My #together2014 Reflection

"Love Grows" pillow by Allison Reeves

This week I have created space to sit and ponder all that 2014 meant to our family. Since Summer 2013, Brandon and I had felt the Lord stirring our heart towards change. We knew God was nudging us to make conscious decisions to build the life He visioned for our family. In true God-time and fashion, this soul-changing process took much longer than we anticipated. By January 2014, I was praying Psalm 32 over our lives: "Lord, make us wise. Show us where to go. Guide us, watch over us!" We hunkered down, planned weekend events for the three of us, went on short trips and generally spend time together. We waited and we prayed and we talked to friends and family for discernment. With the news of our second pregnancy and many God-opened doors, we decided to rent our house and move back to James Island.

Our reasons for the move are various including being closer to church community, spending more time with my Grammie, preparing space for our transition to a family of four and freeing up some budget money to live generous lives. Our heart has been to welcome others into our home for meals and fellowship, to give and provide for others as so many have done for us. A constant prayer of mine is that August (and our subsequent children) would know that they are not the center of anything but a valuable part of the Kingdom. We want to structure our family life in a way that allows us to show our children the importance of generosity (of time, resources, passions, finances). 

In order to do this, we have downsized our home significantly. We live in the garage apartment behind my grandmother's house. Currently, this is a one-bedroom apartment but we are renovating the garage into living space. Brandon has been working every night and weekend to ensure that August will not be in our closet much longer. This move is unconventional and strange to some (downsizing space while growing a family, huh?), but it is certainly a calling from the Lord. We are equally excited and overwhelmed most of the time.

And so, my One Little Word for 2014, together, resulted in a year of wonderful Loy family adventures and culminated in a move to a one-bedroom residence back on our beloved James Island. The Lord has certainly shown us where to go and now I continue to ask that He "watch over us." 

I am still praying for my word and verse for 2015. I hope to share that soon as well. Thanks for listening and following us on this journey.