to pray. There were probably 60 or 70 children there, and it was amazing to see one after the other choose to pray for their families and people who are sick, and other subjects on their little hearts. It was so great and an experience that I will carry with me for a long time. After prayer it was "Shoprite" time, which meant piling into a bus with other visitors and missionaries for the weekly shopping trip. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I had a few items to buy and hoped it would be a stress-free experience. As we drove along ...
Read more

It’s been one week.

A week ago we were sitting at work talking about how quickly the Corona situation was escalating. News of closed gyms and limited gatherings were there, and we were wondering what now. Only the day before we’d been open, and while taking the hygiene precautions and reminding each other to not hug or shake hands, there was a sense of support in each other, and normality was still there. Then suddenly it all changed. From being a crisis in China and Asia, then Italy, it had well and truly arrived in Norway. Friday morning we sat in our staff meeting. News of the closing of all schools and kindergartens for two weeks had come the evening before. We sat there with so many questions and few answers. The one thing we knew for sure was that this was a time to be available and present. A time to be proactive, and to make sure our people knew that we were there even if we weren’t open. That day we made many phone calls and sent messages and emails. Some were worried and needed reassurance,...
Read more

At a crossroads yet again.

This evening feelings of weariness flood my soul. Weary of not knowing. Weary of choosing to trust. Weary of waiting. Weary of walking yet not knowing what I am walking in or towards. Weary of figuring out life on my own. This past month the reality of crossroads in life has hit me yet again. I knew it was coming, but suddenly it was there and I just had to go with it. There’s not much more I can do...except waiting and trusting and choosing. Choosing to let God be the One who guides and fights and prepares the path before me. My crossroads is “do I stay or do I go”? From Kansas City and IHOP-KC. In October I’ll have been here two years, which feels like 5 years and at the same time 6 months. In December I go home for Christmas. It’ll have been a year since last time and I’ll be seeing my niece who’ll be 3 instead of 2 years old, and my little nephew who will be 1 year already, and I’ll get to meet little Julie who is only three weeks old as I write this. She’ll be 4 months when I meet...
Read more