The Rhythm of Rest

I was a band and choir nerd in high school. Well, truth be told my school was so small that nearly everyone was in one or the other. I, being a person struck with the malady of overachieving, was in both.

On top of those activities I took piano lessons. Music is a great love of mine and though I no longer play or sing regularly the technical end of things remains embedded in my brain. Technique hammered into my head by a metronome clicking away the tempo atop my Wurlitzer.

If you aren’t musical then you might not pick up on this, but if you are then you realize what a difference a rest makes in the flow of a song. The absence of sound at a given moment of a choral number or orchestral piece can be what makes a song great.

Rest isn’t meant to take anything away from our lives. Rest is meant to offer something to us that gives a flow and cadence to the whole of life. If we neglect to pause and fill every waking moment with the noise of busyness we will lose the melody and ruin the song.

Enough with the music metaphor…God didn’t use metaphor to teach us about rest. Well, at least not in the beginning. Because “In the beginning…” is exactly where He first teaches us about our need for rest.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because o it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 
Genesis 2:1-2

When we think about taking a Sabbath it can easily be lumped in with the other nine commandments. “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” can become another good-girl rule to follow.

It isn’t the law that sets us free. It’s grace.

A few years ago we started making naps a Sunday ritual. A typical Sunday in my home is as follows; Church, lunch, naps for everyone. And I’ll be honest and say that if church wasn’t held on Sunday I wouldn’t go because I love to let Sunday be a lazy day of rest. It has become a life-giving rhythm that I do my best to keep sacred. 

The Hebrew word for “rest” in the Old Testament is “nuwach” (noo’-akh) and literally means to settle down and to remain quiet. In the Old Testament the Israelites would complete all their tasks by sundown before the Sabbath so that they could minimize how much they moved and worked the next day.

They took the practice and observance of the Sabbath seriously.

There is no way of knowing if they fully grasped the importance of the practice or if it was simply obeying a command. I do find it helpful to leave the house reasonably clean on Saturday night so that Sunday I am not tempted to do busywork around the house. It will still be there on Monday! I also try and keep it simple. Frozen food, soup in the crockpot, sandwiches, etc…are a typical Sunday menu.

When God gave us His own example of rest in Genesis it wasn’t because He had drained Himself from so much creating.
 
No, He knew fully our finiteness and He also knew that we would be tempted to create and create and do and do until our reserves were depleted and we burnt out. Again and again in Scripture we find His invitation to retreat to the care of His rest (Psalm 23, Matthew 6) but I’ll be honest that if I don’t carve out committed time I will keep creating until I’ve exhausted myself.

One of my favorite times of the week is when I wake up from my weekly Sunday nap before the rest of my clan. I usually grab a book, a cup of tea and a pad of paper. I scribble thoughts, ideas, and goals down to silence the inner voice and I just absorb the quiet. Most importantly I listen for God’s whispers to me. I’m amazed at how often He speaks when I hush everything else to listen. 

I’m not perfect at this Sabbath taking. Some weeks we’ve traveled to visit family or on an adventure only to find ourselves on a long car ride back on Sunday. Other times we decide to have lunch with friends which runs late and throws our afternoon off. I recognize that a typical Sunday Sabbath might not be in the cards for your family life. Some of us work or have husbands who are required to work weekends. Don’t let that keep you from setting aside some portion of your week to observe a personal Sabbath. Like I said, there is grace in all things.

What I believe it comes down to is our hearts pull. Are you pulled to rest? Do you recognize your need for it? Do you take active steps to make it a regular habit or do you say, “Well, if I have time this week I will take a nap, read a book or find some quiet time.” Taking a Sabbath is about flipping that thought process on it’s head to make rest a central part of our week’s rhythms.

I’m begging you to take one day a week to hush the noise of the world. Turn off your phone. Stay at home. Do whatever you have to do to protect that time and I believe you will be blessed and renewed.

{How has taking a Sabbath revolutionized your life? Do you feel the pressure of busyness on Sundays or whenever you try and take a Sabbath? What are some practical steps you can take to manage those pressures?}

Revolutionary Rest

Rest is work.
 
That is the last thing any woman wants to hear in a series about how to integrate more focused rest into our lives as moms. Because the last thing any of us need is more work. The reality is in order to arrive at a place of rest in my day to day life I have to work hard to make a life that leads me in the direction of rest.

Rest is not something that naturally happens in my life. Left to my own devices I will pile more and more onto my plate until I simply can’t go any further under the weight of it all.

I will keep telling myself in the midst of writing my to-do list that I can’t let go of anything. Between the things I want to do, have to do and just plain do I start feeling suffocated. If I am truly honest I take my to-do list and I make myself believe it is a have-to-do list. Sister, you are not the sum of the things you marked off your list today.

You are more. You are meant for so much more.

As I’ve journeyed into the art of learning to intentionally rest and find rhythms for my life, family and work that give instead of take, I’ve discovered a few core things to meet that end.

There is one keyword to keep in mind. Intentionality.
 
I am beyond imperfect at the practice of intentional rest. In fact, I’m imperfect at everything I do, but guess what? I’m loved by God. The perfect One who calls me away from my to-do list and into life in Him. The One who knows me by name and calls me away from it all to lean back into Him like a swaying hammock and be held. That’s a nice mental image, isn’t it?

But we don’t get to just lay in a hammock all day. No, there are things to do and the dishes don’t wash themselves. Intention. The purpose with which you intend to do something. If we don’t find ways to move our lives toward that restful place with God we won’t ever make it there. 

I want one thing clearly understood. Rest isn’t just making time to read a book or watch t.v. or even sleep. Rest is the deliberate slowing down of the noise in our brains and lives so that we can hear from God. 



There is a competition for our attention between the pull of busyness and the noise of everything we believe we have to do. Want to be counter-cultural? Stop “doing” things. Stop committing to more and more. Limit your children’s extracurricular activities. Don’t sign up for one more bake sale, book club, Bible Study, small group, or volunteer opportunity.

I’m not suggesting the commitments I listed above are bad. What I am suggesting is we often fill our schedules to the brim and continue to wonder why we feel physically, spiritually and emotionally empty. Gluttony is more than eating too much. 

I’ve realized it is easier to complain about our marriages, children, and lack of time than to actually tackle those areas with intention. Why is that? I think, for me, it is because I don’t want to do the work those things require so instead I tack on another task thinking somehow I will accomplish more. Less isn’t more. More is more, right?

