Prayer: 1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1 John 5:14

Almost a year ago, I started to loose my son. His sleep decreased rapidly, he started chewing on furniture, through walls down to the metal beams, his was covered head to toe in eczema, had chronic ear infections, stopped eating, lost weight, and his mood was incredibly challenging. Some days I watched him just stare out the window with no expression and other day I spend the whole day calming a very emotional child. We visited an allergist, a dermatologist, a pediatrician, an ENT, a naturopath, a sleep specialist, and consulted a child psychologist and dentist to find out what was wrong with my son. It was a hard season and I felt stretched to my limits. I was desperate to find an answer.

During that season I spent a lot of time in prayer. Some day I simply said I had no words to offer up. Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I was really angry at God. I was a mom to a very sick three year old, I had an 18 month old, and at the peek of all the health challenges I found out I was pregnant with our third child. It took us months to sort out what was wrong but through it I was reminded that God works in many different ways when it comes to prayer. Sometimes miricles happen instantly and other times it's through lots of hard work and perseverance. Sometimes we wait. I feel somewhere between the wait and perseverance. A year later I am seeing the goodness that came from it, the faith that my son developed, the empathy and mercy that God grew in my child. I doubted sometimes if God heard me but in the end, if I never prayed, I never would have looked for an answer to prayer. Even when its hard, even when it feels hopeless, pray. God is at work and you may not see it yet.

Dear God, thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for having your ears tuned to us. What peace it brings to approach you with our request and know you are listening.

Amen.

Weakness: 2 Corinthians 12:10

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

I recently went through a season in life filled with change and challenges. My son was sick, I was pregnant, we were selling our house, we were house hunting, we were going on vacation, and we were moving churches. I don't like change. Adapting and flexibility are not words my family would use to describe me so when a LOT of change is given at once I feel a little broken and overwhelmed. I feel like that season was one I could title survival.

   Looking back, I am so thankful for that season of survival.  I was weak, I struggled, I did got through it but I did it in no other way than by the grace of God. I got to see how GOOD my God was and is and how He is enough to fill in all the places where I feel I was not measuring up which was everywhere. I juggled more balls during the season of survival, I called in more favors, I channeled more energy, and drew upon more strength that I ever have in my life and it still was not enough. The only way I survived was with His strength. God is in our corner, friends. He will be our strength.

Dear God, When I am weak you are strong but often I focus on simply surviving. Help me to lean on you for support. You so desperately want to give it to me.

Amen.

God is Our Comfort : Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4

Last fall my sweet son was sick for two weeks straight. One night I stood up from the rocking chair and went to gently lay him down but he grasped my finger and held tight.  I was not going anywhere. There was nowhere else I felt more needed and useful than by my son's side. It took no words, just a little squeeze of that chubby toddler hand and I knew I was needed.  He had been battling a fever for days, a double ear infection, repertory infection, and was recovering from the stomach flu and a cold. My son needed his mom.

 In the same way a mother won't abandon her child in need God will never leave us. I love the beautiful imagery and reminders of God's love for us through parenting our own children. Like a mother comforting her child, God will wrap His protection around His children. He is our comfort.

Dear God, when I need you, I pray I can find rest in you. Help me to cling to you, to lean into you, to find comfort in you.

Amen.

Tune Your Ears To Christ: Proverbs 2:1-5

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

Infants have a built in compass that point straight to their mother's voice. Even when they ...are in another human's arms their mother's voice is sought and it draws their attention with the slightest whisper. My sweet girl's focus upon my words is where my heart strives to be with God, waiting on every word, dwelling, seeking the soft whispers of the Holy Spirit. As we parent, God has tucked beautiful examples into our children on how we should respond to our Heavenly Father. So today, let us all seek Him like an infant, like a compass pointing to God's voice in our lives. He has so much to teach us if we will be attentive.

