For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to ... [keep reading]
Trusting God’s Love When Yours Falls Short
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think it’s nearly impossible for us to give our kids all the things they need. I often wonder, “Did I give them enough hugs today? Did I tell them I love them today? Did my actions show them I love them today?” The list goes on and on. As parents, we can feel overwhelmed, concerned that we aren’t doing enough, providing enough, or simply being enough for our kids. When those feelings of failure start to creep in, I need to remind myself of one thing: I ... [keep reading]
Learning to Follow the Way of Grace
When I think of the word love, so many definitions come to mind. There’s brotherly love and romantic love, of course. But the word can also mean compassion, sacrifice, nurture, affection, generosity, devotion, sympathy, and a thousand other things. One word that has risen above the rest for me lately, though, is grace. If there’s one aspect of love I struggle with the most, it’s softening my heart to wipe the slate clean. Especially when I’ve been hurt. Especially when a mistake has ... [keep reading]
The Christian Mommy’s Guide to Loving the Hard to Love
Have you ever known a person that was hard to love? I have. Quite a few, in fact. There was the lady in front of me at the grocery store the other day. She was mad about everything. She complained about the selection of breakfast cereals, the speed of the cashier, and the smell at the store. I was listening in with halfhearted attention when she turned and snapped at my son who was just trying to unload the cart. I did not feel love toward her. There were the nosy church ladies who hounded ... [keep reading]
Is God Romantic?
It’s February, mamas! You know what that means…Valentine’s Day. It’s seven days away. Just enough time to run to Walmart and grab some chocolates and those sweet little Valentine cards for your kids to pass out at their classroom parties. Truth be told, V-day candy-coats my heart in pink, iridescent bliss. I am quite a romantic, and I have been since the time I was young. I relished reading romance novels (Sweet Valley High, anyone?), and I remember every single one of the boys I crushed on. ... [keep reading]
3 Ways You Can Beat the Winter Blues
Every year I fight the blues for two months straight. It’s that time when Christmas decorations have been packed away, but the light of spring hasn’t arrived yet. Sunlight is limited, gray is the theme color, and cold temperatures make me dream of a tropical vacation. (If you live in a sunny climate, I’m completely jealous of you and not ashamed to admit it.) By sheer nature of geography, there are a good number of us who face these gray, dark days of winter. And as moms, the stakes are ... [keep reading]
Could a New Morning Routine Help You?
I’ll be honest. I was never really a morning person. I didn’t have a morning routine and had no problem staying up until all hours of the night. A few years later, we had a newborn who barely slept through the night, so I became the sleep-whenever-I-could person. And then I became the tired mom of toddlers and found myself staying up later and later just to get in some alone time. I was filled to the brim with toddler demands. A friend once told me she woke up an hour before her kids every day, ... [keep reading]
What Opening Your Door to Others Means for You
My favorite memories from childhood always involve the holidays. Every year, my parents loaded me and my siblings into our van and traveled 13 hours away to see my grandma. It didn’t matter what time of day or night we arrived, my grandmother was always waiting at the door for us. She threw the door open and welcomed us into her waiting arms. I never doubted for a moment that she would welcome me inside. Her house was warm and cozy and inviting. Her kitchen smelled like good food and clean ... [keep reading]
Inspire Your Kids with the Stories of Others
When our daughter was three years old, we took her to see a close family friend perform in a local production of Annie Get Your Gun, the lively, musical rendition of the life of Annie Oakley. Bethany was fascinated. Soon she wanted a cowgirl hat. She spent a lot of time riding her rocking horse, pretending to be a cowgirl. When I found a children’s book about Little Sureshot—Annie’s nickname—I checked it out from the library and must have read it to my daughter a dozen times. I think it’s ... [keep reading]
In 2020, Who’s Leading You?
If you are like me, you started out 2020 with some resolutions. And if you’re like me, it’s January 10, and you’ve…already…failed. Maybe you’ve even given up! I’ll be honest, mamas. One of my resolutions was to step up my workout game. It wasn’t the frequency of my workouts that I wanted to improve. It was the intensity of them. My goal is to run two miles, five days a week. A great goal! But my resolve? It wore off as soon as I sweated up my new workout gear. As a professional counselor, ... [keep reading]
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