The Contentment Challenge 2017

In 2014, during my first full year in business, I took part in the Contentment Challenge.

I was first introduced to the idea of the challenge in April of 2013 by Nancy Ray (you can read her blog post here). It took me 9 months to decide that I would actually do the Contentment Challenge. As soon as I read her post, I knew I needed to. I knew it would rock my world & change me for the better. But I was afraid.

We let fear tell us so much, don’t we? It dictates what we do – and what we don’t do.

I participated in the challenge for the first 3 months of 2014 & it was just as mind-blowing & heart-changing as I thought it would be (you can read my full story here!). It’s been on my heart to do it again. And to go deeper & bigger than ever before.

My word of 2017 is Wait. I began praying about it over Thanksgiving, and it fits so perfectly. After a few weeks, I’m ready to say it aloud & own that word for 2017. I was planning to right a full post explaining why, but for the sake of this post here’s the short version:

Matt and I are being called to wait on starting a family. After 2 miscarriages in 5 months (the second so recent, so fresh, I haven’t been able to share it in it’s entirety like I did our first), we know we need to step back. We need to heal – as best we can. We don’t qualify for testing yet, and that big “yet” has seemed to hover over & suffocate me. I don’t want “yet”. I hate “yet”. But yet, here we are.

I also feel a need to sit & wait in my business. Coming from someone who has always acted on “go big or go home”, this newfound calling to sit & be is terrifying. But I feel an urgency to STOP moving. STOP rushing. Enjoy. Soak in. Make intentional, impactful decisions that will shake my business in the best way. The tortoise & the hare? The tortoise “wins” every time. Slow & steady. Waiting.

After allowing the word wait to wash over me I realized that in order to wait in 2017, I have to be Content. I’m longing so desperately, friends. Longing for a healthy pregnancy. Longing for financial freedom. Longing for vision & direction with my company. Longing to actually see & hold & touch one of our precious babies. Longing. Waiting. Hoping. And while those things are not bad things to long for or hope for, my ultimate longing needs to be Jesus.

I don’t understand why so many terrible things happened in 2016. But I know He’s Good. He’s Faithful when I am Faithless; Hopeful when I am Hopeless. And true contentment will only come from Him. In order to wait, I need to be content IN the wait. Hence my need to jump feet-first in this challenge again.

I will be kicking things off January 1. No better time, right? I plan to enter into a 6 month journey – twice as long as my 2014 experience. I’m setting guidelines, making necessary purchases & getting my heart ready for this massive life-change. I want to encourage anyone out there who is feeling the same pull to pray over it & if you feel led – join me.

I’ll be posting my own guidelines next week, and ways I am preparing prior to January 1. I also plan to blog the journey once per month to not only hold myself accountable, but also document the journey. (I loved following Rhiannon’s Year of Content in 2015 & was so inspired by her transparency).

Here goes nothing – Here’s to waiting, hoping & longing. Here’s to being content in the journey, no matter what comes.

Be strong, take heart & wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

For I have learned in whatever situation, I am to be content. – Philippians 4:11 

xo! kat