A slow lifestyle and the gift of availability

Her hands grip the steering wheel, and she blinks back tears as she glances in the rearview mirror at her kids. Always on the run, never taking a breath, she sighs. Fatigued, overwhelmed, she keeps pressing on…thinking this is just the way it is supposed to be. She imagined her life differently, where she was made for more than feeling trapped in someone else’s story for her.

Does this feel like you sometimes? You might be living outside your natural abilities, trying to be all things to all people. Instead, there is value in learning about the easiest way to make a difference…just being you.

There is a major uptick in people being fascinated with their Enneagram results, what Meyer’s Briggs reveals, and Spiritual Gifts testing. These tests are fun because they teach us more about who we are, and there are no wrong answers.

(take the Meyers Briggs free personality test here)

However, we don’t require a test to know what some of our gifts are. Think about what you naturally enjoy. The things that keep you awake at night. The traits that people point out where they celebrate something about you.

Those are clues to the gifts that only require purposeful offerings. They don’t necessarily drain us (ex. can you make 100 cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale? ugh), but instead ignite a deep sense of contentment.

To use our gifts in a natural way ushers in a soul-satisfying connection with who we are created to be!

Living a slower life

As a mother, a wife, a friend, a homeschooling mama, a ministry host— the pressure to be busy was intense. It sucked the life out of me, because I am not designed…and don’t think most of us are…to be constantly on the run.

There are seasons that require “more” from us. That isn’t what I am talking about…

I reject the idea that we must align with the world’s sense of busy-ness to hold value! Instead, I celebrate a different kind of presence…the gift of availability.

There was a TON of pushback from people in my world as I began to intentionally slow down. Say no to more things. To disappoint people who wanted more than I could give. Yet, I knew I was on to something important.

We are designed to do certain things well that contribute to the greater whole of God’s work. This can take a ton of different forms, and I want to encourage you that

IF you don’t see YOUR particular passion or skill listed on a test?

Perhaps you are looking for too narrow of a specific in a broad scope of suggestions.

How slow living offers a helping hand

Slow living is good for using our gifts without burnout.

Let me give you an example- when I take a Spiritual Gifts test, my top scores are tied for Mercy & Exhortation. Next, is Hospitality. If I take Meyer’s Briggs, I am usually an INFP. Enneagrams test ties me up as a Helper & Enthusiast.

All of these useful tools help me understand the broad range of who I am designed to be.

When we take those tests, that is what they are for… to give us thought-provoking ideas on the “hows” of living them out. To help us understand the “whys” behind our behavior or character traits.

Beyond those test results? I’m created to have the Gift of Availability. A person that can’t risk being too busy, because they will miss the opportunity to be present.

Availability: time, possibility, connection, opportunity, occasion

Slow lifestyle boundaries

Designing a slower life helps me center my life towards an intentional, but simple, ministry mindset. Margin allows a cushion of time without claim.

I want to be available more often to see people. To hear their hearts. To have time to make a dinner if needed. To help with my hands without planning. To love on people in the moment.

When I am too busy to do that? I am frustrated, grumpy, and discontent.

My lifestyle reflects a purposeful desire to be free to “be” in the moment with people. In fact, I even try to remind myself that my chronic health challenges may keep me from doing “more” things I really want to…but also, keep me remembering my true desire.

The wonderful thing about this particular gift? We can all participate in it’s offering to others.

Just the simple outreach to someone that says, “Hey, I see you today. Can I help?” makes more difference to people that we might ever know.

Peace is a side effect of slow living

I want to be about the business of living out the gift of availability.

Do I get it right? Nope. Not always. And either will you, once you recognize your true gifts. That is okay my friends, we are all in progress. Even our gifts require imperfection as we learn to utilize them.

Your turn- what are your specific passions and gifts? Remember, if you feel like your activities are burdensome on a consistent level…maybe it is time to reconsider what takes up your time. I know what it is like to be a busy mama, or active in ministry, or working from home etc.

We still need to live out our regular lives… but maybe you too need to step back into reducing your life into simpler forms.

Peace can be found in the slow, small moments that make up our amazing lives. Don’t ever feel the pressure to discount the persistent whisper that it is time to do less.

Interested in more slow living ideas? Check out Field & Nest… a wonderful beginners primer!

5-minute availability ideas

This week, keep an ear open to hear people’s barely whispered needs. An eye to see the unspoken challenges.

Here are 5 super simple ideas anyone can do!

Send a quick card of encouragement
Drop flowers on a doorstep
Divide dinner in half and share
Order a meal to be delivered via a service or through Amazon
Ask the person working at each errand stop how their day is going and make eye contact (this one has been amazingly powerful)
Invite someone to share a cup of tea
Look for clues in a friend’s life and ask how you can help, but be specific. Offering a meal, babysitting, a listening ear. Too general, and they’ll usually politely decline