Unveiled Graces

My daughter begged to ride her purple bike all day.  The day had been grueling from sunup.  Labor Day was exactly that, full of labor.  Yet, her pleas continued like the persistent widow in the New Testament.  I finally relinquished after dinner. As she fastened her lavender kitten helmet, she could barely contain her enthusiasm.  I rallied and gave myself a pep talk.  It was a beautiful evening. We had made it a grand total of 100 feet when my daughter started complaining.  She wanted to push her bike instead of ride it.  After a little coaching, she peddled up the street.  We made it three-quarters of the way around the block and she suddenly stops.   "Mom, I can't make it!" my daughter cries.   "Yes you can.  We are almost home."  I tell her. "No. I am finished."  She declares. "Kaitlyn, we haven't made it home yet.  You can't give up." At that point, she gets off the bike and sits down. ...

Today, as I sit at my computer, I try to sort out God's plan for my life.  Easy right?  At 35, I thought I would be established in an area of Christian ministry.  I felt God's call on my life in 7th grade and went straight through college and on to seminary with that trajectory in mind.  Yet, currently, I hold no position. For complete transparency, I have yet to serve full-time capacity in ministry.  I have never doubted God's call on my life.  At times, I have certainly hesitated in my own abilities, but I have always known my life's purpose is to serve the Lord. So, how have I handled my expectations not meeting my reality?  I sat down and prayed through this question.  Below is what God taught me: 1. My expectations are not my god . I know that for a time in my life I was so focused on ministry, I allowed my personal relationship with Christ to suffer.  Working for the Kingdom does not equate with a love relationship with the Kin...

This is a post from a few years ago, but I think that it still applies today... Tonight, I asked my son who his best friend at school was.  He told me a name and then I proceeded to ask if they played together on the playground.  He said, "no, he already has friends."  I then began to pry a little farther and asked who he DID play with on the playground.  My kindergartner nonchalantly responded, "well, everyone already has someone to play with, so I play by myself."  In that moment, I felt a part of me wither inside.  I immediately started going into action mode, thinking of the letter I would write to the teacher, making sure that my son was included in activities.  I then stopped to pray.  I asked myself, "Is this really the crisis you are making it out to be?"  Your son is confident, happy, and feels secure in who he is. We have worked hard in our household to let our children be who they are and tell them to live as Chris...

I am sitting at a local coffee shop reading an article of the self-revelation and self-fulfillment of a "Christian mommy blogger."  In the article, she is quoted as saying, "you enter the process of deciding whether you are going to risk every single thing in your life to have the one thing you always wanted. 1 "  In her case, it is a love relationship with another woman.  My heart weighs heavily as I continue reading.  My concern is not the woman's decision about her relationship, but rather her philosophy of hedonism.  We increasingly have become a society that celebrates finding our own truth and promoting the search for self-fulfillment.  God, Jesus, or whatever other name someone wants to attach to the Supreme is merely a means of self-enlightenment.  We use others for our own advantage.  There is no room for sacrifice or dying to self.  I feel overwhelmed.  How can I, a "Christian mommy blogger," c...

    I am the proud owner of a tyrant.   In the seven months of dog ownership, Rusty has eaten through thousands of dollars of property.   In the last week alone, he has broken the screen porch, jumped the fence, chewed through rope, broken his chain, and eaten the swing cushion.   This morning, when my next-door neighbor brought him home, I almost declined her gift.   While I love my dog, my affection for him has waned as his behavior continues to decline.   This proves my imperfect humanity.   I am so thankful that I am a child of a perfect God.   He never tires of my imperfections and mistakes.   I think of how many thousands of dollars or how many hours I have wasted, yet God’s affection for me does not waver.   His love never fails.   Jerry Bridges writes, “ God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures. It is true whether we believe it or not. Our doub...

I am not a perfect mom.  Let's take it a step further.  I am not a Pinterest mom. I don't have cutesy craft projects displayed in my house (I admire those who do). Most of my meals I make come from the freezer (I wish they didn't). When I drop off my kids at school, I am still wearing my pajamas and I pray that I don't have to go inside for anything. My frustration rises when my children argue continuously in the car after I tell them to stop. When I compare myself to that stand out lady in Proverbs 31, I think, "there is NO WAY."  Not even on my best day.  I actually tried to "be" the Proverbs 31 woman for 31 days.  I made it to day four and quit. In my Proverbs 31 woman experiment I learned something though.  You don't have to be the "perfect" wife and mom to make a difference in the kingdom of God and the life of your family.  That is where Christ takes over and grace abounds.  I believe that the Proverbs 31 woman is being a wom...

In 2013, the comedic band, Ylvis, released a dance novelty song that became an unintentional hit. "The Fox" explored the question, "what sound does a fox make?", leading millions to investigate the answer for themselves.  In the end, the duo made a fortune, the world knows the vast array of vocalizations of the fox, and you now have a very catchy song in your head.  :) I digress.  The question about the fox intrigued because we did not know the answer.  Perhaps a fox had no voice.  While a fox does indeed cry, whimper, and scream, there are animals that do not communicate by sound.  More importantly, there are people who choose not to use their voices. Self-imposed silence has been practiced since the time of Pythagoras, which was around 500 BC.  It is used as a way to bring focus to their lives or their relationship with God.  While I have never taken a personal vow of silence, I do believe that I have become more quiet over the past several...