WRONG.

A few weeks ago I did something that downright revolutionized my life. It is so simple to do and I recommend it to everyone, especially the busy mamas out there.

Grab a sheet of paper and a pen. Write down your priorities for this season of your life. Your priorities can be as general or as specific as you want them to be. My list has about ten things on it and range from a passionate pursuit of Christ to focused attention on improving my writing. Feel free to read my whole list.

After you’ve written down your priorities. Make a list of the things that take up your time. Once that is done line the two lists up beside each other and mark through each thing on the list of things that take up your time that don’t help you meet your priorities for this season of life.

It might be painful. You may find there are things on your current list needing to go which you truly love. This doesn’t mean you give up something you love forever. It does mean you possibly give up something you love in order to cultivate something that you love more. 

The next step is to regularly ask yourself if the things you are doing line up with your list of priorities? That small act will encourage you to avoid adding things that don’t help you create a life that keeps you refreshed and leaning on Jesus.

I am sure someone is reading this and thinks that I am oversimplifying it all. There are definitely times when we have to do things that we don’t want to do for a certain purpose or over-arching reason. There is always grace, but I would ask you to be as honest with yourself as possible about what you can cut out of your life in order to make room for rest. Every little bit will free up some space to rest.

I’ve been at this intentional rest thing for a few weeks now and I can already sense a freeing of my spirit. It has caused me to recognize how much I was making decisions out of fear that I wouldn’t get things done.

One thing that has emerged from my self-reflection is that I’ve discovered that I was already cutting things out of my life, namely, joy. Yes, I’m beginning to think we are always pruning something away from our lives even in busyness. The unfortunate thing about this realizations is I am nearly certain I was pruning joy away from my life.

I know “intentionality” is a buzzword these days. It’s a buzzword I am okay with if it means I get more of the life I love. If being intentional leads me to a more God-soaked marriage and work that overflows from my life instead of sucking it dry then I am all about it.

Jesus, has never been anything less than intentional with me. His pursuit of me from the Cross to the grave and straight on into eternity is with purpose. I want to pursue life in Him and this one life I am gifted with the same intentionality.

{Take some time today to prayerfully make a list of priorities and compare it to the plates you are spinning these days. Does it match up? What can you cut out? What areas can you refine to fill you up instead of drain you?}

(in)motherhood ladies, if you missed the first two posts go back and give them a read!
Rest for Your Souls
GET OVER IT! {Mama-Guilt that is}  (Over at Heidi's place!)

Rest For Your Souls

I spent at least a year of my life in that horrible in between sleep and awake state. My sweet girl was a terrible sleeper, despite my best efforts, and I lived on that edge between sleep deprivation and barely holding it all together.

My brain started to short circuit and most adult conversations involved me pretending to listen while I blankly stared at the other person. 

I was exhausted. That kind of exhausted where you leave your coffee on the hood of your car and forget to strap your infant into the carseat...not that I've EVER done that.

Eventually we made it through the sleep-barren desert of infanthood and my little girl began to sleep more than three hours at a stretch. Sleep is glorious. Uninterrupted sleep is the stuff of fairy tales and happily ever afters. Forget Prince Charming because he'll only keep you awake {snort}.

Are you with me mamas?

If there is anything I learned during that first sleepless year with my daughter is that rest is necessary. During that season of my life it was sleep that I was deprived of, but what I recognized I needed more than sleep is rest.

Rest isn't only sleep. Sleep is a part but it is truly so much more. Rest is stillness. Rest is clearing our schedules of the should do's and creating space to breathe full breaths that clear the mind and cleanse the soul.

Rest is intentional focusing our mind on quiet so that we can focus on what matters, hear Jesus speak to us without the whirring noise of our to-dos buzzing in our ear.

Rest is Biblical. Rest is necessary.

Rest is complicated for us mamas, but it is so worth the struggle to find it.

It's 1:00 in the afternoon and I wrestle my toddler into her bed for naptime. Naptime. The time of the day when all mamas do a collective sigh. What follows that sigh for me is usually a frustrated look around my less than immaculate house or at my burgeoning to-do list.

My to-do list taunts me from the kitchen counter. 

Some days I am able to mark through each line and tackle the scribbled list into submission. Other days {confession time} I cower under the dining room table and mindlessly poke around facebook until I hear my daughter waking from her nap. On occasion exhaustion takes over and I squeak in a twenty minute power nap.

What I am saying is that I waste a lot of time, but often still feel exhausted, spiritually malnourished and behind the curve on everything. Can you relate?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28

I've heard that passage of Scripture hundreds of times. As a mama I am tempted to give the Word of God a big eye roll when it comes to rest. Yeah, I get it. Jesus will give me rest. But has He seen my to-do list?

The answer is "Yes." He has seen my to-do list and He's still beckoning me to come away with Him and find rest. He believes it to be possible and I should too.

He says "rest for your souls." in that passage. Not just sleep mama-friends. Not just a couple hour break from the kiddos. It sounds to me like He is offering a calm breeze and a hammock for our spirits to rest and be held in. I need that. I need as much of that as I can get. 

Sometimes I am the one that makes it impossible. I fill my to-do list with the noise of busyness until I can't hear the voice of my Savior. Rest is about quieting the static of life so that we can hear the voice of God gentle and kind, often much kinder than we are to ourselves as women.

We're going to journey together for the next six weeks and I hope you'll allow God to quiet your soul and draw you close so that you can experience the real, true rest of Jesus.

Q:What gets in the way of rest for you? 

An Invitation to (in)motherhood {Spring 2014}

{Are you looking for a community of women to share life with? Do you struggle to find women who relate to your season in life? (in)couragers community groups are meant to be a safe place to find women who get it, all of it! Whether you are a military wife, a single gal, a new/expectant mama, a chronic illness struggler, or living life overseas (just to name a few!) you can find a group to connect with! Registration opens today for new members. We’d love to have you join (in)motherhood if you are a new{ish} mom or a mom-to-be}






First it was the tantrum over the toothbrush…

Then it was spraying herself in the face with glass cleaner…

THEN it was dumping an entire box of spaghetti on the floor…

Followed by a brisk run out of the house and across the meadow to the neighbors-unaccompanied- thereby nearly giving her mama a heart attack and starting the “WORST MOM EVERRRR” recording in my brain.