The Strong Willed Child: Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Dear Mother of The Strong Willed Child,
Remember one day your strong willed child may be used for greatness. Their certainty that their way is best, their assurance that their time is ideal, their bold assertiveness that their choices are superior can be molded and shaped into characteristics that are needed to lead the next generation: integrity, tenacity, perseverance, boldness, confidence. If you foster and direct this amazing little one they may just be used to spread ho...pe, lead a nation, inspire change, declare good news and, above all, instill faith in an upcoming generation that so desperately needs a voice of truth. So take heart mama! Keep up the good work! Train that child that is constantly challenging you, making you take pause and question your skill, and never making life dull. They will be leaders and visionaries and it's no accident they were placed into your care, it was purposefully planned and you are equipped to do this. Be their loudest cheerleader, their grounding rock, their spiritual trainer, their listening ear. Your child is a masterpiece who was created with purpose. What an honor it is to be chosen to raise them.

Dear God, Help me to remember that being strong willed can have great benefit. Parenting a strong willed child is hard. It's exhausting. I admit, I don't feel adequate. Help me to remember the great honor it is to raise my child and that this little one has been given a great gift.

Amen.

God's Presence: Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

I know the toddler tantrums well by now. They start with a protest, making us stop dead in our tracks. If the cause of the tantrum is truly an epic injustice then the tears gush forth and at times, in gold winning fashion, their bodies go limp on my arm in a dead weight and they fall to the floor in uncontrollable sobs. So much emotion in a little body and oh, what a scene a toddler can make when truly provoked.

When at my best I can console my little loves, calm them and make the world right again with a deal, an explanation, or helping words to pinpoint their emotions. It takes guidance and patience to navigate the emotional waves of  toddlerhood. It takes practice. I could let my little loves map out these big feelings on their own but as a parent I see their inability and the defeat that would ensue so I stop and tend to them as needed. Sometimes that means helping, sometimes that means responding, sometimes that means giving my child the space they need to work through their outbursts. In any case, as a parent that loves my children, I am present and acutely attentive to their needs because I want the best for my children.

The Father wants the best for His children. Even when life feels like more than can be handled, like injustice or failure have occurred, like one should fall to the floor in defeat, He is there. He may be teaching a lesson, consoling, comforting, or building His children up but the Father is always right there responding. He is present.

Dear God, I can get so caught up in how I feel I forget you are there. Help me to see you in the hard times. Help me to draw near and hear you, watch for you, be mindful of you. You are always present.

Amen.

Learning to Laugh About It Proverbs 31:5

She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
Proverbs 31:25

Well I was caught up on laundry today...for at least 30 minutes. My kitchen was clean between morning snack time and lunch prep and almost clean after lunch but not quite. Satan has tremendous ability to get me down with discouragement and inadequacy when it comes to house cleaning. I'm a neat freak, perfectionist, tidy, and oh, so organized lady and I have a two month old who... spits up all the time, a 2 year old who gets into everything, and my four year old, well, he just reminds me of Linus from Charlie Brown when he comes in from outside. It's an adventure doing life with my loves but it's a messy adventure. Here is the thing, I will never be caught up on house work so long as I'm living life with my little loves. If I dwell on the fact that my house will not be clean for the next 18 years and spend my days worried how I will ever be caught up I'm going to be a grump and not embracing God's best for me. Maybe, one day if Brian and I have an empty nest or if we have finances to have a house keeper each week or if I have no dog or if, or if, or if. The one "if" in life I can count when it comes to cleanliness is if I'm embracing laughter, joy, and positivity when looking at my my almost clean home filled with life and family I AM going to be a lot happier in life. In the end I want a lot of smile lines and memories over a perfectly clean house. So today I choose to laugh more about the never ending mess because there is a lot of happiness in it!

Dear God, help me to learn to laugh about it. To laugh about the mess, the challenge, the chaos that is my life right now. I can choose joy. I can choose to embrace the craziness of the day and be positive, find the little things that make me smile, and let go of what I can't control.

Amen.

Mom Equipped: Ephisians 2:10

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

My husband has been gone from the house a grand total of 49 hours over the last 4 days for work and a dentist appointment. I am feeling like this day will never end. To my fellow mamas out there joyfully juggling parenthood with little ones I have to tell you, some days at our house we have bath-sicle days, tearful days, movie and pajama days, park days, play date days, parenting fail days, and rock star days. We read, we paint, we make a mess and my kids can be a mess. We hardly give baths, we eat good meals and nutritionally shocking meals. The one thing in common is I have days...with my sweet sweet and sometimes emotionally challenge children. I have days with my little loves.

