His Word, Kids/Parenting, Series

Fear

Today we are talking about FEAR.

Fear has two definitions:

Forget Everything And Run

or

False Evidence Appearing Real

Do Not Fear

Did you know that there are 365 bible verses that tell us, ‘Fear Not’ or ‘Do Not Be Afraid’?

That’s one verse for every. day. of. the. year.

I don’t know about you, but I think God may be trying to tell me something.

Like I don’t have to fear what the future holds – He is already there.

I don’t have to fear whether or not He will provide – He always has and He always will.

I don’t have to fear what will become of my children. I just have to turn them over to Him and He will work all things out for their good.

I don’t have to fear the war.

I don’t have to fear my enemies.

I don’t have to fear the unknown.

I just have to trust Him.

I have to trust Him that it will all work out according to His plans and His will for my life.

I have to trust that I am where I’m supposed to be.

I have to demonstrate faith and hope for my children that the God of the Universe is there for them and loves them.

So, for the foreseeable future, I will choose to define fear as False Evidence Appearing Real.

His Word, Soul Relationships

20 Years and Change

Someone recently shared with me that we’ve known one another for over 20 years.

Wow…TWENTY years…two decades…

That’s a long time…and, while I’m still in my 30’s, I can say that 20 years is more than half of my life.

Even as I type that, it seems like so much time…

A lot can happen over 20 years…a person can encounter a lot of ‘stuff’ that changes who they are to the core.

Marriage…divorce…having kids…changing jobs…losing parents…life threatening illnesses…

Each of these events, as well as the daily ebb and flow of life, can change a person…for better or worse.

Of the very short list above, I’ve walked through two-thirds of these events. Fortunately, I’ve not lost either of my parents or encountered any life-threatening illnesses.

One thing that has changed me the most is motherhood. Becoming a parent will only change you if you let it. I’ve been a single mom for the entire time I’ve been a mother – almost 10 years. When you become a mother, you realize that it’s no longer about YOU. It’s about them…and what they need from you…and you learn to put your selfish ways on the shelf – or at least you should.

You know what else has had a huge impact on me? Accepting the free gift of salvation from Jesus. Knowing that you don’t have to work your way into heaven sure does take a load off. Between that and motherhood, I am nowhere near the same person I was twenty years ago. Add wisdom from poor choices to the mix, and you get another set of circumstances that can change a person.

As I was reflecting on the last twenty years, it occurred to me that this person has weaved their way in and out of my life this entire time. There would be times that we wouldn’t speak for months and years, and then there would be times where we would check in more frequently. Just a few months ago, I found a picture from 20 years ago that I had to share…and I think we both got a chuckle out of it. {Let’s be real, fashion has come a long way! Thankfully.}

Throughout this 20 years, this time span of two decades, two marriages and five kids between us, and countless broken hearts and unfulfilled hopes and dreams, we have both…

…loved and lost…

…lived through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows…

…and we have both managed to come out on the other side of things able to talk about them…

When, on a random Sunday morning, one text message starts the whole cycle over again, you find that your past and your present and your future are all rolled into one…

And then one day, you look up and someone you met 20 years ago is there…smiling at you, and asking, ‘Where have you been?’

And you just know that your heart has come home.

His Word, Kids/Parenting, Series

Glue

Originally published April 18, 2014

Merriam-Webster defines glue as, “any of various strong adhesive substances; something that binds together.” As I think about the glue in my life…what strong adhesive substances I’m surrounded by, what something(s) that bind me together, my first thought on this Good Friday takes me to my Savior.

John 1:1-2 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Jesus was there. Just as He is here now.

Glue – something that binds together. Oh, like something that binds me together? You mean like on the days when I just don’t want to see one. more. crumpled. up. sock? You mean like on the days when I can’t muster up the strength to put one. more. smile. on. my. face. for the sake of my children?

Or on the days when my world has been shaken to its core and I know that in order to be the glue that my children need on this earth, I have to keep it together. Yes, those days are the day I’m scratching and clawing my way to the cross. To get what Jesus has for me…the rest he promises for the weary and burdened…the peace He offers, not in the way the world gives or offers…the amazing grace He gives…the hope that is found in His name.

Jesus…

His Word, Kids/Parenting, Series

Paint

This post is one that I’m republishing. It was originally published on April 11, 2014.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about my daughter painting and how I was simply exasperated when she got the set of brushes in the paint…it wasn’t because she was intentionally trying to make a mess, it was because she was just so excited at the brushes I had found.

Last week, I wrote about a sunrise – a true gift from God that day. I wrote about how the colors appeared as though the artist had carelessly just streaked his brush across the sky. When we know that THE artist is anything BUT careless.

