A Life of Gratitude

As we say so long to 2023, I bet most of us are hoping for a better, more prosperous, more healthy, more peaceful year ahead. One way to move forward is to seek healing from the various things we've suffered through, whether those things happened recently or years ago. I truly believe God wants each of us to be healed  physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  That doesn't always involve a miraculous healing. In fact, most of the time it involves a lot of hard work and support from others. I believe that is because we must walk through the fire to be refined by.  John 17: 11-19 (TPT) Jesus traveled on toward Jerusalem and passed through the border region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one village, ten men approached him, but they kept their distance, for they were lepers. They shouted to him, “Mighty Lord, our wonderful Master! Won’t you have mercy on us  and heal us ?” When Jesus stopped to look at them, he spoke these words:  “Go to be examined by the Jewish pr

During our Christmas Eve service today, we sang "It came Upon a Midnight Clear." It's a very familiar Christmas song, one I've heard many times, but I'm not sure I've never thought much about what the lyrics say.  I was really blown away by the third verse which says, "O ye beneath life's crushing load, Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing  way, With painful steps and slow; Look now, for glad and golden  hours. Come swiftly on the wing; Oh rest beside the weary road And hear the angels sing." Maybe you can relate to feeling crushed beneath life's load, painfully and slowly toiling and climbing. I know I can. It's that last sentence that gets me though. "Oh, rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing." The song reminds us that yes, life is hard, and our load is often heavy, but now is the time to rest beside the weary road we're traveling and pause long enough to hear the angels sing.  Typically,

Last night I took my six-year-old daughter to the movie theater. On the way there she said excitedly, "Mom, guess what I want to be when I grow up!" After I tried to guess, she responded, "I want to be just like you!" Her answer nearly made my heart explode!  As we watched the trailers before the film, I realized she was sitting just like me. I captured the moment with a photo because I know she won't always feel that way.  I've been thinking a lot about what my girl wants to be when she grows up. Even though it made my day to hear her say that it also caused anxiety and dread to rise up within me as I thought about the influence parents have on their children. There are so many things about me that I hope she never replicates. Things like my poor self-image, my inclination toward people-pleasing, the guilt I feel when I need to rest or take a break, my desperate attempts to feel loved and the poor choices that resulted, my tendency to be impatient, and my h

This morning I saw this photo and touched my heart. This is a picture of one of my favorite Christmas decorations, a nativity by Willow Tree. This specific set up was designed by my son, Tyson, when he was just three years old. I know a lot of people would say I probably shouldn't let play my children play with such an expensive nativity scene, but it’s very important to me that my children don’t view Jesus or faith as something that is “hands-off.” I don't ever want them to feel like the story of Jesus' birth is something they can't engage with. So, I’ve let all four of my children play with my expensive nativity scene and I love watching them interact with it!    Six years ago, when Tyson created this masterpiece, he was playing with the set and talking in his quiet little saying something about the animals coming to see the baby Jesus. For a while the angel and Jesus were hanging out in the stable together but this is the way he left it the scene, in a scattered me

Do anyone else's kids complain about the simplest things? It's something our family deals with from time to time. Lately, I've been asking myself what a complainer really is. As I've studied this, I learned t he Greek word for  complainer  means “one who is discontented with his lot in life.” It is the same word used for  grumbler . Complaining  is detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from the Spirit. So, it's no surprise that someone who complains is often grumpy and impatient. When we hear our children grumbling and complaining, we often show them videos of how families in other places live and discuss how being born in the United States is a gift. We didn’t get to choose where we were born and neither do the children born in impoverished countries. We don’t deserve the many blessings we have any more than those families do. We are simply blessed. We came with nothing into this world, just like everyone else.  As I’ve pondered how easy it is for m

  You probably know the story of Jesus walking on water, but did you realize this miracle happened the very same night as the feeding of the 5,000? The disciples witnessed Jesus turn five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed over 5,000 men and additional women and children. Later that same evening, Jesus sent the people home, sent the disciples back across the lake to Bethsaida, and went to the hills alone to pray. While the disciples were still in their boat, a terrible storm came, and Jesus noticed that they were in trouble. So, He went out on the water to help them. Mark 6:50-52 (NLT) says, “They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once.  “Don’t be afraid,”  He said.  “Take courage! I am here!”   Then He climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. ” They were scared when they saw Him, thinking