All before noon.

Two year olds never seem to stop.

Motherhood never stops.
 
It is a constant mad rush to do dishes, help with the homework, nurse the baby and entertain the toddler all at the expense of our own peace and quiet. Add in all the other things that pull on our time and we can get downright buried under the to-dos and the should-dos of it all.

But what if there was a way to find the balance to it all? What if there was a place to hide and find rest in the midst of the crazy go nuts of the day to day? I recently read a blogger who said that she was beginning to think that it’s not so much about balance as it is about alignment. I have to say the more I have thought about it the more my spirit has agreed with her.

Alignment with the things of God will bring rest to our souls. Laying down the long list of to-dos-most of which we put on ourselves will bring a freedom and a lightness that is downright holy. It is a rejection of the busy lifestyle that is such a part of our culture and an embracing of the slow leaning into the Spirit to hear the voice of Jesus.

I recently had a miscarriage. Our living arrangements have been in a state of flux for two months now. What we thought was a long-term calling has turned into a path we didn’t expect in another direction. What I’m trying to say is…I’m a hot mess. 

I’m tired. I can sense that some of you are too and I want to call us all away from the mountain of questions we have and into the peace and presence of Jesus where there is rest and more joy than you can shake a stick at. Do you believe that it is possible? To lay down your burdens and pick up the hope that is Jesus?

Kris Camealy, a fantastic writer and blogger, recently said that a friend reminded her that rest is a good and necessary gift from God. It isn’t a laying down of things that need to be done, but a realization that rest is a gift for all the things we have done. We serve our families and in return God will give rest if we are humble enough to make space for it and receive it.

This session of (in)motherhood is going to be about rest and we invite you to be a part.

Summer can be a busy time, but it can also be the perfect time to slow down. A time to enjoy the goodness that drips out of life like a ripe watermelon on the 4th of July. Life can be oh so messy but it is also oh so good in the midst of the messy and my hope, my dare, my belief for us this session is that we can find rest and that it floods our lives with peace.



The amazing Heidi Guyer and I are back to lead (in)motherhood and we love how God has knit us together as a group for those that are returning. Remember that we are a group that is meant to be an encouragement to one another so let’s check our agendas at the door and give out heaps of grace instead- ya’ll are awesome at that by the way! 

With that said…

If you've already made the decision to join us this session then read on! 

Welcome to our new mamas and mamas-to-be! We are beyond thrilled to have you with us and hope that you will feel comfortable in your new (in)couragers home. We’re all about putting our arms around new mamas so come on in, pull up a comfy chair and we’ll pass you the chocolate, because of course! 

As we walk together and think about how to make rest a part of our everyday we’ll be reading and studying through Hope for the Weary Mom by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin! We’re working on making it available to everyone so look out for more information in the group in the next couple of weeks.This is an optional study, but I hope that you will join us as we come together to think about how to quiet our crazy as mamas and lean into Jesus.

Heidi and I will also be doing a weekly blog post on the subject of “rest” right here in my little corner of the web. It will be something that is meant to stoke your thinking and encourage you toward the practice of focused rest.

Be as involved as is beneficial to you in the group. Some of you are wallflowers and that is fine and others are conversation starters which is great also. We love all of you for your unique contributions so use the group in the best way possible for your needs right now as a mama. There is no pressure to check in every day or multiple times a day. Remember Heidi and I are always available via email, FB message or message through the (in)couragers community site.

That brings up one more thing! For previous members you know we’ve always hosted the group in Facebook. This session we are a part of testing the all new (in)couragers site where all of the groups will eventually be hosted. We will still maintain the facebook page and use it as needed, but all of our new content will be posted to our group on the (in)couragers site. Old members make sure you respond to the link your received to join the new site and new members you will also need to join us on the (in)motherhood facebook page.

The session officially kicks off on May 26th and runs through July 4th! Look for more details in your inbox and in our official (in)motherhood group on the new site and on the facebook page. We’ll also have blog buttons and other swag available if you are into that sort of thing. 

Did I mention how excited I am to walk with you guys this session? It’s like a big glass of sweet tea, a good book and a hammock on a perfect Spring day…Good.stuff.

{If you’re reading this and you’re still utterly confused about what I am talking about here is a short description about what (in)motherhood is all about! If you need some of this in your life then please join us!}

We are a group of new and expectant moms who love to wrap our arms around each other across the miles through encouragement. (in)motherhood is a place for you to kick up tired feet, pour out your heart and have your empty cup refilled by other sisters that understand right where you are at- even if that places is buried under loads of laundry or with a baby (or two)  on your hip. Our hope is that this group will lean hard on Jesus together for the strength and courage to love our families well in the glorious and messy  moments of motherhood. We would love to have you walk with us as we laugh, cry, pray, question and cling to Jesus for the grace to mother each and every day.

(in)couragers Winter Session {Register Today!}

I was a mama ten months old when I saw a blip on facebook about a new way to find community with other women. I clicked through to the (in)courage website to find out what it was all about and knew that I had to be a part.

When I joined an (in)couragers community group I don't think I realized how desperate I was for women who were in the trenches of my season of life with me.

It was just the encouragement that my new mama heart was needing.  A group of women who understood the up all nights and the mama guilt and trying to find a new normal with a little person clinging to me for every little need.

Because of the group I met this amazing lady, and this superwoman of encouragement and a whole bunch of other awesome women who have covered me in prayers and made me braver to mama.

The next session I got asked to step up as a co-leader of my group. Being an (in)courager has made me braver in my real life. It has made me bold to swing open my real life front door and wave women in who need to be cheered on in their day to day, face to face lives.

I really think that these groups are a way to help us take off the mask of having it all together and connect in the ugly and extraordinary ordinary of our everyday.

Wanna know more?

Today we're swinging the online doors open and inviting you in to be encouraged right where you are through the (in)couragers community groups. You can find a group that is just right for you! Military wife? Chronic illness? Mom of a teen? Single Mom? Student? There really is a group for almost anyone so go check it out and register for the one that meets you in the messy middle of your life.

Find a group that is just right for you! {Click to tweet this}

Are you a new or expectant mama? Come join me and the other gals in (in)motherhood (or one of the other new and expectant mom's groups) as we struggle through baby feeding strikes, toddler tantrums, and all the ups and downs of life with littles. We'll be talking about the dreaded mommy-guilt this session.

