A Winter Mother

May 13, 20231 Comment

“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

Genesis 18:12 NIV

Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

Motherhood is a daunting task at any age. I would imagine Sarah, the mother of Isaac, struggled with thoughts of what she could offer a child at such a late season in her life. Would she have the energy to keep up with a rambunctious young child? Would she have the patience? Would she be able to relate? Would she be around for those critical milestones in her child’s life?

Maybe you haven’t given birth to your child in your winter season, but you have taken on the role of mother to a grandchild, niece, nephew, or complete stranger. You may be a little skeptical of your ability to mother at this age, your ability to provide or, keep up with the child. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL.

God has given you wisdom, resources, and, most of all, love to share. Embrace your winter season of motherhood, because God is faithful and great is your reward.

As God blessed Sarah, He will bless you.

A Prayer for the Winter Mother:

Heavenly Father,

You are faithful. Even in my winter season, You have trusted me and called me to the role of mother. Though at times I don’t quite understand, neither do I think I am up for the task. I know I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Thank You for providing everything I need to parent in this season.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Faithful Mother

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023Leave a comment

“Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”

Ruth 3:10-11 NKJV

Ruth had reason to throw in the towel. She left her family and her beliefs to follow her husband only to lose him without any children to carry on his legacy. She could have easily pulled the shade, curled up on her mat and slept her pain away. Instead, she held on to her newfound faith as if she was clinging on for her life, committing herself to her mother-in-law and her God.

“For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.”

Ruth 1:16 NKJV

Her resilience, faith, obedience, integrity, and sacrifices ultimately led her to Boaz. Had she stayed in her room, she may have missed her kinsmen-redeemer—missed being the great grandmother of King David and being listed in the lineage of Jesus.

Don’t let your situation keep you down. Get up and get moving. Your Redeemer still lives.

A Prayer for the Faithful Mother:

Heavenly Father, Despite my loss, You are still God. You are a restorer of all things lost when I feel like giving up. You give me the strength to relentlessly pursue and follow You in willful obedience, trusting You—for You are my God. On the other side of loss is joy and life that is available to me now. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Committed Mother

May 8, 2023May 10, 2023Leave a comment

“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.

Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.”

I Samuel 1:27-28 NKJV

Hannah. A woman with a burning desire to become a mother—committed to giving her child back to the Lord to be used by Him. Nurturing little Samuel until it was time to let him go to prepare for his calling.

My favorite part of her story is the little robe. I can almost visualize her making it. Praying as she knit, thoughts of how her firstborn would be used by the Lord, her heart swelling with joy, mixed emotions of sadness as she looked forward to her annual visit with her son to deliver her handmade gift. The little robe, a reminder of her belief in what he would become.

Maybe it’s the money, time spent at the sporting activities, the back and forth from drop-offs and pick-ups from lessons, the continuous prayers, the constant show of support, and the encouraging words. A mother’s support and commitment to her children never ends—even when they are off on their own.

A Prayer for the Committed Mother:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for lending us Your children. Creating us to nurture, love, and teach them—preparing them for their destiny and teaching them how to depend on You. Please give us the wisdom to instruct them in Your ways and to encourage them along the way. Use them for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

A Mother’s Heart

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I’m back!

Back to one of my love’s…writing. Not that I have stopped writing or ever will (Lord willing) but writing has looked different for me in this season. It’s been more personal. It has been a vehicle for processing the tough questions…” Did I get it right?”, “Did I take care of the people and things that God has trusted me with?”, “What’s next?”. Writing for me this season has been a searching, purging, and cleansing of the soul.

Life has also been “lifing”! Though I feel like I have been present, time seems like it is moving at a new rate of speed. Speaking of time flying, this weekend I had the privilege of watching my son receive his bachelor’s degree. It seems like somehow overnight I became the mother of a 22-year-old college graduate. My once bright eyed, full of laughter baby boy is now a man with the world in front of him.

