Taught to Value the Wrong Things

If you asked me what I value most in life, I’d tell you faith, family, and friendships.

But if you looked closely at how I was living my life a few years ago, you’d probably come to the conclusion that what I actually value is money, extra-curriculars, and self-indulgences. (think: a yummy snack and some Netflix after a long day of working and getting kids to and from evening activities).

None of these things — work, extra-curriculars, or the occasional self-indulgence — are bad. But when this becomes my routine, it leaves me with this nagging feeling inside, asking, Is this it?

Many of us are familiar with the promise that if you go to college, get a job, work hard, and fill up your 401k you’ll be all set. We were literally handed the recipe for success.

Yet, as I approach this topic with more and more friends, I can sense that most of us who followed this success recipe feel like we fall short of thriving.

We have money, families, and social media accounts filled with saved ideas for future businesses, recipes we want to try, places we want to visit, and yet…here we are, looking for more as yet another Amazon package arrives on our porch.

At this point I’ve given this enough thought to realize that it boils down to living out of alignment with the Holy Spirit.

Counter to what many religious systems teach, I believe that God really does want us to live our best lives, pursuing our dreams and finding fulfillment in our daily lives.

Jesus puts it this way in John 10:10: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

But here’s the thing. This doesn’t work if we’re convinced that money is the driving force behind obtaining our dream life.

God is.

What’s considered to be “enough” money for one person might not cut it for another, but the idea is that we’re all living within our God-given purpose, finding joy and fulfillment doing the things that He’s called us to do.

And it’s not this big scary question of trying to figure out what your one true calling is.

It’s literally a matter of chasing the dreams that God gave you and allowing Him to put you in the right places at the right time to do His work and feel…

Full.

This takes courage. Not money.

Sure, it might also take some resources and creativity. But I have this theory that if we’re living in alignment with God’s will and the dreams He gave us, He’ll provide for us along the way.

So that’s what I’m working on…being brave enough to chase my dreams and pursue a life that’s aligned with my values.

For me, that’s faith, family, and friendship.

So I’ll be here, testing out this theory, and providing you with the tools and ideas I have along the way.

You can check out some of the resources I've already created in this endeavor here.

My hope — my dream — is to cultivate a community of women that encourage one another to live purposefully, joyfully, and fulfilled by investing deeply in their faith, families, and friendships.

The Community Co. is a place for women who want to build full lives beyond the cultural script.

If this resonates with you, I hope that you will join me on this journey! To start, add yourself to our email community to learn new ways to get plugged in.

Until next time!