The Gift of the Season You’re In

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It’s been a really good fall here in Pennsylvania, lots of color. We have been enjoying every minute of it. We were at a state park about a week ago, and Matt snapped a picture of these trees. It’s such a cool picture because it captures three different seasons. The green tree represents the last of summer. The gorgeous tree in the middle boasts of the colors of fall, and the last tree represents the next season coming-winter.

Walk Well in That Season

There was an older pastor that used to attend our church when he came to visit his daughter who attended our church at the time. He once gave some advice to Matt that we have come back to time and time again. He said this: “You have to learn how to know what season you are in and how to walk well in that season.” Those words stayed with us and have helped us many times over the years.

If we don’t know what season we’re in, we’re going to miss what God has for us in that season. I firmly believe there are lessons to be learned and blessings to be had that are only in a specific season of life. If we don’t learn the lessons we’re supposed to learn in this current season, we won’t be ready for the next season.

Enjoy This Season

It’s taken me a long time to understand that. At times, I’ve wanted to be in the next season of life. When we first got married, I hated being newly married. I just wanted to be past that stage. It was awkward, and everybody teased us all the time and made us feel awkward. I just wanted to skip ahead to being married five plus years. Then I remember when we went through the stage of life with littles. We had four kids in five and a half years. Those were good years, but they were crazy hard at times. There were endless years of nursing, diapers, potty training, toddler shenanigans, and more. I wanted so desperately to do other things besides mothering, but that was the season of life I was in.

The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that everything has its own time and season. Our lives are no exception to that.

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

Every Season

Our seasons change over the years, and with it, so do our responsibilities. If we’re not careful though, we try to do everything in each season. That’s not how God intended it. A tree doesn’t bare leaves all year round. In spring, after a long winter, the trees start to bud and get their leaves back. It fills us with hope and anticipation of good to come. Then in summer, those trees are in full bloom. We see green everywhere, and we celebrate all the goodness of summer.

Then those leaves begin to change color as summer gives way to fall. Explosions of yellows, oranges, and reds show up everywhere; and our greedy eyes take it all in. The beauty of fall fills us with expectation and hope and a reminder of all that our Creator has made for us to enjoy. Soon, however, those gorgeous leaves begin to fall. The trees eventually are stripped bare, and then winter comes.

Beauty in Every Season

If we’re not careful, we see winter only as something to endure. The trees are bare; it’s cold and lifeless outside. And yet, there’s still beauty in the winter. There’s the beauty that comes after a fresh layer of snow. There’s the sight of a cardinal, bright against a backdrop of the mundane. We can find beauty even in the winter, though it looks different than the rest of the year. Without winter, however, we wouldn’t have spring when the cycle can start all over again.

There is a beauty to every season, but sometimes, you have to dig a little deeper and look a little harder to find it. It’s the same with our lives. There is beauty in every season of our lives, but some are much easier to find the beauty in than others.

Find the Beauty

I don’t know what season you are in, but I encourage you to find the beauty in it. Learn how to walk well in that season of life. Maybe you’re in a season of full-time caregiving and mostly staying home. You may have little at home, and this is your season to love on them and be everything they need. Maybe you find yourself caring for your elderly parents, or you’re in a season of healing. Learn to find the joy in this time. This can be a season to find peace in being home, in caring for those you love, in taking care of yourself.

Maybe you’re in a season of go. You’re on the go all the time. You serve at church, work full-time, and have so much going all the time. During this season, thank God for the health to be able to go and give it your best. Rest when you need to, take breaks, and be sure to get a day off each week. But love on people well and serve, and find your way to God each morning during your morning time to fuel up for the day ahead.

This could be a quiet season for you. There are lonely days and an empty house. It may be harder to find the beauty, but if you look, it’s there. Have you always wanted time to really dive into God’s Word? This is that time. Do that Bible study. Have you always wanted to learn a different language? It’s time to download Duolingo. Do you believe God gave you a special talent you’ve never had time to hone? Now is the time. Take up watercolor paining, or write a book. When you cook dinner, make extra for that neighbor that’s going through cancer treatments.

Walk Well

There is beauty in every stage of life; we just have to train ourselves to look for it. The stage of life you’re in right now is a gift from God. What stage of life are you in today? Learn to walk well in that season.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, Making the Most of This Season of Life.

