"The Ancient Paths" - A Lifestyle Resolution

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."

~ Jeremiah 6:16

If there was a verse to have much meaning today in our struggle for a meaningful and more abundant life, I would choose Jeremiah 6:16 as my personal and divine inspiration (a life motto-- so to speak). The stress, the hustle and bustle of it all, the flashing lights, the blinking screens, the ringers, the buzzers, the electronic notifications, the obnoxious advertisements and so forth has become overwhelming. Although much is a blessing (such as the ability to create this blog on a computer!), much of today's modern lifestyle is robbing us of the rest, peace and tranquility needed for our yearning, sensitive souls.

The more "convenient" things become, the more "complicated". We can be located in less than a minute by anyone who desires to find us. We can be interrupted in seconds from important family moments and milestones. Right when you are about to delve into the Word, the phone rings. Prosperity has come with a great price. 

When I first read the verse in Jeremiah, my heart was overflowing with joy! I was thirsting and now I was quenched... This is the path I had been desiring, the one laid before me by my Lord. It is "the old path". Some translations call it the "ancient path" which I think is beautiful. 

The "old path" can mean many things to many people. For me, it is about looking to the "slower" ways of the past while still embracing some of the modern blessings AND always with the Good Book as our guide.

I want my husband to feel safe and satisfied with me, to have the time and attention to nourish our marriage.

I want my family to feel loved, secure and settled in the sanctuary I create daily called "home". Meals will be served around the table with thanks to the Almighty before that first bite.  There will be no television blaring in the background when we break bread together in His Name.

I am not interested in the "new age" thinking but in the "old time religion", where man was concerned about his actions and honor. Where he was conscience of being a stumbling block to the weaker brethren and where the grace of God wasn't used as an excuse to sin.

I don't want to be known as the woman who always has a "blue tooth" glued to her ear, but a woman who has the time to "lend you an ear".

I don't want to live a life fighting traffic on the road. I want to live a life which creates and cultivates in the home. Where freshly baked muffins are sitting on the counter in a tidy kitchen. Where inspiring music is filling the halls of the house. Where candles are burning a sweet and natural scent while giving the rooms a gentle glow.

I want to serve my loved ones simple but freshly prepared meals that have been chopped, measured and stirred by my own hands which are free from the preservatives and additives from a man-made laboratory.

I do not want to use the chemical created body products that the stores are selling but want to spend a few moments making my own with natural, nourishing and real ingredients.

I don't mind making up my own cleaning products because I want to see rows of handcrafted jars instead of the artificial plastic bottles filled with warnings that the stores sell.

I want to learn about the delicate art of healing with herbs instead of depending on the harsh, pharmaceutical medicines with all those unsavory side affects.

I love to spend the seasons filling the pantry shelves like the pioneering women before us.

I enjoy hanging my clothes out to dry and watching the feminine clothing swirl in the breeze. I like to have lace, crocheted edging or floral embroidery on my skirts and shirts as a romantic ode to womanhood.

I don't necessarily want newer, better, brighter, and bolder. I am craving old fashioned, softer, gentler, faded but still beautiful.

Emphasis on integrity, hard working and not necessarily on quick and rich.

To this person, it is nourishing and fulfilling and most of all, it is a real life. It need not be "liked" on social media to be loved.

This is just some of what the "old paths" mean to me. What does it mean to you?

Am I creating a utopia? No, it can never be with our fallen natures. That will never exist here on this sin-filled earth. What I am hoping to do is breathe a bit of heaven into our own little home. While some are contemplating New Year's resolutions, I am contemplating a purposeful lifestyle, an ancient and old, but tried and true path...

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