They say that the days are long, but the years are short in the trenches of motherhood. As moms, our days are spent making snacks, wiping faces, and refereeing sibling squabbles. The messes seem endless, the noise at full level, and the work is often thankless. We give hugs, kiss boo-boos, and answer questions on repeat, often feeling so drained and ready to crash at the end of each day. Some days I find myself watching the clock, waiting for that magic hour, when I will no longer be ... Read More about Treasuring your Husband in the Chaos of Motherhood
All Lives Have Value
Alone. Desperate. Hopeless. Helpless. Hagar sat waiting to die. She had left her son Ishmael far enough away that she couldn't hear his cries as he faced the pain of hunger and thirst. She could not see a way out of this one. Just days earlier they had been stripped of their place in Abraham's family and sent away, with Ishmael being denied any inheritance he had. Though a slave, Hagar had a place of belonging in Abraham's home, and a way to feed her child, but it was gone. She was a ... Read More about All Lives Have Value
Our Children are on Loan from God
Sometimes it all comes rushing back. The memory of the night that Gideon struggled the most in Guatemala. Recalling my two-month-old baby boy screaming for air in between taking a frightening 95 breaths a minute makes my body physically ache. My heart starts racing with fear as the helplessness of it all comes back to the forefront of my mind. Fear that our baby was going to die, helplessness because we had never even been to the doctor in Guatemala, much less a hospital. The anxiety of no one ... Read More about Our Children are on Loan from God
Reclaiming Play
Six months ago the days seemed to drag. Whining was at its peak in our home. We had a sweet boy that despite numerous toys, spent his days with his bedroom floor covered in toys, yet never really playing with anything. He spent much of his time in front of the TV watching one show for ten minutes and then asking to change to a different show over and over again. And don't even get me started on how difficult trying to get him to clean up said toys was each night. So we decided something had to ... Read More about Reclaiming Play
For Such a Time as This
When I was a college student, I used to often love the quote, "Don't stay until God calls you to go, but instead go until God calls you to stay." I'm not sure where I first heard that quote, but it is a biblical statement. After all, the original text of the Great Commission actually states to make disciples as you are going instead of the literal "Go" that we read in our English Bibles. However, while I loved the first part of that quote, I never thought that the second half would apply to my ... Read More about For Such a Time as This