Ants, Canning & Wisdom

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Hello dear friends,

Autumn has arrived in its full brilliant glory and I relish its visit. I wish it would stay much longer than winter as there is still so much to be done in and around the house.

Along with the outdoor chores that need to be done, I’m also busy putting up a few batches of our favorite Vanilla Bean apple slices. Thank you Carol from Thrifty Chic Housewife for the delicious recipe! https://youtu.be/JCi_Jm_Xs08?si=8V20kapW0Ai0F58L

Nothing smells better than vanilla, cinnamon and apples!

And yet, while my days seem to be busy from daylight to dusk, I make it a point to spend a little extra time with Lord, asking for His direction for the upcoming months, “Lord, what do I need to stock up on? Where are we lacking in supplies? What will we need in the upcoming months?  Lord please show me where I should spend our money and on which items. Guide me every step of the way.”

Like most of you, I have a fairly good idea what we do and don’t have. But I’m also human which means just when I think I have all my bases covered, in truth, I don’t.

Which is why I choose to see this as a perfect opportunity to partner with the Lord. He knows all of our needs before they happen and He knows exactly what we have, physically and financially today and what we will need in the future. He also knows how to prepare our hearts for what may lie ahead.

God repeatedly tells us in Proverbs that wisdom belongs to the Lord and if we seek Him, He will be found. Proverbs also reminds us that wisdom cries out an invitation for those to join her at the table. But here’s the catch, you must be willing to admit that you need help, sit at the table with the Lord and invite His wisdom into our lives.

I get that we live in a society that demands and expects that we know it all, do it all and never make a mistake.

Well… that certainly isn’t me. I make mistakes all the time. Ok, daily.

My relationship with God is my single most important relationship

God doesn’t think I’m a slacker or incompetent simply because I’m coming to Him for wisdom and insight. His word promises just the opposite. When we turn to the Lord in all areas of our lives we’re admitting our need and reliance on our heavenly Father. It gives you and I a chance to build a deeper trusting relationship with Him.

When verses like this one from Proverbs 6:6 ““Go to the ant you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores up its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” ~ Proverbs 6:6-8, catch my attention, I know there’s a reason the Holy Spirit is bringing it to mind. God is asking me to pay attention, seek Him for wisdom and then take action.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel overwhelmed, I do.

Especially when we’ve been hit with job loss and illness. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us not to worry but to focus on thanksgiving and prayer. Besides, who needs more worry?!

What we really need is peace, guidance and the reassurance that we are not alone.

Dear friends, God is always with us and for us and the more time we spend with God, seeking to understand His character and His will for our lives the more we are changed by His love and direction. To that end, He takes our lives and uses it to not change us but the lives around you: our husbands, children, grandbabies, friends, you name it.

So how do you get started?

Easy. Go to a quiet place, where you can share your heart in private and tell God what’s on your heart. Tell Him your worries and ask Him for guidance.

Now, typically I make it a point to sit with the Lord in the morning, while our home is still quiet. I have my bible, a journal and pen. Some days my pages are filled with thanksgiving. Others days the pages are warped with tears from my heartache and fears.  With each moment I spend with Him, He draws me closer. His Word speaks to me through the verses and inevitably just like the one listed above, my attention is drawn to an area that needs work.

Friends can I tell you that every single day I do this, the verses I meditate on are the exact ones I need throughout my day to sustain me? It really is quite amazing how will use our time together to share His will for us, even if it’s canning and restocking the home or more serious matters like dealing with a more personal issue within our family. No matter what it is, God is there, waiting to carry your burden and guide your way.

Just trust Him with your heart.

Friends, thank you for visiting with me in this moment. I pray the good Lord will become your most precious Friend and Confidante. I also pray that you will grow in His word each time you seek Him for wisdom and walk it out in obedience. I pray He will bless and protect your lives and prove Himself to you in areas that you are struggling.

May you enjoy these moments you have been gifted. Until next time dearest, enjoy the beauty and bounty of the season.

Watch God Work

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Sister,

I’ve gotta share this with you, because I have sneaky suspicion that you just might this reminder as much as I do, right now.

  1. God is with you. ~Matt 28:20
  2. God sees you. ~ Psalm 139:1-24
  3. God loves you. ~Genesis – Revelation

I need to focus on God’s promises right now.

Why? Because life came at me this week like a hurricane. One challenge after another pounded my life, stripping me of peace, carrying one emotional gale after another.  Poor eating habits, and stress induced insomnia only compounded what I was facing, so that by the end of 10 days I was completely spent.

Seriously, at one point I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even cry.

Yet with each situation, I knew I had to make a choice on how I would walk through each one. Was I going to cave into the emotions and wallow in anger and pity? I could. No one would blame me. After all, everyone one of the situations that happened was completely out of my control and unfair.

On the other hand, I could make the choice to feel the pain and at the same time, proceed in faith by taking hold of God’s hand and rely on His direction and provision.

I was in the middle of a crossroads and the choice was mine.

Lean into my own understanding and do things my way to resolve the issues at hand, or lean into God and trust Him with everything.

Sisters, you must know that a war is waging in the heavenlies for your souls. When our hearts are tender from hurtful words, tears are spilled and emotions are surface thin, we need to recognize our vulnerability and turn to God in prayer and praise, like never before.