The Fundamental Difference Between Shame and Guilt and God’s Answer for It

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Shame and guilt are such a part of our daily lives. For some reason, I feel that we as women struggle with this more than men. I’m not saying that men don’t feel shame and guilt because I know they do. But I think we deal with it more often and more intensely. We’re the ones that wake up in the middle of the night in a near panic attack as thoughts of all our inadequacies hit us in an all-consuming tidal wave. Thoughts of how we’re failing our kids, how we’re behind, we’re not like this other mom, we don’t have it all together. We’re behind on laundry, the house is a mess, and we’re pretty sure our kids are going to be ruined for life because they had us for a mom. Sound familiar?

The Difference Between the Two Terms

Thoughts of shame and guilt bombard us all the time. I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week with some of the conversations I’ve had with different woman. I think this is an area where Satan has so much control in our lives, and we don’t even realize it. I’m putting myself in this category as well.

We often use the terms shame and guilt interchangeably, but there’s a difference between the two words. Actually, there are a few difference; and they’re really important to note. Webster’s Dictionary defines guilt as the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty; while it defines shame as a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety.

Guilt

Guilt is what we feel after we’ve done something wrong. Guilt is actually a gift because it’s given to us by a merciful God Who wants to bring us back to fellowship with Him. After we’ve sinned, guilt hits us. This guilt is caused by the Holy Spirit showing us how we were wrong and what we need to do to make things right with God. Without guilt, we wouldn’t have a relationship with God. Sin gets in the way of our relationship with God; and guilt is the road that leads to confession and a restoring of our relationship with God. In short, guilt is from God; and it’s a good thing.

Shame

Shame, on the other hand, is not from God. Shame is a weapon of the Devil and continues long after we’ve confessed something to God and made it right. It can come from something we’ve done; it can also come even if we’ve done nothing wrong. It whispers at us that we’re a terrible person, we never get it right, we’re unlovable, we’re a failure. Those are not thoughts from God; those are thoughts from the evil one. Shame drives us away from God and away from others because we feel we’re not worthy, not accepted.

I love this verse that David writes in the Psalms.

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

Psalm 34:5 NLT

The Answer

God doesn’t want us to walk around in shame. That is not what the abundant Christian life is, and that’s not how God sees us. But shame is pretty powerful and pretty hard to shake. So how do we go about freeing ourselves from shame? What’s God’s answer to shame?

Grace

Grace is the only way to combat shame. It’s not my grace but God’s grace. If there is sin to confess, then confess and turn away from it. For all other shame, we have to choose to accept the grace that God so freely pours out on us. Read these verses from Psalms and let them encourage your heart. We don’t know exactly when David wrote these verses, but scholars tend to believe it was later in life. If that’s true, then they were written by a man who knew what it was to blow it and find grace and forgiveness and healing. David could have chosen to live his life in shame, but he didn’t. He chose to see God for Who He was.

He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.

Psalm 103:10-14 NLT

Verses of Encouragement

Here are a few more verses to consider.

Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness

John 1:16 CSB

 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 CSB

Stop Carrying Shame

Satan will use any means he can to stop you from what God has in store for you. He wants you to feel isolated, alone, not enough, and a failure. One of the best ways he can do this is to heap shame upon you, shame God never intended for us to carry.

Let’s stop carrying that shame. We are more than the shame we carry. We are children of the God of the Universe; we are His daughters, His masterpieces. No longer will we let thoughts of defeat continue to rule us. We need to step into the light of God’s love and remind ourselves daily of Whose we are. And when you find victory from that shame that says you’re not enough, find another woman to link arms with and remind her of that same truth.

More Encouragement

A great book on this topic is Unmasked: Overcoming the Shame that Says You’re Not Enough or read my post Freedom from the Shame that Says I’m Not Enough.

When God Stops Holding our Hand

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Hand Holding

When our kids are little, we hold their hand everywhere we go. Walk down the sidewalk? Hold their hand. Walk through a store? Hold their hand. Run into somebody you know? Hold their hand. They need constant attention, constant help from us when they’re young.

When my kids were little, I dreaded going to the beach, a playground, the Chick-fil-A play area. It was so much work to follow my littles around, to make sure they were safe and not falling off something. I’ll never forget the time we went to one of those indoor play lands. One of my littles went all the way to the top in this playground thing and then got stuck. I had to start up these levels made of net…if you know you know…and climb up level after level to get up to where my child was. Then we had to come back down. I would drop them through the net opening to the next level and then climb down. I did this over and over and over again until we made it back down.

