Making a Board

Yesterday marked eight years since our at-home wedding reception. It was sweet to look back over the memories of that day, which was so much work and so much fun! 

We've lived a lot of life since that day. We've been dreamers since day one, and we've seen so many of those dreams realized (in some form). We've also had to let go of some dreams, realizing that they just weren't God's design for us. 

We talk about our lives regularly, dreaming about places we'd love to visit, experiences we hope to have, and the occasional wild card...ideas that may never actually become our reality, but they're sure fun to think about, just the same.

I have some friends who are big advocates of making vision boards. You've heard of those, right? Boards (whether physical or digital) that contain a collage of dreams and plans. The idea is that keeping those plans and desires physically in your line of sight will push you to make them a reality. It's not that I have anything against a vision board, but I've encountered enough times in my life when I ached for something that wasn't God's design for me that I've been hesitant to create such a board for myself. I don't want to put a bunch of time and energy into pursuing something that may not be the right thing for me.

But every day as I walk through our home, I pass by the two long metal boards I bought back when we lived in Kokomo. They hung in our office there, and I used them to organize my church projects. When we moved here, our office didn't have enough wall space to accommodate the boards, so we hung them in our entry area instead. But for all these months, they've stayed mostly empty.

I've tried to figure out what I should hang on those boards, and I thought words of encouragement might be helpful. So every time we get a sweet card in the mail, I hang it up there so I can see the words over and over. Ryan added some Bible verses. And not long ago, I added a rather unflattering photo of myself from 20 years ago - mostly because I'd dug it out of storage and didn't want to go through the hassle of putting it back.

But I've been pondering the idea of making a different kind of vision board. A collection of things that inspire me, but not driven by my own dreams. A collection driven by the things the Lord puts on my heart. It might be song lyrics or a verse. It might be a convicting quote. It might be a dream God has put on my heart. 

And then, as I walk by each day - multiple times a day - I can be reminded of my desire to please God with a faith-filled life. I can be reminded of who I am in His eyes. I can be reminded of the dreams Ryan and I dream together with the goal of serving Him well.

I'm excited to get started. We have two boards, so Ryan can even have one for himself, if he wants.

I've been slowly becoming more intentional about that particular corner of the apartment, and I think this is just the finishing touch it needs. 

And now I shall go work on my board.