It is hard to put into words what I felt in that moment or even today. Not because there aren’t any words, but rather there are so many. There is so much to process, all the memories, the answered prayers, and wishing I could shrink him back into his pint size packaging. Excited and at the same time just a bit anxious about the journey ahead. The gratitude I have for being chosen to be his mother.

I have often wondered what this moment would feel like. None of them compared to what I am feeling. There have been moments where my heart has been so full I thought it would leap out of my chest. The quiet moments reflecting on the memories, silent prayers, sacrifices and tears shed over the years trying to figure out how to get this mothering thing right.

Then there is the moment. What now? How do I transition to being the mother of an adult? How do I let go to watch what I gave birth to, nurtured, prayed over go into the world to find his own place in it? The answer – trust God. If we’re being honest, the answer is much simpler than the doing. We think we know what is best for our children when it’s always been God at the helm teaching us, protecting them, and preparing the path they would take.

God has given women the greatest gift and privilege, second only to the gift of Jesus, with the gift of motherhood. He has entrusted us with the care of His sons and daughters, calling us to be fruitful and give Him glory in the process. To be fruitful, we must be willing to release what we produced – trusting God to take care of the rest. Releasing what we have given birth to demonstrates our trust in God. Releasing gives space for God’s promises to unfold. He has a plan for our children’s lives, just like He has one for ours. Releasing does not change who they are, who we are or who God is. My son was God’s son first and will always be just like I will always be his mother. No matter what.

As we approach Mother’s Day and in honor of mothers in every season of life, I will be sharing daily devotionals from A Mother’s Heart, a gift I wrote to encourage the special women in my life. A reminder of the greatness of who we are, to honor the sacrifices we are called to make, and to celebrate embracing the call of motherhood. Whether you have birth children or not, God has given you a mother’s heart.

Forever Grateful,

Jennifer

P.S. Scrolling through the pictures from this weekend, I came across this picture that gently reminded me “Mom, it’s okay to let go now.” LOL.

Keep On Moving!

July 12, 20211 Comment

I recently went out for a walk – one I had been putting off for most of the day and for many reasons. Discouragement over not seeing the results in the timeline I had expected, not feeling like it was as important as some of the other things on my to-do list, and to be honest…just not feeling like it. But I knew it was something I had to do in order to reach one of my goals.

On the way out, it started to rain despite the forecast calling for clear skies. I contemplated turning around and going home, but I kept it moving. When I arrived at the track, there was a parked construction vehicle blocking a portion of the course leaving just enough room for me to maneuver around. Again, I considered calling it a wrap. But I kept it moving. Further down the trail, there was a small group of people gathered appearing to be on break from their construction work. Though they were minding their own business, my insecurities turned them into hecklers watching this chubby girl make small ineffective strides to knocking off a few pounds. I considered hanging up my walking shoes for the day. But I kept it moving.

As I kept going, with each lap the obstacles were removed…one by one. The light rain came to a pause. The tractor was moved giving me full access to the track, and the perceived hecklers (lol) went back to work. The obstacles were removed. I was able to accomplish what I had set out to do, while learning a valuable and practical lesson to keep it moving and not to focus on the obstacles. God constantly reminds me, even through practical illustrations like this, that He will remove anything in the way of advancing His purpose and plans for our lives. We don’t need to move them…just trust Him to do the heavy lifting. He wants us to focus on Him more than the obstacle, keep moving and trust Him in the process knowing that He is working with each step we take.

No matter what you are trying to achieve there will always be an obstacle in the way. Stop focusing on the obstacles, you may be overlooking how God is moving on your behalf – clearing the path for His beloved child.

