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Women of Intention Week Fifteen: Biblical Womanhood

Women of Intention, FaithAmanda Walter | Maple Alps3 Comments

Welcome to week fifteen of the series, Women of Intention! This is our final post and I'm so glad you've come along as we interview Women of Intention! For more information, and a list of topics, visit our introduction post HERE. 

Women of Intention week fifteen: biblical womanhood and intentionality | www.maplealps.com

THIS WEEK'S INTENTIONAL WOMAN:

women of intention aiane karla | www.maplealps.com

Today, we are going to meet Aiane of Aiane Karla; a blog that inspires the intentional life. Today, she will be talking about Biblical womanhood and intentionality.

This is the very last (but not least!) interview in the Women of Intention series, and I really think it just puts the cherry right on top of the cake. I am thrilled to share this with you today!

After reading this post, be sure to check out Aiane's beautiful blog and share this post :)

Find Aiane on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Tell us a bit about yourself: What are your passions, work and interests?

Hi! I’m Aiane Karla, a grateful wife, homemaker, prayer warrior, songwriter, and blogger. Most days, I teach piano and help children discover their God-given musical talents. On other days, I design intentional brands for bloggers, creatives, and entrepreneurs. On my blog at aianekarla.com, I share healthy plant-based recipes, as well as tips and resources to inspire women to discover the joy of intentional and Biblical womanhood.

 

I love how you talk about intentionality and biblical womanhood on your blog. Could you briefly tell us what your views are on this and how it translates into how you live?

As a Christian, I’ve learned that intentionality is impossible without guidance from the inspired Word of God. I’ve also realized that Biblical womanhood requires prayerful intentionality. Without it, my relationship with God becomes an afterthought, rather than a priority. Living God’s way requires conscious effort. It’s not always easy, but God equips and helps those who pray for strength.

My greatest desire is to glorify God in everything I do. This means God and His Word must come first, so I may be a reflection of His love and character.

 Here are some intentions I focus on:

-    Keeping God’s Word as the compass for my life and marriage

-    Making time to actively serve God in my church

-    Seeking ways to affirm my husband and praying for God’s will to be done in his life

-    Establishing boundaries to protect my time with loved ones

-    Seeking God’s guidance in my role as a homemaker 

What is the hardest part of living up to the standard of Biblical Womanhood? The easiest?

The hardest part of living up to the standard of Biblical womanhood is maintaining an attitude of complete surrender. As a detail-oriented perfectionist, I have a tendency to want to fix everything and be in control. I’m guilty of worrying more than I trust, and I struggle with staying out of God’s way so His will may be done in my life.

The easiest part is knowing that when I live up to God’s standard of womanhood, I experience genuine peace and contentment. There’s no room for others’ expectations of who I should be or what I should do. It’s just me, God, and His Word. 

 

How else does intentional living affect your lifestyle?

I have been inspired to genuinely study the Bible, which is God’s perfect manual on intentional living. It has propelled me toward Christ-centered and prayer-filled relationships, and has given me a desire to serve God in ministry, both personally and together with my husband.

 At home, we use natural remedies and a plant-based diet to heal and prevent sickness. It may not be the fastest method, but it has long-lasting results. Our decision was inspired by the following verses:

 “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” – Genesis 1:29

“He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.” – Psalm 104:14

God has convicted and led us to take proactive steps to guard the avenues of our hearts, which means eliminating any form of entertainment or activity that does not glorify Him. The entertainment industry shows us counterfeit versions of love, respect and purity. Letting go of secular entertainment has allowed us to stay tuned to God’s Word, and it has also deepened our desire to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

What would you say to encourage someone who is struggling in this area of their life?

Surrender. Completely and wholeheartedly surrender your hurts, worries, doubts, burdens, pain, insecurities, weaknesses and fears to God. God yearns for us to take Him at His word.

Develop an attitude of prayer and commit to praying through the Bible. Ask God to help you through your struggles by claiming His Promises. When discouragement comes, pray. When you’re tempted to fight on your own, pray. When you would rather be selfish instead of selfless, pray. When it seems like all hope is gone, pray. When you don’t feel like praying, pray. And especially in your rejoicing, pray. Prayer is to our souls what air is to our lungs. Make it a habit and a life discipline to communion with God. You will never regret it!

“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What about you? Were you inspired by this post on intentionality? This series? Why don't you tell me about it in the comments, and connect with me on social media?

(Don't forget to use the hashtag #WomenOfIntention16 so no one misses it!)

 

Women of Intention Week Five: Motherhood

Women of IntentionAmanda Walter | Maple Alps4 Comments

Welcome to another week (week five) of the series, Women of Intention! Maple Alps is featuring a woman who will talk about intentionality in specific areas in her life over the next fifteen weeks. So glad you've decided to stop by! For more information, and a list of topics, visit our introduction post HERE. 

#WomenOfIntention16 Women of Intention Week Five: Motherhood and Intentionality
Gina Poirier

This week's Intentional Woman:

Today, we are going to hear from Gina of Holding the Distaff. 

I enjoyed getting to know Gina, and hearing all about her adventures in motherhood and the passion she has for homeschooling her children and teaching them important life values and lessons. I'm certain you will enjoy getting to know her too!

Once you're done reading, be sure to not only check out her blog, Holding the Distaff, but also share your thoughts (and if you want, the post too!).

Find Gina on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Tell us a bit about yourself: What are your passions, work and interests?

I'm a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom of three kids, ages 3, 5 and 6 ½. I wear many hats: managing our home, writing and editing, homeschooling and being involved in our church and community.

