I volunteer for a Lego a building hour each week with my kids for a home school co-op. A design challenge is given at the start of class and then students use their imagination and creativity to come up with their solution without any sort of plan. I am always so impressed by what they come up with!
Here’s a bridge my older boy made, It passed the “Cup Test”!
(These ones did have a plan, but I’ve got to give my 4 year-old a HUGE round of applause for following them and figuring them out on his own. And, yes. He’s smelling a plastic flower.)
As I watched my kids build I had to ask myself, what are we building? As a family? As a community? What are we investing in? What am I personally building in myself and my marriage? Am I building up my kids? Or am I tearing them down? Am I building up unrealistic expectations? Am I building unfulfilled dreams?
Or am I building great memories? Am I building beautiful goals? Am I building bridges? Am I building a legacy of faith, compassion and endurance through ALL things? We probably do some of every thing at times, but I do know that my building goes much smoother when I follow some “plans.” Inspiring articles are a life saver. Taking time to see where our family is spending its time and reevaluating how we have things structured is VERY helpful. Scriptures give me so much guidance! And there’s still plenty of improvising in the personal application of all these plans as I do my best to figure out what’s best for my family and me. But I know for sure I would be lost without them.
And even just taking time to pause and reflect on if I have an end goal in mind is helpful! Because, like the Cheshire Cat said, “If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”
I want to have a clearer vision of what I’m building and check in with my kids, spouse, self and higher power more often to see if I’m “staying on task” 😉 and working on that goal. One more silly photo from our lunch hour outside on the lawn. I would like to think that I’m building something my Heavenly Father is proud of and that’s all that matters to me.
