Purpose in a Pandemic

“There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and even or purpose under heaven…

A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to keep silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

…He has made everything beautiful in its time…I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share).”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; 11; 22

This scripture came to mind during the last (almost) 2 months of quarantine. It feels a lot longer than that, especially for those of us who are extroverts and crave friendship, girl’s nights, and get togethers. 

No one in this current generation or even in their parents’ generation has ever experienced anything like this before. The closest thing I could think of would have been the fear of our men overseas fighting in World War II and certain items being on ration. We aren’t fighting anything we can see, and we aren’t necessarily being rationed (although score gold stars for you if you can find cleaning supplies and toilet paper on the shelf right now). But, it is still a situation that incites fear, worry, anxiety, and stress unlike many of us have ever experienced. Despite the news and media telling us how we are living in trying, unprecedented, and unsure times, we can be sure of one thing, God is up to something.

Do I believe that God orchestrated this to teach us all a lesson? No, I am not going there either. As much as there is a good and heavenly Father looking down on us, there is also real evil in this world and because of that fact alone, we live in a fallen world and bad stuff happens. Yes, sometimes bad things happen to good people. I am not going to get all into theology and answering life’s questions as to why. But, I also can’t help but pause and think that even though we are in the middle of a pandemic we can find purpose here. 

If we want to sit here and dwell on the negative, we can certainly find it. But, if we want to dwell on the positive and uplifting and ask God to reveal to us something he wants us to see and learn from all this, he will. 

For example, I am a busy body. I am usually always doing something. I like to have something planned or a something to accomplish. Well, since that is all out the window, God is teaching me to enjoy the unplanned, the laidback, and mundane days that are seeming to all roll into each other. I can find contentment in being busy and I can find contentment in having nothing to do. 

Another area this is teaching me is to be a good steward of everything God has given me. How am I spending my time and who am I spending it with? (Let’s get real, when my Apple screen time showed me that I went from 2 hours a day on my phone to 6, I felt some conviction). How am I spending my money and am I saving any (for situations like these if I had lost my job, what would that look like)? How am I raising my children and am I imparting to them the basic spiritual principles I want them to grow up on (or have I given way too much of that responsibility to our church)? How am I stewarding my health? Have I ever paid attention before to how much sleep I get on a regular basis? What about exercise and eating right? Am I filling up on junk and expecting a 6 pack by summer? (Hmmm, maybe I need to tweak my habits).

 Listen many of us may have a lot more time on our hands than we know what to do with and although I don’t want to pressure anyone to do get up and do something they are uncomfortable with because our mental, social, emotional health are a bit fragile right now. The last thing we need in a crisis is pressure. What we need, instead, is purpose! 

So where do you even begin? With whatever the next right thing is for you. Maybe it starts with journaling where you are and where you want to be. Maybe it starts with creating a vision board and a plan of action for where you are right now in some of those areas of your life and thinking through the next practical steps to where you would like to be. 

Maybe you want to save more money for when the next crisis hits so you won’t be in such a state of despair- start with something small like an automatic draft of $25 a month into a savings account and build on that when you can. 

Maybe you want to start reading your Bible more or reading it with your kids. Instead of feeling the pressure to do it every day, start with once a week- maybe a Sunday evening before your week begins. Perhaps reading a scripture and asking the members of your family what they want to pray about is a good start. 

Perhaps you want to begin exercising or eating right. Start small- walk around your neighborhood or on the treadmill 10-15 minutes a day and build from there. Look up healthy recipes online and write down the ingredient list so the next time you go to the store you’ll have everything you need to make it. 

I could go on and on, but your purpose is to take care of you so that you can then fulfill the God-given purpose God created you to fill. That looks different for every single one of us. If you feel a tug to do something do the next small step that will get you there. 

