Blogging with Purpose

It’s been approximately 4 months since I started blogging. What started as a hobby – a hint of how God was working in our family has exploded in to something bigger. But I’ve had quite a few road blocks along the way. Some days, I have so many ideas to share; but hardly any time left in my day. Other days, I find my mind completely blank – with absolutely nothing to write about. On some frustrating days, I have the post all ready in my head, but it doesn’t reach cyberspace; either because of a power cut, or a faulty internet connection.

A combination of these days over the past few weeks got me thinking. I wanted this blog to have a definite purpose – a mission, so to speak. I wanted it to be simple. And easy to remember, so I could remind myself; if ever I get side-tracked in my writing. I checked in with God, and together we’ve come up with something. The purpose of my blog would be to:

  1. Glorify God
  2. Encourage Readers
  3. Motivate Myself

I even got a acronym out of it – GEM; simple and easy to remember :)!

I want my blog to glorify God, because without Him and His inspiration, there will be no blog. Or there will be a blog, with no one to read it or be inspired by it. I want my words to reflect His goodness, His grace and His mercy. And through it, I hope you will find inspiration to push you onward and upward in your daily walk with God.

I want my blog to encourage you, the reader. Let me be honest, I never ever thought so many of you would stop by to read it. I am floored that you would take the time to do so. Whether it is planning, parenting or homemaking; I hope this blog helps you overcome the everyday struggles of your life.

I least expected this blog to motivate me – after all, that wasn’t my intention when I started it. However, blogging has helped me come out of my shell and connect with other like minded people. Sharing the habit I’m working on each month with you, has kept me on my toes. And I have to work every single day towards achieving my monthly goals. Blogging pushes me forward and keeps me accountable.

So, that’s it. The purpose of this blog is to G – Glorify God, E – Encourage Readers and M – Motivate Myself. Better late than never… And it’s never too late to figure out your purpose, right 😉 ?

If you are a blogger, do you have a purpose or mission statement for your blog? Leave me a comment, and I’ll be sure to stop by your blog. For all the non-bloggers out there, have you ever thought of starting a blog? Why or why not?

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How To Get Things Done

Would you answer the following question for me, please? How do you get things done? If your answer is “Just do it” or a variation of it, I suggest you don’t read any further. You don’t need to! But I would be thrilled if you leave behind a helpful tip – I would love to learn from you. For the rest of you… if you struggle to get through the day with loads to do and hardly any time left to do it in; read on…

This weekend was the laziest we’ve had in months! My husband and I did almost nothing all weekend. We did have loads of fun, though! We had a family movie night, played with the kids, went to church, and just relaxed the rest of the time. It was refreshing for a change – just what we needed.

In no way do I regret how we spent this weekend, but here’s the downside – Monday morning arrived! (Oh yeah, stay-at-home moms dread Monday mornings too – at least, this one does :).) With nothing done all weekend, I ended up harried, frustrated and unusually scatterbrained this morning. When it was 10AM and I still felt overwhelmed and hadn’t got anything done, I knew it was time to buckle up and strategize.

Here’s what I proceeded to do:

  1. I emptied my brain – I opened up a fresh page in my planner and jotted down every single thing that was on my mind. That included 4 lists: To Do, To Call, To Mail & To Buy.
  2. I figured, since the To Do list seemed to have the most urgent and important things, I would start with that – it had 30 items (Nope, not kidding!).
  3. I browsed through the list and found the one thing I would absolutely have to do. The one thing that would prepare my mind for the rest of the day – for me, that was reading my Bible & praying.
  4. I looked through the list and noted down all those things that could wait till tomorrow. I moved them over to tomorrow’s To Do list.
  5. I took a few colored pens and color coded the remaining items according to importance. Those marked red, I would have to complete by noon. The green ones, should be completed by late afternoon. And the ones in blue could wait till evening.
  6. And then I started working on the list right away, striking things off as I progressed.

It is now evening and I have exactly 6 things left on my list. And I’m pretty sure hubby dearest will help me with half of those 😉 – which leaves me with only 3 more things to do in the next 5 hours. I’m pretty sure I will be able to strike everything off today’s To Do list.

Tomorrow, I intend to repeat the same procedure all over again. If at all I find something slipping through the cracks, I will add it to my monthly goals list and force myself to get it done. Now that’s how I get things done :)! I know, it’s way too simple to be called a strategy… But hey, it works for me!

Go ahead and tell me what works for you – I would love to know!