I guess what I’m learning from these ‘paint’ scenarios is that not everything in life is going to be ‘perfect.’ And besides, who says that what I think is ‘perfect’ is actually perfect? If I’m not perfect – and I’m not – then how could I have even a remote sense of what perfect it?

When someone sits down to paint, or draw, or be creative and expressive in any way (by the way, I believe writing falls into this category), then there is no right or wrong. There is no perfect. There is no black and white. There are only shades of grey, and colors that blend and bleed, and words that may not fit ‘just so.’

So, from here on out, I’m going to take a step back and just be…be content for things as they are, without worrying that they’re not perfect. Because I’m not. So, how could I expect for things (and people) around me to be perfect?

Book Reviews, His Word

Untangled Book Review – and a GIVEAWAY!

It has become such an honor to read books and share my thoughts with you all. I’m an avid reader and enjoy most of what I read, but I am rather choosy when it comes to what I read.

Perhaps some of you have seen the buzz on social media about a book called “Untangled: Let God Loosen the Knots of Insecurity in Your Life.” Let me let you in on a little secret….this. book. is. life. changing.

When talking of untangling the knots of insecurity in my (or your) life, Carey Scott talks with the authority of someone who KNOWS. She has lived it. She has clearly experienced the pain and trauma that breeds insecurity. And yet, here in her story, she tells us how she has walked with God to clean up this jumbled, tangle of knots.

Carey shares her personal stories of heartache. She pulls in relevant scripture to prove that the insecurities that keep women tied in knots are nothing but lies from the enemy. Carey is transparent and never once made me feel like she’s ‘arrived’ or that I should feel as though I’m ‘not enough.’ Her words and her story are a testament to the fact that the God of the universe cares for her and you and me. He can untangle what the enemy has tangled. I can tell that her faith is as authentic and genuine as her writing.

As I write this, I have a friendship with an amazing man that has the potential to turn into something more. And yet, I can relate all too well with Carey’s words from the first chapter, “My Tangled Mess.”

“I’ve struggled to trust that anyone could genuinely care for someone like me. After all, I was damaged goods – worthless. With all the girls in the world to choose from, why would any good man want me?…I didn’t trust the motives of men either. In my opinion, they would say the right words to get what they wanted…I was always waiting for them to hurt me again, because that’s what men did.”

My past is one of the tangles that God is so faithfully working on in me. Carey didn’t let her past abuse define her, and I won’t let my past (NOT one with abuse – thank God! But plenty of other issues.) define me.

Carey also mentions that:

“Truth is, I never really believed I was important to God. How could I have been? If I really mattered, He would have saved me from (__fill in the blank with your own issues__). God would have sheltered me from the hurt and the pain…In His sovereignty, God knew evil would find me that day. And while He could have stopped the enemy’s plan, He didn’t. That’s been a hard reality to accept…But maybe, just maybe, he allowed it to happen because His plans were to also give me… a voice.”

WOW! That’s a hard pill to swallow, isn’t it? That God could have saved us from the events that have us in a tangled mess. But in His sovereignty, in His plans, in His perfect knowledge and will for the world and our lives…He didn’t. And what we, as believers, have to understand is that we live in a fallen world. We live in a world full of sinners, just like us. We live in a world that has sought beauty, fame, riches, and our own way. In a place like this, there will NEVER be an absence of pain and suffering and hurting.

BUT GOD…is still on the throne. And His plan is bigger than any mistakes we have made, than anything we’ve done right, than anything we’ve done wrong, than any hurt we’ve inflicted or had to recover from.

God's Plan

We, as believers, have to remember that God’s plan is bigger than our mistakes. He knows what He’s doing. And in many situations, He allows evil to touch our lives so that we can remember who we are and WHOSE we are.

His plans for us are good and filled with hope and purpose. Nothing can separate us from His love. He works out ALL things, in ALL situations, at ALL times for our good. Before He formed us in our mother’s wombs, He knew us. Even the very hairs on our heads are numbered by him. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. He loves us so much that He sent His only son to pay the cost of our sins.

In case you didn’t know it, friend, He is crazy about you. And He doesn’t want you to live all tangled up in knots. Knots woven by the enemy from lies told and believed.

Here’s the fun part! Carey Scott (the author of this wonderful book, in case I forgot to tell you) has created this survey…it’s not long…and the purpose is to help you find YOUR tangle. Take the quiz, and come back and leave a comment with your tangle. When you do that, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a FREE copy of her book. (Don’t forget to leave your email address, so I can get in contact with you.)

Here’s the survey: https://untangledwomen.com/whats-your-tangle/

You, my sweet readers, are so important to me. I don’t want you living in tangles either. Let’s follow the walk Carey has started for us and untangle those knots of insecurity.

The giveaway will be open until 5:00 pm on Friday, June 12.