Life Is Busy- How To Live Out What You Already Know

Do you know what I have noticed?

Our camera rolls that are stored in our smart phones…they are a digital diary of our days.

They tell a story of where we have been, who we have been with and what we have deemed worthy enough to still ourselves in order to capture a moment.

Every Friday, when I sit down to write to you, do you know what I do first?

I get on my knees and pray.

And then?

I open my photo app on my phone to look back at the story my camera roll tells me.

As I stare back at the still shots capturing where my feet have been over the last 7 days, I begin to sort through the puzzle pieces of pictures on my phone and the words tumbling in my mind and how they might fit together.

This week, my camera roll tells this 7 day story.

A beautiful weekend night spent with family on the patio.

PS – We LOVE this gas fire pit, it’s linked at the bottom of this post.

A first Fall fire pit night.

(We also continue to love these Mason jar, solar twinkle light lids pictured above from Amazon linked here.)

An early, Saturday morning, first soccer game of the season smile.

A quiet home (still not used to that), flowers from a friend and a Fall candle lit for the first time.

A Home with Heather Client who was feeling overwhelmed and needed help organizing. (See the full room reveal here in this IG reel.)

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A Birthday celebration for my beautiful Mom.

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A day off from school spent soaking in the natural beauty at Poppy’s farm.

These pictures tell my personal story of the time ticked by over the last 7 days.

Traditionally, when I write, I slide a picture from my phone and send it to my laptop when I feel that the picture tells the story of what the words in my mind want to say.

I’ll be honest.

Today, I wanted to share with you a sparkly post full of all the Fall finds and decor I have been eyeing up and craving to decorate my home with.

But?

Instead, I felt the conviction to slow and stop.

Why?

Maybe because… it’s just been…busy.

And sometimes?

I forget to come up for air.

Maybe you too?

Most of us are familiar with this scripture verse:

He says,

“Be still, and know that I am God;

 I will be exalted among the nations,

 I will be exalted in the earth.”

psalm 46:10 NIV

Recently, I have been connecting with this version of the same scripture verse, Psalm 46:10 out of the New American Standard Bible.

“Stop striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted on the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 NASB emphasis added

You see, maybe you feel like this too…like there is only so much of you to go around.

Maybe these last few weeks of recalibrating our bodies, flushing out feelings of new beginnings, wrestling with waves of worry and settling into a send off season of sorts filled with steps on new sidewalks…

has you feeling like this picture.

(also on my camera roll from this past week.)

Flat. Out. Exhausted.

I get it.

While I go through brief periods of fall on my bed fatigue…I think what has been helping me the most is leaning into the life giving words inside the Word.

It is one thing to know something.

It is an entirely different thing to have the courage to

live out what you know.

Heather Krout

“Being still” or trying to “stop striving” can feel risky…like it’s all going to fall apart if you stop.

Oh friend…trust me when I tell you that it won’t fall apart and that you can come up for air.

You can deem yourself worthy enough to be stilled to capture the gift of the moment in front of you…and the next one after that.

No smart phone needed.

When we make the decision to live a life of what may feel like is “risky faith” and implement the “stop striving” command that God gives us.

We immediately are met with a new unlocked door of opportunity that was unseen to us before.

The invitation to Abide.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

John 15:4 ESV

Other verses will read “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” (NIV)

I also love how The Message version reads this command:

“Live in me.

Make your home in me just as I do in you.

In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.”

John 15:4 The Message Emphasis added

The definition of “Abide” simply means to “accept or act in accordance with.”

I am not really acting in accordance with anything or anyone when I am running around trying to make all the things come together in my own timeline…forcing “fruit” through my own futile and fleshly efforts.

Now, there is a degree to which we, as adults, mothers, parents, employees have to accept a varied version of “running around” to get all the things done. Inevitably so, there are times when we must join the marathon, clip the runners bib to our shirts and find our place in the race.

I see you friend and I get that too. Believe me.

But?

There are also distinct, God-assigned times, when the tank needs repetitive refueling.

When the heart needs fresh pumping.

When the mind needs new meditating.

When the eyes need less darting.

When the fingers need less tapping.

When the soul needs intentional synching.

So how do we live out what we already know?

We hold out our hands and make the exquisite exchange.

We say no to:

I know what I WANT to do.

(aka: Control)

We say yes to:

I know what I NEED to do.

(aka: Obedience)

And?

We pay attention to our emotions.

If your emotions feel scattered and hurried and you might describe yourself as “being all over the place.”

Then friend to friend?

You are most likely caught up in the sneaky cycle of “striving.”

Trying to live out this hard life in your own strength which leads to the same dead end…total and complete depletion.

Instead…God invites us into a healthier more fruitful option.

An option that leads to an abundant life, where you truly can afford to refuse the lie of hustle, slow your step and let Him do the lifting for awhile.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Joh 10:10 ESV

And so?

I am listening and moving towards what I already know and implementing the knowledge that God is pressing my heart:

To Stop striving.

To Start abiding.

At the end of the day, and at the end of all of my days…the thing I want to be remembered for most?

I want to be remembered as a wife and mother who led an obedient life to God and reflected His light and love into the world.

I can’t do that very well if I am preoccupied with my own self-made (I can’t stand that term) busy list.

Actually, I can’t do that at all if I am living in my own strength and pride.

The thing that it comes down to for me and for all of us…is this question:

What are we sitting on the thrones of our hearts?

Like my Dad’s self-made seat of rocks…we are all holding something on the throne of what is most important.

Our jobs, our children and their accolades, our homes, our reputation, our social circles, our image…and the list goes on of all the things we can place on the throne.

While you may sense what feels like risky ripples of on your heart, threatening to steal your new stride of stillness…

(remember who the thief is: John 10:10)

You can trust the Truth, that its ok to let up a little.

Heck…let up A LOT.

Put God on the throne of your heart and jump in to the still pond friend…the water’s warm.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:6 KJV

Dear God,

This life is busy. It’s easy to drown out your still small voice.

Please help me to pay attention to what You are saying to my heart and help me to be obedient to the convictions You share with me.

Please fill me with evidence of your presence and draw me close.

Amen.

Living on a prayer,

Heather

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