Not only for ourselves, but also for the ones who have hurt us. Everyone needs God’s protection. Everyone needs His healing. Everyone needs His love.

As daughters of the Most High King, we are called to walk differently than that of the world.

How do we do that when our hearts are splayed open with pain? How do we love those who have hurt us and still walk forward with God?

We take His hand. We release our pain to Him. We say Thank You Lord. And we place our trust in God for all that is happening even when absolutely nothing makes sense.

Now I agree with you, singing God’s praises in the midst of heartache doesn’t sound feasible. But it is possible, with practice.

In thanksgiving we are focusing on His purpose, His plan, His timing in our pain and we’re asking Him to make sense out of senselessness and we are focusing on all that He is and is capable of doing in our lives.

By doing so, we are walking away from the vulnerability and trap the evil one tries to set for us based on emotions and we’re building a closer relationship with God.

I get it. It doesn’t make sense. But just once, when you’re at your lowest, try pouring out your pain and your thanksgiving, and watch how He changes you.

One of the first things I’ve experienced in taking my own advice is an increased gentle peace while I grieved. The second, is a deeper relationship with the Lord.

I have found that by making God the focus, instead of focusing on my pain, it has helped me trust God even when I have no answers. The more time I spend with God, the more He speaks to my heart, reminding me of His never ending love and the promise that I’d never be alone.

If I could offer a word of encouragement, it is this – make room for God. Let Him into your life right this moment. Start building a relationship with the Holy One who loves you more than you could ever love yourself and choose to walk forward in your faith. You will find in the end a closer walk with the Lord, and a faith walk that has been enriched by your heartache and healing.

God is waiting for you to let Him into the pain.

Can you do that? Can you trust God with your deepest heartaches and your praises?

Will you make the conscious choice to allow God to turn all things around in His timing and ways?

In the many times life has punched me in the gut, I knew if I cried out for help, God would be there.

I can look back at my life now and see the many ways God was actively working through my pain to bring me healing. By trusting God, He has proven himself as trustworthy a million times over.

So stand firm in His name sister. Allow Him into your life. Put your tears, your anger, distrust and grief in His hands and allow Him to keep His promises in your life. He loves you!

Walking with you in prayer & promise,

A Promise Given Is a Promise Kept

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When I’m feeling discouraged, frustrated and feel like life is impossible, I flip open my bible to Ezekial 37. In it, we find God and the prophet Ezekial having a walk and talk in the middle of a valley filled with dry bones. Almost immediately God asks him, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

No spoilers here, you’ll have to dig in and read it for yourself but let me just say, that what transpires in chapter 37 never ceases to remind me of God’s promises and all that He is able to do.

Which is exactly why I turned to this chapter to begin with. Extremely long hours at work, bouts of frustration and worry, poor sleep and eating habits and very limited time for myself and my family had left me wondering if this was all my life was chalked up to be. I’d been traveling this road for more than 18 months and when I met a good friend for lunch, she took one look at me and said, “Oh my goodness Amy, you’re not just exhausted, you are bone dead tired.”

Yep! I needed me some rest in Jesus.

As I continued to read, 4 highlighted words at the bottom of chapter 36 caught my attention, “Once again, I will.”

Wait a minute, what?

Again…? You will…?

Mic drop.

Ok Lord, I hear You.

Perfect timing, again.

Once again, I will.

A promise given. A promise kept.

Lord, you knew my heart before I knew how much I needed You.

I’m in this sticky wicket because I didn’t rely on God.

Notice I didn’t say that God didn’t show up, I said, I chose to do life without Him.

How many times have I done this?  Countless.

How many times has the Lord been with me? Every. Single. Time.

God never leaves my side. He shows up in my life like no one else. Providing hope, meeting tangible needs, answering some of my prayers while thankfully foregoing others, all so that I could repeatedly experience His goodness even when I don’t deserve an ounce of it.

God is good. He is gracious. He is kind and loving and never, ever leaves my side.

Now that’s not to say, the human in me, doesn’t get frustrated because when I’m at my lowest and needing a friend, I feel like a need a human presence to walk with me. I cry out in frustration and anger because I feel lonely.

I need a friend, someone to hold my hand, lend a hug and remind me that it’ll all be alright.

God is with me, closer than any friend.

When I’ve worked myself into exhaustion or when life has kicked me down too many times I can’t get back up, I pick up my bible, grab my journal and start talking to Jesus.

He’s been waiting.

It doesn’t matter how many times we fail, fall down, or forget. God is waiting for us to look up and remember, He is with us, ready to act on our behalf.

Thank You Father.  

The Psalmist in 145:8-10 reminds us that, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all the He has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all You saints shall bless you!”

A call to remembrance and joy.

When you look at your life, how many times can you think of God doing good? Or lending a listening ear when you needed it the most?

I’ll admit, I’m human and I forget all the Lord has done for me.

Amazing, miraculous, stunning, beautiful miracles that 99.9% of the time I take for granted.

Like the days I held each of my sons, moments after they were born.

Sheer perfection!

Or when He took my father home to heaven before Parkinson’s could completely ravage his mind and body, saving my mother from future memories that would’ve haunted her forever.

