Thank you, Little Lunch Maker, for sponsoring this post, part of the 2017 Shop Small Holiday series. I was selected for this opportunity by Little Lunch Maker; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Who does not just love some new decor!? As we are finished up Ollie's playroom these past few months, I stumbled upon this print from Little Lunch Maker and have not hardly been able to wait to show it to you!! The story behind this piece of art is perfect for our home...
The Story Behind the Art (taken from Little Lunch Maker):
I have a WILD child.
Several, actually... but one in particular has wild pumping through her veins to a beat that is other-worldly.
From infancy she has been fierce and fearless -- a tornado wearing a tutu. I promise you, we thought the movie The Croods crafted their little cave-baby character after her.
She tries to free-climb pillars in grocery stores. The only volume she has is roar.
Here eyes light up with excitement at deep water, fast rides, ridiculous heights, and unknown creatures and experiences.
She is wildly beautiful. And daily reminds me of this side of Jesus that I've forgotten because I live such a padded, air-conditioned life.
He is the Creator of lots of wild. He loves and values wild. He is wild.
Wild is wonderful -- and so welcome here.
Goodness, how perfect is that!? I remember thinking about Ollie before he was hear and what was I going to do with a little wild boy. One that plays in the mud, runs around with balls of energy, giggling and playing. What was I going to do? But this story behind this art is perfect. Jesus is the Creator of lots of wild. He loves and values wild. He is wild. Wild is wonderful.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds... And God saw that it was good."
― Genesis 1:25"Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed."
― Revelation 5:5“He'll be coming and going" he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down--and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Paired with her magnetic wooden frames! Perfection! I honestly cannot tell you how I love each piece separately and even more together.
Here is a little bit more about Elise, the owner of Little Lunch Maker:
How did you get your shop started?
My father-in-law has severe Alzheimer's disease. He's been declining for about 10 years. In the winter of 2014 there was a significant downturn in his dementia. After much prayer, planning, and life-rearranging my husband, Jason, quit his full-time job to care for his dad to enable him to remain in his home.
Jason calls this time with his dad a gift, and "a long goodbye".
One of the gifts from this time was the need to feed our family of 7 and meet our bills. This need was the push I needed to pray fervently about how I could help support my husband, and the rest of my family during this time.
The Little Lunch Maker shop is the outworking of those prayers.
What is the hardest part of owning a shop?
Remembering that true success is obedience to God. Obedience = Success. And that success won't always look like the result I think I want and need.
It's easy for me to prioritize specific, outward results and appearances - which need attention and intentionality, and it's definitely necessary to have plans and goals. But. And this is a big "but".
Like in every other area of life, God wants to grant me the greatest success. Greater than anything I can hope for, plan for, or imagine. He wants me to be the best steward of owning this shop that I can possibly be. And realistically speaking? That's going to taking some deep character work. That's the rub. That's the hardest part. The character work God is doing in this never-ending journey of stewardship and co-creating with Him.
Sometimes that looks like growing in patience while learning some technical aspect that makes my eye twitch with frustration. Sometimes that looks like intentionality and accountability with my finances and the back-end-numbers-side of the business... which is my least favorite part of owning a shop at this point. Sometimes that looks like learning to rest, instead of giving into the desire to quit altogether.
Whatever is the hardest for me is always about some character trait God is building into me.
What is one thing unique about you?
I view everything through the lens of life being an unfolding of His story (or I try to keep this perspective!). When God is the Main Character in the story of life, and not me or my loved ones, everything shifts in a good way.
This is why my art has "The Story Behind the Art". Because each piece is only a tiny bit of the bigger story we always need to remember: He loves us, and the story isn't over yet! The Best is still coming our way. I hope the Story Behind the Art always lifts our eyes back to Him.
What is the best part of owning a shop?
Being able to work from home, doing something I L O V E that encourages people to remember who God is, and how loved they are by Him.
How did you get your shop name?
I was reading about the story of the the five loaves and two fish that Jesus broke and gave to satisfy and nourish thousands of people. I'd read the story many times, but this day it hit me in a fresh way -- someone made that little lunch.
It was just ordinary faithfulness for them, you know? A daily act. A small act. A consumable act. They had no idea at the time what their hands had made would end up in the hands of The Maker of the heavens and the earth.
And I was encouraged. I could do that. I could bring my smallness to Him -- even if my offering was laughably minuscule in the face of all the need and lack.
Because in the hands of God? Ordinary faithfulness is the stuff of miracles.
We are all "little lunch makers". And I believe if we offer our all to Him - we will see the glory of God and experience the joy that comes with co-laboring with Him.
What is one way that you keep organized?
I am loving the workbook from Emily Ley's Masterclass - The Well-Loved Brand. It helps keep so many aspects of my business organized!
How do you balance family life and work life?
Lots of prayer, planning, and outside help!
I pay one of my sisters to watch my kiddos from 8am-12noon 4 days a week. My husband watches our 6-month-old for a couple of hours after the kids are in bed each night so I can work. The hours before and after and in-between are for meal-making, homeschooling, house cleaning, taking care of my father-in-law, and kissing my baby's chubby cheeks.
My 11-year-old daughter (who wants to be an American missionary/teacher someday) helps a TON with homeschooling my 7 and 4-year-old daughters. My mom and several sisters (I have 5 sisters) volunteer for childcare for one 4-hr time block each month.
