Two of the greatest strategies that Satan uses to keep us from finishing the work God has given us to do are distraction and intimidation.
Nehemiah (Ch.6) knew something about that. He was in the process of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and everything was finished except for installing the doors in the city gates. His enemies made up an excuse to call him for a meeting, but he realized they were up to no good and sent a message saying, “I am doing important work and cannot come down…” But they persisted in telling him that rumors would be spread about him if he didn’t come. He still refused, saying, “…they were all trying to intimidate us saying they will drop their hands from the work, and it will never be finished.”
Y’all, we all have important work that the Lord has given us to do. Whether we are building something new, rebuilding something that has been broken down, or maybe stuck somewhere in the middle. In our marriage, parenting our children, completing tasks in our jobs, or sharing in ministry, our hands have work that must be finished.
Nehemiah knew this, and he did not allow distraction or intimidation to take him away from the task at hand. It honestly might have been easy at that point, considering the work was almost done. It would be easy to say, “oh, we’ve only got the doors left, I can step away for a little while.” But he didn’t, and we can’t either. If we leave doors open, the enemy has more opportunities to sneak in and tear down what we have already worked so hard to build.
The beauty of this story, though, is that Nehemiah knew he couldn’t do it alone. At the end, he prayed, “But now, my God, strengthen my hands.”Nehemiah knew he needed the Lord’s help to finish the work. And we do too y’all.
Whatever you are working on right now, keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t listen to the naysayers or fear people around you. Keep looking to God to direct your steps, and be obedient to His calling. He will give you the strength to keep going.
The picture below was 10 years ago, and I had no idea of the amount of work that would be coming in building and maintaining my family, my professional duties, or the ministry opportunities placed in front of me in the years to come. But God has been so very faithful. He has given me the strength when I need it. And he will for you also. Keep building, standing on His Word as your solid foundation, one stone at a time❤️
Not long ago, I took my youngest daughter and my niece to the pool. I sat on my lounge chair while the girls swam, watching a sweet mama with her two young children, probably around 4 and 2, as they jumped in to her from the side of the pool. I commented on how cute their swim suits were and we chatted a little. After a few minutes, they began to whine. She looked at me with a half-smile and said, “I don’t want to wish this away, but I can’t wait to be where you are.” I told her I remembered those days and wishing that too…and that they would be here sooner than she realized.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it is that every season of motherhood has its challenges, and none are easy. In different ways, they all hold ups and downs, fear and weariness, joy and tears, but what they all have in common is that each one offers new opportunities to trust the Lord.
As I thought more on that conversation, I looked back at my camera roll through the years. Some pictures made me laugh, some made me want to cry, and some made me roll my eyes. But they all showed evidence of God‘s faithfulness and goodness over and over again in my life and the lives of my kids, even through hard things.
I want to encourage you to do the same tonight. Take time to really look and remember your circumstances through each one. Thank God for all that he’s done, take a minute to notice all that he’s doing right now, and look forward expectantly for all that he’s going to do.
Don’t wish it away, no matter the season you are in. The Lord is teaching you and growing you and showing you that He can be trusted through every.single.moment.
When you are weary and burdened, go to him (Matt.11:28). When you are afraid, go to Him (Is.40:10). When your mind is racing with anxious thoughts, go to Him (Ps.46:10). And when you are feeling discontent with the season you are in, go to Him (Ps.16:10). He will meet you in those places.
He has given you your babies, specifically, on purpose, because you are the only Mama that was made for them. Appreciate every minute…and one day young mamas, your lounge chair days will come.
Y’all, I’ve read the Christmas story in Luke 1 many, many times over the years. But it is always so sweet how the Holy Spirit points out something new, just in the season of life when I need it. As I read this week, two sentences stuck out to me. One from Elizabeth, and one from Mary, because they said the same thing when they found out they would have a child.
In Luke 1:25, Elizabeth says, "The Lord has done this for me."