A prayer answered.

And with each one, His gentle whisper reminds me, Once again, I will.

Can you look back on your life and define those moments where God’s hands were tangibly working out every detail? Are you able to look back in hindsight and then upwards in gratitude for the good God has done in your life?

I pray you will be able to see that our God is good, He is faithful and has shown you just how much He loves you.

Take time, look back, see what God has done and be thankfully mindful today for all the good in your life. And when life gets the best of us again, let these memories come flooding back, drawing you back into the arms of God who will always say to us, “Once again, I will.”

Until next time, I will be praying for you.

One Seed, Two Crops

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Jeremiah 23:28 – “Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain.”

The Harvest Awaits

Grain and stalk. True messengers and false prophets. One is good for health and growth and the other is a by-product of little to no nutritional value.

The context of Jeremiah 23 describes how the Israelites had been led astray due to the preaching of false prophets.

I see examples of false prophets all the time. We are told in a thousand different ways that how we see ourselves, what we think, do and act is acceptable depending on how we individually chose to interpret the world. Some even go so far as to preach this false narrative to others as a way to inflate their personal beliefs while pulling unsuspecting Christians away from God, by ever-so-slightly twisting the Word to meet their agenda.

I believe God uses the analogy of the straw and grain to remind His children that what starts out from the very same seed will in fact, be divided through the act of threshing. Stalks on one side, grain on another. Stalk is used for bedding with very little nutritional value. While the grain is full of nutrients and leads to good health and the growth of all who partake. The same can be said of false prophets and true messengers.

But let’s face it, sometimes the line between the way the world and God’s calling for His children, can seem blurry and at times, invisible. So then, how can we distinguish between the two?

First off, Christians are called to seek God for wisdom and discernment so that we are not led astray. Proverbs 2:6 – “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Friends, let us remember that wisdom and discernment don’t happen overnight. Very much like the threshing process to divide grain and straw, it takes time, effort and hard work. And… sometimes our lessons can be painful. But if we will determine to seek God is all that we do, wait to hear His voice, then through time, we will grow in His wisdom and be able to discern between those who are trying to lead us away from the Lord.

Remember, threshing is tough stuff!

Yet, it is in these challenging times where God gifts us the opportunity of a deeper relationship with Him, while growing us in His wisdom by way of us seeking Him through prayer and His word.

For those who call Him Lord, let us apply the following to our lives so that we may be considered grain and His true messengers, able to share the love of Christ to all.

Here are 4 ways to grow in wisdom and discernment

Get to know God through His Word
  • Seek God Through His Word – As we spend time in the Word, we begin to learn the character of the Lord and with the help of the Holy Spirit discern good vs. bad. James 1:5, reminds us that we can always go to the Lord on anything: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” I love this verse because not only does it encourage us to seek God and share with Him our needs but it reminds me how loving, kind and eager our God is to communicate with us, at any time.

  • Acknowledge – Once I’ve prayed and spent time in the Word, I need to also make room for my own shortcomings. I know I’m human and can make mistakes every single minute and that includes talking myself into my own wisdom. So I need to ask God to forgive and lead me. Remember, God calls each of His children to be “true messengers,” and in some translations, we are required to “speak His word faithfully.” Why? So we can refute false teachings and prevent others from being led astray. At the same time, we are able to share the love of Christ to all, offering love, hope, healing and compassion to desperate waiting world.

    In fact, 1 John 4:9-11 – encourages us to love one another the way God first loved us, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
  • Pray – Ask God to reveal His truth in scripture to any situation in your life. Psalm 37:30-31 teaches us, “The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.” Often times while I’m in prayer over a challenging situation, I’ll ask God to bubble to the surface any wrongdoing, any evil or malcontented information that He believes I should know about. I find that through the Holy Spirit, and the study of His word, God will begin to speak and the truth of any situation will come to light. This in turn causes me to trust God more and to seek Him more because His ways are always just.
  • Act – Be careful that you truly listen to God’s calling on any given situation, sometimes, yes, we are called into action. To speak truth, to step into a situation either through prayer or by actually giving our presence to the situation. But remember, God may also call us to “stand firm.” Stand firm doesn’t mean do nothing, it means be prepared to wait for God’s command. “Philippians 1:27 “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

Seek And Be Fed

“There is a difference between straw and grain!”

This is so true – there is difference between those who would lead others astray and those who love the Lord.

And at the end of the day, God judges our hearts, so if we, as sinners, people who make mistakes constantly, can realize our need for the Lord, ask Him forgiveness for any/all harm we have done, He is quick to forgive us.

To me that’s the most amazing thing about our God loves us. He pursues us, died for us, wants to walk every minute of every day with us and wants to talk with us.

Think about that for just a minute – if we were the “false prophet who is/was nutritionally defunct,” and trying to get others to be just as empty as we were, trust me, when I tell you that God, in His infinite love for you can change you from a stalk to a grain!

In fact, He gave His Son Jesus to pay the price for every sin ever committed. All we need to do, is to come Him with a repentant heart and invite Him into our lives so that He may change us.

If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Amen! The promises of the Lord are great and never-ending!

Until we meet again dear friend,

I am praying God touches your heart and changes your life!