A friend recently texted me “through the pressure and through waiting, that, my friend, is how diamonds are created.” This pressure, this pandemic that we are going through right now is going to make us stronger, braver, and refine our beauty like nothing else. It is during the most difficult moments of my life that I felt drawn to God’s presence and got to know him the most than in the most prosperous times. This pandemic has not drowned out your purpose. In fact, it is in the middle of all this that God is wanting to work in you to reveal what has been hidden in the dark, remove what needs to be removed, and place in you the strength, resolve, tenacity, and resiliency to be able to fulfill the purposes placed on this Earth only you can fill. 

“…He has also placed eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] -yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Book Review: Star of Persia (Esther's Story) by Jill Eileen Smith

"For if you remain silent at this time, 

liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place,

and you and your father's house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. 

And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this 

[and for this very purpose]?"

Esther 4:14

The words above are from a story in the Bible that is one of my most favorite. This story is powerful and when I received my copy of Jill Eileen Smith's new book, "Star of Persia: Esther's Story", I couldn't wait to dive in. I did receive a copy from Revell publishing for my honest review, but let me tell you, I knew in advance it would not disappoint. I have read several of Smith's books in the past and her attention to biblical detail is on point. If there ever was an author that could bring the Old Testament stories to life it would be Jill Eileen Smith. 

The story of a Jewish Queen over Persia hiding her ancestry before her king is one that never gets old to hear. When evil Haman seduces the king into thinking the Jews are the problem in their country and they need to be annihilated, Esther is forced to choose between keeping her ancestry a secret so that she may continue to live peacefully with her king in the palace or speaking up to save her people and risk losing her life. 

Of course, I won't tell you what happens next, but as soon as I finished it, and in only a couple of days, I had to open up my Bible and re-read the story myself and Smith's story mixed with biblical and historical facts breathes new life into this incredible heroine's decision. 

You see, coming before the king uninvited and unannounced could have been an automatic death sentence, by itself. But also sharing her ancestry and her plea to save her people could have also infuriated the king, so she had nothing to rely on but her faith in God (Adonai) and hope His presence in the room with her would be enough to soften the king's heart to her request. 

I highly recommend this book and lucky for all my readers, this book just came out yesterday! Get your copy on Amazon asap!

I will leave you with a beautiful song that I think sums up what might have gone through Esther's mind as she pondered the big decision she had to make- My Weapon by Natalie Grant.

"Your presence is my greatest weapon

Pushing back the darkness
Breaking every chain

My worship opens up the heavens
Crushing every stronghold
When I speak Your name
Your presence is my weapon"

Your People, My People

"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. 

Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay. 

Your people will be my people and your God my God..." 

Ruth 1: 16

There is a picture that hangs on our "gallery wall" as I call it. It is a wall filled with family pictures and signs with scripture and quotes and this one in particular quotes the famous words of Ruth from the Bible when she says to Naomi, "Where you go, I will go, where you stay I will stay." I had to have it when I saw it at the store because I quoted these same words to my husband about a year ago and they were a pivotal moment in our marriage.

You see we were about 8 months into settling into our new home in North Carolina and making friends after being relocated there, but we got word after the company buyout that we may be uprooted and asked to move again. At first I was livid! I was not having it and there was no way I was going to move my family across the country again and I didn't even want to think about it. I let my husband know that if another relocation was in the works he could go without me and I was going to go back to Dallas and be with my family. 

But on my way to church that Wednesday night, God pricked my heart and showed me that I had spoken words of separation over our family and He certainly did not want those words to take root and cause a rift between me and my husband. My dad called me that evening on the phone and after venting to him about us possibly moving again, he said words I didn't expect him to say, "It is much more important for you to be there for your husband, than for your family to be there for you." I stopped in my tracks and thought about how terrible I was being. This move would bring opportunity, growth and financial blessing to our family but I was blindsided by the inconvenience it would cause our family to make new friends, find a new church and have our children adjust to being in new schools. Now don't get me wrong those are all big things to consider, but I knew that the same kindness shown to us by our new friends in North Carolina would be shown to us in Kentucky if God was with us. 

So here I am 8 months into settling into our new home outside of Louisville, Kentucky and my kids having finished another year in another new school and we are yet again new in another church finding where we fit. 