Heidi and Jessica {(in)motherhood co-leaders}

Need to know a bit more about (in)motherhood? 

"We are a group of new and expectant moms who love to wrap our arms around each other across the miles through encouragement. (in)motherhood is a place for you to kick up tired feet, pour out your heart and have your empty cup refilled by other sisters that understand right where you are at- even if that place is buried under loads of laundry or with a baby (or two) on your hip. Our hope is that this group will lean hard on Jesus together for the strength and courage to love our families well in the glorious and messy moments of motherhood. We would love to have you walk with us as we laugh, cry, pray, question and cling to Jesus for the grace to mother each and every day."

Sound like something you need? We would love to have you so click on over and join us. 

Conquered

In the fight with fear the place we always have to come back to is God's already finished plan to save us. We may be a work in progress as women, wives and mothers, but God's plan for redemption was finished in Christ.

Yes, the world is still groaning and awaiting the full realization of that redemption, but our souls as believers are saved and sealed by the Spirit so there is no need to fear.

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us"

Romans 8:37

I've read that verse in Romans a million times and as a child I remember singing the words from that passage with gusto and muscle man arm motions.

In the past when I've thought about that verse I always had a vision of being in a fight and winning David and Goliath style, but the truth is that the verse says that we are "more than conquerors". We aren't the ones doing the conquering.

Christ did the conquering and somehow in all His goodness and mercy we get the benefit. 

We don't have to worry with the fighting and the striving to not fear or to be a "good" mama. Nope. In Christ those struggles have been conquered. Now our job is to lean into Jesus for all the hard and the ugly places of our hearts and lives.

The leaning is the hard part. The challenge is to lean into the truth when we want to lean into fear. The enemy and our own sinful hearts trick us into believing that it is better to embrace fear, but the truth is that there is endless joy and peace in embracing Christ and the freedom He offers.

All your fears for your children and yourself and everything that you just can't control...Let them go sisters. Open your hands, palms up, and just let them go. They've been conquered and there is not one hair on your head or the heads of your children that is not numbered and counted as precious and prized by the one who walked a hill to die and kill sin and death once and for all.

Your fear doesn't protect them or you; God's goodness does.

We're free from fear. Let's walk in that truth and teach our children to do the same.

{This is the final post "Fearless Motherhood". I hope you've seen God's heart for your fear struggle through new eyes and that the Spirit is breathing freedom in this area of your life. Take some time to thank God for the way that He has conquered death and killed fear once and for all.}

The Thing: How Our Understanding of God Shapes Our Fight With Fear

Every mama, whether you have one kiddo or a fifteen passenger van full of them, has plenty on her plate. Sometimes fear fighting can seem like one more thing on the heaped tall plate of our life.

But what if it wasn't one more thing? What if it was the thing?

When fear creeps up we can be tempted to tell ourselves to "Be brave" or "Be strong", but what if fearless isn't something we can be?

Fearlessness is an overflow from a life that knows exactly who God is, what Jesus has done and who we are because of that. It isn't something we conjure or create. It is a way of life because of a deep and abiding understanding of God.

If we aren't grounded in the truth of God's character, the Gospel and our identity that is the result of those truths then we will be tossed by fear and uncertainty.

Yesterday, I dropped my husband off at the airport for a three week trip to East Africa. Three weeks with little communication and wrangling a toddler girl without the help and companionship of my husband and best friend. It hit me harder than I thought it would. After all this is what we signed up for as part of the ministry that my family serves with. It is the work we love and it brings me immense joy to send my husband off half way around the world.

I choked back tears and said goodbye and loaded the sleepy baby girl in the car to head for home. As I drove I began to declare the goodness of God. I began to say the things that are true of God.

He is good. He is a gentle shepherd. He supplies for our needs abundantly. 

{Oh and God is about a million other things that can change and rearrange the way that we view Him, our lives and the struggles of this life. Here is one of my favorite books on the attributes of God.}

I preached the Gospel to myself. I allowed the Spirit to remind me that in Christ I am whole and complete and free from fear and guess what? The fear fled. The fear fled because Jesus drives out fear. Perfect love casts out fear and Jesus is the purest most perfect love.

The bottom line is that the very worst could happen in a broken world. Those dark fears, the ones you bury deep and utter to no one, could happen. A car accident could take your babies. Your husband could have an affair and leave. Bankruptcy. Foreclosure. Rape. Incest. All the ugly could happen. 

We are not a people of the "what ifs" we are a people of the "what is".  If all the ugly broke open and spilled all over your life your life would change, but God would not. That is another one of His amazing attributes; He never changes. He sent Jesus to a broken world and the reality of our fears are the result of a broken world not the result of a broken God.

All this talk about bravery and fear free living is just another way of admitting that we are broken and seeing God's amazing knack for putting broken things back together.

Our fear is small compared to our great God. Embrace that. Live in that knowledge and you will see fear flee.

{How do you preach the Gospel to yourself? How does your personal walk with Christ (quiet time, personal worship, spiritual disciplines, etc...) shape the way you approach the struggle with fear?}

Fear Worship

No matter how our babies come to our arms we know from the moment that they get there that we are supposed to protect them. We feel it down deep and the mama bear begins to grow and growl within us. There is nothing that we wouldn't do or weapon we wouldn't wield to protect our babies from harm.

Fear is the reaction to the realization that we aren't in control. 

Fear makes us think that we are protecting those we love. We bathe them in worry. We hold them back from potential harm. We do the best we can to protect them from anything and everything and that is right and good. We are warrior mamas. Fighting for the lives of our children everyday.

The problem is that we can take our God given responsibility as mothers to raise and protect and make it an idol in our lives.

When motherhood is an idol in our life fear will be our act of worship.
We will think that we are justified in every little worry and frightful thought.
We will mama scared. 

The Gospel calls us to more. Jesus, His life, death and resurrection so that we might have hope and live redeemed and hope-full lives calls us to more.

He calls us to more life and less fear. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts our fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and  whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 4:18

Scripture tells us that if we fear then we have not been perfected in love. That doesn't mean that we are to be perfect. This life will be far from that, but knowing the perfect one, Jesus, means that we can know love and live fearless. Bottom line is that Jesus worship, knowing Him, walking with Him, that is the way to end fear worship.