A Hope Filled Soon

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Maybe it was the combination of Good Friday falling on my dad’s 4th heavenly birthday and the solemnness that emanated from the Tenebrae service I attended at church that caused my mind to wander down the road of contemplating how death impacts those left behind.

Years before dad passed, I started to prepare myself for the one-day-inevitable. I’ve worked in senior health care for much of my career and seen my fair share of road traveled with life ending diseases. And as much as I loved my dad and wished that Parkinson’s wasn’t wracking his body, I knew what lay ahead, the disease would win, strip me of my father and I’d never see him again, this side of heaven.

I’m guessing Mary Magdalene and the disciples also understood the finality of death. After all, we live in a fallen world and know that while life is beautiful and precious, it also carries with it finality.

That was before Jesus entered their lives and flipped the script of life and death.

For three solid years they followed, watched, listened, learned and were profoundly changed by His Holy presence.

But then, in one fell swoop, Christ was gone.

Can you just imagine their heartache and confusion? They knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus was The Holy Christ, Son of God, and yet, He died a human death. But why? Why would Jesus die like us?

Now for us, and even for Mary and the others, prior to the resurrection, we accept death and its finality as a part of living this life. But let’s imagine for a moment if there was a knock at the door and your beloved family member who had recently died, stood before you, fully healed, healthy and they join you for dinner.

What would you think?  You might think someone was playing a cruel joke on you or maybe you’d believe they were an image created in your mind because of grief.

Look at Mary. She’s overcome with grief and as one final act of reverence she comes to prepare the body for burial. But the moment she enters the tomb her grief turns to bewilderment, fear and confusion. What has happened to her Lord? She turns to the man standing next to her, thinking he is the gardener, “Sir, where have you moved the body?”

It’s understandable to me that she doesn’t recognize who she is talking to, because the last time she laid eyes on Christ, He’d been brutally beaten beyond recognizability and let’s face it, no one comes back from death. Yet, the man before her is whole and healthy.

So can you imagine when the eyes of her heart were opened and the truth of who stood before her over road the logic in her brain? Shock, disbelief, confusion, and joy! Oh my! The unprecedented joy! Your brain tells you no! But you heart says, yes!

Jesus is alive!

I love how Mary Magdalene grabs hold of Jesus when she realizes He is standing next to her.

In fact, there’s this image floating around the internet that I think speaks to how I imagine Mary jumping into His arms when she realizes Jesus was alive!

Look at her joy!  Death did not win!

In this moment is where the hope of Christ springs forth!

For three agonizing days many believed death had had its last word and won. But then, just as He promised, our precious Lord stands before us, filling us once again with hope and joy!

Holy truth! Jesus made a promise, and He kept His word!

Amen and Amen!!!

The idea of Jesus coming back from death to stand among us, to show us that even death held no power over our Lord and that He conquered the very moment that brings such grief and finality is absolutely mind boggling. But that’s exactly what Jesus did.

Oh, how they must’ve rejoiced and been confused all at the same time, don’t you think?  I bet their thoughts volleyed back and forth, finally settling on one conclusion, Jesus said it, He meant it and He did it!

But what about us and our loved ones? We know death to be final and the permanence weighs heavier on our hearts than simply missing them due to time, placement and distance.

Christ again gives hope by reminding us that through Him we do not need to grieve as the world grieves. We can rejoice in the truth that death no longer carries permanency. One day just as He promised to John in the book of Revelations 3:11a, “I am coming soon.”

The definition of soon means, “without unnecessary delay and in perfect timing.”

Doesn’t that change your perspective of life and death? Yes, death happens and there is plenty of heartache. But there can also be joy! Because just as Jesus showed us that death has no power over Him, we too can embrace the fact that death has lost its sting. One day, either because we draw our last breath or Christ returns, we do not need to live in grief as one who has no hope.

Yes, I will miss my dad until I see him again face to face and knowing I will see him again because of what Christ has done, eases the sting of losing him for now.

If you have lost a loved one, I pray that the truth, love and hope of Christ comforts your hearts.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Until we meet again, may God keep you in perfect peace.

Blessings and best wishes,

Praying For My Stepdaughter

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“Pray for her.”  

God whispered these words into my heart and an image of my adult stepdaughter Josie came to mind.

It’s been 6 quiet years since our last set of texts with nothing in between except tidbits of information filtered through various extended family members.

One might think it odd that God would bring Josie to mind since there really isn’t much of a relationship to speak of. As far as I knew, she was happy with her life, her husband and children and wanted for nothing. Certainly, as it pertains to me as a stepmom, I got the message loud and clear when she stopped responding. It was clear, she was an adult now with her own family and based on her lack of response to my efforts, I surmised the last thing she wanted was a stepmom.

But I know God. When He brings someone to mind, it’s for a reason. Sometimes God brings a person to mind with a nudge to take action, either through a phone call, text or dinner. Other times, like this one, the only nudge I got from the Lord was to pray and so I did. Here’s what I came up with during that time, I pray it will encourage you like it did me to never give and to always follow the leading of the Lord.

Prayer

As a mom this is a no-brainer, but when you’re a stepmom and your family story looks like its been scripted for a a Lifetime movie, exhaustion forces you into survival mode and prayer is gone faster than you can change channels.

