Month: April 2024

Sounded like they all had a fun time!

Last Junior Prom✅

Molly had an amazing opportunity to sing a song in convocation at Liberty University. She wrote it after hearing a sermon by Josh Rutledge from 1 John. I was so happy I could be there to hear her and see her. She did great! It’s a powerful song, and I’m so proud of her. Here is the link. She sings at the beginning.

https://watch.liberty.edu/playlist/dedicated/82178501/1_npaqvv7z/1_rg11lvzm

I loved sitting with Ruby. She was a proud sister, and I was so proud of her too.

I was listening to an Active Listening Prayer podcast called The Collaboratory. She was teaching on who God says I am and how knowing Who God is helps me be confident in who He made me to be. She warned against the lies of the enemy that try to discourage.

She asked the listener to imagine we were in our favorite spot and Jesus was there. She led us, in our imaginations, to write down a lie we have believed about ourself. I scribbled on my torn sheet of paper I pulled from my imaginary pocket—“Just a Mom.”

She invited us to give the paper to Jesus. “What does He do with it?”she asked.

She gave options of what He might do with it—maybe He doesn’t even look at it, maybe He throws it in a nearby fire or maybe He swallows it! But before she could even offer these suggestions, I had a clear picture of what He did with my lie that I was “just a mom.” As soon as I handed Jesus the paper, He turned it into balloons that spelled out JUST A MOM. Each letter large and shiny and dancing in the sky.

This was a celebration in His eyes. To say no to other pursuits, other people, and other ways of spending my days and years. Saying yes to three little precious people for many days that have turned into years. Little people who have turned into young adults.

I am grateful to God for the ability to stay at home, the husband who has been only supportive of my role, and the time I’ve had with my kids. And I’m especially grateful for the party balloons Jesus made for me for being “Just a Mom.” I’ll never hear those words the same again.

So this unpacking from the beach all that The Lord packed in my heart has taken longer than I anticipated. Life is full! What can I say?

But if you remember, I was reading Psalm 139 everyday and everyday it seemed a different section stood out to me. I’m choosing to combine the last two days for fear I may not wrap this in a timely fashion.

In Sarah Hagerty’s book, The Gift of Limitations, she shares that the average human has about 6,000 thoughts a day. Now that did not surprise me one bit. My mind is constantly thinking something. It can be exhausting.

Psalm 139:17-18a says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them. If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.”

I asked the Lord to help me understand this verse more as I went to spend a day on the beach with more sand than any human could count. And I asked Him to help me think about things the way He thinks about things. I asked Him for wisdom from Him to be shared with me in many different areas of my life.

And then the next day, no matter how much I really didn’t want to focus on these next verses, I just had a hunch the Lord might bring my attention to them.

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works and my soul knows it very well.”

What Christian girl hasn’t at some point in her life written this verse on an index card and taped it to her mirror? The mirror has oftentimes been a bit of a war zone of the mind—thoughts assail me. I carve my shape up, thinking smaller thighs are the key to happiness. Nowadays, it’s embracing a new wrinkle or sun spot on my face and wishing any one of the twelve anti-aging bottles actually would prove true.

The scripture goes on, “My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.”

My frame—the very frame I often despise was made by God with skill. He put my body together just as it is. And that is a very good thing.

So on this morning at the beach while I walked along the shore and looked at all of those little pieces of sand, I asked God to help me think about my body the way He thinks about it. And I thanked God for my strong legs that were carrying me down the beach at that very moment. The way they allowed me to squat down to pick up sea shells. It felt good and right to take in this moment and these thoughts—to be grateful for my legs, the very part of my body I’ve spent lots of time wishing were different.

Then, later in the day, Mack took a photo of Josh and me, and I didn’t delete it upon first glance of my legs. I paused and thanked God for these exact legs and all they’ve walked me through in this life.

And I rolled over these verses from psalm 139–I am fearfully and wonderfully made! And how vast are the thoughts of God unto me! His works are wonderful.

I asked the Lord to keep helping me think His thoughts on all things…even my good frame He made for me.