I am so glad I clung to those words Ruth spoke to Naomi and I noticed something. It's not the going or the staying that is hard, it's actually what comes after that, "...your people will be my people..."

Making my fellow Kentuckians my friends is what's daunting, intimidating, uncomfortable and takes me out of my comfort zone. Both I and my children wish we had the same strong friendships we left behind in Texas, but it took years for us to make those friendships and forge the strong bond we left behind. It will take years for us to make those best friendships and people you can call at any time of day and say "Hey I am coming over!" here too. But in the process of making these people, my people, I see God's hand in it all. 

He brought us to a neighborhood overflowing with kids so there is no lack of finding someone for my kids to play with. He has brought together an incredible group of women who meet once a month at my house for book club  and prayer. He placed me in a job working at one of my boy's schools so I am able to keep their same schedule, make a little money and get out of the house! 

He is with us, Emmanuel! 

God was with us in Texas, North Carolina and now here in Kentucky. Day by day, week by week and month by month he is showing us that His hand has been in it all- comforting, providing, directing, and loving. 

So maybe you are in the same place I am in -making the people around you, your people. Or maybe your feet are frozen in place and He is asking you to go, perhaps He is asking you to stay. I want you to take comfort in the fact that the same all-knowing, omni present, ever-providing God that I serve is the same one that can come through for you and your situation. My God is your God. He can do the same miracles, restorations, and redemptions in your story as I see Him doing in mine. 

I know that nothing that comes mine or my family's way has not first passed through His hand and He is going to either bring me through it or deliver me from it. Either way, growth, strength and courage await me on the other side. 

Ruth had no idea what awaited her when she ventured out with Naomi. But when she met her Boaz, her kinsman redeemer, all that she had lost and more had been restored and her life became full. 

I sometimes think that the difficult, uncomfortable and stretching times are now necessary for us as believers to scrape off the rough edges and buff out the marred places in our lives. The joy that comes in the morning is always well worth the pain in the night. 

Re-routing (When God Takes You On A Detour)

 
Traveling to visit my mom in far northeastern Arkansas from the Dallas, Texas area several years ago, me and my husband, along with my oldest son and my brother made the long trek to visit my mom for Thanksgiving. 

During that 8 hour trip, the GPS on the phone would say "Re-routing..." when there was traffic up ahead or a faster detour we could take. My brother would look down at his phone and say "Aaah, Rita, she's done it again!" 

"Rita?" I asked quizzically, "Who are you talking to?"

"My phone" my brother replied, "She re-routes so much I nicknamed her Rita Re-route."

So for the remainder of the trip and pretty much the rest of my life since then, I never looked at my phone the same way again, Rita Re-route always popped into my head when a re-route was necessary on our travels.  

How many times I have listened to Rita Re-route willingly, and sometimes, not so willingly in my journey through life. Changing majors in college, switching professions (from aspiring Christian artist/preschool teacher turned stay at home mom/published author), relocating for my husband's job that has recently brought us across the country twice... all these things have definitely thrown kinks into my plans and at times, made me feel the rug was pulled out from underneath me. 

But I can look back at all the re-routes in my life and see that the whole time, God was in control of mine and my family's ultimate destination. How we got there depended on whether or not we listened to take the faster detours or not.

That's why I love God's gift of free will. We can choose to listen to the Rita Re-routes in our minds or continue on our chosen path. But when we keep God first in our lives we will ultimately end up where we are suppose to be. 

About a year ago I looked at my husband after we were settling into our new home in North Carolina and through homesick tears for Texas asked, "Is this where we will grow old? Or do you think well find our way back?"

He looked up, sighed heavily and replied, "I think we'll end up where God ultimately wants us to be."  

I was not satisfied with that answer, I wanted to know and know now! I bent down on my knees asking God to answer this question for me, but all I ever got was silence. So I settled in my soul that I didn't need to know the answer, I just needed to bloom where God had currently planted me. So I did my very best with what I could with the time and talents I was given. I wrote, filmed and edited a bible study to go along with my first book, filmed a radio interview, hosted a book signing at a local coffee shop and got involved in a local church we started attending. But then I could feel a stirring in my soul, that we were about to get re-routed once again. 

