Fighting to Flourish – the American Dream

In Tucson, Arizona, visiting family

Why I Moved to Waco? That’s the question, right? We have been living here two years, nine months. We moved here for a job, but why would we take a job in Waco, Texas from San Diego, California? For the answer to a dream. We wanted a house, less stress, less debt, a better place to be a family. Follow God’s path for us.

Over the past couple years, I’ve received numerous emails and Instagram DM’s from people who live all over the country but mostly in California who tell me they identify with this desire to find a better land.

A better land – it’s a heart’s desire that can be found back in the pages of history.  The Israelites, God’s chosen people, picked up and moved with everything they could carry to exit the land of Egypt where there was food, water, and shelter.  They had the basic necessities, but they were slaves living a life of bondage.

There are many forms of bondage.  We can be slaves to work, our fears, another person, to the “man” i.e. debt, the expectations placed upon us by society, our parents, our environment. The American Dream says we have the right to be successful and achieve status if we work hard enough.  We tell our kids to stay in school, study hard, volunteer, stand out and get into the “right” school, so you can reach whatever pinnacle you DREAM.  What we don’t usually tell them is what that pursuit can cost.  Without a pure motivation, that pursuit can be for all the wrong reasons.  The adage “at all costs” goes hand in hand with “money doesn’t buy happiness.”

“Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will
flourish like a green leaf.” {Proverbs 11:28}

So if life’s big purpose doesn’t lie in having the biggest house, or the best college education, then how do we realign our dreams to find happiness, fulfillment, and contentment?

What are your dreams?

Are you a stay-at-home mom looking to be back in the workforce but wondering how you’ll ever give up what your life looks like now?  Are you afraid of that might look like?

Are you working a job that makes great money and pours into others but leaves you feeling dried up? Maybe you’re looking to step back from your career a bit and lean into raising your family.

Maybe your reality is drowning under a mountain of dirty diapers, laundry, and dishes, and all you need is a little time to get out from under all the monotonous responsibilities and be able to appreciate the sunshine and outdoors.

The truth is that we women have to face this struggle of finding our place, and sadly it usually means toting a bag of guilt under a hat of shame.  Fulfillment doesn’t come from a paycheck or what car you drive or how many kids you’re raising or how clean your house is.

Recently, my fourteen year old son and I were discussing school and being motivated for a future; he asked me, “What did you want to be, Mom? Did you want to be a mom and stay home and do laundry?”  It’s a good question.  The answer is yes.  I chose this for this season of my DREAM.  My mom did the same thing.  Of course there are trade-offs, and there are different paths I could have or still might pursue.  THAT is the American Dream.  Most importantly to me (and what I told him) is that I get to choose.  And yes, we discussed that it’s not just laundry and dishes.  He knows, but he’s a teenager.

The age-old proverb “All that glitters is not gold” holds true in every century.  We can’t just go for the shiniest option.  We need to go for what we’re called to be in the middle of – whether that’s running a corporation or running a household.

Find your joy today.  Step out in faith if it’s somewhere you’re scared to go.