Patience.
When it comes to projects; patience is not my best friend. I really like to see end results, and working on things that I'm not that good or skilled at drives me NUTS. The Lord is sweetly working on my heart, though, and my patience has grown.
I was listening to the audiobook for Francis & Lisa Chan's book, 'You & Me Forever,' Francis said, "When we both make it our goal to love each other with the love of Christ, the conflicts we have regarding roles and responsibilities dissipate. If I am earnestly seeking Lisa’s good before my own, I don’t find it insulting or even inconvenient that I am supposed to serve her and sacrifice on her behalf. It’s just obvious. It’s natural. And if Lisa cares for me above herself, it is obvious she would want to support my vision for ministry and life above her own. Imagine a marriage—or any relationship, for that matter—where both parties are trying desperately to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10)."
You might be thinking, 'Jenny? Why are you quoting a marriage book when you're talking about working on projects?' Here is why: I'm learning to serve. I'm learning that in serving there is no focus on self. With no focus on self, I have no reason to whine or complain or get impatient when things are taking longer, or are harder than I was anticipating.
So I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm letting the Lord help me focus on Him and serving.
Sometimes serving looks like acknowledging that my son is waking up really really hungry (at 6:15 am) and doesn't understand why his stomach hurts, so he's whining for cereal. Instead of being upset that he has inconvenienced me by waking me up 2 hours earlier than the normal time I get up and I feed him cereal and take care of his little growing body.
Sometimes serving is knowing that God has called me to something specific and I need to finish it. I need to cross all my 't's and dot all my 'i's. This isn't a matter of convenience. This is a matter of putting myself and my "JUST GET IT DONE" attitude down, and moving at the pace that needs to be moved.
Sometimes serving is setting it all down and having coffee with my husband, playing a board game, or just chatting about dreams.
I could go on and on about what serving looks like, but I want to ask you, what does serving look like in your world? Where does 'self' creep in and make things irritating, inconvenient, or hard? The moment you change your perspective from 'self' to 'serve,' everything changes.
I'm finishing up a 30-day devotional called 'Nurturing the Neglected'. I'm really excited about it, but it has been months of planning and growing. I thought this was something I could just whip together, so you can imagine my surprise when it went from "this will be easy" to actual work. But here I am, serving. I'm picking up my computer and I'm typing. I'm studying the best way to publish. I ordered paper swatches so I could see which paper is best. I've researched printing and pricing. I'm working with one of the sweetest and most talented hand-lettering artists; Jess from Bless the Messy. I'm working hard, and I'm reminding myself I have something to say with this mug I got from Storyline Conference in 2015. God is doing big things, and I'm so so excited to share this with you.
Love to you all,
Jenny
When it comes to projects; patience is not my best friend. I really like to see end results, and working on things that I'm not that good or skilled at drives me NUTS. The Lord is sweetly working on my heart, though, and my patience has grown.
I was listening to the audiobook for Francis & Lisa Chan's book, 'You & Me Forever,' Francis said, "When we both make it our goal to love each other with the love of Christ, the conflicts we have regarding roles and responsibilities dissipate. If I am earnestly seeking Lisa’s good before my own, I don’t find it insulting or even inconvenient that I am supposed to serve her and sacrifice on her behalf. It’s just obvious. It’s natural. And if Lisa cares for me above herself, it is obvious she would want to support my vision for ministry and life above her own. Imagine a marriage—or any relationship, for that matter—where both parties are trying desperately to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10)."
You might be thinking, 'Jenny? Why are you quoting a marriage book when you're talking about working on projects?' Here is why: I'm learning to serve. I'm learning that in serving there is no focus on self. With no focus on self, I have no reason to whine or complain or get impatient when things are taking longer, or are harder than I was anticipating.
So I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm letting the Lord help me focus on Him and serving.
Sometimes serving looks like acknowledging that my son is waking up really really hungry (at 6:15 am) and doesn't understand why his stomach hurts, so he's whining for cereal. Instead of being upset that he has inconvenienced me by waking me up 2 hours earlier than the normal time I get up and I feed him cereal and take care of his little growing body.
Sometimes serving is knowing that God has called me to something specific and I need to finish it. I need to cross all my 't's and dot all my 'i's. This isn't a matter of convenience. This is a matter of putting myself and my "JUST GET IT DONE" attitude down, and moving at the pace that needs to be moved.
Sometimes serving is setting it all down and having coffee with my husband, playing a board game, or just chatting about dreams.
I could go on and on about what serving looks like, but I want to ask you, what does serving look like in your world? Where does 'self' creep in and make things irritating, inconvenient, or hard? The moment you change your perspective from 'self' to 'serve,' everything changes.
I'm finishing up a 30-day devotional called 'Nurturing the Neglected'. I'm really excited about it, but it has been months of planning and growing. I thought this was something I could just whip together, so you can imagine my surprise when it went from "this will be easy" to actual work. But here I am, serving. I'm picking up my computer and I'm typing. I'm studying the best way to publish. I ordered paper swatches so I could see which paper is best. I've researched printing and pricing. I'm working with one of the sweetest and most talented hand-lettering artists; Jess from Bless the Messy. I'm working hard, and I'm reminding myself I have something to say with this mug I got from Storyline Conference in 2015. God is doing big things, and I'm so so excited to share this with you.
Love to you all,
Jenny