Thankfully, we’re past all that now. Now, we can go somewhere; and I don’t have to worry about them. They’re free to come and go as they please as long as they check in and let us know where they’re going to be.

Needing Affirmation

When our kids are young, they need so much supervision and so much affirmation to help them conquer their fears and learn and grow. As they get older, they don’t need nearly as much. That doesn’t mean our job is done; it just means they don’t need as much affirmation and minute-by-help.

Our Christian life, in many ways, is much the same. When we first get saved, first start on this journey of faith, we need moment-by-moment affirmation from God. We need Him to hold our hand for everything. We need His help, encouragement, and reminders that we aren’t alone, that He’s got us in the palm of His hand. But then, as we mature, we begin to not get those constant reminders. We go for longer without hearing from Him. This is all part of the growth process. We start maturing. It used to be that something bad would happen, and we would question our faith. Where is God? Do I even believe in God? But then as we mature, we hit a trial, and we choose to trust God in the midst of it. That’s strengthening our faith muscles. That’s a sign we’re maturing.

Wanting a Sign

The people in Jesus’ day didn’t get this. We see over and over again their lack of faith, their lack of spiritual growth. They demanded proof, demanded a sign. They never got past the base level of Who Jesus was. They wanted to see the things He could do, instead of seeing Who He was.

What sign, then, are you going to do so that we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 

John 6:30

Jesus couldn’t do what He wanted at times because of their lack of faith. It’s a warning to us. Don’t be a surface-level follower of Jesus. We have to get past the “show me, and I’ll believe.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss out on God working in my life because I couldn’t get past the most basic level of faith.

We have to move past a simple faith where God has to hold our hand every step of the way and mature into a faith strong enough we can stand on.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Understanding the Process God Takes Us Through. A book I’m currently reading that is challenging how I think about God and my relation to Him is The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.

When Anxiety Comes Knocking

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Definition of Troubled

The dictionary defines troubled as feeling worried, anxious, or experiencing heavy problems, difficulties, or unrest. Does that feel incredibly familiar today? Worried, anxious, unrest, heavy problems…it feels a lot like what many of us are facing today, doesn’t it? Life weighs us down, and it feels too heavy sometimes.

Jesus knew all of this, and He gave us an answer to this problem. Jesus tells us in John 14 not to be troubled, but to believe instead.

Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

John 14:1 CSB

He follows that up with why we shouldn’t let our hearts be troubled, and that is because this home is not our final destination. Jesus goes on to say these words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” True freedom from fear and anxiety is found in Jesus.

Jesus’ Answer to Anxiety

Later on in the chapter, Jesus says these words.

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.

John 14:27 CSB

Jesus gives us the answer to an anxious, worried heart; and the answer is peace. He told His disciples, “I’m leaving you physically, but I’m leaving my peace with you.”

The peace that Jesus gives is different than the peace the world gives. The world gives us peace in the form of a spa day, meditation, a quiet retreat, calming music. While none of these things are bad, Jesus reminds us that His peace is different. His peace lasts. His peace is more encompassing and will carry us through difficult seasons. But it’s a choice. We can choose to be troubled, worried, and anxious; or we can choose peace. It’s a choice we’re not going to make once but over and over and over again. Sometimes, it’s a daily choice; other times, it’s an hourly or minute-by-minute choice.

Choose Peace over Anxiety

Today, when your feet hit the floor, you can choose anxiety, worry, and fear, or you can choose peace. You can start your day with prayer and gratitude and a morning time routine that will set your focus on God for the day. When things get difficult, you can choose peace again. You can stop and pray and ask God for wisdom and for His peace. When you go to bed tonight, and anxiety tries to keep you awake, you can choose to pray and repeat a verse quietly in your mind until you feel God’s peace wrap around your heart.

God’s peace is there for the taking, but we have to choose to take it. This world will only ever give us grief, heartache, disappointment, worry, anxiety, and fear. That’s not going to change. Problems will come into our lives daily; that won’t change either. But we can choose our response. We don’t have to be overcome with so much anxiety, we can’t function. Instead, we can choose God’s peace and give our worries and fears and burdens to Him to carry.

Casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

I Peter 5:7 CSB

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Max Lucida’s book, Anxious for Nothing. I’m reading this with one of our children, and it’s really good.

