{Storyline} People over projects

I'm an extrovert who loves projects. 

Perhaps that's a contradiction. But it's true.

I'm working through Donald Miller's "Storyline: Finding Your Subplot in God's Story" with some friends online. The most recent exercise from that book involved creating a timeline of the positive and negative turns I listed. I wasn't sure what this would reveal about my life's theme, but one thing quickly surfaced.

Relationships. 

I realize that's not deep. But people have mattered in my story.

God has used relationships {both good and bad} to draw me to him and change me. From my parents to my marriage to various friendships throughout the years to my kids, these relationships have sustained me, drained me, refocused me, shaped me, and changed me. I've seen God's grace, faithfulness, provision and conviction through people through my life.

Being a mom has changed me and shaped my faith in more ways than any other relationship I've had. This surprises me sometimes, but then I remember adopting Cate and Ben have been God's greatest displays of His faithfulness. Some of my hardest and best moments have come because I'm a mom, their mom. So, of course, that's where I see God.

It's ironic relationships surfaced as a theme for me because so often (perhaps too often) I see myself as a task-oriented person. I thrive on conquering a to-do list or finishing a project. I often have multiple projects going on at the same time. But those aren't the things that made my timeline.

The day I ran 15 errands in three hours doesn't matter. The time I scrubbed the bathroom floor doesn't change lives. A clean house is pointless if everyone inside it feels pushed aside. God certainly gave me perspective during this exercise.

It's a perspective that boils down to people over projects. And, you know, sometimes I have to remember, people aren't projects. I can't set out to perfect my kids' behavior because their hearts are what actually matter. Even when a dear friend is struggling in her marriage, I have to trust God to heal those two hearts in his time. My husband needs grace when he walks in the door from work and I'm frustrated about what's been happening in the hour before.

Here's to loosening my grip on my to-do lists so I can truly see the people near me. I'm certain I'll see God there too. 

Have you noticed a theme in your life? I'd love to hear about it in a linked up post or in the comments below. You don't have to have read "Storyline" to join the conversation.
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This is the third post in a 10-week series as I work through "Storyline" by Donald Miller with some friends. Read other posts in the series here. Next Tuesday we'll be talking about how God redeems. 

I'm joining Jen Ferguson's Soli Deo Gloria party, Jennifer Dukes Lee's #TellHisStory, and Beth Stiff's Three Word Wednesday with this post because those ladies have taught me a thing or two about why people matter. 

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