In Luke 1:49, Mary says, "...the Mighty One has done great things for me."
My first thought was, “Wow, how wonderful that they both gave credit to the Lord for His goodness in giving them a child.” So often I feel like we skip the step of truly recognizing all the wonderful things the Lord does for us, moving right into celebrating for ourselves. But then, as I thought about my own journey as a mother, I began to wonder if they always felt that way in the days and months and years to come.
Because the Lord didn’t just give them a baby. He gave them each a child. To feed and change and discipline and teach and raise and protect and love…and eventually grieve for, when hard things came. And hard things would come. Just as they do for us.
I don’t know about you, but in my almost seventeen years as a mother, I have found that not much in this job is very easy. I am an imperfect person raising imperfect people. And while there are absolutely moments that mirror the excitement of that first birth announcement, there are probably more moments of real, daily struggles in raising them to be responsible, clean, kind, Jesus-loving adults. So I began to look back and reflect on all the little moments I could think of, and list, what has the Lord really done? He has:
Sustained me: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” Ps.55:22
Given me strength: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Ps.73:26
Provided for my needs: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil.4:19
Given me peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Given me wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
Given me hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
Helped me: “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” Is. 41:13
Comforted me: “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Cor.1:4
Held me together: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Col.1:17
And y’all, most of all, He has given me opportunities to know Him more. Because of my precious babies, who are no longer babies, I know what it’s like to be brought to my knees in prayer. I know what it’s like to cry out to God, asking Him to help, because I know that I cannot make it on my own. I know what it’s like to turn my eyes on Jesus, setting my eyes on things above, and not on earthly things. I know Jesus, my personal Savior, more deeply than I might have, without them. And though all of these moments may not have felt like times to celebrate, they have been some of the greatest gifts of all.
The Lord has done great things. And that is why those two miraculous babies came, all those many years ago. John, to prepare the way. And Jesus, to be The Way. The Lord didn’t just do great things for Elizabeth and Mary, y’all. He did them for all of us as well.
"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3
Wow, life has been busy these past months, and I have not had a lot of time to write here in this space. But…I did want to include some articles from other sites and hopefully I will be back on track here soon…I pray these encourage your hearts in Jesus. Thank you for reading!
A Prayer for Us to Intentionally Encourage Others:
Recently, I have spent time with a number of women who are striving to truly experience the Lord’s presence and live through the Spirit’s power and strength in their daily lives. They’ve been diving into His Word like never before and seeking to move past surface-level Christianity. But it’s not easy, y’all. So I’ve been thinking about what that really looks like…and how we live that out.
This morning at church, we studied the story of the Miracle Catch in Luke Chapter 5:1-11. Jesus had been teaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and noticed two empty boats. He chose to step into Simon Peter’s and had him push it out into the water, where he sat and taught awhile. When He was done, He turned to Simon in verse 4 and said, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” After some back and forth, Simon decided to listen to Jesus, and he went. His nets were so full from the amount of fish he caught, that they began to tear, and he had to call for help! Simon was so overcome that he fell at Jesus’ feet and Jesus said, “From now on, you’ll be fishing for people!”
There is so much more we could talk about in this story, but for now, this one thing is what the Lord laid on my heart: Jesus didn’t allow Simon to stay by the shore…or even out a little ways, where the boat had been pushed. Jesus told him to go out where it was deeper.
This isn’t the only place where we see Jesus’ disciples in deep water. When Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27, He and His disciples were going “across the lake.” And when He walked on water in Matthew 14:22-36, the disciples were “far away from the land.”
So what was the reasoning for sending His disciples into deep water? And how does this relate to us as we grow our relationship with the Lord and begin to share Him with others?
Here are a few things to consider:
1.Deep water requires deep faith.
When fishing in shallow water, you can generally see the bottom, but in deep water, you can’t see very far below the surface, unless you have a powerful light source.