When my husband got the offer to relocate to Kentucky, we had the choice to accept and believe this was from God and provide us another opportunity to grow and flourish elsewhere or stay and see if maybe God was not quite finished with us here. When both my husband and I felt the release to move on and go with God, knowing He would provide for us there as much as He had here, we graciously accepted the detour. 

As cliche as it sounds the quote that says "I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future" is my life's motto right now. I may not know what church we will attend or how my kids will like the schools or when well make new friends in Kentucky, but I do know that God is the center of this family and this home. 

Sometimes God re-routes our lives to get us back on track, perhaps we've detoured far off the path that will be good for us.  Sometimes He offers safer detours because there might be a dangerous path up ahead that can be avoided, and sometimes He re-routes us to grow us into the people He created us to be. That re-route might be what builds strength, character, hope or perseverance like it says in Romans 5:3-5 (NLT):

 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Your re-route might not be a physical move like ours has been, but it may look like a cancer diagnosis or perhaps you got laid off from your job.  Maybe your re-route is deciding whether or not to go back to school or get involved in that ministry opportunity at church. Perhaps your life is at one of those crossroads where your youngest started kindergarten this year and you feel the stirring to go back to work. Maybe all of your children have left home and you find yourself an empty-nester and that nudging to finish writing that book or maybe even to start your own business is constantly on your mind. 

Life offers us many re-routes and a lot of detours. But we can trust we are on the right path when we consult with the ultimate navigator- Jesus! 

Never Say Never

 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 

I have decided...NEVER SAY NEVER! 

I always said I would never drive a minivan. After being voted "most likely to drive a minivan" in high school, I determined to rebel against people's expectations of me and become an SUV mom. But when it came time, the standard leather seats, automatic doors and dvd system with bucket seats were calling out to me in the form of a Chrysler Town and Country and the fact that it was much more affordable, made it even more appealing! So I drove off the lot and haven't looked back, loving my minivan and the spacious room it has afforded me and my family and friends. 

I always said I would never home school my children. Yet I found myself purchasing the curriculum online yesterday in preparation of homeschooling my two boys into their 3rd grade and 6th grade year due to circumstances beyond my control. 

I always said after our first cross-country move from Texas to North Carolina, I would never move across the country again! It was too hard, too expensive and emotionally way too messy. Filtering through the newness of our new town, fixing up a home, weeding through the homesickness and loneliness was at times more than I could bear. But here I am, getting ready to list my home here in the piney woods of North Carolina and searching for new homes in the state of Kentucky, venturing out once more to move across the country. 

So I have resolved, never to say never. It's funny how God can take these "Nevers" and turn them into revelations. It's funny how God can take these "Nevers" and turn them into something we never knew we needed. 

So I have resolved that if there is ever anything certain in this life, it's that things are going to change. Life evolves, people grow, circumstances shift from mountain tops to valleys. But here is one unchanging truth that truly will NEVER change...God is steadfast, he is unmovable and He is in control. 

 

When entering into uncharted and unfamiliar territory in my life, I have learned it best to face it with wide open arms. Embracing the seasons of change, knowing that with every situation, new friendship, or opportunity comes with it growth that sprouts good things in my life. How do I know that? I cling tightly to Ephesians 2:10 as written above. 

God is the center of my life, my marriage and my home. He hasn't veered me wrong before and he isn't going to start now. God has good things in store for me, my husband, my children, even in the uncomfortable, the new, the rocky, and the situations we say we would never find ourselves in. 

I have used my minivan as a place of ministry. Both in Texas and North Carolina, I have taken my children and their friends and cousins to school and even in the simpleness of a child's prayer before they get out of the car, they jump out knowing that the God of the universe heard their voice that morning. I have had deep and insightful conversations with my 11 year old when he ponders why things are the way they are. I have heard my 8 year old crack the funniest jokes fills the minivan with laughter. 