It is the knowledge of God, and relationship with Jesus that can unlock that door that holds us bound to fear. There isn't any secret way out of the fear struggle, especially not when it comes to the babies that we love so much. At every stage of motherhood this battle with fear will rebirth itself in a different form.

There is only one thing we need to know.

God never changes and knowing Him and the Gospel of new life in Christ, knowing it truly and deeply, will create a rock hard foundation that cannot be shaken by fear.

{How do you find yourself giving into fear? How do you combat your fear? Are you trying in your own strength or are you leaning into God and the truth of His Word and THE Word, Jesus? Take some time to write down some of the attributes of God and think about how that truth about who God is and our freedom, in Christ, from fear can help you in the battle.}

Brave Mamas, Brave Kiddos

From the time those pink lines appeared on a 60 cent test from a Liberian pharmacy my husband and I talked about the things we wanted to instill in our child(ren). My husband, knowing his fear prone wife, made a point of saying that he wanted to make certain that we didn't raise our kids to be fearful people. I nodded my head in agreement and gulped back fear (ironic I know).

None of us want to raise fearful kids.

We don't want to have boys and girls who are anxiety ridden and live small, closed lives.

What maybe we don't realize is that our own fears register with our children. They do.

My great grandmother had a huge influence on my life as a little girl. She lived across the street and watched me nearly every day before and after school because both of my parents worked. She was an amazing cook and a sweet soul, but she was also fear ridden in the worst sort of way. It impacted my life in ways I've only realized as an adult. Her life imprinted such goodness on my life, but it also imprinted fearful living in a way that is tough to extract and kill.

I don't mean to say that we don't live in reality about the world we live in. Our world is broken and the worst sort of things can happen. There are things so ugly that we dare not speak them out loud, but if God is our Rock then we can't be rocked and we have to teach our children the strength of that truth.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18

That should also drive us to examine deeply the things we fear and the ways that we cope with those fears.

Has the love of God impacted our lives in such a way that we choose faith over fear?

Our children are watching our every move and they will see us when we are bent under fear. They will pick up on us preferring fear over the hope offered in Christ. We are the first Jesus story they will read and the one that will impact them most deeply.

We named our girl "Amelia" (she's Millie to her friends) and everyone always thinks of Amelia Earhart when we tell them her full name. She isn't her namesake, but as I've thought about it I think I like the idea of her having a bit of Amelia Earhart's spirit. That boundary pushing fearlessness is a great thing if it is directed and guided by Godliness.

The only way I can do that is if I model that same boldness in my life. I want her to say that Amelia Earhart was brave, but her mama is even braver.

We find the strength and determination to be model fearlessness in God's Word. Again and again we are told that fearlessness is only attainable for the soul who finds their hope fully in Christ.

Let's claim this passage as we live life in front of our children this week:

From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I 
Psalm 61:2

{Think about the areas of your life that you hold onto fear and how that fear might be spilling over onto your children on a daily basis. Pray bold prayers for your children that they would be protected and that they would be brave and bold in a scary world. Write out Psalm 61:2, put it somewhere that you can see and learn it as a family.}

Comfortable With Fear

Can I tell you a secret? Lean in closer. Closer. This is kind of embarrassing.

Sometimes I like being fearful. {Gulp}

You read that right. There are days when I cling to fear because it is easier than living life on the cliff's edge of faith. Fear gives me an excuse to live small and not do the hard stuff of marriage, mothering and community.

We've already talked about how fear can sneaks it's way into the everyday and leave us scared to live life. Today we're going to talk about how fear can be a security blanket.

My family serves in ministry and my husband frequently travels to support folks working in the field overseas. Most of the time his travels are to the third world and some times these travels take him to pretty scary places. We did, after all, get pregnant with our daughter while living in post civil war West Africa.

There are times when my reaction to a new trip idea or plan is to just say "NO!" Life is easier and more predictable when he is at home and my flesh's inclination is to just shut it down so that I feel safe and secure. That doesn't kill fear it just puts a block in my life to an opportunity to live out faith. The fear is still there growing and sprouting more and more roots into other areas of my life.

James tells us that a double-minded man is unstable in every way. Living on the razors edge of fear and faith is not where God desires us to live our lives. Jesus calls us over into full faith living.

Again and again God reminds us through His Word that faithful living is the better way. The way that fear lulls us into believing that it is the best way to live is one of the enemy's lies. What seems like it is keeping us safe is actually just bondage to a ruler that desires us to live small faithless lives.

Galatians 5:1

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Even if cutting off the bonds of fear is painful and frightening it is infinitely better than living under the weight that fear puts on our lives. Christ offers that ability. We can't throw these chains off on our own, in fact left to our own devices we'll stay bound up. 

Next week we're going to talk about preaching the Gospel to ourselves to combat fear. That is the only thing that can change a heart that is comfortable living fearful. This week is another week to get honest with ourselves.

{Are their areas of your life where you are comfortable with fear? Do you allow yourself to be scared for yourself and your children using the excuse that it is reasonable to be frightened in the scary world we live in? How does this way of thinking hold you back from living life to the fullest as a woman, wife, mama and Christ follower?} 

Have you missed the other posts in the (in)motherhood Fearless Motherhood series? 
Our Mama Fears and His Marvelous Faithfulness
Unsurprised by Fear
No Room For Fear

 

No Room For Fear

In the face of uncertainty God over and over again tells us not to fear.

When a legion of Egyptians were on their heels He spoke through Moses and said that fear had no place in the hearts of His people. Shepherds in a field accosted by angels and a great light to announce that God Himself was with us. Again, no room for fear. Are you walking through the valley of the shadow? He whispers not to fear one bit.

For some of us the anxious gnaw is with us when we lay down at night and washes over us anew when we wake up. It can feel like riding an ever nauseating merry-go-round.

A life free from fear will be marked by a life tied to the truth of the Gospel. 

God never asks us not to fear for the sake of not fearing. His summons to fear free living is a summons to follow Jesus, to follow Him in faith.

The day to day can be hard. When you are up to your elbows in laundry and the baby is teething and potty training has gone awry it can be easy to fear that God won't show up in the details. Bank accounts dwindle, houses don't sell on time and bills mount and all the unknown can make us want to hide away from the world.

There is no fear load too great for the easy yoke of Christ. He calls us to put down fear and take up His burden which is light because He carried it for us all the way up the hill to Calvary.

