Home + Life Designer - My Journey

I graduated in 2005 with my BA in Interior Design and I have made many realizations about my own path in this market since that time.  Interior Design is a very broad subject raging from commercial interiors to stage design to visual merchandising and, finally, to residential home design.  As you can see, being an interior designer offers you many opportunities and many choices.

Opportunities to Learn

Since graduating, I have worked at a high end residential design firm in Williamsburg, VA and with JC Penney's custom decorating department.  Both were amazing opportunities, but I learned a lot about what I did not want to do.  I did not want to help wealthy, hurting women cover up their internal struggles by spending money on a perfect interior for their home.  I did not want to take advantage of their pain in order to make money.  In fact, I realized that I wanted to embrace them and to help them get to the bottom of what they were dealing with in life.  A pretty home was no replacement for a fulfilling life.

While designing custom draperies at JCP, I learned that we have the opportunity to add beautiful things to our home that will benefit our life.  Draperies are not just a frill.  They really add texture to the home and help us to enjoy our living space.  However, I also learned that I did not want to focus solely on draperies, but help people to design their living space and their life.

After having these two "professional" jobs, I have realized that I wanted to have the opportunity to make my own rules.  I started Designing Life in order to help clients who were real people to achieve real goals for their home and life.

Designing Life

I began Designing Life when I needed to work from home.  I began to sell Custom Interior Design PDF Presentations that helped my clients visualize their goals for their interiors.  I would also send them a shopping list to find the items that I had suggested for their space.  While this was a fantastic endeavor, I became overburdened by women who told me what they wanted, then realized after they received their design that their request wasn't what they really wanted.

Why didn't women know what they really wanted?  Because they were seeking to please others and were not at peace with their lives.  A pretty interior cannot fix a heart problem.

After having more time to spend out of the home, I was able to reach out to women in their homes.  My business took me to military spouses, teachers, and other real women who needed practical home decorating and organizational advice.  I loved helping in this capacity.  Military spouses desire to feel at home in their various new homes and I enjoyed being a resource to help them get settled in and find a few key pieces that would travel with them to recreate 'home' wherever they traveled.

Home + Life Designer

While I will definitely continue home design and organizing, I have realized that our lives need designers too.  I am expanding my business to be a resource to women and families who need help organizing their lives, their schedules, their meal plans, their marriage, and even their parenting.  God does not intend for us to struggle alone without help.  He gives us resources and tools that help us to live life effectively for His kingdom.

My goal?  To bring glory to God by helping women and families to order their steps, lives, and homes in God's Word

I've felt that Psalm 119:133 is a verse that describes my desire for my own life and I desire to share that vision with others.  "Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me."  Or in layman's terms, setting our path intentionally toward God's kingdom and purposefully planning to keep out of the clutches of sin aka using God's gift of self-control to live our lives.  This verse is a prayer to God and God has given us His gifts as an answer to that prayer.
If you need help ordering your life to God's word . . . a home + life designer, contact me.  I would love to work together as you pursue Christ with your heart, life, and home.

Brooke Shambley

Owner of Designing Life

www.designinglife.weebly.com

www.designinglife.etsy.com

P.S.  Did you know I have two businesses?  As an extension of my desire to help women, more specifically mothers, in their everyday lives, I am also a health coach + doula.  You can find out more about this business over at Boholistic Mom.

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Life Coaching VS Discipleship



 



Today and well, all day yesterday, I have been feeling down, rather stuck in the mud.  Have you ever had those days when you just cannot function and drag your feet so much that nothing gets done?  Then after all the dragging, you feel no better because you know you can do better.  One thing ends up complicating the other, right?

Today, I decided that things had to be absolutely different.  When I decided to make this day different, I began designing my own personal encouragement printable to help draw out my feelings, apply God's word to the situation, and help me to focus outward and upward instead of inward and downward.  My printable is almost complete, but as I was seeking out verses and resources for encouragement, inspiration, and motivation I kept seeing resources prepared by the newest professional that helps people get unstuck, the "life coach."