I'm most passionate about helping the people in my life find purpose and meaning—hence my blog's tagline, "inspiration in the everyday." There are a lot of practical ways I do this, including writing, volunteering, having people in our home, or just enjoying deep conversations over coffee.

 

How do you practice intentionality in your life as a mother?

It's funny you use the word "intentionality" because up until a few years ago I would have had no idea what that meant. But being a mother has forced me to think about the concept frequently. Am I just coasting along this parenting journey, hoping everything turns out okay (Okay, yes sometimes!)? Or do I plan our days thoughtfully and parent with purpose? I think we'd all like to practice the latter.

One challenging decision I wrestled with recently as a mother was whether we should homeschool. My husband was homeschooled from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and when I met him I didn't even know that was a thing. Frankly, it seemed weird. But over the years he convinced me to give it a shot. And now, two years into it, we love it. It helps me to be intentional because I have so many opportunities to spend quality time with my kids. We have great conversations, explore together and simply enjoy the act of learning. It's a natural extension of my parenting.

I'll add that being intentional as a parent doesn't mean you have to plan out every waking hour with meaningful life lessons. It does mean you have an end-goal in mind when you're living out your life day to day. I want my kids to love God, to be compassionate, to be responsible stewards, and to pursue their passions whole-heartedly. Homeschooling gives us a lot of opportunity to explore these things.

 

What is the hardest part of being a mother? The easiest? The most rewarding?

The hardest part (and probably every mom will tell you this) is that you never get time off. Even when I get that sacred hour or two away apart from them, I'm thinking about those rascals. Your body, mind and soul permanently belong to these other little beings.

The easiest part is loving up on them. I'm not a very physically affectionate person, but for the most part I could snuggle with my babies for hours (except when they're squirmy and it's 3 a.m.). 

The most rewarding part is watching in awe as these little people grow and blossom into big people. They are each so uniquely beautiful in multiple ways, and I marvel at them daily. 

 
 

How would you say intentionality as a mother has affected other areas of your life?

Intentionality in motherhood has helped me see that the little moments count. It might not seem like I'm doing much when I spend my days changing diapers and wiping noses, but then I blink and my babies are growing into incredible little people and thriving. I realize that all those seemingly insignificant moments are quite powerful when added together. The same applies to my marriage, my relationships and my work. If I can just keep working at the little things, I will eventually see big changes.

 

What would you say to encourage a mother who is struggling with intentionality in this area of her life?

Several things. First, take some time and think about what your end goals are with your parenting. What kinds of people do you want your children to be? A lot of Christians say they just want their kids to be faithful—but what does a faithful life look like? Think about this, pray about it and write it down.

Second, remember that we all have days when we feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water, especially when we have little babies. We can't find matching socks let alone try to have some sort of vision for our parenting. Don't worry, those days will pass. But if you're past the baby stage and you're still struggling, ask yourself if you have enough breathing room in your schedule. Do you have downtime with your kids, opportunities to have great conversations? Those are the times when the rubber hits the road in your parenting. Sometimes they're planned, but more often they're not. Make space to just be with your kids.

 
 

Lastly, just rely on God's word, the Bible, and pray for and with your kids daily. I think of Deuteronomy 6:4–9, which paints a picture of how a family that follows God is constantly saturated in his commandments. If you want to raise kids to be lifelong believers, you have to model what that looks like. Start with your own faith walk, and then share it with them. Are siblings arguing—or are you arguing? Talk about what Jesus said about serving one another in John 13:1–17. Have them pray for each other. Are they having bad attitudes about doing chores? Talk about what Jesus said about "going the extra mile" in Matthew 5:41. These truths in scripture are more powerful than any clever thoughts we can pull together on our own. The more we lean on God, the more natural it is to be intentional.

What about you? Are you a mother intentional about motherhood? Why don't you tell us about it in the comments, and connect with us on social media?

(Don't forget to use the hashtag #WomenOfIntention16 so no one misses it!)

 

Women of Intention

Women of IntentionAmanda Walter | Maple Alps14 Comments

I am so excited to introduce you to the new series, "Women of Intention!" Maple Alps is a faith-based lifestyle blog focused on living intentionally, simply and content. The goal is to present these principles to our readers in a practical way. 

Over the next fifteen weeks (check every Monday morning!), Maple Alps will feature a woman who will talk about intentionality in specific areas in her life. These areas will include faith, relationships, lifestyle, finances and health (scroll to the bottom to see a complete list).

It has been so exciting getting to know the amazing women being interviewed, and I hope you will be as inspired and motivated by their stories and insights as I have been.

We want to grow the community of intentionality. Please feel free to add and share throughout the next fifteen weeks as we explore the topics being discussed. You can do this through commenting on the interview posts, or engaging and sharing via social media - commenting or posting! We would love to see how you're finding intentionality in your lives. Go ahead and use the hashtag #WomenOfIntention16 on your tweets or posts to make sure everyone sees it and can be inspired too :)

Women of Intention #WomenOfIntention16

Keep up with the posts every Monday morning, or keep checking back to this post, where I will list the links are they are posted. Please note, that order of topics is subject to change.

Are you practicing intentionality in your life, or striving for it? Were you especially inspired a featured blogger? Are you excited for this series? Why don't you tell us and everyone you know about it? There are likely many readers who share the same thoughts.

Tweet about it, post on Instagram or Facebook - wherever you want - and use the hashtag #WomenOfIntention16 to interact with the small community of like-minded readers! I know that everyone involved would love to hear from you!