Do you hear sacred echoes? When you can see Jesus as the ultimate gift, and the importance of unity among Christians, then I think those sacred echoes will ring out clearly for you!

So, in my crazy mum-brain, being called a servant shifted. If God was calling the governor of Judah a servant in one breath and then giving him His signet ring in the next, then the term servant could be more esteemed in my eyes. If I can model the beauty of servanthood to my children, then will they also grow up to be men who serve?

What if your identity could be based in the fact that God fashioned humanity - YOU - with his own loving, capable hands?

You don’t have to walk the tightrope that so many try to, and that may be the point that is the most important. Deep down, you too must yearn for deeper conversation with friends and for clearer purpose in life. 

Instead of talking about our favorite bad words, I want us talking about our favorite good words…if there is such a thing.  

How many mothers have wanted to pull their hair out after dealing with the bedtime arguments that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Yet, it is in the quiet moments of night time snuggles that God uses my son to instruct me.  

What if God required these sacrifices as a way to draw His people nearer?
What if God required these sacrifices as a daily reminder of His worth and power?
What if God required these sacrifices as a means to an end?

Have you ever heard of the term ‘hesed’? It’s a complex word, and perhaps difficult to nail down when translating into English, but it can be simplified as the idea of love in action.

It was just so appropriate that on an afternoon when I was going to finally sit down and write about the idea of ENOUGH it was only the crying of a baby that pulled me back from my thoughts of ‘more, more, more!’

Asking God to love my baby may have been the smartest thing I could have done. In doing so, I have also begun the journey of a better understanding the selfless love of Christ. As I live out selfless moments in motherhood, I am learning more about God’s love for us, His children, and that realization is worth all the dark, tear-filled moments that led up to this point. I really am trying to live in the Light, and that is leading me to some beautifully messy moments.

The last couple of months have seemed to be a constant state of limbo for me – both physically and emotionally. I am struggling, and that struggle seems to be coming from the fact that I have lost a sense of balance in my life that I once had. 

I had to consciously decide to change my thinking. Butterflies are a result of metamorphosis. I am struck by it each time I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to my son. Living creatures can change each day, and so can our thoughts – if we choose to make them. 

The idea of becoming one's mother is so taboo. So often when it is spoken of it is made to sound like a moment of failure. Yet the past couple of months have shown me that I need to take the good parts of the woman who raised me and make them part of who I am as well.  

If yesterday had been a day of classes then I would have come home marveling at the power of fear, and wondering at the chances of it being brought up in so many different situations. I suppose that yesterday was a day of classes. I know it is clichéd, but I am still a teacher and a student, and hearing about the same concept in a variety of settings is still the best way to make me sit still and actually think about it. ‘Trust’ is a hard concept to stomach.

I would argue that our souls need time to rest just as our bodies do. I do not see how flow can even be a possibility if we do not have time to think, breathe deeply, and give ourselves a bit of grace. This can be really hard, I know, but so often the important things in life are hard to come by.

Why do I, and so many others, always want what is not right in front of us at the time? Maybe it is just our very flawed human nature. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Maybe the grass is green on both sides, whether being at home with my child or splitting the time with paid work. I hate to think that the grass is brown on both sides. That is just too pessimistic.

Joy is not meant to be a mistake. It is meant to be a blessing. And yet, if I did not face loss then maybe joy would not feel as bright, uplifting, and beautiful. Mistaken joy might be the wrong way to phrase it. Perhaps it is a lesson in loss, a lesson in waiting, and a lesson in hope.

We all come to sad and beautiful conclusions in life – sometimes in the very same breath. My prayer for myself, and for whoever reads this, is that we can be open and ready to see God's ultimate purpose for our lives.

Priority, in its noun form, refers to something that takes precedence over others. So what am I giving preference to? What or who am I putting first?

Parenting a teenager really forces me to take a second and third look at how I communicate, how I deal with stress, and how I respond to others. The way I act and talk is a lesson for our sons.