Sunday Reflections

    I used to approach Sunday with an “oh gosh, my weekend is over and I have to face another crazy week” mindset. I’ve always had the tendency to settle into what I like to call a “Martha mentality”: No, I don’t have time to sit at the feet of Jesus, I’m busy over here juggling everything else, and resenting every minute of it.

Over time I’ve realized what a waste of a day I was making of Sunday’s. Spending my whole day stressed about a new week and how much I still had to get done to prepare for it. Sure, it’s challenging to be a mom of five, to teach them from home, to juggle work and housework, etc. We are all there! But my type A personality has taken a little bit of a beating through the years, as I’ve come to realize, there is ALWAYS going to be a list of things I need to complete. I will never truly get it all done. So what? I have to throw my hands up a little and think about what really matters. My to-do list is important, but not if I’m in a constant state of anxiety over it. First, what will help me face this week? A quiet moment, a good worship song, time spent first with my God and second with my family.

The list can wait. Eventually, it will get done...or at least most of it. But at the end of the day, God doesn’t care if I’ve finished the laundry or organized the school room or planned the week out to every detail. He just wants me. And so does my husband. And so do my kids.

Take a breath. Take a moment. Stop and look around. The most important “things” I can do today are to focus on my loved ones and to focus on recharging. I am always going to tend towards a Martha. But as my life seems to speed by, and the kids get bigger every day, I’m beginning to see what value there is in being like Mary. Truly, sitting at the feet of Jesus is where I can find the only true rest and strength to face the week.

Seeing the Hand of God

 It’s hard to see God’s hand in everything. Through the good times, through the bad times, through those times of silence or waiting. Is He really there through it all? Every morning my kids and I have been going through a devotional series that essentially walks us through every major event in Biblical history, recalling and recounting the stories of some of our favorite heroes of the Faith: Joseph, Abraham, Noah...the list goes on.

All of these men of faith had very different stories, but there is a very clear and common theme that runs through them all: that God had a plan for each of them, even through years of barrenness, or of waiting in the desert, or through years of being misunderstood and even imprisoned...through those hard years or the years of waiting...God was working out His greater plan. And eventually all of these men would see that powerful plan play out. I know we all have these seasons.

This year especially many of you have been challenged, beaten down, you’ve experienced real loss of loved ones or the loss of jobs. It gets confusing when things feel like they are spinning out of control. My reminder to you today is that God is still on His throne. He knows. He’s there. If you can’t see the way, ask Him to show you. If you’re having a hard time trusting right now, ask Him for faith. Reach out to friends and ask for prayer. It’s normal to feel lost sometimes. It’s normal to question when things aren’t going the way you thought they would.

Take a deep breath and understand that your God will be faithful to you the same way He was faithful to those saints of old. Let their stories encourage your heart today, my friend. Look around, and see His hand in everything. “Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”

God Is Enough

"When we have nothing left but God, we discover that God is enough."

Have you ever come to that place, hit rock-bottom, lost everything and everyone, if not physically, at least emotionally? Well, I have.

And yes, I bet most of you have too at some point in your lives. This moment for me was several years ago, after I had pushed God out of my life for literally YEARS and I had pushed my friends and even my husband away to the point that I was willing to walk out on everyone I cared about. I wanted to quit. Quit everything. I felt completely alone.

But then a beautiful thing happened. In that deepest, darkest hole I had created for myself, I found God. I found Him in the most real, genuine, “I’m all in forever” kind of way. Because having been stripped of everything I had ever used as an excuse to sideline my Heavenly Father, I was finally able to face my issues with Him, have a heart-to-heart, and then, finally let them go. I was finally faced with the fact that even if I lost everything, He was enough. He would always be enough.

Are you looking to those around you to fulfill those deepest spiritual needs? Are you expecting too much from your family, your husband, your friends, because you aren’t first and foremost seeking that fulfillment in Christ? Trust me, I’ve been there and I get it. Put it all aside and meet with your Savior. Not tomorrow, or next week. Today. He is all you need right now. He is all you need forever

God's Plan Amidst Daily Circumstances

I struggle so much sometimes to see God’s bigger plan amidst the daily struggles of being a mom, a wife, a friend, a boss, a teacher, or whatever other hats I’m juggling to wear that day.

Can you relate?

Does your current day or your current circumstance sometimes weigh heavy like a bad mood that you just can’t seem to shake? Does it make you feel trapped or insignificant? Like somehow the overwhelming small moments that make up each day have managed to snuff out your joy and your purpose?

I have been struggling with this feeling A LOT lately my friends, I’m just being honest. It’s so hard to focus, to ground myself in the Lord, and to seek His direction and His guidance amidst the daily storm of challenges and tasks I face each day.

And then I ask myself, “Why?!!” Why is it so hard to seek that which is the most important...the strength and purpose of my Heavenly Father, the daily guidance of the One, the only One, who has set my path and numbered my days.

It’s hard because I’ve made it hard. Somehow I’ve trained myself to deal with every other issue and put out every other fire first before I spend time with MY Father, My Redeemer, the One who has a plan for my life, the One who speaks wisdom and love and encouragement to my soul.

When I feel lost, confused, and discouraged about where my life is leading and how it really matters in the whole scheme of things, I can turn in one direction...towards Jesus. He is the author of my life. He is the author of yours. He has a plan, and yes, it’s a big one, and yes somehow YOUR LIFE matters in a HUGE way towards carrying out this plan.

So if you’re feeling lost and confused about where you fit into everything, or how, or why, let me ask you this:

Today, and every day, are you making the choice to seek God’s will, to trust His guidance, and to find joy in knowing that you are deeply loved, desired, and needed to complete His perfect plan?

You are beautifully and wonderfully made. Believe it, accept it, embrace it, and use it.