Trusting Him in the Middle of the Unknown

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Recently, Matt and I and the kids were driving somewhere. I don’t even remember where, but we were using my phone to follow directions. We had literally no idea where we were, but we kept following the directions step by step. And wouldn’t you know? It brought us right to our destination. If we wouldn’t have followed the phone’s instructions or trusted that the GPS system knew the right way to go, we would have given up. Had we given up, we would have missed our destination.

Following Jesus is a lot like following the map on our phones. We can’t always clearly see the path, but if we trust the One guiding us, we’ll make it to the right destination because God always has a plan.

Jesus’ Plan

I read the familiar story of the loaves and the fishes this past week, and there were a few words that stuck with me.

Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

John 6:5,6

Did you catch those words? Jesus was testing Philip. He already knew what He was going to do, but He used it as a time to test Philip. Jesus already had a plan.

Trusting in the Unexpected

How many times does something come into our life that’s unexpected, and it completely derails us because we didn’t see it coming. We feel sick, feel like we’re not going to make it through. We question how God could allow this to happen; and yet, He knew it was coming. It’s already part of our story, part of His plan. He knows how He’s going to use it and help us through it. He simply wants to see if we’re going to trust Him through it.

How many times do we fail the test? How many times do we lose our cool, fail to trust Him and see the good? So many of the problems that come into our lives honestly don’t end up being as big of a deal as we think they’re going to be.

Trusting His Plans, Not Ours

When life seems to throw a curveball, don’t forget that God knows exactly what’s going on. Maybe it’s not that big of a problem. Maybe your day derails; maybe you haven’t been able to sleep for several nights now. Perhaps the finances are terrible, and you feel like you’re losing the battle. Maybe it’s that you’re so discouraged, and you can’t seem to shake those thoughts of sadness. Whatever the case is, remember that God knows exactly what you’re going through, and He has a way through for you. He’s going to continue to work in your life and work out His plans for your life. Notice He’s not working out our plans for our lives; there’s a difference.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—

Psalm 138:8 NLT

I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.

Isaiah 46:10

You Are Not Alone

We won’t get through this life problem free. Jesus told us we would have problems or tribulation in this world. And yet, He promises to walk through those problems with us. We will pass through waters that overwhelm us and fires that threaten to destroy us, but He won’t let us be destroyed. He will walk through those waters and fires with us.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you,
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.

Isaiah 43: 2 CSB

Whatever you’re facing today, remember you’re not alone. Don’t forget, the God who made the universe and mapped out the galaxies, is walking hand in hand with you. He’s working out the plans He has for your life. And let me tell you something…those plans are beautiful and so much greater than anything you could dream of for your own life.

So keep trusting, keep walking in faith, keep believing because the God who created you is the God who is holding you and working out His plans for your life today.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, Trusting God in the Dark. A great Bible study on this topic would be Daily Grace Co’s When Fear Meets Faith.

When You Need Grace Upon Grace

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Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up? Do you ever feel out of place, not enough? This week, I finished reading in the book of Luke and the resurrection story.

The women come to the tomb and encounter the angels that tell them Jesus has risen. They return at once to His disciples and tell them the good news. But the disciples didn’t readily accept their story.

Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.

Luke 24:9-11

Peter was Different

The followers of Jesus didn’t believe the women, but Peter did. He believed them instantly.

 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went away, amazed at what had happened.

Luke 24:12

I love the words written here. Peter, however… Peter was different. While everyone else sat around discussing the situation with doubt and disbelief, Peter took in their words and acted on them. He stood up at once and ran to the tomb. Not only that, but after he saw the tomb, he went away amazed. There was no doubt in his mind what had happened. He remembered Jesus’ words, and he knew Jesus had risen again. He knew Jesus was alive.

Accepting God’s Grace

How is it that the very one who denied Jesus is the one of the first to believe? How is it that the guy who denied even knowing Jesus is now the first to believe?

Because for those of us who have messed up, who have needed God’s grace over and over and over again…sometimes, we see Jesus more often. We see Him showing up in places other people miss or look over. Peter blew it. He denied Jesus. When it counted the most, Peter failed. Peter’s story reminds us that he’s human; we’re human. And that means we’re going to blow it. We’re going to fail at times and really mess things up. But it’s what we do after that failure that counts the most.

Peter didn’t stay down; he got back up again. He chose to accept Jesus’ forgiveness. Because of that, he was able to move forward and be used by God in a great way.

Grace Upon Grace

We have that same choice today. Jesus’ grace is still extended to us. John tells us that we’ve received grace upon grace; I love that phrase.

Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness,

John 1:16 CSB

Do you need a little grace today? I know I do. Where do we find that grace? We find it at the feet of Jesus.

 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:16 NLT

At the Feet of Jesus

Do you find yourself in need of that grace today? I know I do. Do you need a little extra grace for mothering today? For loving on hard people? To finish those never-ending tasks? For that hard conversation? To forgive? Let’s find it at the feet of Jesus and allow ourselves to accept it today, to realize that we’re not perfect and we don’t always get it right. But God will help fill in the gaps if we simply let Him.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, The Most Important Thing You’ll Do Today. The Daily Grace Co. has several great Bible studies on grace.

For the Weary Mom

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This post goes out to all the moms today. I think it’s so ironic that I wrote last week’s post, Hope for the Uphill Days, on Saturday morning. Later that night, we checked into the emergency room with our twelve-year-old, Maggie. Maggie had been having stomach pains all day and throwing up. Eventually, the pain transferred to her right side; and we knew we had to take her in. We started all the prep work at the hospital for surgery to take her appendix out. It was a long night followed by early morning prep for surgery.

Sunday Surgery

Sunday is not a super great day to have surgery, especially when your husband’s a pastor and you run the kids program and play the piano for worship time. Add to that, Sunday morning was a big day as we had two baptisms that day and were planning on a good amount of visitors. I watched my phone all morning and waited for a time for surgery. Eventually, I realized, there was no way I was going to make it for service. Matt would have to fly solo for this one.

Sunday morning in a hospital is a weird time. The hospital still functions normally, but it’s quiet. I was the only one in the huge waiting room as I waited for Maggie’s surgery to take place. I didn’t even think to bring my morning time stuff, and I didn’t have a plug for my charge cord. I’d forgotten to bring that. So there was literally nothing I could do except pray, worry, and pray some more. When I got too sleepy, I would stand up and walk around. I was very aware of the fact that church was taking place while I was in the waiting room. People were showing up at church, drinking coffee, celebrating, cheering for the baptisms, and worshiping together…all while I sat in silence at the hospital in an empty waiting room.

Being a Mom Isn’t Glamorous

I’ve thought about those hours in the hospital a lot this week. They brought back so many memories of another trip to the hospital–a trip that ended with five days in the ICU and a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis for our then five-year-old, Macey. This time, while everyone else was celebrating at church, I was holding my daughter’s hand, helping her out of bed to go to the bathroom, helping her shower, praying with her, discussing her fears, and holding her hair back when she threw up. It’s not always glamorous being a mom. We moms know that there are times we serve and love and take care of our kids that no one knows about.

Maggie won’t really remember a whole lot of details about this weekend in the hospital as she was out of it a lot. But do you know what she would remember for sure? She would remember if I chose to leave her at the hospital in someone else’s care, so I could be at church. She probably won’t remember all the times she threw up, or how she was in so much pain, or even how long it took for the anesthesia to completely wear off. But she’ll remember that her mama was there at her bedside every step of the way.

Being a mom means sitting beside your child in the hospital bed. It also means being woken out of a dead sleep at two in the morning because your son tells you something is beeping in his room. Yep, Matt and I dug through the trash can in Malachi’s room at two in the morning the other night because he couldn’t sleep and couldn’t find what was beeping. I was pretty sure he was losing it and told him that myself. Come to find out, there actually was something beeping. It was an old omnipod that didn’t get disconnected; those are the worst. They beep for hours! So, I was wrong; he was right.

The Weary Mom

Sometimes, we get tired as moms. I’m in the teen mom stage of life, but maybe you have a newborn, or you have toddlers. Maybe you have grown children that need you constantly, or you have grandchildren you babysit. Whatever it is, our jobs as moms are never done. Most of the time, nobody will see. Nobody will know all the hours you stayed up the first six month’s of your baby’s life. Your precious baby won’t even know. But God sees; He knows. He’s pleased when we take care of the ones He’s entrusted to us. After all, He gave us the example. He’s our shepherd, and He carries us.

He protects his flock like a shepherd;
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.