Which is why God’s whisper was a wonderful prompt and one that gave me hope that I could finally do something. For far too long, I’d felt helpless, unable to shore up the damage being done with every tug-of-war battle that eventually pulled my family apart. This wasn’t the way I envisioned our family. I never wanted anger, tears or heartbreak. In fact, when Josie came into my life I saw happily-ever-afters, BBQ’s and sunsets. I still wanted that for us.

So for the rest of the morning the Lord and I walked through His word, digging up passages and defining areas for growth and for task. He showed me a multitude of ways I could stand in the gap for my stepdaughter, lifting her in prayer. He also reminded me that prayer doesn’t mean I need to be involved in her life on a day-to-day basis. Instead, God wanted my obedience to do the behind the scenes work He’d set before me, and to trust Him. He wasn’t promising me the Hallmark version of my life. He was offering me healing by way of praying for Josie.

What about you? How can you begin to pray for your stepdaughter today? If you don’t know, ask God. He’ll bring to mind areas of her life that need your prayers. Maybe she’s having a tough time at school or starting a new job. Or maybe she’s a new mom and struggling to balance work and home life.

Whatever God brings to mind, pray for her in those areas. Also, if you’d like to take your prayers one step farther, one of my all time favorite authors is Elizabeth George and she’s written a great book called, “A Mom After God’s Own Heart” that will lend plenty of tools and topics to prayerfully consider for your stepdaughter.

Elizabeth George

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His presence continually!”

Forgiveness

Oh, this is a hard one for me. You too? I think as women we tend to hold onto memories, hurts, bitterness and unforgiveness, rehashing them over and over in our minds until we’re frothy with anger and ready to lash out in pain.

Ladies, if our families are to be restored we must first look to ourselves, admit what we’re holding onto and seek God’s forgiveness. He doesn’t want us to wallow in ugly memories. He wants us to be healed. But to do that, we must first acknowledge our need of the Lord.

James 4:10 invites us to, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” Can you imagine what it would look like to view your family through the lens of love and not worry that they’ll be caked with pain?

What a promise of hope!

Let us be stepmoms who ask for forgiveness and then eagerly offer it to those around us.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Restoration

The biblical meaning for restoration is to receive back more than what has been lost to the degree that the new is better than the original condition.

Don’t you love that?

Better than new!

When we think of something being restored, like an old dresser, we think of taking it back to its original state. God takes restoration one step further and promises to make it better than the way it started out!

What a promise!

In order to move forward in our relationships we need to be healed of the pain that has destroyed us and our families. God can restore our relationships; not back to the way they started but in a richer, sweeter more precious way than we can ever imagine.

I think back to when I was a young woman, newly married, no kids, when Josie came into my life, and oh my! Even my best efforts don’t seem worth much in light of the damage that’s been done. I need restoration! I need God to make me better than I was if I’m going to be a blessing to my stepdaughter. Lord, please hear my prayer and please restore me to a new improved step mom!

If that’s your prayer too, be encouraged dear friend. We serve a mighty, loving God who is in the business of restoration. Just look at His gift to us through His precious Son Jesus Christ. He gave us His Son, would He not want restoration and healing for your family? Of course He does! God is a God of restoration and right relationships.

Lamentations 3:33-34 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness.”

Set Aside Expectations

I don’t know about you but this is a hard one for me because at the root of it all, I want everything to work out perfectly. However, as our family is living on the flip side of 3 decades of brokenness, you will see that all of our expectations and best efforts have failed. Why? Because we tried making those expectations work without ever seeking God. We thought we were doing the right thing, but with every failure, came more pain until all we were doing was reacting in a knee-jerk response to the previous heartbreak.

But wait! I believe God is doing a mighty work in our lives which will require us to lay our expectations at the feet of Jesus.

Let us trust God that He has brought our stepdaughters to mind for His reasons, not ours. Our job is to seek Him in every step He leads us in/through. While we walk with Him through this restoration let us ask Him to heal our brokenness, our need to be right, or acknowledged. Let us lay down our hurts, dreams and disappointments so that God can do a mighty work in us!

Trust the Lord for He is good and He does good.

James 3:17 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Pray For Healing

Be diligent in your prayers

I know I started with prayer so I’d like to end with prayer.

It goes without saying that healing is needed. Without it old wounds are reopened, new hurts are added and relationships are permanently destroyed.

Maybe your family looks like it can’t be salvaged. So does mine.

All is not lost! God is in the business of resurrecting the dead, the broken and hurting. He is into turning lives around so that His love is revealed to a waiting world.

Be encouraged my friend, I know it’s not easy being a stepmom. But I believe, even in our mistakes and our weaknesses, God can take hurt, broken stepmoms and turn us into mighty prayer warriors for our stepdaughters and our families. I believe with God we can be healed and families restored.

Will you commit to start today? Can you find it in yourself to spend time with the Lord and ask Him what His will is for you, your stepdaughter and your family? I pray you God will draw you closer to Himself and bless your requests that all that has been destroyed will be restored. I trust that He will give you the opportunity to start again, walk with Him, trusting in Him for every detail in your relationship between you, your stepdaughter and every single person involved. He is a mighty God and can do miraculous things!

Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.”

Standing in the gap with you.