  My 9-year-old son plays soccer, but unlike most players, he has no interest in scoring. He only wants to play defense, so he usually plays either goalie or defender. At his last game, his coach called him his team’s “defense hero.” I love watching him track the ball and protect the goal. He isn’t afraid to run toward those players who are rushing towards the goal. He doesn’t only want to keep the ball from entering the goal, he tries to keep the ball from getting anywhere near it! He isn’t afraid for the ball to hit him or even to dive after the ball. He sees the importance of protecting the goal at all costs. He was the youngest kid on his team this year, but he wasn’t intimidated. He knew his job as a defender, and he did it, with confidence. My oldest son played soccer years ago and was literally the kid that stood still and watched the butterflies. If he had been playing defense, every ball would have made it in the goal. As I watched my “defense hero” protect his team’s go

Last week I took my children to local farm on a field trip. I knew there would be a corn maze, but I told the kids before we even arrived that they could do the maze with their friends, but I wasn't doing it. Truth be told, I hate corn mazes. I had a terrible experience in one years ago. I thought we would never find our way out of that terrible maze!  It turns out, when we got to the corn maze area of the farm, the rest of our group wasn't there. I wasn't happy about it, but I was forced to go through the maze because I couldn't let my kids go through it alone, obviously.  Before we entered the maze, there was a sign with a QR code that gave access to a GPS tool that would help get through the maze. (Apparently, I'm not the only one who gets lost in those things!) My oldest son used the GPS tool to guide us through the maze, and while it still wasn't my favorite activity, it ended up not being too bad. I kept thinking, it's amazing how different the experie

  Recently I was talking to a friend and a memory instantly popped into my mind. God often uses my kids to teach me things and that memory taught me something, once again. My daughter and I used to have matching t-shirts that said, “Besties.” One day we were wearing the shirts (before she grew out of hers) when she looked at my shirt and pointed to the period after the word "Bestie." She asked, "What's that, Mommy?" I responded, "That's a period." She looked up joyfully and said, "No, that's a polka dot!" I love those sweet little words, "No, that's a polka dot." There are times when it feels as if things are hopeless or have come to an end. When we aren't sure if we heard God correctly or maybe think we've missed the mark. It can feel like there's a big period at the end of a dream, a goal, or a relationship. I’ve recently been praying over a situation that seems a though a big period has been slapped on it.

"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." James 1:2-4 This verse feels a little off, doesn't it? Facing trials of many kinds doesn't just naturally lead to pure joy. As I read this verse today, I realized it doesn't say, " feel  pure joy." Instead, it says, " consider it pure joy."  The definition of the word consider  is: to  think carefully about something, typically before making a decision or to  regard something as having a specified quality. If we consider those definitions, James isn't saying that trials of many kinds will be joyful, he is saying that we should think carefully about our trials before we make up our minds about them. He is even requesting that we regard our trials as having that specific quality---joy.  Wh

Life is hard. As humans we face so many difficult, heart-ripping circumstances that make it almost impossible to move forward. Trying to reconcile why things happen or make sense of the messes we find ourselves in can be entirely overwhelming. Whether we are being affected by things out of our control, combating personal sins and temptations, or we’re suffering devastation caused by the sins of others, God’s Word has the prescription for moving forward. 1.  We must strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. 2.  Run the race God has set before us. Not limping through but running with endurance. 3.   3.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the One who initiates and perfects our faith.   Regardless of what we are facing, this prescription is a guarantee. God tells us to strip off every weight that slows us down. When a bed is stripped, all of these sheets, blankets, and pillows are removed. The bed is completely bare. That is what God w

There are times in life when we’re just trying to survive. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, experienced health challenges, been rejected, faced financial problems, been deceived, or discovered that a situation isn’t what you thought it was. In those moments, it’s easy to feel as if we have been shattered. While those are some of the hardest times of our lives, we typically move through those experiences with the hope that we can be glued back together. But what happens when we’re shattered over and over again? For me, that’s when the shattered pieces begin to feel more like dust, which is impossible to glue back together. As I sat at the beach last week and ran my fingers through the sand, I was reminded that when we feel like we’ve been crushed into dust, we can trust God, even then, because dust is one of His favorite materials. Genesis 2:7 says, ‘Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living b