If Jesus allowed the disciples to stay close to the shore, they wouldn’t need His light to see what was around them or catch the “fish” he sent them for. The uncertainty that they felt wouldn’t exist, and the reliance and faith they had to put in Him, wouldn’t happen because they would be able to “see” without believing. The amount of fish that they caught in deep, dark water, could only happen because of a supernatural source drawing them in. And it is the same way today.
“For faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 12:1
“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Cor.4:6-7
2.Deep water means facing deep things.
Jonah was a man running away from God, angry, defiant, and probably a little scared of what the Lord had asked him to do. He boarded a ship going in the opposite direction of where the Lord instructed, and a storm began. The sailors on his ship had no choice but to throw him overboard to calm the raging seas. But what a blessing. Because it wasn’t until he was sinking into the ocean depths that he truly cried out to God.
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me…But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you…” Jonah 2:1-3,6
Sometimes it takes drowning in our own sorrow and facing really hard things about ourselves to see and feel and realize the depths of the Lord’s love and provision for us.
When we go out into the deep, Jesus meets us where we are. And we have an obligation to meet others there too….even when you feel uncomfortable, ill-equipped, and maybe even a little hypocritical.
Jesus sent the disciples into the deep water so He could show up in an inconvenient, uncomfortable place. Out in the deep is where He met each of them individually. And that’s what love is. Showing up in inconvenient, uncomfortable places, where Jesus works in miraculous ways when we are willing.
3.Deep water causes deep fear.
In shallow water, safety is rarely an issue. You can touch the bottom if you need to and see any possible hazards. However, in the deep, you face the possibility of being swept away without a proper anchor to hold you fast.
In each of the three stories about Jesus’ disciples mentioned above, deep waters weren’t the only thing they had in common. In every one, Jesus had to tell his friends not to be afraid (Luke 5:10, Matt. 8:26, Matt.14:27).
Deep water is scary. The “what ifs” grow significantly the farther you are from solid ground. And Jesus knew that the disciples needed to grow their faith in a place where they couldn’t rely on their own sight or ability to stand on their own two feet. And we do too.
If we choose to go into the deep places with people, the hard, dark, scary places where we can’t see what may happen next and don’t know what to expect, we need an anchor to hold us fast. That anchor is Jesus. And He is right here with all of us who believe.
“Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:18-19
Y’all, going into deep waters is not always a fun thing. It is not always an easy thing. But if we are going to draw closer to Jesus and show people who He really is, we have to go into those places to grow our faith and see with our own eyes what our ears have heard about (Job 42:5).
He invites us to go deeper into our own walks and with those around us, so we can see His miracle-working power. His goodness. His faithfulness. And the reality that He is who He says He is. He never left the disciples. And He won’t leave you.
This year, shine His light as you go into places you may not be able to “see”. Seek Him and cry out to him in the depths. And do not fear! Go boldly with the assurance that He is with you, for you, and will save you and those you love from the depths because YOU ARE HIS.
Here in Alabama it is SNOWING today! Beautiful white flakes blowing and swirling and falling all over the place. Some big, some small, but all bringing joy to little and big hearts alike. And as I sit here in my bathrobe watching them fall outside my window, my heart and mind are turning with all the Lord is showing me through them. So I want to share a couple of things we can learn from these precious moments today:
1.God sends beautiful reminders of who He is in His perfect time.
You see, this is the first time it has snowed in my little hometown in four years. And it was four years before that. And four years before that…you get the picture. This is a rare treat that brings such excitement for all of us who get to experience it. As each winter rolls around, we Southerners pray and watch the weather reports for any miniscule chance of getting to see snow. We allow ourselves to hope and wait expectantly just in case….but many years, as the end of February rolls around, we realize our hopes for snow will not come to fruition…and with disappointment set them aside until next year.
