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

Preparing for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the 17th of May. But for any Norwegian, this particular date isn't like any other date in the year, it's the 4th of July of Norway. And this year I am actually here. However, some preparations had to be done to get ready for tomorrow. One was getting my national costume down from the loft. I got it a few days ago and tried it on. It's a wee bit tight, but I think it'll be fine. This evening I ironed (or rather started ironing) the blouse which is hand embroydered and made of linnen (so those of you who have a clue about fabrics, know that linnen is the opposite of no-crease material). And the second part of the preparation was polishing the silver. I tried the "foil-in-hot-water-with-salt" method, but I don't think it worked too well. I did a bit of polishing with toothpaste after that and it looks alright. At the end of the day I'm the only one who will notice the level of polishedness of my silver. I have also got my camera on charging re...
Read more

On the move again...

As I walked wheeling the trolley containing two suitcases and a rucksack (belonging to my middle brother who has bought himself a new one) I felt tears stinging in my eyes and threatening to push their way out. I suddenly felt so very small and the airport so very big. I’d got off my 45 minute flight from Sola to Oslo, got my bags from the baggage claim (the airline I flew with lets you decide how many bags of luggage you want to take against a small fee, and so I was able to bring not one suitcase weighing 20 kilos, but a suitcase and a rucksack), bought my train ticket for the last leg of my journey, and was walking along in search of a cup of coffee and a waffle to kill the half hour till the train. Walking along I caught myself thinking about this new stage in life. I wondered why this move up to the YWAM base here in Norway seemed so huge, when moving to Brazil obviously was a bigger move, at least further away. And then it occurred to me that when I’d been travelling back and for...
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