Sometimes those days are in survival mode like today. Can anyone relate? I am trying to choose to make the most of every day because God is using me to shape these children into something good, someone useful, someone who is going to be impacting and teaching the next generation about His goodness. These little ones I am spending my days with were placed into my care with a plan and a purpose.

We as mamas have been uniquely equipped to handle the hard, the mess, the heartache, and are blessed to see the growth, the triumph, and the success. What a privilege it is to be raising up the princes of God, the daughters of the King. That right there, changes my whole attitude...so never mind that my kids are playing outside in the backyard in pajamas after eating fudge pops for an hour in the tub to pass the time. Today is a day I get to spend with them, raising them, teaching them, shaping them. I was appointed by God for this and I have a purpose in my children's lives.

Dear God, You have called me to this. You made me for this. Sometimes I feel like parenthood is more than I can handle and inadequacy sets in. I am slowly learning how imperfect I am but that with you I am capable. Help me to remember what I do matters and how I do it makes a difference. Shepherding little hearts is a lot of work and I don't feel up to the task so remind me on the hard days I am not alone in this and that you have equipped me.

God Can Use The Young: 2nd Kings 11:21

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

2nd Kings 11:21

Josh was SEVEN when God called him to kingship. Seven! Not only was his age amazing he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and God used him. He was young, and you know what, it's a hunch but I bet it was a challenge to be king at such a young age.  Age did not stop God from doing good through Joash.

Lately, lots of my prayer cards have reflected a need for prayer for children. For safety, for healing, for protection, for growth, for answers to questions. My oldest son  taught me this week that these prayers we are showering over our children may be a sign that God is growing something good! My son has the gift of faith. His faith is a crazy, move mountains, never doubt his God gift and it all came from his health challenges over the last year and a lot of prayer. God used it to grow something good in my son.

Today I am lifting up in prayer our children! I am praying  God would be shaping these children to do good work. That God would be growing their hearts to develop gifts that are tools for His work on earth. That their age would not limit when God uses them and that we, as their parents would have the wisdom to foster faith in their God. Pray for your children today and for your  children's friends. God has big plans for them! Their life circumstances now, be it mountains or valleies, may be shaping them for the good works God has planned for them long ago (Ephesians 2:10).

Dear God, Please grow in me a heart to prayer for my children. Give me words to encourage them in their walk with you and eyes to see the areas I need to foster. May they grow to be bold in their convictions, sure of who they are in you, and boldly proclaim to their generation how good a God you are.

Amen,

Fellowship: Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24

As we gathered round the table with friends tonight it was nothing short of chaos with five little ones running about. Conversation was constantly interuputed, tears were shed, vegetables were protested. To someone without kids or currently not in the trenches of toddlerhood dinners it looked like the worst get together hardly worth the time. To the four parents who got to intermittently talk and grab a bite of the food here and there while feeding our little loves it was perfection. Why? We had fellowship! We were fed! We were encouraged! We were understood! That exhausting dinner energized my heart and spurred me on to better love my kids, challenged me to show intentional love to my husband, motivated me to serve my community. Never underestimate how powerful and purposeful gathering at the table with loved ones can be, how allowing time to feel seen and heard and encouraged can provide a space where you feel at peace among the chaos. Seek out fellowship, even during the crazy seasons of life. It may be those draining dinners fill you up so you can better pour out onto others.

Dear God, I struggle to find time for fellowship. It's easy to sit back and focus on the responsibility of parenting, events, classes, and life and not carve time out to spend with others. I see the importance of not only blessing others but taking time to encourage my own heart so I can continue the work you have for me on eart. Please grow on me a heart of generosity and hospitality so I may encourage others and spur them on towers love as well as myself. Help me make time to appreciate the gift of fellowship with other believers.

Amen.

Honeycomb: Proverbs 16:23

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

As part of our Bible memory verse this past  week we taste tested honey and vinegar and decided honey was better. Along with that, we made a list of honey words and discussed how we could be sweet to each other's ears. Game changer!  Not only did my kids understand better when they were complaining but they actively tried being sweet to my ears! 