And y’all, I feel like we do this in life too. We all have hopes and dreams that we pray for. We long for God to answer our prayers and show us reminders of who He is right away…only to be disappointed when that doesn’t happen. A year passes, then two, then three…and we wonder if He’s still there…if He even hears or sees us. We lose our excitement, anticipation, or expectant hope of what He is going to do…because it seems it’s been too long. But y’all, then that fourth year comes. And He “shows up.” He reminds us of His beauty and glory and majesty and faithfulness because we see with our eyes tangible evidence of His work and presence. We praise and “feel” close to Him again, thanking Him for this wonderful moment.
But y’all, guess what? That moment won’t last. The snow is falling, only to last a few hours…maybe a day at most…and then it will be gone. And there’s the difference between earthly circumstances and the Lord. Weather patterns change and snow comes and goes, but the Lord never does! Even when you can’t see Him or feel Him…He is still there:
“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” Psalm 116:2
“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…” 2 Chronicles 16:9
“But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” John 5:17
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Don’t give up in the hard years…don’t let doubt fill your time of drought. He is still there, working and moving and growing you behind the scenes, waiting for the perfect time to show you and remind you of His beauty sweet friends.
2. We must allow those precious reminders to “stick.”
So here’s the second lesson. After a number of years with no hope of snow in sight…no moment of that longing coming to fruition, it’s here. I told you that it is blowing and swirling and falling all over the place…and it is. But what I didn’t tell you before, is that it isn’t sticking. As I look out the window, the scenery on the ground has barely changed…I see grass and wet concrete and puddles of water everywhere. Thoroughly disappointing right? I know. So here’s what we need to remember:
In His perfect timing, the Lord answers our prayers and shows us what He can do. Some of us have longer periods of waiting than others, but when our prayer is answered…when we see and experience that moment of God working (whether it looks like what you thought or not)…we have a decision to make. Will it make any change in our lives? Will we remember? Because that moment won’t last forever.
The seasons of highs and lows, mountains and valleys, come and go, y’all. They just do. And if we don’t allow the Lord’s teaching and provision in those “feel good” moments…those highs and exciting times with Him to “stick”…it’s going to be even more difficult in the in-between. We must cling to Him, His truth, and soak up every little lesson so that later, we will remember and be able to tell others of His goodness until it comes again, just like we do in-between those “snow years” bringing out the old pictures, reminiscing about making “sleds” out of cardboard or boogie boards and sliding down hills (you Southerners know what I mean:)), etc..
His Word brings life and power and His actions are recorded there for us to remember what He has done in the past. It’s our responsibility to share it in the in-between when our eyes can’t see what our hearts know. For our children and grandchildren and friends and for ourselves…we must not forget. We must allow all that He teaches us to “stick”:
“When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock!He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” Deuteronomy 8:10-18
Enjoy every second of this beautiful snow day my sweet friends. Thank you the Lord for His gift, ask Him to speak to your heart and give you strength and peace and joy to sustain you until He is “seen” again, and pray for all of it to “stick.”
In Bible Study we recently studied about the “If Onlys” of life. How they can cause roots of anger and bitterness to grow if we aren’t careful. And it reminded me of a lesson the Lord taught me last year, as I read Psalm 107. I realized so clearly that, as followers of Jesus, we all have a choice of what we focus on…what we see most…in our pasts. You see, we are all sinners. We all make mistakes. Our parents did. Our children do. And every generation to come will as well. But one thing the Bible reminds us of, over and over (Deuteronomy is one place to look), is that we should share with our children and our children’s children, not only about the difficult things we have faced…but how the Lord brought us through them.
Psalm 107 mentions four groups of people, and while this is not exhaustive, it is a pretty good description of how many of us face the Lord and His word:
The Wanderers– “Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.” (v.4-5)
The Enslaved– “Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. (v.10-11)
The Rebels– “Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.” (v.17-18)
The Seekers– “Some went off in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. Their ships tossed…the sailors cringed in terror…They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits end.” (v.23, 26-27)
You may see yourself as one of these people, or maybe not, but the amazing thing about all of them is that whatever experiences they had, whatever trials they went through, they all reached a point where they realized they couldn’t make it on their own:
"Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and He rescued/saved them from their distress."
