My friend Katie and I talk about how sometimes circumstances in our lives “kick the bucket” of our hearts and cause what’s already in there to spill out. It’s not that the ugly wasn’t there all along–it just hadn’t been exposed. I feel like the events of the last few weeks have kicked our nation’s collective bucket and our mess or racial disunity (which has been there so long) is spilled out in front of us. We can tiptoe...
I’m sure it’s happened since Adam and Eve. I imagine something like this: Adam: “Why are you letting little Evie play out in the rain without her buckskin slippers?” Eve: “Well, she hates shoes and I can’t keep them on her, so I gave up.” Adam: “You can’t just give up. We are the parents here, after all.” Eve: “What are you trying to say, dear husband? Do you think I’m unfit?” Adam: “I didn’t say you were a...
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the...
If we sat down for coffee, these are the things that would probably trickle out in conversation, the things that make my heart happy, in no particular order and by no means exhaustive. Homeschool and learning (or relearning) Okay, I’ll admit it. For all my complaining, I actually love homeschool. I love being part of my kids’ learning and learning myself. We definitely have bad days and even bad weeks, but we have settled into a nice rythym together....
This week we are attempting to “practice kindness.” How could you say that kindly? How could you respond differently right now? I’m sure it’s going to get annoying, but we have got to start some new habits (and stop yelling at each other). I could point my finger at my little people, but it might get dangerous with that big log in my eye. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not...
It has become clear to me that I have a problem (okay, more than one, but let’s focus here!). I don’t know if it’s my creatively-bent brain, our social media age, or the natural consequence of being a mom of multiple children, but I have lost the ability to focus on one thing for any length of time. My friend Katie and I were just lamenting about this recently, so I doubt I’m the only one. Have you ever...
We’re trying a little exercise at our house. If we begin to complain about something, we have to quickly name five things we are thankful for. I’m no proponent of parenting techniques that work for all kids at all times, so that’s not my intent here, but I think our little game says something about the reality of our hearts (I’ve written about this more at length before here). I see unthankfulness (and other negative thought processes) like a...
I remember getting scared of the dark as a little girl. I’d call for my mom, and she’d come and sing a little song based on Philippians 4:8. She hates for anyone to hear her voice, but to me it was the sweetest comfort. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these...
I woke up this Monday morning after a week of my kiddos being sick that blended into a weekend of fevers, coughs, and snotty noses. It wasn’t a pretty week for us and I wasn’t ready for a new one yet. Lord, help me be a slave to your Spirit today and not to my flesh. That was the only thing I could think of to pray over the day ahead. But something in that prayer–not in the words...
