A Quick Encouragement

Hey Mama -

In case you’re needing encouragement today:

Training up your littles (and bigs) is a worthwhile, good calling.

Taking the time to teach them, to play with them, to go places together - it’s worthwhile.

Your children have been put in your family on purpose, and God has given and will continue to give you and your husband everything needed to do the job of raising them.

It’s okay if your family structure doesn’t look like everyone else’s. It’s okay if your routines are different, or if you have to say no to outside things more often than you’d like.

Time often brings the gift of maturity. We have plans and routines that start one way and either morph or end. If your utmost focus is to shape your family life around what God teaches through Scripture, you’re doing well.

Keep on keeping on, doing the faithful work that the Lord has given you. It is good, and it is pleasing to Him!

Wonder in the Process || Friday Magnify

 “Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

“Caleb, just take two and put them in your jar,” I hurried my littlest along.

“Noooo Mommy, I don’t want that color! I want THIS one!” he pushed his hand farther into the sea of pompoms.

I sighed. Why not just take two random ones? They were going to be dumped back into the master jar soon enough.

We have a reward system using pompoms, and once the kids earn a specific amount of them they can cash them in for a reward. Works great, and sometimes I’d like to make it a little more efficient. Yanno, like speed up the pompom gathering so it doesn’t take ten minutes.

But, it’s a funny little thing and something I can be thankful for. This whole experience is fun and special for my kids, and part of their joy is being able to pick favorite-colored pompoms.

So, instead of hurrying them along and wishing I had a jar of matching pompoms… I am learning to encourage the wonder. I’m learning to see the wonder in other parts of our day, whether through the eyes of my children or in the things only I will experience. The putting together of puzzles, watching as the picture comes together in their minds; the rising of sourdough starter, seeing all the air pockets form; even washing eggs from a neighbor, admiring the color variations as they are cleaned off. There is built-in wonder in everyday processes!

What are some things you marvel at? :)

Loneliness

Do you ever find yourself lonely? Physically, and spiritually? Over and over I have read comments and desperate pleas for advice from moms who find themselves struggling to cope with their current loneliness. The past year+ of shut downs and restrictions has amplified the isolation many of us are feeling, though I wonder how many were already familiar with loneliness.

Even before 2020, we may have had challenges of finding friends we “click” with. We may have struggled finding groups for our children to spend time with, or other moms we can talk to beyond a surface chit chat. And now, in our current upheaval of “normal,” we are seeing the Church being sifted and people choose whether or not they will hold fast to Scripture. I don’t know about you, but this has been the hardest part for me – seeing so many friends and acquaintances walk away from the Lord and embrace our culture’s wickedness. It’s heartbreaking, and while it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of friendships it does cause separation to one degree or another.

We can often find ourselves in seasons of loneliness. And it begs the question – what to do?

One morning I was reading 1 Kings and the chapters for the day were so fitting. Chapters 17-19 share some of Elijah’s life, and his work for the Lord. God used him to do miracles and save lives! He walked closely with the Lord and was obedient to Him. Yet he was lonely and hard-pressed, and finally begged God to just let him die. “It is enough!” he cried (19:4). “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (19:10).

Who else but the Lord can refresh us? He took Elijah out of his cave, and showed Himself to him. He told him what was to come, and then reassured him: “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have now bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (19:18). Elijah was not actually alone.

We need to remember this in regard to our own lives. We may feel lonely, and things can look bleak, but the Lord always saves a remnant. There are always other faithful believers who have not bowed to pagans, who will hold fast to Scripture and refuse to deny their Savior. They may not be in our neighborhoods, or even in our counties – but they exist, spread out where the Lord has placed them. We are in good company.

With that in mind, here are other actions I hope you will find helpful:

1. Read the Word and pray – We know this! Wallow not; be fed by His Word, then get up and do the next thing. Pray all day as you go about your tasks. You will find He is an ever present, close Companion.