Isaiah 40:11 CSB

Let Jesus Carry You

So if you’re tired today, Mama, I hear you. I get it; we all do. Being a mom is exhausting. Whether you’re nursing, caring for a sick child, potty training, training, correcting, sitting at a hospital bed, or even looking for something beeping in the middle of the night, motherhood is not for the weak. Jesus’ answer is the same to moms as it is to all believers. Come to Him; bring your weariness and your burdens to Him. Lay them at His feet, and let Him carry those burdens. Let Him carry your exhaustion.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

I Peter 5:7 NLT

The Job That’s Never Done

Mamas, our job is never done, and that’s a good thing. We don’t want this particular job to ever end. So wherever you find yourself in these days of mothering, be all there. Love on those God’s entrusted to you. Give those adult kids a text or a call, remind your teen that they’re loved and worthy, watch those elementary kids perform that trick another hundred times, put a bandaid on that toddler again, and kiss that baby. The day is going to come when we pack them up and send them off to college, and they take our heart with them. There may be a day they don’t live close by, and we will wish to see them more often. Savor these days God’s given us, and choose to enjoy one of God’s greatest blessings–being a mom.

Hope for the Uphill Days

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Yesterday was one of those days when everything kind of crashed and burned. Ever had one of those uphill days? I should have known because our kids were tired after having spent the day at Six Flags the day before with the teens from church. Our downfall started early when everyone started fighting over the details of something that had happened the day before. It continued to train wreck when Matt and I got frustrated with each other. It was an uphill battle from then on.

An Uphill Day

By last night, I was just ready for the day to be over. When Matt and Maggie left to go on a walk before bed, I didn’t want to go. But when I looked outside, I could see the sunset was really pretty. So I grabbed my sneakers and socks and got ready to head out. But by the time I made it out the door, the color was gone. It was just a plain evening sky once again. Irritation reared its head, and I almost decided to go back home. But I pushed myself to get up the long, gradual hill and past house after house. The further I went the more frustrated I got. Several times, I almost turned around. But I finally got to the top of the hill and turned a corner, and there it was. Color. From this view, I could still see some of the sunset. I smiled to myself and thanked God I hadn’t given up and gone back home.

By the time I got back home, my spirit was better. I was still ready to go to bed, and everything wasn’t magically better. But I had hope, and that was enough to get through the night.

The Hope of Good to Come

I thought about last night’s walk as I went to sleep and what a picture of our walk of faith it is. There are so many days when it feels like we’re walking uphill and not making any progress. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel; there’s no beautiful sunset. There’s the only the hope of something good to come; and sometimes, there’s not even hope. But we keep going; we keep trusting, believing, doing what we know God wants us to do. Then one day, we get a glimpse of God’s goodness. It’s air in our lungs, wind in our sails, and just enough to keep us going.

I read this verse this week in Isaiah and love it so much. It’s the kind of verse we need to write down and hang up in a visible place in our homes to be reminded of daily.

Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy,
and is rising up to show you compassion,
for the Lord is a just God.
All who wait patiently for him are happy.

Isaiah 30:18 CSB

Wait Patiently

Find comfort in those words today if you’re going through a difficult season or simply just a bad day. God sees you. He is waiting to show you mercy, rising up to show you compassion. If you will simply wait patiently for Him, He will go to work on you behalf.

Wherever you are today, keep going. The sunset is waiting just around the next bend. You never know when God is going to break through. It’s too soon to quit. Your breakthrough might be just around the corner, and you won’t see it if you give up now. So keep loving, trusting, being faithful, and doing what God’s called you to do today.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out Matt’s book, Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream into the Birth of a Breakthrough or check out my post, Don’t Give Up on the Dream God has Given You.

The Most Important Thing You’ll Do Today

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I was reminded of a simple truth this week in my morning time. It’s a truth I know but one I need to be reminded of again and again. And that truth is this: time with Jesus is the most important part of my day. In fact, if I get nothing else done but spend time with Jesus, I’ve accomplished all I need to for the day for it to be considered a “success,” according to Jesus. We learn this lesson from Martha.

This was at one of our favorite coffee shops in Lancaster, where we did our morning time routine.

Martha’s Distraction

Martha wasn’t a bad person; she was doing really good things. She was making food for guests, cleaning her home, and being hospitable. After all, you can’t have company without doing all those things. And yet, Luke says she was distracted by her many tasks.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

Luke 10:38-40 NLT

Martha’s Complaint

Martha comes to Jesus to complain about the unfairness of her situation. She’s been left alone to prepare everything while her sister simply sits as Jesus’ feet. I get it. As a person often running an event or preparing my home or food for company, I get it. She was probably sweating, working furiously to get both her home and a meal ready for company. And this wasn’t just any company; this was Jesus coming to visit. And when she’s at her wit’s end, she looks around for her sister because she needs help. She finds her sister…not helping. Mary as the audacity to be sitting, listening to Jesus teach, as if there’s nothing to be done. Martha’s had enough and goes right to Jesus.

