A More Beautiful Life Collective

Do you feel like you are stuck in survival mode? We want to live a beautiful life. We want to make progress on our goals. This post will talk about how we can take 12 weeks to build a more beautiful life, all for the glory of God.

S4E7 – Biblical Stewardship: What Should a Christian’s Money Goals Be? – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast

What should a Christian's financial goals actually be?Should we try to build wealth? Pay off debt? Save for the future? Give more away? And how do we pursue financial stability without allowing money to become an idol?In this episode of A More Beautiful Life Collective, we're moving from what the Bible says about money to the practical question of biblical stewardship—how we can faithfully manage the resources God has entrusted to us.We'll talk about:• What it means to view yourself as a steward of God's resources• Why Christians should know the true state of their finances• Paying down debt and reducing reliance on credit cards• Building emergency funds and saving for future expenses• Investing and preparing wisely for the future• Tithing, generosity, and supporting Kingdom work• Using financial freedom to create more flexibility in your life• Building a financial legacy that can bless future generations• Learning to hold money with open handsThe goal isn't simply to accumulate a bigger bank account.Our financial goals should reflect our values.Biblical stewardship means recognizing that everything we have ultimately comes from God—and then asking how we can use those resources wisely, generously, and purposefully.Read the full post here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/biblical-stewardship-a-christians-money-goals/ SPEND WITH PURPOSE BUDGET PLANNER:Create a budget that helps you put your money in its proper place, get control of your finances, and spend according to what matters most.https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/spend-with-purpose-budget-planner-printable-spiral-bound-money-management-system-digital-version-only/Visit our Shop to get a copy of any of the resources mentioned in this episode: I’m your host, Cayce Fletcher, and you can ​learn a little bit more about me here​. While you’re here, would you consider leaving a comment, rating, or review? You can find our podcast, ​A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast​, wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen on ​Spotify​ or ​Apple Podcasts​, or watch on ​YouTube​. Subscribe to the blog for access to our latest content and some freebies. I love creating and sharing resources with you. You can find all of our resources at ​A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop​.Keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God. 

1. S4E7 – Biblical Stewardship: What Should a Christian’s Money Goals Be? 29:24
2. S4E6 – What Does the Bible Say About Money? | 20+ Scriptures on Finances & Biblical Stewardship 34:52
3. S4E5 – What Do Jerusalem, Athens & Rome Have to Do With Your Faith? 39:20
4. S4E4 – You Don't Have to Agree With Them to Learn From Them: Why You Should Study Church History 31:10
5. S4E3 – Bible Alone? Can We Really Just Follow the Bible? 33:51

Stuck in Survival Mode

This has been a topic that I keep coming back to – again and again – over the past years. Because in my heart, I feel how it is. It’s hard when you have a baby on your hip and two young kids running circles around you. It’s hard when you have the tasks of building a business, managing a home, and somehow making the ends (that are far too short) somehow meet. 

In the middle of nursing, of rocking, of changing diapers, and folding laundry, we hope to cultivate a more beautiful life.  A life that is laced with meaning, with purpose. 

But, in the midst of tantrums, of homeschool meltdowns, and the constant mess, we throw up our hands, sit down on the couch, and do something to take our mind away. 

We scroll. 

We lament. 

We turn our eyes to anything that will distract us from the chaos of our lives. 

Nothing truly does, though. And we just resign ourselves to the ‘Maybe when’ or worse yet, ‘If only.’ 

We keep ourselves stuck looking forward and back and refusing to focus on the one place that actually makes a difference: The present. 

What a perfect name for this middling space, because it truly is a gift. It is a gift to experience the moments that are filled with giggles and snuggles. With the warm smell of delicious bread baking in the oven. With the splash of water in a pool on a hot summer day. With the sound of the perfect harmonies sung by a crowd, eyes closed in a church. 

Life is meant to be savored. To be enjoyed. To be delighted in. 

These things are all the good gifts of Go,- who gives generously to all without finding fault. 

But are we too distracted by the chaos of life to truly enjoy the good gifts we are given? 