{Walk in the truth. Sit down with a notebook and a pen and pick your favorite Bible story. Read through that story and write down the places where the characters were tempted to fear and either chose faith in God or fearfulness. I love the story of Abraham and Sarah, but in just about every story you can find this theme. King David. Ruth. Esther. Job. Paul. Take time to ponder how you reject or embrace fear in your daily life and lay those things at the feet of Jesus through prayer.}

Unsurpised by Fear

Motherhood is often about doing the hard stuff, the thankless work, the up all night with no tangible rewards work. When our children need us we put aside self and our own needs to put their needs first.

We push down fear and we push down anxiety, but there are times when all of the fear bubbles to the surface and overflows into every nook and cranny of our lives; marriage and motherhood included.

When fear starts pressing on our hearts and minds we shouldn't be surprised. God certainly isn't. We live in a fear prone world. A world in which we even incite ourselves to fear via scary movies and the evening news.

We've got to be able to be honest with ourselves about our fears and the way they affect our ability to live Godly lives in this present world as wives, mothers and women of the Word.

Even though there is plenty to fear it doesn't mean that it is okay for us to let fear be our comfort zone. I know there are times when I have allowed fear to be the thing I am most comfortable with. Rather than doing the hard work of clinging to the cross I cling to my fears because that is what seems more natural.

If we hide fear we will find that we are not hiding in Jesus. We will find that we are actually trying to live life in our own strength while we grapple secretly with fear that is trying to drown us.

The Psalmist puts it so beautifully and the implications for our lives are enormously powerful. We are a fear prone people and motherhood inclines us only to further fear.

God knows that. God isn't surprised by our fears. Not. One. Bit.

He is a fear prepared God.

Take your fear and run into His strong tower. Don't rely on your three little pigs style stick house. Run to the fortress that is our God and find rest and safety.

Ask yourself the hard questions. What is lighting your path? In what are you looking for salvation?  What are you clinging to? Is fear a stronghold or is the Lord your strength?

{What are your fears? Write the down if you haven't already. No matter how ugly, dark or unmentionable they seem. Identify the places where you are fighting fear in your own strength. Claim the truth of Psalm 27:1.}

Did you miss last weeks "Fearless Motherhood" post? Give it a read. 

Our Mama Fears and His Marvelous Faithfulness

{For my faithful readers: I co-lead an (in)couragers community group called (in)motherhood. This session our theme is "Fearless Motherhood" each Monday you are going to find a post here on that theme. The post is for all of us, but will have some specific content for the members of the (in)motherhood group. You are welcome and more than invited to read and grow along with us as we delve into this topic.}

There are about a million reasons to be afraid in life. Motherhood takes those million reasons and doubles them with every child. From the moment that the pink lines appear we wonder and worry and plan and prepare only to find that motherhood is more than we ever expected.

It is scarier.
It is sweeter.

Motherhood is all consuming and sometimes our fears can consume us in it's midst. 

We live in a scary world, but God calls us to be brave and whole women and mamas.
As mamas we worry about the small details and the grand scheme all at once and that can get exhausting. I know.

Is my baby getting enough to eat? How is my milk supply? How can I know?

Will my baby suffocate on the bumper? Why did I put a bumper in there?

Will she choke on the rice cereal? Is he allergic to wheat?

Will my toddler ever sleep through the night? Will they ever be out of diapers?  

Am I disciplining correctly? Enough? Too much? 

 Will I ever feel like myself again? Am I doing it right? Am I doing enough? 

Will my husband and I ever get a night out or just a night without a baby in between us?

What if she falls off of the bed, or down the stairs or through the cracks of life and I can't scoop, soothe and pick up the pieces?

What if...

Does that sound familiar? I know it does for me.

Sometimes we can get downright silly with the things we fear, but often those fears, even the seemingly silly, are serious to our mama hearts. They represent a crossroads of our faith that can either leave us dependent on our own strength or clinging to the cross weak and needy for Christ.

This world is fallen and broken and there is reason enough to fear. God never makes a claim in Scripture that the world isn't a frightening place. In fact His whole plan for redemption hinged on the fact that sin has made the world and our future apart from Christ a very scary thing. He repeats over and again that the world is scary, but He is mighty to save and mighty to rescue us from fear, doubt and a try-so-hard to control it all mindset.

The Old Testament is full of amazing stories and women who chose brave living over fear. Mother Sarah laughed when she was told that she would bare a son in her old age. She set out by Abraham's side and I am sure that the fear and all the unknown dared to overwhelm her at times, but God calls her faithful and calls us to be like her in her courageousness.  

Sarah's courage was not one that she conjured up. No, her courage was something God gave her and did in her when she was weak to believe and obey. His faithfulness buoyed her along and allowed Sarah to cling to Him rather than her own fears about the present and future.

If we want to be fearless mamas we have to start by admitting that we are not in control. Our best efforts to schedule, train and serve our children are only as strong and certain as our trust in God's goodness to us through Christ.  

That is the place that we start. We start the path to fearlessness by admitting our fear and inability to control it all. Fear shrinks back before Christ's faithfulness. He is faithful to meet us in our weakness.

{Take a moment to ponder Psalm 27:1. Write it out on a notecard and put in somewhere that is visible. Ask yourself what you fear? Take a moment to pray and leave those worries and fears at the feet of Jesus and then continually lay them down each time they creep up throughout the day by clinging to Psalm 27:1}

Welcome to (in)motherhood!

Welcome to (in)motherhood! 

If you are wondering what (in)motherhood is then take a read of this post. 

Maybe you're curious about other (in)couragers community groups. Well, take a gander at this and find one that is just right for you. 




I'm Jessica and I'm blessed to co-lead (in)motherhood along with the amazing Heidi Guyer!

Here is what we are all about:

We are a group of new and expectant moms who love to wrap our arms around each other across the miles through encouragement. (in)motherhood is a place for you to kick up tired feet, pour out your heart and have your empty cup refilled by other sisters that understand right where you are at- even if that place is buried under loads of laundry or with a baby (or two) on your hip. Our hope is that this group will lean hard on Jesus together for the strength and courage to love our families well in the glorious and messy moments of motherhood. We would love to have you walk with us as we laugh, cry, pray, question and cling to Jesus for the grace to mother each and every day.

So that is the big picture! What does that mean for you who are new to the group (and the returning members)? (in)motherhood is meant to fill you up, not drain you. Use the facebook group in a way that benefits you. There is no pressure to be in the group chatting it up everyday. Be as involved as you can and want to be in whatever way is beneficial to where you are as a mama.

