Love and grace

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

Over the past few days (maybe even weeks!), I've been wrestling with negative, ugly thoughts. Specifically not being _______ enough. On & on in my head the lies spin, leading me to believe that's right, I'll never be _______ or _______ so I'm done trying, Lord. Instead of running the race Christ had put before me with perseverance, I was more like, "Yeah, how about I just sit for awhile, maybe crawl a few steps?"

At church on Monday night (yes, we meet on Monday nights. Come check it out!) right before we took communion, I had bowed my head & was confessing my heart before the Lord. As I was really pouring it all out - my doubts, frustrations, sin - the Holy Spirit recalled this verse to my mind:

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Bam! Just like that & I was filled with the overwhelming sense of God's grace. He doesn't love me because I'm the best friend, wife, photographer, neighbor or daughter. Friend, the same is true for you! His love isn't dependent upon what we do or don't do. God is love (1 John 4:8) & He loves us because that's His nature. It's who He is. Yes, we should strive to do & live everything - our work, our resources, our time, our relationships - for His glory, like it says in 1 Corinthian 10:31. But that doesn't mean we just call quits when the journey we're is difficult or we don't think we're enough.

As followers of Jesus Christ, He made us His workmanship & created us for many good works that He prepared in advance for us (Ephesians 2:10)! As Ruth Bell Graham so eloquently put it, "We are to take care of the possible & let God take care of the impossible." I love that! There's so much freedom when we live our lives the way the Lord intended them to be lived. We're to do our best, for His glory & honor, & leave the rest up to Him.

"You're love more than you'll ever know by someone who died to know you."
Based off of Romans 5:8

{February Goals}

Photo by The Pinwheel Collective

Last month, I finalized my goals pretty late into January as I was still working through vision & long-term goals for the year & for my life. Y'all, it is so great to be intentional with each day the Lord has given us & to set aside time to visualize how to best use the time, resources & talents He's given you for His glory.

If you haven't tried monthly goal setting before, give it a shot this month. What things are you most passionate about? What areas of your life do you desire change or growth?

February Goals

>> Spend time journaling & expressing my love & gratitude to the Lord
>> Continue serving my spring bride well
>> Aim to be in bed by 11 & up to by 6:30
>> Put up a family prayer board in our home
>> Look for additional ways to respect & support Dean
>> Read The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
>> Complete LMP business tasks & start new blog series
>> Plan styled venue shoot
>> Book new weddings & portrait sessions
>> Become more familiar with Mvelopes & track our spending
>> Schedule coffee dates with my SG ladies
>> Set aside time to truly rest each week
>> Finish styling our new bookcases & begin hanging photos/arts

"The key to not feeling rushed is remembering that lack of time is actually a lack of priorities.” Tim Ferriss

January Gratefulgrams

Blessed. Thankful. Grateful. That is an attitude I want to intentionally cultivate in my life. What better way to do that than a monthly recap of all the people, places & things that I most cherish?

Inspired by the fabulous Nancy Ray's monthly series that she started back in July, here are my Gratefulgrams for this month!

1. Got real with myself & my goals using Lara Casey's PowerSheets / 2. Shared about the lasting investment of wedding photography (Pt. 1 & 2!) / 3. Hosted brunch for my amazing SG ladies! / 4. Celebrated 2 awesome months of marriage :) / 5. SNOW DAY!! / 6. Blogged this beautiful couple's wedding

I'd love to hear your attitude of gratitude :) What are you thankful for this month?

Our home

It's been almost 3 months in our new home. And as my hubby & I both like to say, "Marriage is the best!" It truly is an incredible blessing to commit my life to Dean & spend our days together in this space. We are definitely not done decorating yet but it's such a blast to display our favorite memories, beautiful colors & patterns throughout each of the rooms.

Clearly, I have a thing for owl collectibles! The first is from Target's fall decor in the $1 bins last year & the ceramic owl was a wedding gift from our dear friends Amanda & Josh that is actually a West Elm teapot that we use a cookie jar :)

{January Goals}

It may be the middle of the month but it's never too late to write out your goals :) After several afternoons of reflecting on & writing all over Lara Casey's #PowerSheets, I've named my fears, written down what I want to be filling my mental mason jar (such a great visual, right?) & the vision I have for these next days, weeks & months. I had 14 goals for December. 11 done! Still would like to bake goodies to share with our neighbors, finish our thank you cards & marshmallow roasting in our fireplace yet. 

January Goals

>> Continue reading through the Bible in a year with Dean. (We chose this plan by Nav Press, available for the You Bible app, too.)
>> Continue serving my spring bride well
>> Wrap up all our wedding thank you cards
>> Fill & drink my water bottle 3x daily
>> Review Scripture memory verses from the past few months & meditate on them
>> Brainstorm a design for a family prayer board in our home
>> Leave encouraging words & love notes to Dean throughout the week
>> Update the LMP website to reflect my heart & mission for this business
>> Sign up for a photography class/conference &research investment for future conference/mentor session
>> Faithfully serve my SG ladies & invest in them

"Your playing small does not serve the world." Marianne Williamson, via Lara Casey