Advent Through the Lens of Motherhood

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Advent Through the Lens of Motherhood

This past Sunday, on the first day of Advent, my pastor said, “Advent is as simple as ABC. It means Arrival, Beginning and Coming.” That little acronym got me thinking about Advent through the lens of motherhood and how arrivals, firsts and future, are all a part of God’s plan for us.

Now I am not comparing my children or yours to Jesus, nor am I comparing myself or you to Mary, but as I ponder the meaning of Advent mixed with the emotions of motherhood, some similarities definitely jump out at me.

We wait for the arrival of the children we carry in our womb, and then we wait for their arrival into adulthood.

We anticipate their firsts — first smile, first steps, first word, and the firsts become lasts and we anticipate those, too — last day of school, last game, last dance, and there’s no going back for a second chance.

The anticipation of what is to come is often met with mixed emotions, and the mixed emotions are met with the decision to trust God with the plan and purpose He has for our children or doubt His faithfulness and fear the worse.

Like Mary, we have a choice. Will we trust the Father’s plan? Will we partner with Him by praying for them? Or will follow fear which leads us to worry and doubt?

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19, ESV)

Like Mary, let’s treasure the arrivals, beginning and coming, and the uncertainty they carry, by pondering them in our heart, and surrendering them to God.

Instead of allowing the uncertainty to cause anxiety, let’s rest is the safe and sacred space of God’s grace. He loves our children far more than we can fathom, and His plan will prevail in the beauty of His sovereignty.

Praise God for that first Christmas when He brought hope to the world in the gift of a baby boy.

Praise God that thirty-three years later that child, who became an adult, took His final breath so we could be born again.

Jesus, through His arrival, beginning and coming, infuses purpose into the first, future, and final moments of motherhood as we guide our kids from childhood to adulthood.

It may be as simple as ABC, but it’s as profound as anything could ever be!

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A Call to Prayer for the Mama Bear

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A Call to Prayer for the Mama Bear

A Call to Prayer for the Mama Bear…

A mama’s work is never done, and although the specific tasks and responsibilities may change, the ultimate goal stays the same.

Protect, provide, prepare.

From toddler to teen, and every stage in between, from the moment we bring them home to the moments they are making homes of their own, we raise them to release them, in the safety of our den, before they encounter the wilderness of this wild world we live in.

While they have been given to us by God, they are ultimately His, and our goal is to steer them back to Him again and again, our role is to guide them as He promises to walk beside them.

But the older I get, the more I realize, my words to Him are more powerful than my words to them…

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HOME

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HOME

Home is where the heart is, and your heart is where your treasure is. So treasure your home. Both here and now and now and forever.


I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “home” — not just our earthly dwelling place or physical residence, but also our heavenly resting place where we’ll forever dwell in His presence.

Our earthly home is here and now,

full of work to do and much to tend to.

Our heavenly home is now in forever,

full of work to do and much to tend to.

Since we live in the tension of the two, we must honor God by the way we tend the two.

We can’t be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good, but we also can’t be too earthly minded to be any heavenly good.

We have kingdom work to do here on earth. We have a God to praise and families to raise. Our homes are to be havens where we can live in light of Eternity until Eternity becomes reality and Heaven is our home.

Home is so much more than a mere dwelling place. It’s all the things that give that place and its people purpose and passion. Pondering it all has truly given me a whole new perspective.

Home truly is where the heart is; therefore “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:19-21‬)

So raise your gaze. Look up from the yuck so you don’t get stuck. Put down your phone. Pick up your Sword. Defend your home. Honor the Lord. Treasure home. View dirty floors as holy ground and messy rooms as sacred spaces. See home as humbling and hopeful. Find rest in the routine. Stay faithful in the familiar. Make home your primary mission field so it will produce an eternal yield.

Home is where the heart is, and your heart is where your treasure is. So treasure your home. Both here and now and now and forever.

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Post Mother’s Day Post (because it’s in hindsight lessons are learned the most)

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Post Mother’s Day Post (because it’s in hindsight lessons are learned the most)

News flash, mommas, we are not perfect. In fact, we’re far from it. And quite honestly, our kids aren’t looking for our perfection, but rather our intention in the right direction.

In the first picture, we’re all standing tall (some more than others) with the effects of age taking center stage — height for the boys coupled with the depth of their voice, while Steve and I have aged with wrinkles and greys and in a few more subtle ways.

In the second picture, we’re all sitting and they were all small. And just as we were on the same level that day, we were together frequently, and we functioned as a team rather succinctly.

But more than the obvious differences in these two photos are the character differences. Can you spot those?

Because that’s where it’s at. That’s what matters most. We will never be perfect, but we’ll always be perfectly positioned to learn and grow.

The years between these photos bring meaning to this post. The differences are far more than physical, and this momma is grateful for the lessons learned in hindsight.

It’s never too late to learn, and we will never stop growing and maturing in our God-given roles and responsibilities.

They see us trying. So, keep trying, momma, and never give up. Sitting or standing, small or tall, the heart lessons are the hardest to learn, but they’ll outlast the physical differences well beyond the wrinkles and greys and passing Mother’s Days.

So, stay the course, and glance back every now and then, not to be sad they’re grown, but to be glad they’re known — seen and loved. Take time to spot the differences, notice the growth, and celebrate the change.

Look back to keep going forward. Find security in the seasons of maturity and beauty in the hindsight.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” ~ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:12‬

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