“The path of the righteous is level, You clear a straight path for the righteous. Yes, Lord, we wait for You in the path of Your judgements. Our desire is for Your name and renown.” -Isaiah 26:7-8

Pick Up Your Crown

June 14, 2021June 14, 2021Leave a comment

‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ‘

1 Peter 2:9

Before the pandemic, I hosted a small group of women for an informal Bible study and time of refreshment. As we shared our experiences, responsibilities and various hats we wear, one of the women shared a statement that made me chuckle but was unfortunately a truth many of us can relate to – “I wear so many hats I just want to ask someone , ‘Can you please take a hat?‘”

As women, we wear and try to balance so many hats…mother, wife, daughter, business woman, employee, ministry leader, mentor, friend, sister, coach, volunteer, and the list goes on. These various hats can cause us at times to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, discouraged, and irritated leading to procrastination, stagnation, neglect, and even anger. If we are not careful, our growing collection of hats can knock off our crown causing us to temporarily lose sight of Who we belong, who we are in Him, and what HE wants us to do.

Polishing and adjusting our crown should be a daily practice. Our crown should identify us as part of the King’s court – on assignment to represent His kingdom and serve others with the grace & love that is part of our DNA completing our daily ensemble.

‘Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ‘ Colossians 3:12-14

While there may be hats we can put on a shelf for a season or hand over to another eager owner, we can not afford to take off our crown. You may need to adjust it from time to time…just don’t let it come off.

Remember who you are…YOU ARE ROYALTY.

Pick up your crown!

What do you see?

October 25, 2020Leave a comment

I recently watched a movie where the main character had an overwhelming desire to be attractive. She felt unloved, unwanted, overlooked, and overweight – when in fact she wasn’t any of those things…at least to those that mattered. Through a series of made for movie events – including a bump on the head, she ended up believing that she was pretty.

While she believed with all her heart that her physical appearance changed, it didn’t. It was what she thought about herself that changed. As a result, she was more confident, outgoing, courageous and carefree – living her life to the fullest (sadly though at times her personality wasn’t so pretty…that’s a word for another day).

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, it is important that we see ourselves correctly. We need to believe what Our Father says about us and how He sees us so that we can live in the fullness of all that He desires for us.

Don’t allow the world, social media, culture or other people to determine what you see when you look in the mirror. Allow them to see the beauty that is inside of you…the hope of glory, Christ in you (Colossians 1:27).

You are:

Beautiful. (Psalm 45:11, Song of Solomon 4:7)
Made in His image. (Genesis 1:27)
Fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
Precious. (Isaiah 43:4)
Loved. (John 3:16, I John 4:9-10)
Chosen. (Ephesians 1:4, I Peter 2:9)
God’s handiwork. (Ephesians 2:10)
A special possession. (I Peter 2:9)
A crown of splendor. (Isaiah 62:3)
Royalty. (I Peter 2:9)

True transformation begins the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, allowing Him to reign in your heart as King. He can help you adjust your vision so that you can see yourself as the king/queen He has created you to be.

Now let me ask again…when you look in the mirror, what do you see? Let Him transform you.

Validation

August 2, 2018April 14, 2021Leave a comment

Validation. Don’t we have the tendency to chase after it? Maybe you haven’t placed a label on it, but what about the social media like, following, comment, or fishing for that compliment? Or how about the okay to move forward in purpose or to chase that dream? Or confirmation about that decision you made? The cheers….the applause….acknowledgement of a job well done.

I recently came across an article about an extremely talented and famous basketball player, in fact recognized as #2 in the game by some sources (including my teenage son), who felt the validation of his peers solidified him as one of the top in his game ….though he already was. Peers who were slightly less talented – depending on who you ask or what statistics you’re looking at (but don’t ask me …I’m just a girl that loves football). He needed their approval to feel good about himself, confident and assured that what he was doing worked, that the gift and skills that he had were legitimate, that he belonged. To me his comments sounded familiar….all too familiar.

“for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” –John 12:43 NIV

If God has already told us that we are created in His

image…

chosen…

called…

appointed…

anointed…

equipped…

royalty…

redeemed…

justified…

the apple of His eye…

loved…

Why isn’t that enough? There’s only One that needs to validate you and He already did!

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ROYALTY

CHOSEN | LOVED | TREASURED | HEIR

Tag: royalty