Psalm 107:6,13,19,28 NLT
So did he listen to them? I believe He did because after their cries:
“He led them straight to safety…” (v7)
“He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom…” (v14)
“He snapped their chains.” (v14)
“He sent out His word and healed them….” (v20)
“He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.” (v29)
And once the Lord came to their rescue, the Psalmist gave this directive, though we don’t know if they followed through:
"Let them praise the Lord for His great love and
for the wonderful things He has done for them."
Psalm 107:8,15,21,31 NLT
I understand that many of you might be thinking that the last thing you want to do is praise the Lord. That even though He may have helped your in a hard circumstance, you still have people you love who have been hurt, looked down upon, mistreated, or just plain overlooked. But y’all, the Lord hasn’t done those things. He has seen every wound, heard every cry, and felt every hurt that you feel. And because many of you may question why a good God would allow hard things if He really loves you, I have to share the ending:
"Those who are wise will take all this to heart;
they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord."
Psalm 107:43 NLT
Because without trials to be brought through….we wouldn’t recognize the faithful love we’ve been brought to, y’all.
Not long ago, I passed some sticks on the ground while I was walking. They caught my attention because they made an “X”. But as I looked back when I passed, I realized that from my new point of view, I saw a cross.
We all have a choice when we look back, yall. We can choose to see the wrongs and hold ourselves back from healing and joy and peace that only the Lord brings. Or we can grow in wisdom as we focus on what we learned…what we don’t want to repeat…on the healing, chain-breaking, door-opening, power of the Lord…and the faithful love that brought us through.
Over the past few months, my heart and mind have pondered the words to adequately share what I have been feeling every time I see another post that tells me “you are enough.” While the message is shared with kind intentions, meant to be an encouragement and build self-confidence, it can be deceiving.
Enough means “as much as required; occurring in such quantity to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations.” And I can tell you right now, without hesitation, that my name could never define “enough.” There is only One whose can.
My oldest is about to enter high school, and it has become especially urgent to me, that she realizes who she needs more than anyone else in this world. And it’s not me. Or her daddy. Or herself. It’s Jesus. Only Jesus.
The greatest gift I can give all of my babies, is to point them to Him. Not only when we are praising Him for answered prayers or thanking Him for our food, but when the days are hard. When they are afraid. When they feel defeated. In every situation that I might be tempted to try and be their savior or make them think they can save themselves.
The truth is that I’m not enough…they’re not enough…and none of us are…because we were never meant to be.
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17 (italics mine)
When our children’s feelings are hurt, when self-esteem is low, when doubt clouds their minds, or when they feel like they just don’t have what it takes to meet a challenge ahead, what I wish we would say instead is this:
“Jesus is enough for you in this moment.
You are able to rise to this challenge because He created you . He thoughtfully knit your inmost being together with intricate detail to prepare you for this very moment. (Psalm 139:13)
You do not have to be afraid because He has already conquered death and is your helper, holding your hand as you walk through hard things. (Isaiah 41:13)
You are weak, but can survive this moment, because He is strong. (Philippians 4:13)
I am your mama, and as much as I want to save you from all the hurt that this life can bring, you must remember this…it’s not my job:
I gave birth to you, but He created you.
I would die for you, but He already did.
I love you with my whole heart, but He loves you beyond comprehension…with the evidence in His scars.
Jesus is enough for you. Every second of every day, always.”
Call on His name. Listen for His voice. Seek His face.
He loves you so very much more than you could ever imagine and is the only One who can fill the empty places in your heart. He provided manna for the Israelites…enough for each day…and He is able to do the same for you. Meet him each morning, gather sustenance from His Word, and know that your words and gifts and offerings are enough, because of Him.
The Little Moments 