Always be respectful of the other ladies in the group. I shouldn't have to say this, but well...I know my tongue and opinions can get the best of me so I need the reminder too. We are all from different places literally, spiritually, emotionally, etc...We will have differences of opinion about mama stuff, but the one thing we can agree on is Christ is the one who equips us for the job. Let's let grace be full and free in this group.

As an (in)couragers community group we hold to our group being a place that is safe, welcoming, respectful, accountable, Christ-centered and encouraging. 

With that said...let's talk about (in)motherhood day to day...

We'll (Heidi and myself that is!) post prompts almost daily on weekdays. These prompts will include prayer requests, topic questions, and other fun stuff. Respond and encourage as you feel led.

We're also going to be doing a few new things this session. Our theme for the session is "Fearless Motherhood". We're going to be talking about what it looks like to be brave mamas in a scary world so hold onto your nursing tank-tops. Look for weekly posts on this topic right here on my blog. (Links will be posted weekly in the FB group!)

We'll also be doing an optional study through the book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson! This is totally optional so no pressure if this just isn't part of what you are looking for in the group- although I personally don't want to miss it because Heidi is going to be heading that up and I just know that it is going to encourage and inspire.

Finally, we are going to make an effort to chat more in real time. That has always been a challenge in the past but we're starting off on the right foot by having our first chat the Tuesday (September 24th at 9:00pm EST, so mark it on your calendars!) after we kick off. Watch out for more details on our group page.

Our official kick-off on the page will be September 23rd, but these are the big details for now. Anything else we will put up on our closed facebook page. You can always feel free to email me with any other questions you might have. 

Really and truly we are glad you are with us for these next eight weeks (Sept. 23-Nov. 8). I believe that God is going to do big things in us and through us as we mother fearlessly together.

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

New Session of (in)couragers Community Groups

Up here in the North Carolina hills we are harvesting apples by the bushel and our leaves are about to turn a hundred shades of happy. It is hands down my favorite time of year for about half a million reasons.

I'm just beside myself about the next few months. In October I'll head to Allume again (thanks to a sweet friend and a gracious God). Soon I hope to be sharing the labor of love that is my first e-Book But before those things I get to kick-off another round of (in)couragers online community groups as co-leader of one of the new mama's groups we call (in)motherhood.
What are (in)couragers community groups? Oh, I am glad you asked. (in)courage, known to many as an online beach house for women to kick up their feet and breathe in Jesus (and the result of the amazing folks ar DaySpring), developed these groups as a way to connect women in similar places in life beyond the blog post.

There is a community group for right where you are in life (as long as you are a woman!). New mamas, single ladies, military wives, single mamas, working mamas, women serving overseas, writers and artists, empty nesters and the list goes on!

I hope you have gobs of real life community in your life. I hope you have sisters walking with you in real time through the glory and mess of faith, hope and love. Even if you do or especially if you don't (in)couragers community groups are a great place to connect with women all over the place who are sharing your struggles.

I can't tell you how blessed I have been to love on and be loved on by the ladies I've met through the (in)motherhood group. They are like a warm cup of tea and a cupcake after a long day. They remind me that things are never quite as bad as I want to believe they are because Jesus is better and bigger than I even realize.

Sign-ups for new group members begin September 16th and we'd love to have you, really, truly we would. 

We're setting up dozens of online beach houses so that you can come in and kick up tired feet and just be real and really prayed for and encouraged by sisters who just get it.

Doesn't that sound amazing?

{I'll be sharing more about the (in)motherhood group on sign-up day! You'll be able to find everything you need to sign up on the (in)courage website and here on my blog!}

A Guest Post for the (in)motherhood Ladies (or anyone else who reads!)

Today I've got a dear friend writing on the walls around here. Linda and I connected a few years back before my own family made a journey to Africa. She has been the bearer of encouragement and grace to my mama hungry heart on more than one occasion. I invited her to offer her story here for the women of (in)motherhood to read. The benefit is that her words will be read by anyone who drops by today. I hope you're as blessed and inspired by her beautiful heart as much as I am.

Blessings,

“Becoming a mama will hurt and the job is anything but easy (don’t believe the glossy ads),” writes Jessica Hoover, “but it will also make you more whole than you ever knew if you let God work grace in you and through you to its fullest.”

In only 15 months of motherhood Jessica had pinned down what it took me years to figure out.

So now, on the other side of motherhood, I assure you: Jessica is right.

Growing up, my priority dream was to be a mother so I was thrilled when I became pregnant and loved every part of it, even morning sickness.

But I was in for a surprise, starting with excessive tearing and blood loss. And like all new mothers, I dealt with sleep deprivation, exhaustion, chaos, inadequacy, and impatience. And questions: “Why didn’t God make women so that when they got pregnant, they grew another arm?!”

A season for radical, selfless love

But God, in His grace, gave me perspective: There’s a time and season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and I was in a short season. It was a time for giving radical, selfless love. (That gave me my first real glimpse of God’s radical selfless love, and that of my mother when I was a newborn. It was my turn to pass it on to baby Matt.) That perspective gave me hope and kept me going.

To do my mothering well, I had to make choices to do the job right. My husband and I chose to live frugally so I could be a stay-at-home mom. He was going to college full-time but was willing to also hold down a full-time job, bless his heart. 

Despite the 24/7 workload, I adored little Matt and marveled at God’s matchless gift. By the time his sister, my beloved Karen, was born, I had a more settled perspective on the radical, selfless love of motherhood.

A season for selfless, committed love

Sometimes mothering my young children felt unrewarding and I felt unappreciated (which gave me a glimpse of how God must feel about our response to His loving care).

I had entered motherhood during the feminist movement when vocal women bad-mouthed men, marriage, and motherhood. They said we should find our worth and fulfillment in careers outside our homes.  They scorned stay-at-home moms. Social pressure was intense.

Many young mothers joined the movement but I chose to live among the despised.

Why? Because of a burning commitment not to just mothering, but to mothering well which, I believed then and now, was a high calling from God.

I chose to live among the despised because while I was pregnant with Matt, this haunted me: In high school and college, some of my best church friends got into drugs and alcohol and messed up their lives—even though their parents seemed to do everything right. That really scared me. I didn’t want my kids to go astray. 

