To simply put it, the phrase “Come What May” is one we have used in our marriage and with our kids from the early years. Usually it would be said after we figured out that something we were looking forward to, or planning on, isn’t going to pan out the way we hoped it would. It was kind of a shrug the shoulders and “OK, I guess God has different plans for the day — so, come what may.” It was a way to recalibrate and gain perspective, and surrender to the fact that most things aren’t going to turn out the way we plan… some are going to fall flat on their face, and some are going to exceed our wildest expectations. We can’t control situations, but we can control the way we respond to things. God is in control, and we can have faith in Him as a Father knows what He is doing and is orchestrating life in a way that brings us growth, real joy, and peace. Sometimes it requires going through “the refiner’s fire” to find some of life’s greatest joys, and sometimes He changes our plans so that our paths cross with others… as if life is orchestrated by divine design.

Resilience

Come What May is a focus on being resilient. It’s a commitment to be consistent with my faith, integrity, myself, and with others regardless of circumstance. Come What May faith is a faith that doesn’t vary depending on whether life is good, or unpleasant. My faith isn’t dependent on circumstances… it’s based off of convictions and being true to those convictions. Come What May love is a love that sticks through the hard times… even those painful and crushing times… seeing our loved ones through their pains, sorrows, struggles, etc… We can have resilient love in our marriages, within our families, and in any relationship.

Dare to Be Difference

This is another mantra we strive to live by. D2BD is an acronym we have used a lot over the years to remind ourselves to not sweat the small stuff, and not worry about what others may think about our efforts to connect, reach out, be ourselves, or try something new. Giving yourself permission to be different frees us from so much worry and anxiety of whether you are measuring up or not according to some imagined barometer that you think others are using against you. Most of the time, they are just as concerned about being seen as different. When I write songs I like to lean onto this mantra and it helps me free myself from that unproductive game of worrying about what I think people might judge me on… D2BD and become judgment free.

We Work Hard Then We Play Hard

This has been a family motto since our kids were littles. We believe in the importance of work AND play. We also believe that the Lord also loves effort/work, and He also cares about our joy. This helps us on those days when we know we need to put in a little more work to make sure that we also set aside time to do something fun together. Don’t get me wrong, there wasn’t an even 50% work and 50% play going on all of the time. We tried and keep on trying. Some days are a success and some days… well… not so much. And that’s OK. We’ll keep trying.

Adventure is Out There

The final mantra our family uses is “Adventure is Out There”. Life is a journey, and we have a lot of control over the way we see that journey… is it going to be one full of dread and little joy? Or will we believe that there are great things to experience in life? Milestones, personal bests, new friends, new places, new adventures that God can place in our life at any point. Again, this has come in handy when we need to make a pivot in our “agenda” for the day because something just isn’t going to come together the way we planned… Adventure is out there. Gives us permission to be open to new possibilities, to being led by God’s still small voice and impressions… It amazes me what new adventures we were able to experience in life that were “pivots” away from the plans we had.