{Allow Time for Spontaneity}

My husband and I just celebrated our third year of marriage (yay!). We've learned a lot this year as a couple, but I want to share one of my favorite and most practical lessons. This is something we have learned only in the last couple months: to not plan every single minute of our days. We learned to allow time for spontaneous adventures (or relaxing afternoons, because you never know what you'll need!) and it's really been a game changer for our relationship and happiness. 

Take Sundays for instance: a day when, usually, we go to church and already have plans to hang out with friends or family afterward. Then it's a trip to the grocery store and an evening of chores (or maybe I catch up on a little work). It's very planned, and although helpful and productive, it's the same. Every Sunday. 

One Sunday after church, we decided to do nothing and see where the day took us. We went to get coffee and decided right then and there to go on a two mile walk around a nearby lake - just because we could! We had time! We didn’t have anything else planned! (Fun fact: this was the very day we learned this lesson!) Guess what, it was my favorite day of that month. I remember it vividly. I remember what we talked about and what the weather felt like. It was like we reset our weekend and really took in all the goodness. Because we had time to.


So friends, plan time to be spontaneous. It’s good for your heart. 

- Stephanie

{Like-Minded Community}

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

Over the last month or so, God has very clearly reminded me that we need to be in community with like-minded people. He has reminded me in a variety of ways, most recently, though, in the form of a couple of friends stepping up their prayer and marriage examples for Nate and I.

If you have these types of friends, hold on tight. Cherish them. These are the friends with whom we should want to spend most of our time. The friends who are truthful, kind, loving, and unashamed of the Gospel. This is not to say that we can't be witnesses of God's love to other friends who need Him. What I'm talking about right now is the people who we see most often and the people with whom we form bonds should have similar beliefs and mindsets on God, life and family.

Us humans are easily influenced, this isn't news. Whatever we spend our time doing (or who we spend it WITH) comes through in our personalities and our attitudes. And we want to be like Christ, right? Well, we need help with that, and God gave us friends.

Here are some ideas about the people with whom we should want to be spending our time, and the type of friend we should want to be: (and you can vice-versa all these phrases):

Surround yourself with friends who aren't afraid of give-and-take.
Be the friend who makes people feel comfortable about sharing their stories.
Surround yourself with friends who make you want to be a better person.
Be the friend who listens intently.
Surround yourself with friends with whom you can discuss the tough questions.
Be the friend who invites people over and doesn't mind if they stay until midnight.
Surround yourself with friends who teach you and lift you up.
Be the friend who gives generously.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:15

-Stephanie