Learning to live intentionally, steward what we've been given, and make room for what matters.
Have you ever been so busy trying to build a better life that you haven't stopped long enough to enjoy the one you already have?
I've been thinking about that a lot lately.
We spend so much of our lives working, taking care of responsibilities, paying bills, planning for the future, and trying to get ahead. And before we know it, another week, another month, or even another year has passed.
I don't think most of us intentionally set out to live that way.
We just get busy doing what needs to be done.
And somewhere along the way, it's easy to start living on autopilot instead of paying attention to how we're actually spending our days.
That's why I've become so interested in the idea of intentional living.
Not because I want a perfectly organized home, a beautiful morning routine, or a life that looks a certain way on social media.
But because I want to be more thoughtful about the choices I'm making, the things I'm giving my time to, and whether those things reflect what matters most to me.
And more importantly, whether I'm being faithful with the life God has already given me.
When Being Busy Becomes a Way of Life
For years, several people in my family have been telling me I need to slow down. And I know they were saying it because they cared about me. But when you're used to working, taking care of everything, and always thinking about what needs to be done next, slowing down doesn't come naturally.
There's always something else that feels important. Looking back, I wonder how many times I was so busy trying to get everything done that I wasn't paying attention to what the people closest to me were trying to tell me.
Wayne and I have spent years building our small business. For a long time, we thought growing meant doing more. More trucks, more employees, more contracts, more responsibilities.
And we worked hard at it.
But after years of long days, we found ourselves exhausted, financially struggling, and wondering how we'd gotten so far away from the life we'd originally wanted to build.
We had a home, a little piece of acreage, a family, and a business we'd spent years working on.
But we were so busy keeping everything going that we weren't making much time to enjoy any of it. Somewhere along the way, all that growing became more than we could comfortably carry.
We were getting dangerously close to losing almost everything we'd worked so hard for. Our business, our home, and even our marriage were feeling the weight of it.
Eventually, I reached a point where I finally surrendered our business to God. I was prepared for Him to lead us in an entirely different direction, even if that meant to close the business, move, or start over. But the first thing I felt led to do was simplify. Go back to what had worked before. Get back in the truck running with Wayne. And begin appreciating the life we'd already spent so many years building.
I didn't realize then that slowing down and simplifying would also open the door to something new.
And that began changing the way I thought about more than just our business.
I started questioning how we were spending our time, what we were working toward, and whether the things we'd always believed were important still made sense for this season of our lives.
I still want to work hard and build something meaningful. I just don't want to spend the rest of my life so busy building it that I forget to live it.
What Does Intentional Living Look Like in Real Life?
To me, intentional living means making thoughtful choices about how we spend our time, energy, and resources instead of simply reacting to whatever comes next.
And I don't think it has to look the same for everyone.
For one person, it might mean being more present with their children. For another, it might mean getting their finances in order, taking better care of their health, spending more time outdoors, or learning to set boundaries around work.
For us, it means learning how to run our business differently, enjoy our acreage, spend more time together, and find ways to use what we've learned to help other people.
It doesn't mean every day will be productive or peaceful.
There will still be bills, responsibilities, unexpected problems, and days when nothing goes according to plan.
But I think we can learn to approach those ordinary days with more purpose.
Instead of constantly asking what else we need to accomplish, maybe we can begin asking whether the things we're doing are actually helping us live according to what matters most.
Getting Clear About What Matters
I think one of the first steps toward living more intentionally is figuring out what we really value.
Not necessarily what the world tells us we should want.
Not what somebody else is doing or building.
But what matters to us, and what we believe God has entrusted to our care.
For me, that's my faith, my marriage, our family, our health, our home, and the work we've been given to do.
I want our business to support those things, not continually take us away from them.
And as we get older, I'm realizing that time is something we can't keep putting off until later.
There will always be another project, another bill, another opportunity, or another reason to stay busy.
But the people we love and the ordinary moments we get to share with them matter, too.
I don't want to look back and realize I spent all my time preparing for a life I never made time to enjoy.
Turning Good Intentions Into Everyday Choices
This is the part I'm still working on.
It's one thing to say I want a simpler, more intentional life.
It's another thing to make the everyday decisions that support it.
I can spend an entire day working on our website, researching something, or trying to get everything organized just right.
And sometimes, when I look back, I realize I've spent more time preparing to do something than actually doing it.
I call that moving the furniture around the house. Eventually, I have to remind myself to stop moving the furniture and start living in the room.
And I think that applies to more than just my work.
If I say my health matters, I need to make time to care for it.
If I say my marriage matters, I need to make time for Wayne.
If I say I want to enjoy our acreage, I need to get outside and enjoy it instead of always thinking about everything that still needs to be done.
And if I say I want God to lead our lives and business, I need to make room for prayer, Scripture, and listening instead of trying to figure everything out on my own.