I look forward to this year of homeschooling my children, even though at times I find myself scared to death at the thought of it. Why? Because I have covered this decision in prayer and know that throughout another transition in our family's life this year, being able to be at home with them and pouring into them, will help them ensure a solid footing of family and faith, and help them adjust emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Believe it or not, I am excited about this move. I can hardly believe it myself. Why? Because I know that God is going to lead and guide our steps just as He has before.  I have hope and confidence in His guiding hand because I have seen the work it produces in my life- strength, endurance, perseverance, courage, determination. I also rest in the fact that good things are prepared in advance for us in Kentucky, just as they were planned for me here. 

Although it has been a whirlwind 9 months, I have met sweet friends that will forever leave an imprint on my heart. I have launched an online bible study for my book Arm Yourself and been able to share my story and passion with people in this coastal community. My husband has been able to grow professionally and have his talents and giftings in the world of  computers be met with favor and blessing with promotions that stem from a wife's heart of earnest prayer over her husband the last 13 1/2 years. In world that has been wrought with turmoil and recession, God has always protected my husband's job and even been given positions of promotion throughout companies that have been littered with layoffs and many unknowns. God has great plans for Him in Kentucky too.

My children are learning that home is where we all are. It doesn't have to be the place of your birth, it just has to be where love welcomes you with open arms. Besides our homes here on this Earth are temporary, our eternal home is in Heaven. Moving releases the tight hold we have on material things and helps keep our focus on eternal things. The attitudes, the heart and the incredible strength my children have displayed is a blessing to behold.  

You may not be moving to Kentucky, but you may be preparing to move into the unfamiliar and uncharted too and it scares you to death. You may be finding yourself doing exactly what you said you would never do. If that is you today, let go. Let Him lead. You don't have to be scared. He has good things planned for you, things He already has completely laid out, He's just asking you to take that next step of obedience. Will you?

Stop saying never and start saying yes!

A Different Kind of Blog: Love and the Outcome Concert Review

I always love getting the opportunity to share with you the latest in Christian music. Today's post is a review on an up and coming band you might have heard on your local Christian radio station. "Love and the Outcome" is a band composed of Canadian husband and wife, Chris Rademaker and Jodi King.

 I had the privilege to attend one of their concerts in my new town, Washington , NC. It was sponsored by 98.3 the Bridge, our local Christian radio station here in the inner banks. What I love most about concerts is that you get to hear the story behind the songs and their passion for writing inspirational music. They were newlyweds and sold everything they owned to follow God's call on their life. Their heart was burdened to take their music as a message and uplift and inspire fans all over the country to follow Jesus and share His love with them. Their motto, "God is love and we are the outcome", rings true in all of their music. 

You might be most familiar with their tune "He is With Us" that currently plays on Christian radio, an upbeat song that will have you singing along quickly. My personal favorite is their new single, that I used in last week's blog, "The God I Know", that talks about letting go of perfection and laying everything we are, good and bad and imperfect at his feet and enjoying being in the presence of "The God I Know".  

(Sidenote: I have never seen a live show where the female lead sings, plays the drums and the keyboard all at the same time. Kudos, to her, that takes skill! )

 One of their most moving songs was written right after they moved away from Canada and found out that Chris's mom had cancer. They took a year off from music and touring to be there for her. Out of this situation birthed an amazing song called "The Story You're Building In Me". 

Attending a concert gives you a glimpse into the heart of these fantastic musicians, that you wouldn't have otherwise known. I am grateful I got the chance to hear their incredible music and their story. 

If you get a chance, I highly recommend you see this incredible couple in concert. Here are their tour dates. 

Here is the link to purchase their latest album!

Mary vs. Martha + Sweet Jesus Ministries

This post was originally written for a website called Sweet Jesus Ministries that I am a monthly contributor for. I hope you are blessed and encouraged to read this during your own season of transition.

 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

 

So here I sit convicted… again.

Not of some great sin, or something I said or did. More like something I didn’t do. When we moved into this much bigger house in North Carolina from Texas, we bought the extra square footage for a reason. I had always hoped to be a hostess. A hostess for my friends and family when they came to visit me and a hostess for bible studies, ladies groups, or my friend’s kids. I wanted to be the house that everyone went to. The house that was warm and welcoming to anyone at anytime.