While I understand that many Christians have chosen to life coach as a means to help others to improve their lives by intentional planning, time management, and goal setting, I realized that the fully secular version of life coaching, while positive, is not at all what God has planned for our lives.  Let me give you a run down of the differences between Life Coaching (our plan) and Discipleship (God's plan).

Life Coaching VS Discipleship

Life coaching is all about my happiness. Discipleship is all about receiving God's gift of joy.

Life coaching is all about getting what I want. Discipleship is all about seeking what God wants.

Life coaching is all about looking inward. Discipleship is all about looking upward.

Life coaching is all about self-improvement. Discipleship is all about relationships.

Life coaching is all about me. Discipleship is all about God.

 

I can just hear someone thinking, "But life coaching rocks!  A life coach really helped me live my life better, how can you say this?"  I am not saying that life coaching is not useful.  Life coaching teaches people that they are in control of their time, choices, and lives, TRUE!  Life coaching encourages people to make intentional decisions and plan their lives, TRUE!  Life coaching shows that our lives can have purpose and we can achieve great things, TRUE!  Um . . . but so does God.  God wants us to be in control of our time, choices, and lives, then give that control to the creator of time, choice, and life so we can receive a peace beyond all understanding.  God wants us to make an intentional decision to live for Him, plan our lives as his disciples, and He will give us life to the fullest (John 10:10).  God designed our lives to have purpose and knows that we can achieve great things because He made us for great things!

Personally, I'm thinking that God's version sounds even more awesome than the secular version.  I want discipleship not just a coach.  I want a relationship with God and a mentor, not just a business relationship with someone who is making money off of me.  I need God's peace, joy, and purpose for my life and no amount of looking inward is going to do that for me.

If this sounds good to you as well, it's no wonder!  Discipleship is God's plan.  What always amazes me is how many times the words "one another" is used in the Bible.  God doesn't intend for us to be alone in our Christian walk.  Check this out:

94 Verses in the Bible use the Greek word ἀλλήλων which means "one another."

According to Intervarsity.org at least 55 verses relate to the love "each another," forgive "one another," etc. in the Bible

 

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV 84)

 

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV 84)

 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

 

4 Ways to Seek Discipleship

1.  Find a Local Church

• Ask a friend whom you trust
• Look for a living church not just a busy church
• Put down roots and commit to this community
• Seek to be built up but also seek to build up this community

2.  Find a Small Group

• Ask a person in your new church
• Look for people who authentically follow God not just Bible enthusiasts
• Commit to developing relationships where God can teach you and can use you
• Be discipled and disciple others as God leads you

3.  Find a Mentor

• Seek out a person who can disciple you in being a disciple of Christ
• Look for the fruits of the Spirit in this person's life:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
• Look for the gifts of the Spirit in this person's life:  Administration, Apostleship, Discernment (Distinguishing between spirits), Exhortation, Evangelism, Faith, Giving, Healing, Helping, Interpretation of Tongues, Message of Knowledge, Leadership, Miracles and Power, Shepherds (often guides a local church body), Prophecy, Teaching, Speaking in Tongues, Serving (active ministry to others), Showing Mercy, Message of Wisdom
• Do not seek a perfect person, you won't find them!
• Finally, look for a person who is also teachable.  God has things to teach them through your life as well.

4. Seek First His Kingdom and Righteousness

• Read Matthew 6:25-33 and remember that you can find the right church, the right small group, and the right mentor and still be forgetting to pursue God first and foremost.
• Give God the first fruits of your time, money, and life (aka the best)
• Make God the most important relationship in your life
• Ask God for the fruits of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit
• Surrender your life to pursuing God

I would love to hear about your journey with God.  Do you know discipleship?  Or is it just a term you've heard someone say once or twice?  Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus or are you still working things out in your heart?  Please leave any comments, stories, and responses below in the Comments box.  Looking forward to hearing about God's work in you!

Bless and Be Blessed