A Grace-Filled Manifesto for Your 30s

Some of my absolute favorite people on the internet (like Lisa-Jo Baker) say that once you get to 40, you start feeling comfortable in your skin in a way you never have before. And I’m sure they’re right. You’ve lived, mostly likely, about half of your life at that point. You’ve been married awhile, your kids are a little older, and you lose some of the insecurities that can plague your younger years.

Well if my 40s are about feeling more comfortable in my own skin, I want my 30s to be about grace. Grace that I’m growing and changing as a person. Grace for the still sleep-deprived season of life. Grace for my not-so-new but not-so-seasoned marriage. Grace to try new things and mess them up. So. Much. Grace.

This got me thinking about the 30 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 30 post I wrote on my birthday last year when I turned 29. It’s more like a late 20s bucket list. And as I reflect back on this list and it’s to-do nature, I realize more and more, isn’t items checked off the to-do list, but ways we can grow and see growth, grace-filled growth.

So I’m redoing the list and changing it to a grace-filled manifesto for your 30s.

A Grace-Filled Manifesto for Your 30s

1. get to 2000 in my thankfulness journal  Find ways to be thankful in my every day life, especially on hard days or in hard moments, when thankful things seem farthest away
2. take my kids to ride the camel at the zoo Enjoy more experiences with my kids, from climbing trees and building tee-pees to big trips and vacations
3. attend a blogging conference  Remember that the ministry God has put in front of me is sometimes a moment-to-moment ministry of the person directly in front of me. Lord, that you could count me faithful
4. write an honest to goodness letter to someone Make time for the people that matter most, phone calls are great
5. go on an overnight trip with just my husband Continue to make our marriage a priority and grow the time we intentionally spend together
6. take my kids to the beach Learn more about what my kids are interested in and invest in those activities
7. eat a brand new food Take care of myself by eating regular meals
8. visit a new state Continue to make traveling and exploring a priority even with little people
9. have a 30 days of cleaning month Use my time in my home more diligently but also remember the priority is building a home not a house
10. finish reading through the Bible again Continue to read, study, and learn
11. find a podcast to listen to  Surround myself with Godly wisdom and grace – both online and in real life
12. record a podcast Be faithful to the season I am in and know my limits, where I can run and where I need to pull back
13. write 3 chapters of a book Read more. Write more. Show up.
14. get a heart ring piercing  Worry less about whether I’m young enough or cool enough to pull something off
15. start a minimalist wardrobe Wear clothes and colors I like because they are the most me and also comfy
16. exercise, walk, or stretch 2x a week “Self Care” is not a dirty word and when I am taking care of myself, I am taking care of others better
17. tell my kids something I am thankful for about them each day Speak life into my children and use my words to build them up
18. tell my husband something I am thankful for about him each day Speak life into my husband and use his love language generously
19. dive in to a study on the women of the Bible Share and ask others what God is teaching them
20. work on and finish the kids baby books Be present with my kids and work to remember the little things
21. memorize 30 Bible verses Deuteronomize my kids and walk with them
22. hold myself to one cup of coffee before switching to tea Remember that’s it’s grace not coffee that gets me through the day
23. hang one load of laundry on the line each week Enjoy things that happen at a slower pace and let my patience and capacity for them grow
24. not get on my phone till after breakfast time with my kids Put my phone down more and be more present
25. do a family road trip to visit the grandparents Spend time with family and use technology to our advantage
26. sleep outside in the tent with the kidlets Do things that are outside of my comfort zone
27. sew something with my new sewing machine Take time to teach my kids skills they will need when they’re older
28. make a good loaf of sourdough bread Learn to enjoy the journey and not just the destination
29. drink kombucha every week Remember that bad habits latch in more quickly than good ones; cultivate the good ones
30. give my husband a 10 second kiss every day Choose love every day

What ways are you choosing to capture more grace? Would you share below?