Wishing you GOD’s best,
Sheena

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When Castles Crash

It was beautiful – this castle I built in the air.
The architecture magnificent; the detailing intricate.
It was everything I wanted – and everything I couldn’t have.
It was my deepest desire, my highest hope;
My desperate longing, but never to be.

I’m sure at some point in life, you’ve heard (or read) the words “You can be anything you want to be” or “You can do anything you want to do”. But the harsh reality is that life doesn’t always work that way.

When I was 13, I decided I wanted to become a software engineer. That was my dream. Everything I did, was directed towards achieving that dream. I got my Masters degree in Software Engineering and proceeded to work in a reputed IT company. I was officially a software engineer – I was at the steps leading to my castle. Except that my castle no longer existed – in its place lay a pile of ruins.

You see, my dream job did not give me the satisfaction I sought. I constantly battled with God as to why He put my brain & my heart in the same body. Did that sound weird to you? Let me explain… While my logical-thinking, problem-solving brain was at its best in an IT job, my heart longed to do something that would truly make a difference in somebody’s life.

The castle I had been building in the air for 10 years had crashed. As I gazed at the heap of ruins before me, I realized that maybe MY plans were not the best ones after all… I was reminded of my life verse, the first verse in the Bible I actually claimed for myself when I was 13.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

It was the latter half of the year 2006, when I took a week off work and pondered about my future. Little did I know that within a year, God would turn my life right side up and make HIS plans for me a reality.

It has been 3 years since I gave up my job. Truth be told, I wasn’t ready to give it up at that time. I craved the independence, financial security, and comfortable lifestyle that my job in the corporate world had provided. I rebelled even after I knew that it was God’s plan for me to stay at home in this season of our kids’ lives.

After extending my leave for more than a year, I finally let go of my job and trusted God and my husband for provision and security. It was a humbling experience, and it took me several months to come to terms with it. I am now unemployed, but not jobless! My husband, kids & my home are my full-time occupation now – and I have finally found the job satisfaction I always craved.

God found a place for me in the tiniest corner of the internet, where He would be able to use my mind & my heart for His glory. It humbles me every time one of you stop by to tell me that you read my blog. I am blessed to be clay in my Potter’s Hands. And if this imperfect, cracked clay pot could share a drop of Living Water with another thirsty soul – I have done the job my Potter requires of me.

If you are going through a time in your life, when your castle has crashed… Your dreams lie shattered, and your hopes have crash landed… God reminds you…

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

God has something greater in store for you. Trust me, it’s the story of my life! I know from personal experience that He “…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Photo by Federico Burgalassi on Unsplash

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A Habit A Month: March

Another month, another new habit to master. Over the past 2 months I have made considerable progress in watching my mouth and minimizing the time I spend online (On a related note; our electricity board seems to be doing a better job at minimizing my online presence ;)). But in the meantime, I have let an important factor slide by the wayside – my health.

You know how in December, you cut yourself some slack and indulge in some Christmas goodies… Well, I’m still slacking… and snacking…! I purposely did not include dieting or exercising in my plan for this year – I wasn’t sure I could make the commitment to do either.

But sadly, the time has come when I cannot ignore my health any longer. I find myself low on stamina and high on the scales… Not that the actual weight matters… well maybe just a teeny tiny bit ;). Anyway, I’d like to be fit enough to take a 10 minute walk without needing another 10 minutes to catch my breath!

So, this month, I propose to implement the habit of a healthy lifestyle. Nope, not aiming for the moon. Just taking baby steps that will hopefully make a difference in my health. In March, I will strive to:

  • Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
  • Consume less sugary snacks and snack on fruits instead.
  • Find some way to exercise at least 15-30 minutes every weekday.

After failing miserably in controlling my food intake last month, I hope to do a better job this time around. I know it takes time & practice & loads of self control – God help me please! I have been reading several blog posts on healthy living and I hope to incorporate some of those strategies to improve my own health.

By the end of this month, I hope to establish healthy habits that will last a lifetime. I spend countless hours everyday getting myself spiritually and intellectually fit. I don’t want to miss out on getting myself physically fit – so I can actually live life the way God intended me to.

If you like this idea, why don’t you take this up as a challenge? Focus on just one area in your life that needs an overhaul and make it the habit you want to develop this month. It could be as simple as waking up early or spending time with God everyday. This would be an opportunity for you to actually take a step forward and work on that one good habit you have always wanted to develop. Or kick that one bad habit that has always been nagging your conscience. Are you up for it? Who’s with me?

