The Practical Life

What exactly does that mean... "Practical"? Webster was a huge help in picking apart the word with me and my mind went racing away, as usual, with new interpretations. Here is some food for thought on The Practical Life.

practical, adjective, noun. adj.

1. having to do with action or practice rather than thought or theory. I find it interesting that theory and practical are in opposition to one another, interesting just because I never thought of it before. We all have our beloved theories on life, parenting or how to boil water, but do we practice them? Do we hold onto these theories more as impressive thoughts to be heard by others but not seen? Some of us have become "arm chair Christians", have we not? Quite possibly the difference that lies between a Practical Life and a Theoretical Life is one that has a track record, a life where one's theories are being tried out, tested and lived. When I do not act on my beliefs, how do I know how real they are or if they will 'hold water'? God speaks about such a life in James 2: 14-17. A theory that is put into action, over and over again is practiced and made stronger... it seems like a beautifully designed cycle. The theory gets stronger as it is practiced, the action is refined as it is practiced... The Practical Life!

2. fit for actual practice.. I love this definition! I will exchange the word "fit" for "equipped" and trust you won't mind. I am a Certified Kolbe Advisor (check out www.kolbe.com, contact me for more, I seriously passionate!) I am 100% convinced everyone is uniquely designed to fulfill the desires God has placed in our hearts, this is His will for our lives and is one of the most exciting things to grasp in our entire lives. As we allow ourselves to dream and have the courage to step out towards those dreams, we practice living how we are meant to live. If you are a housewife, you are equipped. If you are a COO, you are equipped. If you are retired, divorced, a grandparent, single, unemployed... YOU are equipped! Whatever you are doing or are going to do, God has given you the necessary items in your "tool kit" to be successful, satisfied and overwhelmingly happy as we practice them. How do I know this? Eph 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good things, which God created beforehand that we should walk in them." Oh, how I love the promises that reassure us for our Practical Life!

3. useful. Life! Your life, my life, is useful. What we do, every day IS useful. When we are practicing our purpose, when we are using what God has given us (tools, skills, theories, etc) to do his will. Col 3:23-24 reminds us that as we do these things for the Lord, and forget that it's for people, our blessing comes from the Lord. Geez, it is hard to see sometimes, isn't it? Among the laundry, the messes, the problems and the noise there often isn't a break, much less a warm fuzzy from Heaven saying "Hey, Great Job on that chicken! It rocked and it was worth hand picking the basil and lemons in 112 degree heat, I could really taste it and ..... THANK YOU!!!!!" .... not going to happen. But, I'm not waiting for it either because my satisfaction is not in the thank you, it's in the lemon. What? Yup, it's in knowing that I am useful. Because of the way God made me, personally, I know that I feel satisfied when I create. One way I get a lot of joy is from creating meals for my family - I just do, I can't explain it, it's instinctual. As I follow my God given desire, I find myself practicing my skill I am having a great time doing it because I am also being useful with my creations... now, tell me how cool God is!

The same is true for you. The Practical Life you lead is the actions you take, not only those brilliant thoughts you have. You have been created with YOU in mind, perfectly fitted and equipped with a tool box for your real construction site of life. You are useful in your Practical Life as you use your natural instincts for your work, you will experience true freedom and satisfaction in doing things as you were meant to, for God's glory. So have at it, Ladies and remember the Lemons!

Love you~ Misty