2. Keep friendships in healthy perspective – The Lord is good to bring friends in due season. Sometimes those seasons don’t last long, sometimes they last decades. Sometimes friends overlap seasons, sometimes they don’t. Yet we can trust that He knows what He’s doing with us, and with our friends. Learn to cherish them but not hold them too closely. Friends are not our end-all; only He can satisfy as a Friend who knows us better than anyone else.

3. Get to know people – Holding friendships loosely doesn’t mean not having any at all, or not trying to build some! But instead of trying to find people that fit your criteria, work to get to know the people around you. Be a multi-generational friend, not an only-my-age friend. We learn from and can be edified by people of all ages and backgrounds. This may be a challenge right now, but I also encourage you to get together with people and build relationships. It’s a necessity! Go to church, get together with other believers to pray, host someone for dinner. Make it happen.

4. Journal – write everything out. I have kept a journal for close to two decades, and I can testify to how helpful it is. Putting all of your thoughts on paper can help you sort through them. Looking back may be cringy (it really is), but it is a testimony to God’s goodness for carrying you and growing you. It is a private space to pour your thoughts and emotions out to the Lord, and it brings maturity!

5. Read biographies of other Christians – there are so many! I recently finished Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn; highly recommend it. A Chance to Die is another great one; it’s a biography about Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot. Read about Gladys Aylward, missionary to China. Read Found Faithful by Elizabeth Skoglund, a compilation of stories about Charles Spurgeon, CS Lewis, Amy Carmichael, Ruth Bell Graham, Andrew Murray, and others. Reading about others who have gone before us is so encouraging and inspiring. They will remind you of the greatness of our God and leave you knowing you’re not alone in this marathon of faith!

Ultimately, we know that our loneliness and challenges are temporary. We endure for a moment in the grand scheme of things. Our God is forever on His throne, and darkness cannot overcome His light.

Even in your loneliness, keep your eyes firmly fixed on His Word. There you will find satisfaction for your soul. May we be the remnant, and the remnant that multiplies.

The Rescuer of Souls || Friday Magnify

 “Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

We drove over this bridge recently and I hurried to take photos to send to a friend. She moved away from most winter things - naturally I have to tease with a [blurry] photo of the snow she doesn’t get to see anymore. Looking the scene again later, I marveled. The current in this river is very strong, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at the surface. Some areas show the push and pull, but much of it remains placid and untouched.

Reading in Acts 2 this morning, God reminded me of how He works. Peter gave a sermon to a large group of people, many of whom were mocking and skeptical about Peter’s loyalty to Christ. They weren’t sure what to make of recent events (Jesus being crucified). It was a strange time. But here was Peter, having just received the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, and he was preaching to the crowd. The whole crowd understood what he was saying, each in his own language. How could this be? What power was at work in him?

In his sermon, Peter walked the crowd through Scripture that most, if not all, would’ve been familiar with. He showed them how Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, and the only Way to be saved.

“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vs.21).

The Jesus whom they had crucified is the One that God made King and Savior.

“When they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (vs. 37)

Can you imagine the angst once they realized the truth? their own sin against the holy God?

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation’” (vs. 38-40).

We learn after these verses that about three thousand souls were saved that day. They saw their depravity and need for a Savior. Wow!

Christianity is the one religion that cannot be stopped. Why? Because it is the only truth. Worship of and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ - that will go on for eternity. God tells us in His Word that one day, all peoples and nations will bow before Him. And one day, sin will be gone for good and we will be left with perfection, worshiping our King.

Just like the river, under the bridge - God is always moving and always working in mighty ways. We may not see it; we may not know what He is up to, and how on Earth He is going to redeem humanity. It looks bleak, and it looks like we are losing the fight. But He is strong, powerful, independent. He does as He wants, and it is good. He is bringing people to Himself even now.

Take heart, friends. We serve the one true God who alone can save, who alone can rescue souls - and He is! Praise Him!