• Devotions

    When Less Equals More

    We are an elite group.

    That description is not because we are rich or famous.

    Most of us come into this group with no special skill set.

    We are more “jack of all trades, master of none” if you will.

    Our training did not come through classes or lectures, but more from watching the models around us over the years.

    Many times we cry through the tests, thinking we have the right answer only to find out the question was different than what we prepared for.

    All of our time is consumed by being the best, only to find out with each passing year we return to novice status.

    This seems glaringly obvious now.

    It’s like starting a new job at the bottom when you have 18 plus years of experience.

    Mothers of adult children, welcome!

    And if you are not one, I promise that someone in your circle is.

    We recognize each other now not by the Froot Loops in our hair or the stains on our shifts.

    Playdates are in the rearview mirror.

    No longer are we dropping our kids off at the front door, but watching them on Life360 to make sure they made it back safely to their apartment.

    Instead of wearing our kids jerseys at sporting events, we look back on the Memories we posted about their first hit or dance.

    There is a quiet recognition that we are in a season of less.

    Less in person communication, more one word texts or requests for the Disney code that was just sent to you.

    Less moments walking in the front door after school, more times walking in for a short visit just to do laundry.

    Less advice being asked for about this problem or that one, more wondering if you ever taught  them enough to live on their own.

    Less time in their world, more time alone in ours.

    Figuring out who we are in this season of life.

    Our title has not changed, but our role is drastically different.

    If I am being honest, I am not always handling this new role well.

    Maybe I am not alone here.

    But I know that God is trying to teach me something in this season.

    Even though sometimes I cry through the lessons.

    Here is what I am holding onto in this season of less.

    Less equals more now.

    1. More prayers.

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

    This verse hangs in our home.

    When I am worried about my sons, I hold onto this.

    Inserting the names of our children in this verse as we pray is the reminder that God not only has good plans for us, but also for our children.  

    1. More gratitude

    .

    “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.” Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

    Our sons and daughters are a gift from our heavenly Father.  

    God knew exactly who He was choosing to be the mothers of our children, in every season of their lives.

    He chose us.

    Even when we are feeling unsteady, that is something to be grateful for.

    1. More trust.

    “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9 (NIV)

    This verse not only reveals the love the Father has for us, but also emphasizes the fact that He understands more than anyone the act of letting a child go.

    When I start to worry about sending my sons into the world, I remember that God sent His only Son out of the comfort of His home into that same world.

    And He was with Him step of the way.

    Even when we let go, He never lets go of our children.

    Or of us.

    Even when our roles change, He remains the same.

    In this season of less, I need more of Him.

    Wishing you many blessings this Thanksgiving, whatever season you find you find yourself in.

    He is with you.

  • Devotions

    Being An Encouragement When You are Feeling Discouraged

    Your joy is your own; your bitterness is your own. No one can share them with you.” 

    Proverbs 14:10 (GNT)

    It has been a minute since I have written anything.

    Being completely transparent, I have felt pretty discouraged lately.

    Many thoughts and ideas have come and gone, but I have struggled to get them from my head onto the paper. 

    How can I be an encouragement to others when I am feeling discouraged?

    Just like a slow drift away from the shore line, I have felt myself moving further and further away from where I want to be.

    More importantly, where He wants me to be.

    Maybe I am not the only one.

    Whether it is a series of small changes or one large shift, sometimes it can feel like we are treading water and no one seems to notice.

    And even though our minds are racing to get back to the shore, our bodies feel paralyzed to move.

    But God.

    When it feels like no one understands, He does.

    Insert our recent Bible Study on the book of Proverbs.

    One verse in particular challenged me and left me with questions.

    Here are some different translations for Proverbs 14:10 –

    “The heart knows its own bitterness,

        and no stranger shares its joy.” (ESV)

    “The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outsider at their celebrations.” (MSG)

    “Only the person involved can know his own bitterness or joy— no one else can really share it.” (TLB)

    “No one else can know your sadness.

     Strangers cannot share your joy.”  (ICB)

    “Your joy is your own; your bitterness is your own. No one can share them with you.” (GNT)

    That singular verse sparked much discussion.

    Don’t we share in the joys and the sorrows of our friends and loved ones?

    Certainly a stranger cannot share in our joys.

    If we do not stand by someone in their troubled times, it makes sense that we should not share in their celebrations, right?

    As our group dug deeper into these translations, we came across some commentaries that made sense.

    Simply put, no one knows us like God.

    Not our friends, not our family.

    Even the people closest to us cannot know how we feel all of the time.

    Even when we are feeling adrift.

    Only God fully knows the depths of our pain and the fullness of our joy.

    Some friends come to us in our youth, others as we age.

    Family members play different roles in different seasons of our lives.

    A parent brings us through childhood, and if we are fortunate sees us becoming an adult.

    A spouse or a child will only have known us in our later years.

    But God has been with us each and every moment.

    He has been with us from the beginning.

    God reminds Jeremiah that He knew him before he was born.

    “The word of the Lord came to me, saying,    

     “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,                                                                   before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1: 4-5 (NIV)

    Luke reminds us that God notices everything about us, even down to the hairs on our heads.

    “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right?

     But God never overlooks a single one. And He pays even greater attention to you, 

    down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head!  Luke 12: 6-7 (MSG)

    God does not need Life 360 to know where we are.  He knows our every move.

    “You have searched me, Lord,

        and you know me.

    You know when I sit and when I rise;

        you perceive my thoughts from afar.

    You discern my going out and my lying down;

        you are familiar with all my ways.

    Before a word is on my tongue

        you, Lord, know it completely.”

     Psalm 139: 1-4 (NIV)

    Every. Single. Detail.

    Going back to Proverbs 14:10, the wisdom in this verse can be summed up in this quote:

    “Each man is a little world in himself, which God only fully sees through and understands.” Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

    Disappointment is born when we expect others to fully know us like our Creator does.

    How many times have you felt overlooked or unseen by others?

    How many times have you looked to others to fill a void that only He can fill?

    Friends, I don’t pretend to fully know your joys and sorrows.

    But I know what it feels like to be discouraged.

    The greatest encouragement comes from knowing the One who created us and spending time in His presence.

    Even when you feel like no one notices, God always does.

    No matter how many times you feel adrift, He  knows exactly where you are.

    When you are feeling discouraged, you find encouragement and hope in His Word.

    And if you are like me and need that reminder,  grab a sister or brother in faith to talk with and pray.

    To the sister who sat across the table from me and listened to my heart, I know that He was speaking to me through you.

    Blessings in heaps.