Here is my humbling realization  as a mom. I often avoid being unkind with words but am not seeking out kindness to the best of my ability. The very application of "encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)" is not my goal in conversation as much as guarding my tongue and avoided ng gossip, vanity, discouragement. My sons were living examples and a daily challenge of how to spread encouragement, goodness, and love as Christ calls us to. So this week, I made a choice to not be on guard to words that sour souls but to be active with sweet words like my children have taught me, like Christ calls us. I want to sweeten the lives around me and be as excited as my sons are to speak goodness into the lives of others.

Dear God, May the words that flow from my lips and the thighs that go unspoken be uplifting to others. Help me to go beyond avoiding sin and spur on good words and thoughts in my life. May everyone I encounter feel encouraged, loved, and uplifted because you are speaking through me.

Amen.

His Mercy: Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The other day I had one of those parenting fail days. I prayed for better rest, renewed energy, and to get out of the house, of which, none happened. Instead I set the fire alarm off cooking lunch, hardly got dressed, and Keith decided not to nap after an early wake time that morning. I was exhausted, frazzled, and running on fumes which made me not engage with my kids. I let them work out most of their arguments, fed them the most unhealthy thrown together dinner, and put them to bed early which made bedtime a battle.

That night I prayed hard for a better tomorrow. I prayed it would be one we made memories, I prayed I could do better, be better, plan ahead. You know what, the next day was no better! However, amidst my frazzled second day in a row of no naps, not getting dressed, and feeling burnt out Shane said "Mom, just make us hot chocolate and sock puppets and we will stick on a puppet show for you." Oh mercy, I love that boy! I was so thankful God heard my prayer and was faithful to love on me through the encouraging words of my son and show mercy but Shane suggesting a totally easy and self entertaining activity for Keith and himself. It was not the day I thought I would have two times in a row but we survived. God is faithful.

Dear God, please help me to remember when I feel I am at my worst as a mother you still love me. You have mercy on me when I cry out to you for help and you are always faithful. Help me to have eyes that see you on the hard days.

Amen.

Love: 1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

One day I popped the boys in the car and we headed to the market to get dinner for some family friends who were sick. We piled flowers, popsicles, soup, and some muffins into our cart and popped cards into the grocery bag that we left on the front steps. I was trying to find a tangible way put our weekly Bible verse into action. I was trying to teach my boys what acting in love looked like beyond a hug or phrase.

You know what, that tangible act of dropping dinner off, it worked! Months later and my  boys still get excited if a friend gets sick. They immediately want to head to the market to get food and make cards. It is a repetitive action that may end up putting a hole in my wallet but I never want to miss an opportunity to teach my kids how to love their neighbors, how to care for the sick, how to show Christ love to others. How I actively showed love to my community rubbed off on my kids and not only that, it was a lesson that they are going to carry with them. A little tangible application of the scripture had a lasting impact on the hearts of my sons and now my sons are daily challenging me to show God's love. They did not let it become a weeks lesson but have made it a life goal that now motivates me to keep on loving others.

Dear God, may I always have a childlike eagerness to show love to others. May I never miss an opportunity to love because you love me. I pray, Father, that you would continue to grow in the hearts of my children and myself a deep desire to serve others, to walk alongside them, and to be your hands and feet in this world. Thank you for loving me and my children.

Amen.

Peace: Micha 5:5

He will be our peace.

Micha 5:5

Last week as I cleaned downstairs in the evening I heard the putter patter of little feet. Someone was out of bed. I walked upstairs to find that my smart little monkeys had figured out the code to unlock my medicine cabinet where I keep all sorts of items out of their reach. Shane had Chapstick all over his face, Keith was covered head to toe in lotion, and my heart stopped as I saw my husband Brian's pill box on the counter with not only today's compartment missing but an additional one open and all the pills were gone. Staying calm I inquired if anyone had eaten and little snacks and Keith announced he had eaten daddy's "pillows" and a tube of Chapstick with pride. I had no clue what was in the pill box and Brian was at work. Sigh. I looked up poison controls number and quickly called Brian as my heart raced and I admit, I fought a few tears back as I spoke to a kind woman about what my son had ingested. 

