Posts by Bethany Wilkes

Hero… A hero is a “person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”. A hero. There is such an overwhelming sense of inspiration and awe that goes along with that word. We all know one personally, we all want to be one, or we all can think of one. But there is that person. We have people in our lives that stick out, make a difference, and leave their footprints in our lives.  From the time we were born until now, there is always that hero adventuring through our books, running through our cartoons, and leaving a lasting memory.  And hopefully those heros have the noble qualities that compel their brave deeds to make a difference for the better.  And we leave forever changed.

pic from playbuzz.com, http://cdn2.thr.com, http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us…

I read a devotional this week about writing your story a little bit every day. We can get so bombarded with to do lists, laundry, cleaning, cooking, that we don’t put down our lists and really take the time for people.  “Marriage isn’t about a well-executed to do list, and Aaron would much rather eat takeout and hunt around for a clean basket of laundry if that means I put down the list and really listen to him.” (Niequist, “Savor”, p. 97) I find myself doing this all the time. I have my agenda and my to do lists and I don’t look at the world around me. How many times has my husband come home and I am knee deep in cooking or chores or an email and I don’t take one minute to give him a huge and say hi. In that moment I missed an opportunity.

I keep thinking I have to have it all together, it all has to look good and clean and perfect.  But life is messy. There are ups and downs, there are messed up meals, and there are dirty rooms. But the best part, life goes on. Shauna says, “I am learning that being connected in a deep way is so much more than being well-organized, efficient, buttoned-up, and tidy. I default to tidy when what my husband wants and needs more than anything is laughing, listening, and playing, being with instead of being efficient” (Niequist, p. 97). Does this resonate with you? Do you want to accomplish things rather than just sitting and being? Don’t get so caught up in achieving that you miss the moments of love, life, and laughter that are just waiting for you.  Chores and errands can wait, but your story can’t.  It will keep on living …

Life is busy… Do you find most of your days filled to the brim? What do you do to relax or find peace in the chaos? Here are some of the things we do!

Bethany:

Most recent read: You and Me Forever, by Francis Chan. This book is an incredible picture of how our marriages are really for the Lord and His kingdom but we so easily get distracted by having the “perfect marriage”. It changes the way you view marriage. It isn’t telling you to not enjoy it or be completely in love with your spouse, but you need to shift the way you view it. This book is really helping me put things in perspective and worship the Lord . Here is one quote.

• “…most marriage problems are not really marriage problems. They are God problems. They can be traced back to one or both people having a poor relationship with God or a faulty understanding of Him” (p. 20-21).

Current devotional: Experiencing God Day by Day, by Henry Blackaby. This devotional takes Scripture and specific stories and examples in the Bible to draw out principles to learn and grow from for each day.  I love getting a small snippet of the Word and an applicable example that I can apply to my life.

How do I find peace: I like to spend time writing, journaling, praying, listening to music. I actually find peace exercising, running is a release for me.