Create, Don't Consume

I know I never post anymore. I'm sincerely sorry. Would you accept this little piece (written for thriftyrapidcity.com) as a offering of contrition?

CREATE DON'T CONSUME

This morning was lovely. While still in my pajamas, I picked lettuce, green beans and sugar snap peas from our backyard garden. Then I laid the baby down for his nap and used the time to cook a big pot of brown rice, make a batch of yogurt, and cook some granola. We'll have blueberry muffins with our quiche for supper, so I mixed up the streusal topping and bagged the rice for the freezer while my daughter washed the freshly-picked lettuce and my son put away clean dishes. Not all mornings go so smoothly or are as productive, but I've discovered the joy of creation. For me, it really is more fun to eat lettuce I grew myself. I really would rather eat a homemade blueberry muffin, fresh from the oven, than a storebought one.

The principle is simple: create, don't consume. And it has a lot to do with living a thrifty lifestyle. How many of us work long days dying to get to the weekend just so we can spend our money on things we can't afford like gas for the boat or popcorn at the movies? We all need relaxing outlets in our lives, but if your favorite hobby or pasttime is breaking the bank, consider learning the joy of creation.

I love learning new homemaker-type skills. Making my own curtains, learning to garden, and cooking from scratch are truly enjoyable to me. In addition, all of these things add actual monetary value to our lives. Homemade curtains and homegrown lettuce really are much cheaper than the storebought alternatives! But maybe "homemaking" just isn't your thing. You can still add value to your life by finding a way to create in your spare time (instead of watching reruns or blowing money at a restaurant).

My sister Natalie doesn't love to cook. But she does love to do graphic design. And while she manages her home and her three children just fine, thank-you-very-much, she uses the time when they are asleep to work on projects for clients. She loves creating design products, people love her work, and she adds actual monetary value to the life of her family.

I tease my husband because he loves his field so much that he often spends his nights researching even more about chemical engineering. But by pursuing what he loves, he has made himself invaluable to his company and created a certain amount of job security that might not otherwise exist. It's not that we never sit still: my husband and I often read (usually non-fiction) for an hour or so each evening - but even that creates knowledge!

In the past, difficult economic circumstances drove our ancestors to new heights of creativity. They learned to find new uses for things, to make their own things, and to find enjoyment in the act of creation. Let's use these tough times to stimulate us to action! Maybe you love to knit but you shudder at the thought of baking your own bread - I'll barter with you! Or maybe you could cut your neighbor's hair in exchange for some of their homegrown tomatoes. Remember, necessity is the mother of invention, and that's not a bad thing at all.

She's in a better place

Today would have been my Jewel's first birthday. I can see her, in my heart's eye, running ageless in the beautiful fields of heaven. It really is a better place, and she waits for me there. After I worship my Jesus for an eternity, I'll snuggle my Jewel for a second eternity. There will be all the time in the new world to know her then.

For now, I am left without her, sad, maybe, but grateful that God really does know best. As Matthew coos in my lap, I know that I could never have chosen between my Jewel and my Matthew. And in God's providence, I may now perhaps have them both for eternity.

And when I say "have them" I really mean that He would have them. My greatest desire is that God be richly known by my children and glorified in their lives. I am woefully inadequate as I attempt each day to introduce Him to them - all I can do is beg for grace, receive grace, drown in the tidal wave of undeserved grace that has been given to me.

Oh joy! to think that Jewel already knows Him more fully than I.