4 Goals for Summer

I'm one of those moms who loves summer and getting to see my boys more often. I enjoy not having to wake up early to get them to school. I won't miss keeping up with their lunch accounts and missing assignments. I really like having them around.

At the same time, summer brings with it the chaos of unscheduled lives. Extended video gaming. Friends who stay over for two, three, four nights in a row. I love it but it gets a little crazy around here. It can be hard to find a piece of quiet.

But on this sacred first Monday of summer while the boys are still sound asleep, I am enjoying the stillness and the soft tapping of finger tips on keys.

My new "daily" discipline (ha, there are very few things I do daily) is writing three pages (on a good day) of free flowing words. I ignore punctuation I disregard speling I dont backspace I just write (demonstration)

It's not easy but I'm getting the hang of it. Today I'm wrestling with the glorious freedoms of summer and wondering how I'm going to accomplish anything. My typing turns into praying. I pour my heart out, close the laptop and reach for my Bible. I'm reading The Message translation and I find this precious gift:

Where you are right now is God’s place for you. 

Live and obey and love and believe right there.  1 Corinthians 7:17 MSG

I know this is God speaking to me, answering the prayer I prayed with my fingers just minutes ago.

This place, with it's impending chaos is God's place for me. (Click to Tweet) And even as my goals for the year are vying for my attention I grab onto these four new goals:

Live, Obey, Love, Believe 

Live - Enjoy each moment. Be present. Pay attention. Smile wide. Laugh more. Listen better. Unplug. Play!

Obey - Say yes. Do what the Father tells you to do when he tells you to do it. But don't be afraid to take a break from all that doing. Remember, rest is obedience.

Love -Give freely. Love in words AND action - husband, children, family, friends old and new. While you're at it, be kind to yourself.

Believe - Stay hopeful. Trust God with your dreams and goals. Use your imagination. See yourself being the best possible version of you.

I love my summer 2014 mantra - Live, Obey, Love, Believe. Let's do this!

What is your summer mantra? What word from the list above that stands out to you?