There are moments in life that give rise to our emotion. I felt fear, frustration, confusion, and panic knowing Keith may need to be whisked away to the hospital to have his stomach pumped. Rightly so, those emotions are there but I found the following days I was on edge worrying that the boys were out of bed popping pills and concerned I would need to call poison control again and be ill. However, it was not until another friend let me know her son had chocked and she called 911 the following day that I was reminded that God bring peace. I prayed that day over my friend and myself, that God would calm our hearts and allow us to feel a calmness and assurance in bedtime and mealtime again. I forget in my business as a mother that God has the power to calm my heart if I ask. What a powerful God we serve.

Dear God, some days parenting my children can bring worry and anxiety. I dwell on what could go wrong instead of leaning on you. Help me to call on your promises. Be my peace so I can be the mother you have called me to be for my children. I ask that worry and anxiety don't overcome me and that I may feel a calmness as I go about my work.

Amen.

Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy: I Chronicles 28:9-10

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temp as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

I Chronicles 28:9-10

One of my favorite passages is in 1 Chronicles where God asks Solomon to build His temple. I love this passage because I can identify with Solomon. Building a temple was a HUGE responsibility and  Solomon felt inadequate. How often can we relate with not feeling up to the task? How often do I personally think someone else should be doing what I have been called to do because, lefts face it, I am flawed and not the most gifted gal around. My biggest feelings of inadequacy are centered around  my most important roles as a wife and mother. I often don't feel like I am enough.

However, God reminds us that even when He gives us a huge and seemingly impossible task to do, He will be with us, He chose us, and He calls us. How can I not feel equipped when the creator of the universe promises that He will be with me and all He wants from me is willingness. I might fall flat on my face at times, I might fail, I might succeed but through it all God is going to be there and just wants me to do the work He called me to.

When I put things into this perspective it takes the insecurities of failure and inadiquicy away and let replaces them with an opera unity to delight my God. There will always be a better mom and wife but somehow, knowing God called me to be Brian's wife, and Shane , Keith, and Quinn's mom it just makes me feel up to the task of doing my best. All God wants is a willing heart.

Dear God, on days I don't feel equipped to do the job you have called me to do, please remind me all you seek is a willing heart. Help me to seek you, to work hard for you, and to not compare myself to others. May my focus simple be to do the task at hand and not on others abilities or skills. May I strive to serve you well with a willing heart.

Amen.

Mess Travels: Psalm 51:10

Create on me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

On Monday night I took the previous hour of mama time I had and I did what I like to call "spot clean."  I wiped the messy spots off the mirror, and took the broom and mom to the crumbs that were seen by the eye, I picked up the toys. The basic goal was to make my house look good but it's not really what I would call clean. I had company coming the next day and very little time so for now, this had to suffice.

In the past I only cheated on house work when I got a call someone was stopping over in an hour and my house needed a little tune up. These days, as a new mom to now three kids, I found I was spot cleaning a lot more. The challenge was that spot cleaning was not really cleaning at all it just gives the illusion of a clean home. I wanted to have a clean house without really doing the hard work and putting in the time so week after week, as most people with a newborn do, I cut corners and choose sleep, fun, and play.

The trouble with spot cleaning and a lot of sweet little boy feet is they take the little crumbs I miss and spread it in my semi clean spots, the track the outdoors inside on their wild bare feet, and they carried the unseen top of the stairs onto my freshly vacuumed lower stairs. My attempt at making one area clean never lasted long because the filth from another area quickly crept over. I could only maintain the look of clean for a short while before it was dirty again and thought the next day I really should have invested the time in cleaning everything up the right way donut stayed clean.

My head started spinning as the Holy Spirit reminded me this is the same in life. Don't give the illusion of holy, redeemed, and walking right when I still have work to be doing. Sin will spread and take hold of areas of my life if I don't work to keep myself holy, my heart clean. I was humbled how God sought me out to remind me To be walking fully in the light, to strive for our was and holiness in all areas of my life and all through thruong to keep a four walled house clean which He really does not care about.

Lord, search my heart and show me where I need to be making right the wrong in my life, where holiness and repentance is needed. I often, in this busy season of life, simply tidy areas in my life instead of allowing your redeeming and purifying love cleans me and show a change of heart. I want to be holy in your eyes and have a right relationship with you. Thank you for your suffering on the cross for me.