Your friend,

Mom Moves Home

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In the past 4 months, I would bet most of you have experienced change. LOTS. OF. CHANGE.

Prior to COVID my husband and I were anticipating a soon-to-be empty nest. June was our deadline to have both of our adult sons out of the home and on their own.

Until the whole world was flipped upside down and our old ways of living turned into a “new norm.”

Not ones who get too upset by change we figured, what’s a few more months? We’ve come this far with the boys at home, what’s a little more time?

But let me be real here. We were disappointed.

Now don’t get me wrong, we love our boys. Like many of you, outside of breaking the law or something like bungee jumping off a bridge, The Hubs and I would do anything for them.

But when our plans for empty nesting flew out the window, we had to seriously take a step back and reevaluate the next timeline. How long would they be staying? When would they leaving? With COVID always looming over our daily lives, would they be leaving?

Eventually our disappointment washed away, we began accepting that we don’t know what tomorrow brings. We can plan and prepare but until the opportunity to actually help our sons move out, we’re all in a status quo.

This was our lives until, 2 months ago, our lives changed yet again. Expectations of a future tomorrow where the it’ll just be me and The Hubs once again flew out the window faster than a fly being chased by a swatter.

Mom moved home.

Yep. You read that right.

Mom moved home.

Dad passed away almost 2 years ago and the grief for mom is overwhelming. She feels lost. No one and no where feels like home. Which is understandable because let’s face it, you can’t live 50+ years with a spouse and expect to go on living as if nothing’s changed the moment the funeral is over.

Grief, loss and loneliness come in waves. They crash into her day like an unexpected tsunami leaving emotional debris and destruction in its wake.

So when the call came that she was thinking she’d like to come up for the summer, I had to be really honest, like, look Ma, we’re at capacity, but if you want to jump in, we’re here to catch you.

Jump she did.

Which basically equates to 5 humans and 4 dogs under 1 roof.

Yikes!

So how are we coping-slash-surviving?

Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace upon more grace, upon more grace, grace, grace, grace and finally…grace!

Yep. All from the good Lord above.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

God’s grace. My weakness. His perfect sufficiency.

We’ve all come to reside under one roof. Seeking rest and healing from all of our own individual trials. We are broken people with disappointments, hurt, anger, frustration and now COVID. Seriously…if my house isn’t the next Instapot ready to explode I’m not sure what is.

And yet…

God is able. With lots of prayers, God is able to give grace and understanding on a moment to moment basis.

Let’s be real here. It’s not all roses and candy. There are testy moments because of unspoken expectations, misunderstandings when we stop being the poster child of “we’ve got it all under control” and fight our human nature to simply explode on one another.

Prayers are my lifeline.

It’s not easy. Trust me. There are moments when I’m caught in the crossfire of a rebellious adult child and my mother giving me the “you-oughta-do -something-right-this-minute” look.

Yes, there are moments when my sanity is tested. That’s when I walk away. Clearer heads prevail. Emotions, tend to get me in trouble and make matters worse.

God is able.

He alone is abundantly capable to heal our damaged lives while giving us the tools to gracefully co-exist in a multi-generational home.

When we as believers sit at the feet of Jesus and ask Him to lead us in this new life we can find rest, strength, wisdom, grace and every tool necessary to walk with the grace of Christ in the challenges we face.

Yes it’s possible.

No it’s not easy.

It’s a bumpy ride. This is life and family. Not the Instagram version. I’m talking about the dark side. Unspoken hopes. Old hurts resurfacing. Bad habits driving everyone bonkers. Tears, arguments, curse words. All of it.

Maybe you’re like us. Kids and parents are knocking on your door and you’re watching your freedom and empty-nest expectations evaporate right before your eyes and you’re wondering if you’ll ever have quiet again. Or maybe you’re the ones forced to go back home and it feels like failure.

What then?

Pray. In every conversation. In every moment, seek His wisdom and then do what He asks you to do. Sometimes He’ll take you out of your comfort zone to engage in challenging conversations. Sometimes the Lord may ask you to step out and pray openly for your family at the evening meal which may start a firestorm.

Good.

Just remember, God created families. He loves your family and wants your home to be filled with love, grace, joy and peace so that you may be the example of all the goodness of God to a waiting world that destroys and tears apart families.

I hope this encourages you today to remember God’s goodness in every part of your life, whether it is empty-nesting, feeling the squeeze of family members moving in or if you’re the one moving home.

May you take time to honor the Lord and thank Him for it all.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise!” ~ Psalm 111:10

Until next time,
Blessings and best wishes,

Who Are You?

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Yesterday I was listening to Margaret Feinberg’s podcast, The Joycast session called “Get Out of Your Head” with Jennie Allen.

During the podcast Jennie Allen shares that she believes there are 3 core lies that we as humans tend to believe about ourselves at any given time:

  • I am unlovable
  • I am worthless
  • I am helpless

This really got me to thinking about my own life as a child and now as an adult and how those 3 little lies which carry so much weight and direct so many actions and have the ability to shape everyday decisions.

I mulled over what I heard in the podcast and really started asking myself, is this true? Do I navigate life from a place of a lie? My brain argued with my heart…yes…no…yes…maybe. Ultimately, the truth hit me hard.