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Monthly Goals: March

A new month and it’s time to for a new set of monthly goals. But first, a recap of last month’s goals.

My goals for the month of February were:

  1. Stay up to date with the Good Morning Girls Ephesians Bible Study. — Done (I did miss out a few days in between, but I was soon able to catch up.)
  2. Teach the kids to write the alphabets (R-Z) and numbers (1-9). — Done (Although they still struggle with a few characters like “S” and “2”.)
  3. Teach the kids to recite Psalm 23:3. — Done
  4. Take pictures of my husband with our kids. — Done
  5. Take a CD backup of all the photos on our laptop. — Done (Finally! After several months of procrastination.)
  6. Read Tell Your Time and A Reluctant Queen. — Not Done (I completed Tell Your Time, but I managed to read only 5% of A Reluctant Queen.)

And my goals for the month of March are:

  1. Stay up to date with the Good Morning Girls Ephesians Bible Study.
  2. Finish reading A Reluctant Queen.
  3. Join Time-Warp Wife in a Bible Study on the book of Esther. (I will be trying to correlate this Bible study with my reading of A Reluctant Queen)
  4. Read Pursuit of Proverbs 31 and join the book study at Joyful Mothering. (I won a copy of the book from Mom with Heart and this will be my non-fiction book fix for this month.)
  5. Help the kids practice writing the alphabets (A-Z) and numbers (1-20).
  6. Teach the kids to recite Psalm 23:4.
  7. Organize all the videos on our laptop and take a DVD backup of the same.

I try to set my goals around my plans for this year; keeping in mind the legacy I want to leave behind. And it’s a good feeling to see the progress made in just a month.

Do you have the habit of setting weekly/monthly goals? If you do, how did you do last month? If you don’t, how do you keep track of things you need to get done?

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A Trip to the Zoo

Our friends had long been urging us to accompany them on a trip to the local zoo. After several months, we finally set the date and went to the zoo last Saturday. This is just a photo recap of our day at the zoo.

We started off fairly early in the day. After buying our tickets at the zoo, we boarded a rickety bus that would take us on a safari to see the animals in their natural habitat. First up, the herbivores. We saw antelopes, wild buffaloes, spotted deer and boars. Here’s a funny picture my husband captured.

Oh and I alerted everybody that there were wild buffaloes in a lake we were crossing by… Only to be informed said buffaloes were actually rocks! Major oops moment!

Next up, the bus took us to the bear habitat. We were pretty much taken by surprise when the bus screeched to a sudden halt. There was a black bear standing stock still right in front of our bus. It looked like it owned the place – well actually that may be true… We were the intruders, after all.

We waited a few minutes for the bear to pass and then headed over to see the lions. Our first sighting was this lioness snoozing by the wayside.

I was a bit disappointed to see the other lions – they didn’t quite fit the title “King of the Jungle”. I suppose seeing that they were not truly in a jungle, it was to be expected. We moved on to the tiger sanctuary and this time, I was not disappointed.

We were greeted with a HUGE tiger standing in our way. Seriously, it was much bigger than the lions! It had a regal air around it – even its stance was stately. What a majestic creature!

We saw some white tigers as well, but in my opinion, I liked the rich colors on the other tigers better. Ummm… And as we were heading out of the sanctuary, I pointed out a sheep lying on the road – only to be informed, it was another rock! {Insert sheepish grin} I wonder if it’s time for another eye checkup :).

Here is a family of humans taking a pit stop after the safari…

We then proceeded to the zoo where we saw a myriad of creatures. We saw sloth bears, elephants, emus, zebras, wild buffaloes, cheetahs, jackals, spotted dear, black bucks, hippopotamuses and various species of monkeys and birds. There were several art students milling around, and it was a treat to see their hastily drawn sketches of the animals.

I have never been a bird lover – in fact, I thought the owls were quite creepy. But I was pretty impressed by the white peafowl – I found their snowy white feathers quite mesmerizing. My husband’s personal favorite was the Great Pied Hornbill – a uniquely beautiful bird indeed!

It took us about 4 to 5 hours to circle the entire zoo. Although the adults were worn out by the time we headed out, the kids seemed to have boundless energy and weren’t so eager to get back home. Here is a picture of our boys at the zoo – the expression on their faces says it all.

It truly was a wonderful day at the zoo!

