Who are the Joneses?

A few weeks have gone by since I’ve blogged. Our family is in the midst of some big decisions and when we have seasons like this God directs me to step away from social media and being online too much. I believe it’s because He knows how much influence looking at what everyone else is doing has on our decisions.

I’m sure there are a million blog posts out there about “keeping up with the Jones family” and encouraging us not to compare. But I want to take it a step further and ask “Who are the Joneses? And has anyone ever officially met them or is it some made up family?”

We all know we shouldn’t covet things our neighbors own but do we stop to consider we shouldn’t covet their decisions too? This is something the Lord has really been challenging me on lately as He is calling me and my family to make decisions that are not in alignment with the “Joneses”.

Here’s a few “outside of the Joneses moments” we’ve shared in our 10 married years:

Getting married while still in college(huge social no-no….you need a career first to be married, right??”)
Having baby #1 while still in college(she was at my college graduation)
Moving to Texas for my husband to attend chiropractic school(life changing decision for us)
Having another baby while husband was in school(don’t you know the “wise” thing would be to wait to have more kids when he is finished with school?!)
Buying a practice that had been around for 28 years(don’t you know buying a practice almost never works out?!)
Having 2 VBACS(vaginal births after cesearean). Don’t you know all the risks involved there?
Me starting this blog….like anyone is really reading?!

These are just a FEW decisions our family has made over the years and there are more in the works right now(hence why I haven’t blogged much recently).

In looking back at our life I can see God’s hand so clearly in every one of those decisions. While the world around us didn’t always understand, we knew God was leading us. We would not be where we are today had we chosen to disobey and not follow God’s lead.

My encouragement to you today is to stop looking to the right and left as you make decisions. Forget what your friends on Facebook are doing and hear God for your own family. I believe God blesses us when we walk by faith and trust Him to lead us places only He can take us. Following our friends will never get us to our destination.

Stay tuned for more updates on our “not the Joneses” decisions that God is leading us to!!

P.S. I FINALLY did a short intro video to better explain the heart behind Life Outside the Shell!

3 Comments

Britta on June 25, 2015 at 6:57 pm

Hey Rachael! I loved what your wrote at the Declare conference website! I remember meeting you and thinking that you had so much confidence…that you had so much experience! You did a great job of connecting with people. You made me feel like I was an important person to connect to, me and so many others. I look forward to seeing you again! 🙂 Big Hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rachael Gilbert on June 26, 2015 at 12:31 am

Thank you Britta! I felt the same way about you :). Can't wait to see you again!

themosbysinchina on August 2, 2015 at 11:16 pm

Hey Rachael!! Love your video and hearing more of your heart behind your blog & the encouragement to listen to the Spirit! Also, you know, our life has been a series of non-joneses decisions, too. But I wonder… If we really looked in at a Christian Joneses family following Jesus.. Things might look a little different for them, too. Like buying a bigger house to invite strangers in and to use for hospitality, and a crazy nice car that was just given to them, and a ministry they are finding at their kids really nice school.. You know what I mean?? Anyways.. Just a thought. And I love your question about "who are the joneses?" It's so true. Who the heck are they? I feel like they're expectations. And the American Dream of our parents generation. And the voices of a whole lot of well meaning people that are afraid of this thing you're about to do that they wouldn't or that's out of their comfort zone. Anyways.. Rambling now. Ha! Hope some of that made sense. Loved your post.

Britta on June 25, 2015 at 6:57 pm

Hey Rachael! I loved what your wrote at the Declare conference website! I remember meeting you and thinking that you had so much confidence…that you had so much experience! You did a great job of connecting with people. You made me feel like I was an important person to connect to, me and so many others. I look forward to seeing you again! 🙂 Big Hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rachael Gilbert on June 26, 2015 at 12:31 am

Thank you Britta! I felt the same way about you :). Can't wait to see you again!
themosbysinchina on August 2, 2015 at 11:16 pm

Hey Rachael!! Love your video and hearing more of your heart behind your blog & the encouragement to listen to the Spirit! Also, you know, our life has been a series of non-joneses decisions, too. But I wonder… If we really looked in at a Christian Joneses family following Jesus.. Things might look a little different for them, too. Like buying a bigger house to invite strangers in and to use for hospitality, and a crazy nice car that was just given to them, and a ministry they are finding at their kids really nice school.. You know what I mean?? Anyways.. Just a thought. And I love your question about "who are the joneses?" It's so true. Who the heck are they? I feel like they're expectations. And the American Dream of our parents generation. And the voices of a whole lot of well meaning people that are afraid of this thing you're about to do that they wouldn't or that's out of their comfort zone. Anyways.. Rambling now. Ha! Hope some of that made sense. Loved your post.