Wide-Five Minute Friday





How wide can my arms open to hold my children?

How wide can my heart open with love for them before breaking?

Wide.

How wide did Jesus' arms open for me?

Those arms He opened wide made everything else that I do widely possibly.  Writing widely to an open audience all over the earth.  Being a mom widely to a big family that in my younger years I would have never thought possible but now God has in His gracious mercy has blessed me with.  Open my heart widely to other people to share with them what God has given to me.

When I first saw the topic, this song popped into my head.  I don't know all the words or even if these are the right ones, but here's the song.

Deep and wide, deep and wide;
There's a fountain flowing deep and wide.

Deep and wide, deep and wide;
There's a fountain flowing deep and wide.

My whole life is possible because of that fountain however wide it may be. 

Five Minute Friday-Focus

It is 5-Minute Friday with Lisa-Jo Baker tales from a Gypsy Mama.  Each week she posts a different one word topic, and you have to free write for five minutes.  It is a lot of fun, and gives me a chance to practice my writing skills.  Check it out.  You might want to join in too.  This week's topic:  FOCUS.

Begin 5 minutes......

When I first saw this topic, I thought, "Ooooh....something I can really talk about."  Focus has always been somewhat challenging for me.  I have to make a conscious effort to work towards it.  I am the type of person who really likes to have too many irons in the fire.

I will watch a movie on Amazon, or Netflix, while I read facebook, or am checking email etc.  It is very difficult for me to Skype with somebody because I find a hard time being still in front of the computer.

Usually I get a lot of ideas at once.  I tend to be an idea person.  If you have too many ideas going at once, you can lose your focus.  In the past few years, I have started trying to change that, through one little world, simplicity.

I have started simplifying my life.  That helps me maintain my focus.  Focus is important when it comes to your priorities.  All these words are tied together for me, simplicity, focus, priorities.  I want to focus on my priority, which is my family, my God-given priority at the moment.  In order to do that, I have to simplify my surroundings.

That is a huge project when you have a big family, but it is paying off in a big way.  I can tell that by simplifying what are the contents of my house, I am able to focus more on my children, in a more on-purpose way. 

So, I will continue this pursuit of focus.  I hope you do to.

End 5 minutes.......

P.S.  I just went back and read my post and this does not sound FOCUSED!  It sounds like a bunch of late-night rambling.....I guess that is what you get when you free-write sometimes.  Thank goodness for revision!