Why this site? Well, first I take a deep breath…, my husband just accidentally deleted the original page because I didn’t save it as a draft. Ouch! When I realized that it really happened, my heart sank, temper lost, relationship tensed up. Not pretty. Is it worth it? Not just the stress of the deleted file but the potential conflicts this site can bring into our life. After all, it’s not too late to back out since we are just beginning to construct this site. Doubts flooded my mind. After much thought and prayer, my answer is a resounding “Yes”! I know the strength to continue is not from me and I trust the Lord will sustain me through the hard moments. I am grateful God is using the “lost page” to help me not get attached to my words, and boil down the very reasons for this site.
Top 10 reasons for this site:
- to record what the Lord has done in us and through us.
- to lift up His everlasting Word through digging into the Bible.
- to leave a spiritual legacy for our children.
- to provide our children with insights into our lives.
- to keep us accountable and disciplined in our daily walk with Christ.
- to have the blog serve our family not the other way around.
- to better communicate with our spouses spiritually through writing.
- to create more opportunities for teamwork as a couple.
- to engage our minds with more meaningful activities.
- to encourage and be encouraged as we are fumbling our way through bilingual homeschooling and cross-culture marriage.
You might wonder with those convincing reasons, why not start sooner? I am thinking of the same thing! Writing has always been my way of processing life, especially when going through major transitions (which seems like all the time by the way :-)). However, I am also highly practical and want to see the final “product”. Being a mom of two boys, writing has been on the back burner. I have things to do, books to read, places to go, people to meet…. Writing seems like a luxury I may have once in while or someday when our children are older. Not to mention writing in a second language! When I did get a chance to journal, I wrote in my first language, Chinese. After all, I thought writing was my way of communicating with the Creator so I would not need to share.
It was not until I started the Life of Moses study through BSF that God’s loving discipline on my heart of obedience became more evident. I am increasingly desiring to do what God has put on my heart rather than what feels good or easy for the moment. God has graciously paralleled our life perfectly with the weekly study. We started the year with a house needing complete rehab, a newborn and a 4 year old. His Word has lifted me up through the life chaos, pierced deep into my grumbling heart, and helped me see the eternal value that each day has for Him alone! My sweet sister-in-law suggested writing down these valuable lessons on a blog. I liked the idea, but was afraid of the publicity and change of schedule to make the blog a reality. Again, it is His Word that has given me the faith and courage to pray through this idea with my husband. It finally dawned on me that blogging is not just about my personal pleasure or even intimacy with the Lord, but to live intentionally and leave a legacy. I never know how many days I have here on earth. My mom passed away before she turned 40. It startles me to realize I am already living almost as long as my mom. As a little girl, I was always looking for traces of my mom to get to know her more. The loss of a parent at a young age has given me another layer of urgency to record life lessons for my boys. It is not about the final “product” but the “process” to experience His real presence in this real life, which IS the most practical thing in life!
I am also excited this site can be used as a tool to strengthen and deepen my communication with my husband, especially when oral communication gets challenging. Blogging is not about presenting the best in our life but to reveal the goodness of the Lord in our daily living. “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) I pray that the “lost page” (mentioned at the top) would be my emotional reminder that 3rd Culture Living is a journey to be refined for the Kingdom above. We would love to have you join this journey with us! May His name be glorified!
Gain more insights into “Why this site”, by reading “What is 3rd Culture Living“.
3rd Culture Living 