Day: September 26, 2024

Mack’s senior year is ticking right on by. He’s halfway through the football season and the first quarter isn’t too far from wrapping up.

He isn’t sure what is next for him, and we are praying and waiting to see how God unfolds the path for Mack. we know He will show Mack the next step.

It’s hard to wait and not know though! It’s tempting to just make a decision and move on, but that’s not what we are going to do. We are going to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding. We will acknowledge the Lord in all of this and trust Him to make Mack’s path straight and clear! It’s God at work in Mack to Will and to work for His good pleasure. We’re excited to see it unfold.

Thankfully, we have an amazing leader in Josh. Similar to how his own dad helped guide Josh when he was a senior in highschool, Josh and I sat with Mack and talked through some challenges and prayer points. We wrote them out and posted them in his room so he can see them every morning and night. I was cleaning up some things upstairs and snapped a picture of them.

It made me smile to know how much Mack is loved and cared for by us as his parents, but more than that, by his Heavenly Father who loves Mack perfectly and fully.

Praying God’s will can be fully realized in Mack’s life. He is faithful!

And let me close with this grid of photos from when each of us were in Kindergarten. How cute were we??

All of us had crazy hair…except Mack because we kept it so short back then. Kindergarten to senior year goes by so fast!!!!! I’m trying to enjoy every moment. 🥰

Relaxed. It’s not a word that would describe me on most days. When I think about the opposite of relaxed, I think of words like: uptight, anxious, worried, fretful, and busy. I also think of the word afraid. If you’re relaxed, there’s likely not a threat around you. Being afraid seems to be a root cause of all the other words. Fearful that if we don’t take care of things, no one else will, so we get to work…doing and worrying and making ourselves uptight and anxious until things seem to be under control.

As I was thinking about this word, relaxed, as it was going to be the actual title our fall bible study, I kept thinking about Luke 12. Jesus is speaking and He tells the people to not be afraid of death. He tells them to not be afraid when people persecute you for what you say or don’t say, He says not to be afraid that your basic needs won’t be met like food and clothing. And then He says in verse 32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” John Piper says this addresses our fear that God is not good and is not working good for us. The same fear from Genesis 3 when Eve thought maybe God was holding out in her. Yet we see in Luke 12:32 that God is our Shepherd and we are His little flock. He is caring for us and guiding us all the while protecting us from harm. He is our Father who loves us and it’s expectant that a Father gives His children an inheritance. This inheritance is heaven, His kingdom. But not just His kingdom in our eternal home. But His kingdom, meaning He is the King who rules and overrules in our lives. We get His sovereign rule and reign over our lives now and forever. We can trust our Shepherd, our Father, our King. We can relax in His more than capable hands.

So week one of the Relaxed bible study by Megan Fate Marshman was deeply helpful for me. Everyday day we start our time with God by presenting ourselves as we are, desiring to be a living sacrifice. Then we let God peel back all the layers as we declare, “I am not primarly….(these are mine) a mom, a wife, the grocery getter, the laundry lady, a stay at home mom who wonders if she needs a job, tired, burnt out, frustrated about…” until I got to the core. Primarly I am in Christ and He is in me.

And then, Megan encourages us not to fight our wandering mind. She says go to God! He cares about what’s on your mind and heart. So instead of fighting to stay on track with the right kind of prayer, just take your wandering thoughts to God. He knows what you’re thinking anyway.

Then, listen to God and do what He says. Is there something I need to do as a result of my prayer time? Any text I need to send? Anyone I need to forgive? A meal I need to take? A way to serve someone in my family?

It’s a simple way to pray, and I love it! Give it a try. Your Shepherd, Father and King loves to hear from you❤️