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A Habit A Month: February Update

Just a couple of days left in the month of February, and it’s time to hold myself accountable to the decisions I made at the beginning of the month. This month, I chose to develop the habit of self control – particularly in 3 areas: food, internet & my mouth.

My Mouth:

I am happy to report, I’ve made good progress in managing my mouth. I suppose resolving to speak positively in January did help me rein in my mouth. Over the past month, I have exercised control over the words I speak. Rather than rushing to vocalize my every emotion, I have been able to take a moment to think before I speak. Some things I have learnt to consider before opening my mouth…

  • Do I have to bring this matter up right this instant, or can it wait?
  • Does the tone of my voice convey a different meaning?
  • What do my facial expressions and body language convey?

Internet Usage:

I have exercised some control over my internet usage this month. Although I did err  a couple of times by staying up way too late in the night catching up on other blogs – and regretting it the following morning! Let me tell you, it is SO HARD when you’re working beside a closed laptop and everything within you wants to turn it on :). I recently read the ebook “Tell Your Time” and I was able to apply some of the strategies I learnt, so that helped a bit.

Here are a few things I do to manage my time online:

  • Do not switch on the computer until certain tasks are completed (Bible study, prayer and morning chores).
  • Limit myself to only one online activity at a time – Facebook, email and WordPress dashboard should not remain open when I am paying bills online.
  • Login to WordPress to blog (or reply to comments) only thrice a week.
  • Check email only once a day and reply to emails immediately.
  • Limit Facebook time (personal & blog’s page) to 1 hour per day.
  • Subscribe to favorite blogs in Google Reader and read only when kids are asleep or playing together.
  • Do NOT mindlessly click links and read articles that are in no way beneficial to my intellectual, spiritual or physical well-being.
  • If I do need some time to relax and let loose – set a timer for 30 minutes and stop when the time is up {unless husband dearest is home ;)}.

Food:

Errr…. Umm…. Food… not so good :(. In all honesty, I admit… I didn’t exercise much restraint when it came to food. I did cut down on chocolates, but ended up satisfying my craving with a lot of sugar. And would you believe it – a handful of broken cookies the kids leave behind adds up to a LOT of sugar?! I’ve got a lot of work to do in this department :).

All said, I think it was an OK month… Atleast I’ve manage to control myself when it came to things I said and time I spent online. I recently read somewhere (I really wish I remembered where) that self control is like a muscle that is strengthened when exercised. Which means, every time I exercise restraint – my will is strengthened… and over time, I believe it gets easier.

Developing self control is a mammoth task. It would be unwise to undertake it by ourselves. But God is good and when we turn to Him – He is there to help, guide and strengthen our will. With Him, I believe I can work through it and get better in establishing the habit of self control.

To Do: Maintain a running list of areas where self control needs to be developed; pray and begin to work on it.

To Read: It May Be Hard, But Never Too Hard

To Ponder:

“…one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” (Titus 1:8) 

“…But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (I Corinthians 9:27)

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The Blessing of Prayer

Lord, thank you for today. Bless this day for us.
Be with the kids, let them not fight or cry a lot today.
I pray that my husband’s work won’t cause him to stay late in office today.
Keep us all in good health. Use us for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

A year ago, that would have been my typical prayer on any given day. My prayers revolved around me, my husband, our kids, our problems and our plans. Sure, we would occasionally pray specifically for someone who requested our prayers – but I’m ashamed to say, it wasn’t a regular happening in our home.

In the beginning of June 2011 however, God reminded me to start praying for others on a regular basis. I made a list (of course!) – the first half of it contained specific prayer points pertaining to our own family. The latter half was a list of our extended family members and friends who had specific prayer needs.

I started replaying the list in my mind during my regular prayer time or when I walked to pick the kids up from school. Over the months, I found myself crossing several prayer requests off the list; marking them YAAP (Yet Another Answered Prayer) and adding new prayer requests in their stead.

It took me a while to realize that praying for others was more a blessing for me, than it was for the people I was actually praying for. Doesn’t the Bible say “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)?

When I prayed for someone else, God taught me to empathize with them. He taught me to pray with love and compassion. And as the number of YAAPs increased on my list, so did my faith.

Sick grandparents were healed.
A mother grieving the loss of her son was comforted.
Pregnancies resulted in healthy babies.
Surgeries were successful.
A baby struggling to breathe was healed.