But the extra square footage meant extra cleaning. The 1970’s house didn’t have all the ugly wallpaper off yet. The brass fixtures were still everywhere you looked. The yard still needed help from someone with a much greener thumb than I had. Sure we had done a lot to the house since we moved in, all new floors, repainted several of the rooms downstairs and bought new furniture. But I felt like it wasn’t enough. I was afraid of being judged on the rooms still left to be remodeled and they would stick in their minds greater than the rooms that had been finished.
 

I know…I have issues...(Read more here)

 

BoyMom

Moms, Grandmas, Step- Moms, Mothers-in law...we celebrate you this week! It's not an easy job. I can say that now because I have been a momma now for 11 years. Wow! I feel old just saying that. Who would have thought that God would have chosen me to be the momma of two rambunctious little boys? Oh, that's right, God did! 

He looked at the little girl that played with Barbies until she was 14 years old, had bright pink furniture in her room her whole life, and enough bows to cover every little girl's head in a small village to be the mother of boys. 

I chuckle at God's sense of humor. Especially in moments when my son comes up to me and my husband before Karate class and says, "Can someone show me how to put on the cup? We start sparring tonight." HAHA! I looked at my husband and said, "Honey, you got this right?" 

Lord knows, I would have failed that mission! Thank goodness for husbands too in those moments! I grew up with an older brother but we were 4 years apart. Enough to where we each got our own time with the television. He had his time watching Ninja Turtles and playing Gran Turismo on the Playstation system. I had my time watching Punky Brewster and playing with My Little Ponies. 

But after being a mother of boys and being royally outnumbered I have had my fair share of boy education when one summer they caught me up on all the Back to the Future movies, Star Wars, and even the 1984 Transformers episodes (Oh, how I wish I had gotten back my hours watching that mess!)

I walk through the kids section in Target and my heart used to sink a bit when I looked at all the frills and lace on little girl's dresses. A part of me mourned not being able to buy those cute little outfits, but I made up for it by spoiling my cousin's little girls or my nieces on their birthdays. Anytime I was ever invited to a girl's party for a friend or family member, trust me I went all out! 

 
My husband says that if we had a little girl in the house, I would have had to share my "Princess" status. You know what? He's right. I look into the eyes of my little  boys and savor in the fact that at this present moment in time, I am the most important and favorite girl in their life! They all treat me like a queen. I relish the fact that I will always have my husband and two incredible sons to love me, look after me and take care of me the rest of my life. There is a special bond between a mother and a son that never fades, even with age.

Yes they will get married one day and their wives will take spot #1, but I would like to think I won't be far behind that spot. I look forward to helping them navigate their lives. I cherish our mommy/son dates, praying for them when they have had a bad day at school, and holding them when they have had a bad dream. Oh, and I plan to have one of those amazing mother/son dances at their weddings that goes viral on YouTube so be looking for that in the next 10 years or so! 

Those moments when your cool tween comes up to you and says, "I love you, mom" melts me every time, as well as when my snuggly 7 year old jumps in my lap and says "I wanna cuddle". Yes, God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave this momma boys. I am so proud and honored to be a BoyMom. I know writing this I am talking to a very specific niche here especially if you are the parent of boys and girls or just girls, but God knew what he was doing when he gave you those children, too.

He saw your personality, temperament, and even your comfort zone and stretched you and grew you with blessing you with those children. I know mamas we sometimes wonder, "God, why did you give me these kids?" Because He knew we would ask these questions. He wants us to come to Him for help, guidance and direction. If it was easy as pie, we wouldn't need to call out to Him. Calling out to Him in our parenting, especially in our weak moments of parenting, enables His strength to shine through us and into that situation for that specific child.

So I hope you are encouraged in your walk as BoyMom, GirlMom or both, that not only were these children chosen for you, you were chosen for those children. Not one of these babies were by accident or happenstance, they were planned whether you realized it or not- whether it was in your plans or not.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 

 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  

Isaiah 55: 8-9

Comment below with what you are grateful for in being a parent to the children God gave you.