God impressed upon me that I had to raise my kids right the first time around. I wouldn’t get a second chance at it. God reinforced my perspective:  I was in a season, a time for selfless, committed love. God had given Matt and Karen to me as precious gifts and I needed to steadfastly carry out His high calling.  For that season, mothering was my career priority.

After the kids started school, sometimes I worked part-time outside the home but mothering remained my career priority: I always arranged to be home when the kids were home because God gave me this perspective: after the kids grew up, I’d have many years to enjoy a career and pastimes. God gave me peace in that perspective and that led to a sense of worth and fulfillment. My role in that season as Matt and Karen’s mother was my joy, my delight, my privilege.

A season for selfless, contented love

The time came when every newspaper, magazine, and TV ad told me my possessions were not good enough, new enough, or the right color. I wanted a bigger, newer house with matching furniture. I wished I didn’t drive an old car. I wanted more of the American Dream. That required money and that meant I’d need a full-time job.

God didn’t give me peace, though, about keeping up with the Joneses. Bible verses leaped off the page: Don’t long for material things. Don’t accumulate possessions; they only wear out and have no lasting value. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 6:19).

God really zinged me with what Jesus said in Matthew 6:32. Money and possessions are what pagans run after! Pagans! Did I want to act like a pagan?!

“Watch out!” Jesus said, “your life isn’t defined by the abundance of your possessions!” (Luke 12:15)

Instead, he urged us to make God the center of our lives, our first priority, and said, “Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met” (Matthew 6:33, The Message).

Again God helped me with perspective: I was in a season, a time for selfless, contented love. While my children lived in my house, they were my priority. I chose to focus less on material possessions, live within our means, and be content with the house and furniture we owned. That was God’s high calling for that season.

Don’t get me wrong: I was not a perfect mother. I made mistakes and have asked my kids for forgiveness, but, by God’s grace, Matt and Karen are remarkable adults. I know, I know—I’m their mother and I’m biased, but people I’ve never met have publicly acknowledged they are exceptional. 

My heart rejoices at what God has done.  

But hear me on this: Even if my kids hadn’t turned out well, I’d still know I hadn’t chosen selfish or material pursuits over my children. I’d still know I had done everything I could to raise them well.

A season for extra-radical, selfless, committed, contented love

{A special note to the single mamas among us}

Most, if not all, of you single moms don’t have the option I did: I got to stay home full time when my kids were little and part time once they entered school. But because I was raised by a single mom, I have some understanding of your situation.

After my father moved out, Mom worked like crazy as an elementary teacher to feed, clothe, and shelter my little brothers and me. She made many personal sacrifices to do so. She was in a season of selfless, committed love.

Mom did her best to carry out what is near and dear to God’s heart: to care for the fatherless, the vulnerable, needy, and powerless—those things recorded in the Bible from cover to cover. God also tells us not to turn away from our own flesh and blood (Isaiah 58:7). My brothers and I were innocent children, too young to protect and provide for ourselves, and God called Mom to focus on meeting our needs.

But she did more than meet our financial needs: She raised us in a happy home, a secure home, a fun and God-centered home.

Now, single moms, listen up: You are doing what my mother did. You’re doing what’s near and dear to God’s heart: You are caring for the fatherless, the vulnerable, needy, and powerless. You are caring for innocent children, too young to protect and provide for themselves. You are providing for your own flesh and blood.

Because I was and am so blessed by my mother’s commitment to God-honoring mothering, I really mean it when I say I applaud you single moms for doing your best for your kids emotionally, spiritually, and financially.

Let me say that again: I believe God will honor you single moms for your commitment to responsibly provide for your children.

Why do I believe that? Because by meeting your kids’ significant needs right now, you’re doing what the Bible describes as true worship, the kind acceptable to the Lord. Furthermore, God promises that if you fill needs of the vulnerable and needy, He will meet your soul’s needs—He will strengthen you and give you a full life—in dry and empty places. You’ll be like a well-watered garden and a spring that never runs dry. (Be sure to read Isaiah 58:6-11.)

I encourage you to remember: This is just one season of your life, a time for giving extra-radical, selfless, committed love.

Pray like crazy, trust God to take care of both your physical and spiritual needs, stay focused. Lavish your kids with love. Make your home happy, secure, fun, and God-centered. Take lots of deep breaths.

So, precious young mothers, I leave you with these thoughts:

• Give God and His purposes priority.

• He created your child in your womb—each eyelash, kneecap, fingernail; the unique way he’d laugh and she’d sneeze; the shape of her ears; his ability to sing. God has a detailed plan for each child’s life, (Psalm 139:13-16; Psalm 138:8) and in giving you that child, God has called you to partner with Him by being the best mother you can be.

• Choose selflessness over selfishness; place God-given responsibilities above your own pleasures.

• Your children will live in your house for a season, only a few brief years.

• Do your mothering right the first time; you can’t go back and do it differently a second time.

• What you do today and next week will determine whether you have regrets in the future.

• Hugs your kids and tell them every day that you love them.

• Keeping up with the Joneses and pursuing the American Dream are often in conflict with a life committed to God. Like Jessica said recently, the American Dream is too small! Pursue God-sized dreams!

• After your kids grow up, you can pursue any number of things. (Indeed I have. That’s a picture of me swinging on a vine in the Kakamega Rainforest in East Africa at the bottom of the page.)

• Pray every day, study the Bible, and train your children in the way they should go. That is your high calling from God.

• God is good and He has good plans for you and your children!

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a mom that works outside the home, Beth Moore’s words will bless you. She addresses those, like you, who minister to those who “don’t have much to give back.” She says, “The satisfied soul is never a more beautiful display of God’s splendor than when willing to empty self for the lives of others.” (Breaking Free)

Remember, motherhood can make you more whole than you can imagine if your heart’s desire is God and living in His grace. 

 P.S. Don’t yell at your kids because … ahem … Have you ever yelled at them while you’re standing in front of a mirror? Is that how you want them to remember you?!

Linda and her husband worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators for three years in South America and eight years in Africa. Linda's memoir, Grandma's Letters from Africa, covers her first four years there. A former Teaching Leader with BSF International (Bible Study Fellowship), she now teaches memoir classes based on Deuteronomy 4:9, "Always remember what you've seen God do for you, and be sure to tell your children and grandchildren!" She also offers writing tips and inspiration at her blog, Spiritual Memoirs 101.