I originally posted this on my previous blog, My Life Commentary , when my first child was 9 months old. It was encouraging to see how much I’ve grown since being a new mom 9 years ago. I still have a lot of questions about what’s around the corner and what life will look like as she and my other two kids continue to grow, but the reassurance from God has grown as well! I’ve seen Him equip me in ways I never could have imagined, and have no doubt He’ll continue to prepare me for what’s coming around the
We’ve all lived in those seasons when life is difficult. We call them “survival mode” at my house–we’re just doing what we need to do to survive, putting one foot in front of the other. They may look different for each of us, with different circumstances and time periods, but there’s one thing they all have in common: they’re hard. How should we respond during those times? How do we keep from giving in to discouragement and giving up? I happened to come across biblical insight on this from two different places at the same time–just another example of God
You are not alone. We’ve all been there. We get it. Your baby has shown you a brand new level of love, but being Mom to this tiny, helpless person’s world is HARD. It’s exhausting in a way you never thought possible–physically and emotionally. I didn’t even realize how much I was struggling until years later. I didn’t have postpartum depression or any other type of diagnosed complication. I just had a brand new baby, and suddenly, while recovering from the most traumatic event my body had ever gone through (a very normal birth), I needed to shift my focus
A Different Perspective on a Bad Day Imagine this: you’re driving down the road and get a flat tire. This means you’re late to pick up your kids from their grandparents’ house, so they need to bring them to their friends’ house for dinner. By the time you get there, they’re jumping off the walls from the ice cream they had for dessert. You’re frustrated, tired, and ready to be done with the day. By the time you get them loaded in the car, drive home, and get them to bed, it’s an hour past bedtime and they collapse. It’s
Have you noticed the times when circumstances ended up being just perfect in your life? It’s easy to think, “Wow, what a good stroke of luck!” or “What an amazing coincidence!” But I don’t believe in coincidences or luck. Rather, when circumstances work out just perfectly, it’s an opportunity to see God at work. And as a parent, it’s also an opportunity to point out how God is masterfully coordinating all of life’s pieces. It’s a habit my mom and grandpa encouraged for as long as I can remember: pointing out situations and telling stories of when things happened just
Where do you place your hope? Back in my first post about Revelation , I shared that it’s a book of hope . In Chip Ingram’s last sermon in his series , he finishes up the book and explains how important it is that we place our hope in Jesus. I think we all tend to place our hope in things that could be gone in a second: health, relationships, career, achievements, etc. When our view is limited to the world around us, it’s easy to feel hopeless. Instead, we should place our hope in what Revelation shows us: Jesus
I’ve been trying to think about what I put in my mind lately . I have limited time to watch or listen to things, so there’s an element of trying not to waste precious minutes or hours. But I’m also trying to consider: how is this going to benefit my life? It may seem silly to think a podcast or TV show may change your life, but it does! Whatever I think about and dwell on affects how I feel, my opinions, and decisions I make. Those little choices add up to who I am and what my life looks
This is going to be a longer post as we go through the middle of Revelation , but I liked the big-picture view that Chip Ingram presented as he went through it. I understood it so much more clearly, and I liked the way he kept the central message of hope in focus. As Chip summarized, “This shows us we can endure anything when we look at today’s struggles in the light of tomorrow’s certainty.” I know my day-to-day struggles are nothing close to what the early church suffered, but that doesn’t mean my life is easy . By understanding
I am incredibly blessed. On paper, I have more than I ever thought possible: A funny, wise, loving husband. Three wonderful children. A career I really enjoy. Supportive parents and siblings on both sides of our family. Friends near and far. And yet, life is hard. As amazing as my husband is, we’re both flawed people and marriage takes work. As wonderful as my children are, they’re also flawed and have years of maturing ahead of them. As much as I enjoy my career, it can be mentally exhausting; some days it completely drains my capacity for making decisions and
Revelation : the last book of the Bible. Reading it always made me scratch my head. So I was really excited when my mom suggested we listen to Chip Ingram’s Revelation series together . I think one section of it that many people are familiar with are the letters to the seven churches, probably because it shares actionable guidance that makes sense without understanding the greater context of the book. But the thing is, this section does sit in the context of the book. I think God would have separated the letters out if He intended the messages to the