This morning I woke up at 5:45am so I could walk to the beach to watch the sunrise. I almost went back to sleep, but I felt God nudging my spirit to wake up and get out to the beach. We’ve never been to Oak Island before, so I just went to the closest beach access and found a little spot to sit. I had the entire beach to myself. As I awaited the estimated sunrise time, I began to realize that the sky was being filled with beautiful colors behind me. I kept waiting but my view, while beautiful, still showed a darker sky with just hints of color and light. Apparently, since we’re vacationing on an island, I picked the wrong side to watch the sunrise. I plan to go to the other side tomorrow but as I sat there this morning, God reminded me that even when I can’t see it, the sun still rises. I didn’t get to watch the actual sunrise, but I did see and feel the effects of it. As the entire sky began to light up and the temperature increased, I thought about the different situations in my

As I drove through a local neighborhood today, looking at all the beautiful homes, I began thinking about the attics these homes possess. had no reason to ponder the storage areas of these homes, but I just kept thinking about how much stuff must be packed in each house. Some people probably have nicely organized, clean attics but the ones I’ve seen throughout the years have been a chaotic mess filled with an assortment of things. Many contain numerous storage bins and boxes that are stacked haphazardly around the space, making finding something a guessing game because the boxes aren’t labeled, and no one remembers what’s in them. Whether the space is beautifully arranged or terribly cluttered, every home probably has a bunch of stuff stored somewhere within its walls. As I thought about this, God reminded me that the same is true for people. All our experiences--victories and defeats, good times and bad times, relationships, memories, education, and every season of life--make up who w

I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in July of 2018. It took so many years to obtain this diagnosis and then several months to figure out the right "cocktail" of medications to help manage my pain and prevent further damage to my body. Today, five years later, as I get the infusion I get every six weeks, my heart is filled with gratitude for modern medicine.  There are some people who believe it would be best not to take man-made medications but I firmly believe God gave man the wisdom and ability to create medicines. When I first got diagnosed, I could barely walk because my entire left side was in so much pain. I spent years waking up with muscle stiffness and whole-body achiness that lasted hours. I've dealt with pain and fatigue that kept me from enjoying life or being the wife and mother I want to be.  These infusions, along with my other medications, have given me my life back. I still have symptoms and bad days, but overall, my quality of life has improved

  Today marks twenty-four years since I had my abortion. Most of those years I desperately avoided even thinking about what I had done, and I never acknowledged my baby. Four years ago, everything changed when I finally surrendered my story to God. Instead of running away from my past mistakes, I knew God wanted me to face them head on. On the twentieth anniversary of my abortion, I went inside the former abortion clinic for the first time. It was the scariest thing I had ever done but also brought me so much healing. Since then, every June 19th, I do something special in honor of the baby I aborted. This year I decided to do something permanent. I’ve had a tattoo with the names of my living children for several years but today, I added two butterflies to represent Taylor, the baby I aborted, and Micah, the baby I miscarried. I also had the word “Victorious” tattooed on my wrist. This word has meant a lot to me for many years. Romans 8:37 says, “But in all these things we are completel

Yesterday my mom underwent her first chemotherapy treatment to fight against breast cancer. As I sat in the room with her, the thought crossed my mind, "Maybe faith isn't even really faith until life isn't going the way we planned and we still choose to believe and trust." The more I've thought about that, the more I think perhaps people tend to consider faith to be just a feeling. We can say we have faith but we don't really know what faith is until life isn't going our way. That's when we learn what faith looks and feels like.  Without those difficult times, would we ever really need faith?  When we can walk through a difficult situation, one that may even feel hopeless, and we're still able to trust that God is in control and has good plans for us and move forward accordingly, that's true faith.  2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." That verse doesn't say, "We think or feel by faith." It says,

If you're like me, you've probably struggled with the idea that we must act the right way, say the right things, and be "good little Christians" in order to earn God's favor. Many of us have spent our entire lives trying to earn the favor of other humans, so it's no surprise that we would believe God's favor must be earned as well. There is nothing the enemy wants more than for us to question God's goodness, doubt His love for us, and rely on our own strength. Believing we must earn God's favor is a lie straight from the pit of hell! God's favor isn't something we must earn, it's something we already have! Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” God's willingness to sacrifice His only Son for us, save us, and fill us with His Holy Spirit, is a beautiful gift that we could never earn. Today, I pray we will rest in the favor God has already blessed