Jesus’ Rebuke

Jesus sees and knows all this, but He rebukes her gently and reminds her what’s really important.

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 NLT

The CSB, which is the Bible I’m currently studying, puts it this way.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 1041-42 CSB

Martha’s Distraction

Martha was distracted. She had so many tasks to accomplish, more than she had time for. She was worried and upset about many things. Sound familiar? This is an every day thing for me. There’s too much in a day to ever possibly accomplish. There are bills to pay, housework to start, piles of laundry to fold and put away, work projects to complete, another meal to prepare, dirty dishes in the sink, a phone call I’ve been putting off, paperwork to complete, homework to check, dessert to bake for church on Sunday….and on and on the list goes. If you’re anything like me, all of this crashes down around me around oh, one or two in the morning.

I wake up in a cold sweat thinking of all the things I need to do, all the ways I’m a failure, and all the things I’m not doing right. Shame and regret wrap themselves like a noose around my neck, and I can’t catch a full breath.

I wonder if Martha was feeling all this when she came to Jesus. Could Jesus see the overwhelm, the helplessness at getting it all done, weighing her down? Of course, He could. Not only that, He knew her every thought.

Jesus’ Answer

Jesus’ answer to her stress, her frustration, her distraction was this: “There is only one thing to worry about.” What’s crazy is that He doesn’t even tell her what that one thing is. Instead, He essentially points to Mary and says, “She’s figured it out; she’s doing it.” Jesus was often ambiguous in His teaching, and this lesson is no different. Maybe Martha’s eyes darted to Mary, still seated at Jesus’ feet, after Jesus said these words. Possibly, just looking at Jesus and remembering Who He was triggered a response, and she understood His teaching. The answer was found in the action. The action was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. That was the most important thing.

Most Important Thing Today

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of life, too long of a to-do list, shame and regret, remember the words of Jesus. “One thing is necessary; only one thing is worth being concerned about.” That one thing is spending time with Jesus. If you spent time with Him today, then you did what He wants you to do today. You got the most important thing in. Everything else is just extra credit.

When the stress builds, and you feel the overwhelm of it all, remember to carve out some time to sit with Jesus, to talk to Him, and read His word. When you do, you’ll find the grace and strength to face the rest of your day.

More Encouragement

Need help getting a morning time routine started? Check out our free morning time routine guide or read my post, Jumpstart Your Morning Time Routine.

A Glimpse into My Summer Morning Time Routine

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One of the things I love most about summer is that I have a little more time and flexibility in my morning schedule for my morning time routine. Today, I’m sharing what’s currently in my morning time basket.

Kingdoms Bible

Every summer, we read through one of the Immerse Bibles as a church family. This year, it’s the Kingdoms one, covering Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, and I and II Kings.

Faithfully Stepping Journal

I use these journals every single morning. I’m currently using the Rest in God’s Love Journal. The insides of our Faithfully Stepping Journals are all the same. They each start with a section for prayer~gratitude, confession, and requests. Then there’s a section to journal what you read and learned from your Bible. The last section has blanks to write down tasks for the day.

Grace in the Wilderness

I am currently doing this Bible study on I Peter from Daily Grace Co. I Peter is one of my favorite books in the Bible, and I love anything Daily Grace Co puts out.

My Current Reads

Leap Over a Wall by Eugene Peterson

I’m almost done with this one. As with all of Peterson’s books, you have to go slow to take it all in; but it’s been so good. This book covers the life of David.

Celebrate Every Day by Shauna Niequist

I’m a huge fan of anything Shauna writes. This small devotional is no different. It’s all about finding joy in every day life.

Graced to Go by Victoria Osteen

I just started this book. I’ve never read anything from her before, but it’s off to a great start with looking at the life of Gideon. This book is currently on sale on Amazon; so it’s a great time to snag it.

Of course, my morning time basket wouldn’t be complete without colorful pens. My current favorites are G2 pens–the purple set, the pink set, and the blue set. Add a candle and a cup of coffee to my morning time routine, and I am good to go.

What are you currently reading/studying for your summer morning time routine?

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my Sacred Places…at Home and read more about my summer mornings.