The baby I mentioned was from our church. This was his second stint in intensive care and his parents had been through a lot. The entire church was praying for him. God didn’t “need” my prayer to heal him. But He wanted me to pray so that I may be blessed, just by praying for that sweet child. And I was!

I don’t want to give you the impression that every item on my prayer list has been crossed off. Nope! There are some people/situations I am still praying for, over the past 9 months. I believe in God’s time, in His own way, according to His will – He will bring it to pass someday. Until then, I will pray.

I urge you to start praying for someone else’s needs today – you will be blessed. Here are some pointers…

  • Start with just one other person – ask them if you can pray for something in specific.
  • Make a prayer list with specific prayer requests.
  • Memorize the list or carry it with you, so you can pray over it anytime, anywhere.
  • For each item on the list, take a few moments to actually pray for specific details related to that prayer request.
  • Take your time and don’t rush through the list.
  • When the prayer is answered, cross it off; but keep the original list. Crossed off prayer requests are great faith boosters.
  • The next time someone asks you to pray for something in particular, make sure you add it to the list before it slips your mind.

Are you praying for someone else today? If you have a specific prayer request, I would like to pray for you. Feel free to leave your prayer request in the comments below, or e-mail me at sheensteve@gmail.com. It would be a blessing to pray for you. Enjoy your weekend, people!

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Leaving a Legacy

As I was reading the book “Tell Your Time” last week, I came across a bunch of questions that unsettled me…

“How do you want to be known and remembered? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?” 

My maternal uncle passed away last week and the legacy he left behind was his music. For almost two decades, he played his keyboard and coached the choir in his local church. He will always be remembered for using his talent to glorify God. He had earlier recorded several cassettes of himself singing various hymns; his son played those tapes over the sound system during the funeral. When people came by to pay their last respects, they heard these comforting words over the speaker…

All the way my Savior leads me,
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;

…which brings me back to the purpose of today’s blog post. It didn’t take me long to asked myself, “What will people remember me for, when I die?“. Will they think of me as…

A software engineer? Maybe.
A good student? Probably.
A blogger? Definitely.
Mother of triplets? Most definitely.

But that is hardly enough. What difference am I making in the lives of those around me? What memories will I leave behind? After much pondering, I came up with a list (yes, I love lists :)).

I want to be known as a woman who:

  1. Loved God above all else.
  2. Served her husband with respect.
  3. Led her sons to Christ by example.

I wonder at times if this list is too audacious. But then I realize, it isn’t – it all comes down to the basics. Living out my faith in the struggles of everyday life. Joyfully meeting my husband’s needs. Learning to be a good example to my kids. In the end, this is what it comes down to. I leave you now, with the same words that got me thinking…

“How do you want to be known and remembered? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?” 

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Tell Your Time: eBook Review

Tell Your Time has been on my reading list for more than a month now. I knew this 30 page book would give me the kick I needed to get my life back on track, and it did not disappoint. The author, Amy Lynn Andrews does not mince words. She makes it absolutely clear that in order to successfully achieve anything in life we need patience, sacrifice, discipline and focus.

This book is probably the simplest book on time management ever written. But it is packed with strategies and tips that will change the way you handle your time. My favorite was the part where in simple steps, we are led towards developing a life plan. As I read through the book, I was prompted to jot down my goals & priorities and create my own time budget. So, that’s what I did – halfway through the book (but more on that in a later post).

The book reminds us that “Even the best planner doesn’t address the need for internal discipline”. I can write lists and plan the pages off my shiny new 2012 planner, but it will make no difference if I don’t discipline myself enough to actually get things done. That certainly hit the nail on the head!

I have personally applied the strategies I have found in this book over the past week and I must say, the results are pretty impressive. I am more conscious of the time I spend online (check out February’s habit) and I’m able to ensure my priorities don’t fall through cracks.

If you have loads of things to do (who doesn’t?!) and hardly any time to do it in (really, who has enough time?!) this book is for you. If you are struggling to keep up with your to-do lists and you’re not able to look ahead, this book is for you. But honestly, just reading this book will do you no good unless you make the hard choices necessary to actually streamline your day.

For more information, visit Tell Your Time. And while you’re at it, take a minute to explore the author’s blog Blogging with Amy. Whether you are a blogging newbie, a seasoned blogger or just plan on starting a blog someday, Amy has boatloads of wisdom and blogging advice to help you along the way.

And now for the fun part – “talk” to me… I love hearing from you! Have you read any books on time management recently? Which strategies have helped you streamline your life? Share with us in the comments, please :).

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