Sometimes it feels like life is just happening to me. I go from one calendar event to the next. I clean up the messes in front of me, and do the laundry when the basket fills. I answer kid questions as they come, and keep a list on my phone for groceries. And for much of life, this is perhaps the best approach…to just keep doing the next thing.
With the slowing of recent weeks, I’ve found myself having more time to contemplate, and to intentionally wander with ideas. And this season of uncertainty and isolation has produced a fresh vividness and urgency regarding some long-held dreams. But I’m becoming increasingly aware of the fact that ‘just seeing what happens’ might not be an effective approach for all of life. And by ‘might not be’ an effective approach, what I really mean is, ‘definitely isn’t a good approach at all.’
What works for laundry and groceries and cleaning up messes will always prove to be a sorry substitution for what works in relationships and marriage and parenting and loving Jesus. Those relational spaces are made of a different substance, and benefit from more thought and intention. I’ve always tried to acknowledge the difference between the two, but I know I fall into the habit of just going with the flow in some of my relationships at times, too. And they suffer as a result.
I’m reading a book right now that my friend, Daniel, wrote. It’s called “Chasing Wisdom” and in it, he issues a challenge to purposely identify and thoughtfully pursue relationships with the sages in our lives…to chase after wisdom and to be intentional about how we build these relationships. It’s such a beautiful and important lesson to be reminded of. And it’s a lesson I want to carry with me out of this season at home.
Brett and I have some dreams we talk about often. We are passionate about marriage. We love excellent food and meaningful conversation. We miss having people in our home. And we’ve done plenty of dreaming about how all these passions and loves might be woven together, both in the weeks to come, and in the more distant future.
But we’ve also added a different dimension to those conversations of late. We are contemplating who we might invite into this journey with us. Which older couples we’ve quietly watched, and admired from afar. We’re thinking about how we might build an excellent foundation for some of those dreams to rest on, and we’re prepared for the process to take some time and to cost us something more than a two-hour block on our calendar.
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4
What are the areas of your life that require something beyond a fleeting thought? What dreams of yours are worthy of the deep dive into wisdom and more understanding? I believe if we are faithful to pursue more, to make room for growth, and to invite wisdom along on our journeys, we will find precious and pleasant riches beyond what we might imagine.
Kate
Thoughts from The Yellow House 