Sometimes.

Being human is hard. Let’s face it. Years of old tapes, bad relationships and decisions compound our daily walk. And as always, satan is always whispering garbage in our ears.

It’s exhausting and downright defeating.

But I reasoned that since there’s at least a chance that I live my life from one of those 3 lies at any given time, and God warns us that satan does nothing but seek to kill and destroy our lives, then the best way to combat a lie is with God’s truth.

I needed to get to the bottom of the matter, if the world and satan constantly try to get me to believe that I am unlovable, unworthy or helpless, I had to ask “Lord, what is my truth?”

“For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” ~John 3:16

Seriously? I am loved that much? To have the Almighty Father, Maker of heaven and earth, sacrifice His Son, so that I might live?

Now that’s some serious love. And I must be worthy of that love.

Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who God is.

Mind-blowing! Unfathomably believable. I can scarcely wrap my brain around the truth of it all. God. In His infinite love for you and I gave us His Son’s life for ours so that we are able to commune with Him, fulfill our purpose with Him and sing His praises.

Oh the love of it all!

To think that I am loved that much, breaks me and absolutely crushes every. single. lie.

God says:

We are loved by the Father.

We are so precious and valuable to Him that no one and no thing can take us from Him.

And finally, ALL things are possible through Christ who strengthens us.

So take that, lies!

God has the first, last and every single word about our lives and nothing is farther from the lies than God’s truth!

Let that sink deep into your soul. Let the truth of God’s word cleanse every single lie from your life so you may begin again under the truth of God’s love for you. Then take the next step and walk in His purpose and truth for your life.

Until next time,

Really Lord…Tomato Plants?

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I’d like to tell you about the goodness of God through the eyes of a newbie gardener.

Like many of you, because of the world we currently live in, I am planting a vegetable garden.

However, with thousands of folks trying to better prepare their pantries in case of a future rebound, plant starts are a bit scarce in these parts, even seeds are flying off the shelves.

But here’s the truth about God. He knows it all before anything ever happens in this world.

Including COVID.

I’m sure we all the felt a bit of anxiety with the news pounding out minute by minute fear. Stores shelves bare while there were mouths to feed.

As if COVID 19 wasn’t enough of a stressor in our lives, our adult sons trickled back home, bringing with them their own set of disappointments, fears and hungry bellies.

But by God’s grace our family saw the Lord’s incredible provision over and over.

Our family is in constant need of grace. We stumble in our walk with the Lord, sometimes falling completely flat on our face.

I say this to preface the story I’m about to share because I want to give God the glory for the blessings He chose to bestow on our little family. We didn’t deserve them. We didn’t earn them and we certainly needed His grace. For His love and provisions, we are changed and are forever grateful for these answered prayers that came in the shape of tomato plants.

Our small apartment did not lend itself to a garden plot so I turned to our neighborhood P-patch for gardening options. Honestly I didn’t hold out much hope of getting a garden plot because the growing season had already started and everything, I mean every plant start, seed packet was gone! Not a single green stem was to be found!

But… I prayed anyway, asking God to open up just 1 little garden spot.

How did He answer? The good Lord blessed us with 2!

Great! But what was I going to plant? Shelves were bare.

Seriously?! All I wanted were the staples: potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and maybe a zucchini plant.

I looked for weeks online and in every store, garden center and wholesaler in the area and couldn’t find anything, anywhere! I was about to give up when on a fluke, I walked into our local Co-Op and there, right by the front door were bushels of potato slips on sale! Amazing!

Trust me when I say, those little slips were in the ground immediately! But what about the other veggies I had hoped to plant; green beans, onions and tomatoes?

I prayed again. I figured “why not?” God heard my prayer about the potato slips, certainly He could hear my prayers for those too, right?

“Lord, can you please help? I’m guessing, 10 Roma plants will hopefully give us enough to can and get on our pantry shelves. Can you help Lord, there’s nothing anywhere.”

I waited.

Two weeks later, one of my residents family members ( I work in senior health care) stopped by the building to ask if anyone wanted tomato starts.

I jumped with glee!

“Absolutely I do!” I told her. A few days later, she stopped by with 2 huge crates full of tomato starts for our residents to plant in the community garden and for anyone else who wanted them.

Want to guess how many I was gifted?

Yep, 10!

Wanna take a guess as to which type?

Yep, Roma’s!

I tell y’all, God is so good and God does good.

Even when we are freaking out because an invisible giant hits our lives and threatens our very health and well-being. God is still good. Even down to tomatoes.

There isn’t anything God doesn’t already know about us and our hearts. He’s just waiting to hear from us.

What have I learned?

I needed to be more like the ants. Proverbs 6:6-11 tells us this, ” 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. “

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t like being called a sluggard. But I was. I am.

I had taken for granted all of the conveniences around me, grocery stores open 24/7, restaurants at my disposal, every amenity I needed was close at hand.and I had gotten lazy because of the misnomer that I had a safety net for those “just in case” moments.

But thanks to COVID I realized just how much of a sluggard I really was!

I’ll admit, our family wasn’t prepared for the long-term emergency that caused world wide panic and depletion of everyday living supplies.