"Slow Down" by Nichole Nordeman

Changing Seasons + Sweet Jesus Mnistries

This post was originally written for a website called Sweet Jesus Ministries that I am a monthly contributor for. I hope you are blessed and encouraged to read this during your own season of transition.

For everything there is a season…God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

Ecclesiates 3:1,11

 

It’ s spring! Finally glorious spring with its warmer days of sitting on the front porch reading a good book, and drinking a glass of sweet tea have come! The days of planning summer vacations, gardening, and getting outside more- soaking in those warm rays of sunshine- have me excited for this season too. 

Why? Because it has been a long, hard winter for me and my family. After moving to North Carolina last fall, we all went through a transitional period that was a lot more difficult than I thought. Homesickness settled in, financial difficulties, home renovations taking longer than expected and the kids being slow to make friends had us in fits at different times. But as we learned to lean on God through it all we also grew stronger as a family.  Read more here...

Lighten the Load

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. 

Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. 

I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly." 

Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

Some of you may have heard this verse before but perhaps not in this version. You may be more familiar with:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)

 How many times have we said "Lord, this feels way more than I can bear! You said you wouldn't do this to me." Well, I believe I have found the reason why we truly experience that at times life is more than we can bear. 

Because we are carrying too much...we need to lighten the load.

If you are carrying the emotional weight of your hormonal teenager adjusting to middle school, you're carrying too much. If you are carrying the weight of your finances for the whole family and it is causing you to endure chronic financial stress, you're carrying too much. If you are carrying the burden of an elderly parent that cannot care for themselves alone, you are carrying too much. If you are pulled in the middle of a friendship that is unraveling at the seams feeling like you're the link holding it together, you're carrying too much. If you feel the weight of exhaustion that comes from an overloaded schedule, you're carrying too much.

Do you feel it? It is heavy. It consumes our thoughts. It weighs us down spiritually, emotionally, physically...it is too much! You need to lighten the load.

How do we do that? By giving it to God.

When you pray about something, you are leaving it in God's hands. If you notice the weight of the stress burdening you like a ton of bricks pushing you into the floor, it's because you picked it back up.

That's right, you waltzed back into the throne room, picked up that situation that you had you laid down at his feet and said "I've got this God". Only you realized that much later that afternoon, you picked up way more than you could carry and you feel tired, burnt out, stressed out and at your wit's end.

Put it back! That is the great thing about the verse above. We need to learn God's "unforced rhythms of grace". What does that mean? Well imagine our life as a song. Every song has a beat or a rhythm that is slow or fast or just right. Now let's unpack grace. Grace is undeserved favor that rests on us as believers. The Lord knows this life is heavy and the rhythm of our life can get sped up by circumstances beyond our control and within our control. It pounds on our hearts and minds and becomes a burden to keep up with, if we let it.

But when we walk in God's undeserved favor, His open arms waiting to carry our burdens for us, then we are beginning to understand his "rhythm of grace". We begin to  realize that when life is more than we can handle it is because we weren't meant to carry it alone, we were meant to share it with God. We were meant to lay it down before his throne and let Him work it out on our behalf. 

Here is the best part of our loving God. This rhythm of grace He wants us to walk in is unforced. Just as a relationship with Him is. We don't have to accept the gift of this grace. We can continue to operate in our own strength and in our own power and allow the weight of our problems to crush us.

Or, we can operate in the "unforced rhythms of grace" and choose the lighter road. We can even remind ourselves several times throughout the day, week or month to put that problem, that situation, that person back down at God's feet. We will have several times throughout the day where we are tempted to pick those burdens back up, but where grace comes in is remembering that God doesn't want us to carry that alone. It's too big, it's too heavy. He wants us to walk in rest that God has got this situation under control. He wants us to trust that it will be resolved. He wants us to walk our everyday lives in freedom. Freedom from being bound to the heavy yokes that will ultimately trap us into the bondage of  stress that can cause anxiety, depression, or despair. We have the grace to put it back down when we see ourselves picking it back up.

