on faith, creativity & making time

It’s something I hear a lot. I will be chatting to someone, and mention offhand about something I’ve made, or something I’ve blogged, something, generally, that is just “mine”, not directly connected to wife-and-motherhood, and there it is – “I don’t know how you find the time”. And I kind of shrug and mumble something about making time because it’s important. Truth be told, on the outside looking in, our life can appear to be something optimistically referred to as “organised chaos” (with not a great deal of the former, and a healthy serve of the latter) – we have four children, between the two of us we serve on four boards & committees, Mr Barefoot works long hours, there is always something I need to get the children to, always something else we have volunteered for or find ourselves tangled up in, and somewhere in there I squeeze in some time to create pretty things, or bake, or sew costumes for dress-up days, or blog… and squeeze is the best way to describe it! Blogging is often a night-before-publication thing. I am renowned for my midnight sewing jaunts to meet a (generally self-imposed) deadline. I craft with small companions a lot of time, quickly sticking something down while they create a glitter masterpiece. But I find I need that time to create something, to re-centre myself and it makes me a better wife, mother, person, when I get that time, even if it is only a stolen five minutes in the depths of the night.

I have also become a master of multi-tasking. I generally never leave home without a small handwork project, or a book. I knit while the children are at drama. I cross-stitch at story time. I read at ballet. It is a very rare moment that I sit with nothing in my hands. I am happiest when both my hands and mind are busy – even sitting chatting the mister on the back lawn on a Sunday afternoon, as we watch the children play, I will have something in my hand. Every spare moment I can steal, I will. And generally, I find it leaves me focusing better on the task my brain is engaged in, if my hands are busy.

bible journaling

Which, really, is a long-winded lead in, to saying how much I love bible journaling. Stumbling upon the idea by accident last year on Instagram, by the end of the night I had a pretty mint-with-berry-polka-dots journaling bible on it’s way to me. I have played on and off since I got it, but these last couple of weeks, I have kicked my own butt into line, and made a habit out of journaling daily. I am currently following a Lent devotional series via an app called She Reads Truth (the plan is also available on their website – the app is free, as is the web-based reading plan, though the app-based reading plan had a small fee, but it was worth it in my opinion) – but it started to feel like “one more thing” that I needed to fit into the “how I do it all” thing. I wanted to read the plan. I wanted to journal daily. If I was only justΒ finding time for one, how would I find time for both? And the answer became clear – I needed to make the time. Just like everything else, it’s all about priorities.

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And therein, my friends, lies my secret to how I “do it all” – spoiler alert; I don’t do it all. My beautiful large glass bi-fold doors that are the centrepiece of our living area are free of grubby fingerprints at child approximately three times a year. I would rather sew than fold socks. I would rather read than dust. Some people are born housekeepers & that’s their thing – I’m not (sorry honey!). Some people play candy crush. Some people go out for coffee every day. I am no more productive than anyone else (truth be told, I’m probably less – I could medal in procrastination if it was an Olympic sport). I just chose to spend my limited spare time making pretty things.

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And so now, I have switched around those priorities once more. Bible journaling is a line item in my daily to-do lists. I either do it early in the morning if I am up early enough before the children wake, else it’s the first thing I do when Beetle goes down for a nap. Now, I get both done – I read my devotional on my phone as I brush my teeth, and pick out the passage I want to journal, and mull over it in my mind until I can get to the point of actually getting out the paints. Why I didn’t think to combine the reading plan & the desire to journal earlier, I don’t know. I had it set in my mind that my journaling was an “extra”, something to fit in on top of my regular reading. When I made the connection to prioritise it alongside my reading, it was a lightbulb moment, Β a face palm that of course I could do both. (For those horrified at the legibility problems I am creating for myself, don’t stress. I have a seperate, mostly-unmarked bible for reading. This one was purchased for the purposes of getting it messy)LWD-9899-006

I am definitely still in the “feeling my way” stage, finding a style that fits. But like all art journaling, it’s the process more than the end that matters. It feels like a good solid habit now, and a cornerstone of my day, to sit, read, reflect & then get messy and get it out on the page. Reading my bible. Creating something beautiful. Having fun. Two birds. One Stone. Perfect.

 

12 thoughts on “on faith, creativity & making time

    • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

      it’s always nice to find a way to make everything work without having to squeeze too hard
      still trying to figure that one out without frequently dropping things off the end of the do list

    • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

      This reminds me of Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner. Have you read it?

    • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

      I’ve never heard of bible journalling, but I love the idea!! Perhaps if I started journalling I’d fit in the reading too…

      • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

        I found it really helped me get in a better habit of reading my Bible & thinking about what I was reading. I found this bible at Koorong, it was only $30 or so πŸ™‚

    • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

      You had me nodding along the whole way, Rach.

      You really have a way with words lovely lady. And your kids will value your creativity over folded socks for the rest of their lives.

      And I have large glass doors that are always covered in finger prints too πŸ˜‰

      • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

        It’s like they are magnets for tiny fingers…or tongues (looking at you Beetle). Hopefully I won’t leave them scarred for life over my lack of dedication to continuous sock provision!

    • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

      Wow I really love this idea. I used to take a lot of pleasure out of reading Bible verses, but now living in Switzerland and belonging to no church I don’t really think to open my Bible, let alone paint in it. Maybe this is a delicate way of getting back into the swing of things.

      You know I didn’t know you were Little White Dove. Never made the connection till now. When did you make the change. You just dropped off my radar. That is that thing with WordPress I think when people go independent or switch to .com you can no longer follow them? I am not sure. But I have subscribed in any case. Though I prefer to follow blogs on WP. Great to know you didn’t drop off the face of the earth!

      Jodie

      • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

        Hi Jodie! So lovely to hear from you! I went self hosted under the old name maybe 6 months ago? And then switched to this name about two months ago. I think there is a way to add self-hosted blogs to the WP reader? I’ll have to have a look and see if I can find where I found the option a while back. But thank you for subscribing anyway! You can expect three posts a week, so I won’t be flooding your inbox with new post notifications! I’m so glad to have you back, and glad to know I have been missed! Have a fab day x

        • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

          Thanks for the info. I will try because it is a real pain. I just assumed it wasn’t possible, if they disappear like yours did!

          • Author gravatarAuthor gravatar

            I know I have definitely had a self-hosted WP blog on my WP reader before, I could read it but not like or comment from the reader, but I can still read it.

            OK – found it! Go to the reader, then next to “Blogs I Follow”? There’s a little wheel. Click that, and add the url of the blog you want to follow in there! I’ve just tested and you can follow blogspot blogs that was as well. I think I might do a post about this! I will also go back and do reminder posts on the other blogs. Thanks for sticking with me regardless of the annoyance factor! x

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