When I first decided to homeschool my kids and started brainstorming the life I wanted with them at home, I read all the books and listened to all the podcasts. I developed a deep vision for what I wanted my home, my family, my children’s education, and my habits to be. 

But then I had one child, and another, and another. 

And, most of my ideals went up in smoke. 

I still hold these values dear, but I find myself overwhelmed at the prospect of actually setting out to do them when I am only just leaving a hard season of survival. We have to give ourselves grace in the moments of distress. We can’t stay in those moments, though. If we do, time will slip through our fingers, and we’ll look up 10 years later, wondering where it all went. 

If you’ve been living in survival mode, this is your day to start setting things back on track. It is time to move forward confidently in the direction of your dreams. It is the moment to cast aside all that hinders you and press on – fervently – towards your one true hope and goal. 

Related: Becoming the Woman that You Want to Be

What is a Beautiful Life

We live our lives for the glory of God. When we are living in survival mode, we can lose sight of what we are really here for. I heard someone say something this week that was very profound: Overcoming isn’t just about withstanding. Overcoming is about progress despite opposition. Satan’s real goal is to steal your fruit. 

I’ve felt this acutely over the past several months. I’ve been stuck in survival mode. That survival mode steals my progress and steals my joy. I look at the sum of my life, and the breath is taken out of me: Is this really a more beautiful life? 

The data doesn’t lie. On the surface, it wouldn’t seem beautiful. It’s not luxurious. It’s not aesthetic. It’s not easy. It’s not delightful. So the real question is: Can it still be beautiful? 

A truly beautiful life is more than just the design trends we include in our house – and whether or not we have cut flowers on the counter. It is a life built with substance, with purpose, with hope, and with faith. A life infused with the good, true, and beautiful. A life built on deep and rich love. 

A life like this can’t be bought. It is not found on an influencer list. It must be built. Curated year after year through experiences, artifacts, and invaluable lessons. 

When we look at what makes a beautiful life, it is both intentionally made and gratefully accepted as a gift from our good God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. 

We have to find the balance between muscling our way to what is good, true, and beautiful and simply waiting for someone or something to show up and fix our bad habits. 

In the story of Nehemiah, he both prays and practically sets up guards around the wall so that he would have protection from his enemies. We have to regularly practice both prayer and practical action as we follow the great and narrow way. 

So, when we want to get out of survival mode, what can we do? We set up a plan, and we follow it. Here’s my plan to get out of survival mode and move towards flourishing. 

Related: A Life You Actually Want to Live (and how to start today)

12 weeks to A More Beautiful Life 

1. PLAN – Begin your day with a Morning Plan
   • Go Further: Develop a Morning Routine
2. MOVE – Move by 3 pm.
   • Go Further: Practice Progressive Strength Training
3. SLEEP – Wash your face by 9:30 pm each night.
   • Go Further: Practice an Evening Examen. 
4. HOME – Close your kitchen each night after dinner.
   • Go Further: Have a regular family meal time. (3 times a week is a habit.) 
5. ACT – Batch your tasks. Set a timer for daunting tasks.
   • Go Further: Do a Time Audit
6. GOALS – Plan your goals in quarters.
   • Go Further: What is your Big Hairy Audacious Goal? 
7. WORK – Include a Power Hour in your day to make progress on your goals.
   • Go Further: Set up a Trello Board to track your incoming, this week, in progress, waiting on, and completed tasks. (The Kaizen method) 
8. MONEY – Take one hour a week to review your finances, do your budget, and reach your financial goals.
   • Go Further: Create bank account buckets to help budgeting be a breeze. 
9. READ – Read 10 pages a day.
   • Go Further: Create a 40 before 40 list. 
10. HOBBIES – Cultivate 5 hobbies that everyone should have.
    • Go Further: Take one night for yourself each week. 
11. HOSPITALITY – Invite someone into your home (or life) each week.
    • Go Further: Make a dream home list. 
12. MEMORIES – Go on one big adventure and one little adventure each week.
    • Go Further: Make a 100 dreams list. 

Over the next 12 weeks, I’m going to be working on incorporating these habits into my everyday life to get out of survival mode, make healthier decisions, and cultivate joy. Come along on the journey and make a more beautiful life with me.