It's those ordinary choices, repeated over time, that begin shaping the life we're actually living.
Being Faithful With What We've Been Given
Something else I've been thinking about is stewardship.
We often associate stewardship with money, but I believe it reaches into so many parts of our lives.
Our time, abilities, relationships, health, work, and opportunities to serve others.
In 1 Peter 4:10, Scripture reminds us to use the gifts we've received to serve others, faithfully stewarding God's grace.
I like that reminder because our gifts and responsibilities don't all look alike.
Some people teach, write, build, repair, organize, encourage, or care for others.
Sometimes helping someone means doing something as simple as listening, explaining something clearly, or sharing a lesson we've learned the hard way.
For Wayne, that might mean using his experience to help someone through the work he does every day.
For me, in this season, it may mean writing, sharing what we've learned, and creating resources that could help someone else.
I don't think we all have to be doing something big or impressive to be living with purpose.
Sometimes it's about being faithful with what's already in front of us.
Learning to Be Present in the Life We Have
One thing I especially want to get better at is appreciating the ordinary moments.
Walking outside in the morning. Watching the dogs. Spending time with Wayne. Enjoying a quiet evening around our acreage.
Those things might not look like much from the outside, but they're part of the life we've worked so hard for.
And I don't want to miss them because my mind is always somewhere else.
I'm learning that being present doesn't mean ignoring the future or giving up on goals.
It means remembering that today matters, too.
Psalm 119:105 (NIV) says:
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
That verse has become especially meaningful to me during this season.
This verse has meant so much to me that we included it on our Light to My Path mug in the Axles & Acres Collection. A little reminder to trust God with the next step, even when we can't see the whole journey.
View the Light to My Path Mug →
For a long time, I wanted to know exactly where we were headed and how everything was going to work out.
But I've come to appreciate that sometimes God gives us enough light for the next step, not the whole journey.
And perhaps living intentionally means paying attention to that next step instead of becoming so overwhelmed by everything we can't see yet.
A Few Small Ways to Begin
I don't believe we have to completely change our lives overnight to begin living more intentionally.
Sometimes we just need to slow down long enough to notice what's happening.
Here are a few questions I'm trying to ask myself more often.
What matters most in this season of my life?
Our priorities may change as we get older, our families grow, or our responsibilities shift. It's worth taking time to think about what matters right now.
Does the way I'm spending my time reflect those priorities?
Not every responsibility is enjoyable, and some things simply have to be done. But are there areas where we're giving too much time to things that aren't serving us or the people who depend on us?
What small change could make an ordinary day better?
Maybe it's starting the morning with prayer instead of immediately reaching for the phone. Taking a walk, preparing a meal, setting a stopping time for work, or spending a little uninterrupted time with someone you love.
Am I making room to notice what God is doing in my life?
Sometimes we're so busy trying to get to the next thing that we don't stop long enough to pray, read Scripture, or consider whether we're headed in the right direction.
We may not be able to change every circumstance, but we can begin making more thoughtful choices within the life we have.
Here's How We're Trying to Live
We're still figuring this out.
We're still running Durrett Recovery, building Axles & Acres, paying bills, and learning how to balance work with the rest of our lives.
Some days we do better than others.
I still overthink things, spend too much time on the computer, and get caught up in everything I think needs to be done.
But I'm trying to become more aware of it.
I want to build work that matters without allowing it to take over everything else.
I want to enjoy the home and acreage we've worked for, make time for our family, take better care of ourselves, and use what we've learned to help others.
I'm beginning to realize that slowing down doesn't necessarily mean doing less or giving up on the things we want to accomplish. Sometimes it means being more intentional about what we choose to do. For us, that means continuing to work and build, but learning to do it differently. Making room for our marriage, our family, our health, and the ordinary life we've worked so hard for, while finding new ways to use what God has already given us to serve others.
And I want to leave something meaningful behind for our children and grandchildren, even if it's just a collection of stories and lessons from an ordinary life.
That's what I hope to keep sharing here at Axles & Acres.
Not a perfect life or a formula for how everyone else should live.
Just the real side of learning to live more intentionally through faith, small business, marriage, and our little piece of land.
Maybe we don't need to wait until everything is finished, paid for, organized, or figured out before we begin enjoying the life God has already given us.
Maybe we can start today, with one thoughtful choice at a time.
And I'd love to leave you with this question:
What's one part of your life you've been so busy managing that you haven't taken much time to enjoy?
Build the work. Live the life. Remember what matters.
Keep going. 🌾
— Brenda
Stay Along for the Journey
We're Wayne and Brenda, sharing the real side of building a small business and a life on our little piece of land. Through Axles & Acres, we share stories, lessons, and helpful resources from years of marriage, work, and ordinary life.
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