Through it all, God is teaching me that He provides. He provides the security, provisions, health, joy, peace and even tomatoes if only we would take the time to seek Him. Maybe you were like me, scared that the reality of being unprepared would directly impact the well-being of your family. It did impact us on a very real level which has caused The Hubs and I to make changes in our lives on many levels. First of which is our walk with the Lord.

Ya know, I’ve been a Christian my entire life. I’ve loved God from the beginning, even before I started going to church. But what this pandemic has shown me, is that maybe it wasn’t only our cupboards that were bare.

My heart and walk with Christ were also lacking. Sure I read my bible and went to church regularly, but did I actually put what I was being taught into action on a daily basis and not just during emergencies?

I’m ashamed to admit that the answer was a no, I was a spiritual sluggard. Those tough questions helped me to see my walk with Christ differently. I needed to be like the ants not only in my physical life but more importantly in my walk with God. I needed to ask myself and lay my heart open for Christ to bring to light where there was an opportunity for growth.

How about you? What is it that you need to share with the Lord? What is it that wells up fear and discord in your heart? Is it a feeling of anxiety, worry, lacking?

Friend, whatever it is, let me encourage you to God and He will provide. Maybe it’ll be in the form of the next meal, the next bill paid or maybe the next step in your walk. Whatever it is that is weighing on you I want to encourage you to take some time alone with the Lord. He is faithful to hear us in small ways and in large, physical and spiritual.

May you find God to be an abundant provider and your life filled to overflowing with His blessings and love.

Until next time,

Blessings & best wishes,

Center Of Your Life

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We lived in Oklahoma for a dozen years. I absolutely loved that state!

The people were welcoming. The down home food made me feel like my grandma made it and the landscape was beautiful in its own right. Gentle rolling hills. Rocky crags to hike and climb and let’s not forget the weather.

For a mid-western born and raised gal, I loved the 4 seasons Oklahoma’s weather blasted at us. Yes, blasted. Nothing came at you sweet and easy. In Oklahoma, we’d tease, “You better hold on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!” When storm fronts would roll in.

The rain came down in sheets and pelt your windshield so hard, you’d have to pull over otherwise you’d risk hitting something, a car, a cement barrier, telephone pole, cattle. Yes, cattle. Trust me on this one.

And oh! The hail. Ugh! Don’t ever ask my husband about the damage done to his car one night when tornado warnings flashed in the area and he drove across town to pick up our youngest who was finishing a hockey practice. Let’s just say, after the golf ball sized hail pummeled his car for the 6 mile round trip to and from the hockey rink, his car looked like we’d drug it out of a junk yard! I think that was the first time I’ve seen a grown man cry!

Let’s not forget the winds. Oh mercy me! When the winds would whip across the plains my mom would joke that “they’d take your head off if you didn’t hold tight.” Seriously, 60-70mph winds would tear through the area causing flag poles to become spikes crashing through trees.

All this to say, that Oklahoma weather isn’t for the weak. We had crazy hot melt-your-brains summer temps. In the 100’s y’all! 100+’s!! One summer I thought we were all gonna start growing scales and turn into lizards, it got so hot! No kidding!

Needless to say, you’ve got to be prepared for whatever comes your way. Lots of protection, forethought, undercover parking is a must and plenty of air conditioning and heated seating, because yes, we had ice storms too!

I bring all of this up because this morning as I was reading Proverbs 7:2 ” Keep my commands and live, and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye.”

I thought about living in Oklahoma’s harsh weather. We all know what it feels like to get an eyelash, or a piece of dust in our eye. But what if a sharp object comes flying at your eye during a stormy season, then what? What do we do to protect our sight?

See the analogy I thought of is that there are stormy seasons in our lives. Times when chaos is whipping through our lives. What then? How do we guard our thoughts, minds and hearts when life is unexpectedly painful?

I think this small verse reminds me to always be on guard.

I use to joke that the weather channel was a big deal in Oklahoma. Well it is! And so is the channel of our hearts. We need to always stay tuned to God’s word in preparation for whatever comes our way. Just like we keep a pair of sunglasses or a rain jacket or a snow shovel handy “just in case” its needed.

Preparation is key. We never know when life will take a turn for the worse. When a storm will show up, with winds of heartache shooting their painful debris into our lives.

God call us to…“keep His commands, live and guard His instructions.”

How do we make that happen in our lives? Oh that’s easy sisters. Spend time with God. In His Word. Daily. Hourly. Moment-by-moment. Make Christ your priority over everything else in your life.

Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. That’s opposite of what we’re told. Society tells us that we’re to be #1. Do our own thing. Make our own decisions. But how many times can you admit that a storm has whipped through your life and caught you completely unprepared and you crumbled? It’s happened to me more times than I care to admit.

But you see, God says just the opposite of society. God calls us to Himself. He invites us to spend time with Him, to know Him and to love Him with our hearts, souls and minds.

In doing so, it is God’s guarantee that when the storms of life hit our lives, and they will…we will be fully prepared. We won’t be left out in the cold, the hail, the pelting rain, the heat of our lives, alone. God is with us.

So dress accordingly ladies, there are bound to be stormy days ahead. Grab your bible, talk to God, share your heart and know the good Lord will see you through every single storm.

I’m praying for you sister. As always,

Blessings & best wishes,