Love Fast Broadcast: Put the Phone Down w/ Dara LaPorta
For our first Love Fast Broadcast, I got a chance to chat with Dara LaPorta, a mom of 4, business owner and totally surrendered to Jesus. Check out our convo below!
(LAURA): This is the Love Fast Broadcast, and the reason I decided to launch this quick ten minute chat with friends is because I wanted to bring in the reality of what it means to live life putting others first and loving fast.
I wrote a book last year called Love Fast Live Slow and this is an extension of that.
I invited Dara on because I know that she’s a busy mom and she is a wonderful example of loving people and putting love into action. So Dara, tell me about your love story with God, where it started, how it’s going?
(DARA): I love that question! I am someone who doesn’t remember a time when I didn’t know God, when I didn’t love God, that I didn’t seek to do His will.
He’s just always been in my life and a part of life, and I count myself blessed because of that. My father is in ministry, he was a youth pastor in my early childhood and then he started a church. And I know that going to church doesn’t mean you have a relationship with God, it’s just been a part of who I am.
I think, as a pastor’s daughter, people assume it was forced on you, or you didn’t have a choice. But I always felt like it was my choice. You know, I always felt like my relationship with God was my choice.
Going to church, maybe I didn’t have a choice for a few years there, but I always chose that part of my life. I always chose that life for myself.
So, like I said, I feel like I always loved God, always wanted to do the right thing, wanted to do his will. But when I became a mom, I realized how much I needed God. Prior to becoming a mom, I felt pretty capable.
I felt like I had my ducks in a row. And again, I loved God and wanted to live for Him and serve Him, but I had never felt the desperate need for Him that I have felt since becoming a mom nine years ago.
I have a nine year old daughter, twin seven year old sons, and a four year old daughter. So when I became a mom, it all came kind of fast after that and I just became desperate for Jesus. You know, my quiet time was no longer just a to-do list thing, or even something I wanted to do.
It was something I needed to do in order to live life well. In order to have any chance of getting anything right at the end of the day. That was a big transition in my relationship with God. And now, gosh, I feel like I’m in a really sweet place with the Lord.
I’ve really been practicing the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude, and giving myself a chance to hear Him through all of the distractions. So that’s just been something that I’ve been really consistent with lately. And I’m really excited about that.
(LAURA): That is so relatable! Because so many times people are like, ‘Well, I don’t really have a story.’ And I’m like, “You do have a love story between you and God!”
It’s an amazing characteristic when people are able to own their story and understand that there is a start and a during and there’s consistency of certain things, like reading, and praying, and serving and loving people. I love it.
I can totally relate on the mom part too. Hello! I am desperate for help! Going along with that, the second question I wanted to ask you is has there been something recently that is practical where you put love into action?
Where you chose to love fast, where it might be a bit of a sacrifice, or might be extending you to a point, but you were really intentional to serve other people? Because John 13:35 says “By this it will show that you are my disciples if you love one another.” Anything there?
(DARA): When you sent me this question yesterday, you know, I couldn’t necessarily think of something like yesterday I helped the little old lady across the street.
You know? I couldn’t think of anything like that. But one of the biggest transitions that I have made, and it has really been over the last year or two, is to be really aware of how much I am on my phone.
And what I love about this though is that it’s not just my family, it’s not just for this one person. And when I say being aware of how much I am on my phone, I mean I just put stronger boundaries around when I am on my phone, and how I’m using my phone.
So I made little rules, like I’m not going to be on my phone in the check out line. Which will give me the chance to actually speak to the person in front of me who’s doing my groceries, and saying hi, asking how are you.
Let alone the impact it can have on your family. You know, when you choose to leave the phone in the other room and just be present. Again, it’s your family, and it’s even your friends. You know, when you are out to dinner with friends, how often are we all on our phones? I am included!
When I say I put boundaries on my phone, this has been such a ‘two steps forward, five steps back’ journey. But I do feel like that has been one of the most impactful, intentional things that I have done to better love the people around me.
(LAURA): I love that! I mean, that ripple effect of you modeling that to your family. But it sounds like you’re making yourself more available to these divine interruptions because your phone is down.
(DARA): I’ve been praying for divine interruptions, but I’m not going to see them if I’m looking at my phone all of the time.
(LAURA): That’s something I think everyone could be aware of. That’s where it starts, just being aware of how dependent you are on this device.
Do you ever look up to the opportunities that God puts in front of you? Smart!
Thank you Dara for being the first guest on the Love Fast Broadcast! I love learning how my friends are putting love into action. Follow Dara @daralaporta on IG and FB. She just launched a Rise & Shine Course that could change your mornings forever!
We ended on a fun note with some charades! Watch the video to see who won.