Amen

Words Matter: Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

My middle child, Keith, is a talkative charmer. He has a way about him that draws others in and will more often than not strike up a conversation with anyone. I am not sure if it's his wooing personality, the sweet smile couple with his twinkly blue eyes, or something entirely different but everything about that boy is pure charisma.

Yesterday morning Keith galloped into the family room in his airplane pajamas. He had a soft cloth block on his head for a hat and was singing "God is on the move, on the move, allejulia!" at the too of his lungs. He stopped in front of me to perform, hoping to draw out a smile but trying desperately to act causal about his goal. The little man was putting on a show that made me beam but it was what he was singing that made me so happy. Deep down to the core of my mama heart I was so happy that he was praising Jesus. He could have run in singing any song but this is the music that fill our home. God's praise is on my sons lips.

Keith was an early talker and we call him our parrot becaue he repeats everything we say.  I often hear Keith say things that make me strive to have kind, encouraging, uplifting words and watch that I don't have negativity coming out of my mouth. After bath when I comb his hair he tells me that he is handsome because we always tell him how handsome he is. He repeats that he is kind, funny, a good friend, a great big brother, and that he is loved. Oh, how that boy is loved!

These little moments remind me that what fills our home impacts those that live there. The music that we listen to can put praises to the Lord or pleasant words on our lips. The encouragement we offer to eachother can impact our self-image. Being intentional about telling people we love them out loud can build them up. The words that come from our moth, the words that fill our home, the words that flood the ears of our children have a profound effect on their self view and what comes out of their own mouth.

Dear Heavenly Father, please anoint my mouth with your Holy Sprit to speak truth, encouragement, and uplifting words to those around me.  My my words be pleasing to you and may I be intentional in how I talk to my children so that I build them up when I speak to them. I pray, Lord, you forgive me for the times I have not honored you in my speech and ask you bless me with self control.

Amen

On Encouragement: 1 Thessalonians 9:11

Encourage one another and build one another up.

1 Thessalonians 9:11

This past Sunday I stood in church singing worship songs which brought some needed peace. I was overwhelmed with getting a four year old, a two year old, and a three week old to church on my own that morning. I had not gotten much sleep because my sweet girl was struggling with her digestion and up screaming for hours the past night. Brian had worked 17 hours until 6am and was at home getting the needed rest I craved. It was his first week back and I had struggled to find my footing having three kids on my own. I desperately needed to be at church so come hell or high water I was going to make it that morning and I did.

I was greeted with lots of cheer. It encouraged me to be welcomed into fellowship with other believers that morning. My boys were checked into their classrooms after a few extra snuggles for Keith who protested staying without me and I walked into service late, but I was there. I stood in service, Quinn snuggled up against me in a baby wrap, and lifted my hands to the Lord. It was a moment of pure, exhausted surrender. It was good to be where I was.

After church, one of my dearest friends and her husband came my way. We quickly caught up on each others week and when asked how I was I suddenly, to my surprise, felt my eyes fill with tears. I was tired. I was weary. I was happy. I was overwhelmed. I was feeling accomplished and defeated at the same time. I was a whole host of emotions and in that moment I teared up realizing how flooded with emotion my heart had been. Life was good but I was tired. I needed someone to listen to me and remind me I could do this. My friend gave me a big hug, reminded me that the hard times get better and the sweet times pass quickly so enjoy them...and get a nap.

Later that week that same friend brought me coffee and not one but two chocolate bars. She was speaking my love language. I don't like big extravagant gifts but a random cup of coffee and a chocolate bar letting me know I was thought of  reminded me how loved and valued I am. This friend encouraged me to no end this week and I felt a new sense of energy and calmness in my parenting. Sometimes, simply sending a card, asking how someone is doing and really stopping to listen, sending a random gift, giving an encouraging word or finding a simple way to walk alongside others, building them up can be just what someone needs. Encouragement can lift moods, instill wisdom, change behaviors, and movtivate others so I hope you are on the lookout for hearts that need a little building up.

Lord, help me to see others who need to be encouraged and built up as you have called me to do in your word. I pray you give me eyes to see the hurting, the tired, the discouraged hearts of you people and find ways to purposefully show them love. I want to be a tool that will bless your people so they can carry on the work you have called them to do.

Amen