Control Relinquished

If any of you happen to live in Pennsylvania woods like me, you may have noticed an influx of acorns. It's almost dangerous to walk in our backyard because I find myself with insecure footing! They are everywhere and I can even hear them dropping throughout the day. With this abundance of acorns, there are plenty of squirrels to watch as well. They are very busy gathering and harvesting the crop for later in the winter. They scurry around, making use of every minute of every day. It's been said that when there is an abundant acorn crop and lots of squirrel activity, we are in for a cold, hard winter. Time will tell if that is true for this winter, but it certainly makes a lot of sense!  As I observed these squirrels harvesting their acorns this week, I felt my thoughts drifting to the spiritual similarities. The past two years of current realities have caused many of us to ask some deep, hard questions. As evil, deception, and confusion seem to prevail, it's easy to feel ho

 Over the past few weeks, there have been several times I have driven on a road that was recently resurfaced. It has no center or edge lanes painted on it yet. Each time I traveled on this road, I found myself a bit disoriented on where on the road I was supposed to be! Of course, since I've been driving for almost 20 years, I had a pretty good guage on where I should be driving, but it is amazing how those faithful yellow and white lines truly give direction, guidance, and how easily they are taken for granted! It reminded me of our journey through life. If we're not careful to acknowledge the spiritual "guiding lines" in our lives, we can easily get off course and head towards destruction. Jesus needs to be our central guide through these twists and turns of life. If we continue to make decisions without seeking His wisdom, we likely will be setting ourselves up for a head-on collision. Likewise, the edge lines protect us from being sucked off-course and into a ditc

We are quickly approaching my daughter's one-year "Spineaversary," as it's popularly referred to in the scoliosis community. July 17 will mark one year since her life-altering, major spinal fusion. I've been doing a lot of reflection lately, partly due to the many conversations God has put in my path recently with dear women and mothers going through similar experiences. As I've recalled some of our "God moments" from those dark, raw days, I felt led to share this one special experience that sticks out in my mind.  It was post-op day #4. I had just spent the night at the hospital, while Sheldon slept in our nearby hotel room. I laid there in the early morning darkness, listening to the city road below coming to life with traffic. I quietly texted friends, desperate for prayers and assurance that someday this horrible present would soon be in the distant past. There seemed to be no light at the end of this dark tunnel; would we ever go home?! Would ou

Last weekend we accomplished our annual task of mulching our flower beds. It's a refreshing sight to have freshly edged and weeded beds get their warm blanket of mulch each spring. My husband and I also recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and there is one step to the mulching process he has always insisted we never skip: preen! When we first got married, this was a new concept for me to learn. I had never heard of it or witnessed the delightful miracle of preen. The first couple of years, he would scold me for not putting enough on and sure enough, a couple months later I would need to visit my flower beds and weed. It was a task I quickly despised. Now I have finally learned that, when applied liberally, I can get away with only weeding twice a year! That magical barrier has become a time saver! I couldn't help but think how this can be true in the spiritual realm. If we're not careful, the sinful world will sow seeds of weeds into our hearts and minds. What i

My husband and I love salmon, so when I recently found it on sale, I couldn't resist buying it. I was anticipating making it in my new air fryer and excitedly told him about my upcoming menu plan. The only hiccup to my plan is the fact our kids do not have the same appreciation for salmon that we do. In fact, yesterday as I prepared our delicious dinner, I was already hearing their complaints in my head. I admit, just the thought of the impending whining took the fun out of dinner preparation. Sure enough, upon their arrival home, their curious eyes caught sight of the asparagus prepped for the oven. Then came the questions of what else are we having?! I casually said, "Salmon and rice." Shrieks of horror ensued. You would have thought I asked them to go catch and filet the fish as well! One child was cautiously optimistic, another was woefully willing, and my third was a basketcase of tears! Even though the meal was delightful to my taste buds, my company was not. When t

 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." I cannot help but think of the Last Supper when I read this verse. Jesus reserved an upper room to have an intimate meal with His best friends, His disciples. Even in this last meal together, knowing the coming crucifixion, Jesus invited the traitor-to-be. Jesus knew Judas' heart and the hold the devil had on him. Jesus knew Judas would betray him; He even knew Peter's future denial of knowing Him. Yet, in His love for them, He prepared this table for them and washed their feet. And that is what He does for us. He invites us to His table, even with all of our mess-ups and our seemingly constant shortfalls! The table is for His beloved children and all we have to do is show up and accept His invitation! "You anoint my head with oil". In his book, "Traveling Light", Max Lucado describes the importance of a shepherd anointing his sheep. I never knew that bugs can kill sheep, but apparentl

 "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" Psalm 23:4. This verse is, perhaps, the most familiar of Psalm 23. It's often quoted at memorial services or memorized from childhoods. We all face dark valleys in our lives and this promise can bring peace and comfort in the face of unknowns.  David, the shepherd boy, understood this reality when he authored this psalm. He knew that pastures eventually became bare and he would need to guide his flock to the high country in the mountains. With his rod and his staff, he would lead and protect his flock throughout the journey.  And we can trust God to do the same. He will lead us to the high country. Yes, the journey will take us through rugged ravines and dark valleys, but He will be there, guiding us through it all. Remember, God will lead us through...not around these valleys of heartache, grief, or death of a dream. There is some

 I have been reading Max Lucado's book "Traveling Light" which focuses on Psalm 23 and expounds deep into each phrase. It has been a blessing to hone in on a familiar passage and let its promises sink deep into my soul and my mind.  My husband raised sheep in high school for his FFA project. Even to this day he often comments how dumb sheep are and how they would make him so angry at times!! Sheep cannot be trained, sheep are defenseless, sheep are filthy. So, why does David, an ex-shepherd, wisely compare us to these animals in this psalm he authored? I believe it was because he recognized how they relied on their shepherd to meet all their needs and keep them safe. We like to think we know what we're doing in this journey of life, but if we're honest with ourselves, we probably look pretty similar to a long-lost sheep!  "I shall not be in want," the psalm continues. How often do we find ourselves in the prison of want? Wanting something bigger, fancier

 I never intended to take a 9-month hiatus from blogging. Blogging has always been a helpful way for me to process what God has been teaching me and I enjoy blessing others through my writing. But there were many major events in the life of our family since April, as well as chaos within our country, so my quiet times with God felt, well....sacred. Yes God still taught and spoke many things to each of us, but I resonated with a fellow blogger that some of it just felt too personal to share online. Often, God's whisperings were just enough to get me through my day and there just wasn't time or strength for me to process them into words for others to read.  Anyways, God really opened my eyes last evening during our family devotions from Keys for Kids. In it, the writer (Molly Matazel) introduced us to a young girl learning to basket weave with her grandma. All was going smoothly until the last reed. It wasn't bending very well and grandma noticed the reed was too dry. Once th