 

Get away with me and you’ll recover your life...Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Oh those words are soothing to my soul. Let's recover our lives and live it to the promised abundant fullness! Let's walk with God and talk with Him. Let's cooperate with Him. Here is the best part- in the resting and trusting- we'll get a front row seat on how He will come through in our problem.

What are you carrying that feels too heavy? Have you laid it down in the throne room for God to take care of it?

Because When You Speak, When You Move. 

When You Do What Only You Can Do 

It Changes Us, It Changes What We See And What We Seek 

When You Come In The Room 

When You Do What Only You Can Do 

It Changes Us, It Changes What We See And What We Seek

These are the lyrics to a beautiful song, "Spirit of the Living God", by Vertical Church Band that can help you in your quiet time today to lay it ALL down.

Surrender the Safety-Net

You did it! You took that large leap of faith and went for it. You know this is something God has always called you to do and now you have positioned yourself to embrace it fully. Or have you?... Why do you feel like your drowning and barely keeping your head above water? So much time and sacrifice went into this decision and you know that this was God's will for your life, but why does it feel like it's not?

Have you ever been there before? You finally start writing that book, you take that job, you start that business, or you move to that new city, but...it's not what you expected. In fact it's hard. You already want to give up. This isn't how you imagined it would be. You have stepped so far out of your comfort zone with the mountain of uncertainty before you that you are overwhelmed and you crave for the comfort of everything familiar. You want to go back to that routine you had crafted so perfectly, you wanna go where everyone knows your name, you want to retreat from the difficult task for fear you might mess it up.

I can't help but wonder if Ruth from the Bible was probably there. To get up and leave her pagan homeland of Moab and go with her embittered mother in law to Bethlehem- a place where they worship the living God-has got to be a bit of a daunting task for Ruth. We all know her from her bold proclamations of faith she spouted in chapter one to Naomi in verses 16 and 17:

"But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

I have always imagined her standing before her mother in law speaking with confidence and boldness. But was she uttering those words at first with her lips trembling and tears streaming down her face? Did she have an encounter with Naomi's God that revealed to her she should continue on with Naomi? Did she know there was nothing left for her behind in Moab or perhaps a cruel family that couldn't care less if she came back? Despite the reason, she pressed on and stated to Naomi a courageous conviction that might have been simmering in her heart for a while now. She tells Naomi she is determined to go, states her faith in God (turning her back on her pagan lifestyle) and then she does something incredible... she removes her safety-net. 

See up until this point she had one foot in Moab and one foot in Bethlehem. Holding on to what she knows and what she is comfortable with. Perhaps she keeps looking back and estimating how far she may have to travel back by herself if she decides to go back like her sister in law Orpah did. 

After she makes these seven vows to Naomi, what she is inherently doing is taking her foot out of Moab and placing it next to the other so she can proceed forward in full faith and confidence that what is ahead of her is greater than what she left behind. 

"May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me"

Here is where she removes that safety-net. Here is where the vows turn from Naomi but to God. She is saying if "I don't do these things whole-heartedly and follow the will God has planned for me, then I deserve to get what's coming to me." The wrath of God in the early bible days is something I would never want to test. 

  

Apart of obedience that no one ever thinks about is SURRENDER. Fully surrendering our agendas, our families, our finances, our hearts and our emotions is never calculated when we say our yes to God. We have a tendency to hold tightly to the things that we know we can control when we are in a season of transition. 

Let go, surrender, don't get in your own way. Pick up both feet and move them in the same direction- FORWARD. You can't go anywhere if you have one foot in God's will and one foot in your comfort zone. 

Photocred: pngfaith.wordpress.com

When Ruth came to a place of full surrender, she was able to etch her name into the lineage of Jesus Christ! If God can use a widowed pagan Moabitess to accomplish His will, He can use me and you. If we let go, things greater than we could have ever imagined may lying before us.

What do you need to surrender today to fully embrace God's will for your life?

"I Surrender" by Hillsong