Control Relinquished

I know Christmas is over and perhaps many of you have moved on to thinking about the New Year and other things. But today's post are thoughts I continued to reflect on and decided to share anyway. This is a photo I dug from the archives! Ten years ago, I served a mission term in India and spent 5 life-changing months there. The church we were involved with organized a Christmas play and I was asked to play the role of Mary. It was a stretching experience, but I felt so honored. The scene pictured is the portrayal of Gabriel appearing to Mary and telling her she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Hopefully throughout this past month, God has revealed something new and exciting to you from the familiar Christmas story. This year, I really found myself identifying with Mary in a new way. These qualities caught my attention: Her obedience to God's call even though it didn't match up with anything she ever imagined.  Her willingness to accept God's...

I can remember being inspired several years ago, sitting at my church's Ladies' Group. The speaker was commenting how much money she has saved and the special memories she has made by choosing to make her kids' birthday cakes. Years ago, my grandma ran a successful cake decorating business and from my own childhood, I had special memories of my mother making all our birthday cakes. I decided this was a tradition I wanted to continue. My first attempt for my daughter's 2nd birthday: I kept it simple and just made cupcakes and arranged them in the shape of Elmo's face. In the years following, I've made many cakes ranging from Dora, trains, butterfly, Barbie, monkey, owl, football, cat, and Elmo. Over the years, it's been a real thrill to watch my kids enjoy their cakes. Sometimes, their requests have been challenging and I confess that lots of sweat, time, and tears have gone into them. The most recent birthday in the family took ...

Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege to lead a Christmas orchestra at our church. It's been several years since this tradition last took place and I've been excited for the past year as I dreamed and made plans for this to happen again. The many hours spent finding musicians, copying and organizing music, and leading practices was well worth it to see and hear the end result! I was blown off my feet with how flawless and beautiful our two performances sounded. I was beaming from ear to ear when the final notes were played. I was so proud of their dedication, hard work, and ability to master some pretty difficult songs. And it wasn't just the music that was beautiful. The orchestra was made up of many parts...24 to be exact. The ages of the participants ranged from elementary school all the way to middle-aged. Each one was gifted with different abilities. Some played a woodwind instrument, others brass or strings. The piano and percussion helped t...

" Your needs and my riches are a perfect fit...I never meant for you to be self-sufficient...I crafted your longings and feelings of incompleteness to point you to Me...come to Me in your neediness, with your defenses down." These words from my devotional jumped off the page at me earlier this week. I was a big, needy mess. My family was a big, needy mess. Kids were sick with colds, coughs, vomiting, earaches, and pink eye. I had a gnawing, persistent pain in my chest that doctors were having trouble diagnosing. I was worried. I was discouraged. I was overwhelmed.  I had emotional needs. I desperately clung to the promise that God will meet all my needs. (Philippians 4:19) I rested in the promise that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I do not need to fear, for God is with me and comforts me. (Psalm 23:4) I found strength in the promise that God would uphold me and give me the strength I needed. (Isaiah 41:10) My world fel...

Several weeks ago, a walk to my kids' fort in our woods, resulted in me finding a tick embedded in my stomach. Since my best prediction of how long the nasty critter was attached, was only 6 hours, I was confident that I would not contract the infamous Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, a week later I found myself battling terrible flu-like symptoms. Isn't it crazy how often we take our health for granted? I have been sick many times in my 29 years of life, but I do believe the agony I felt that day and the days that followed, trumped all other illnesses I have experienced. Although Lyme disease still hasn't officially been confirmed, I am being treated for it as a precaution. I am baffled at how a tiny critter found a way through my layers of clothing (I was bundled up that day!), attached itself without me ever feeling or knowing, and quite possibly passed a disease onto me that, left untreated, could affect a persons' entire central nervous system! On my sickest day...

Whether you'd like to admit it or not, the holiday season is upon us! I used to be 'one of those' people that refused to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. And, although, I still appreciate setting time aside to celebrate each holiday, I realize, more than ever, how each coincides with the other. If you strip down the commercialized versions that so many people celebrate this day in age, it really can be summarized in two simple words: THANKS and GIVING. We thank God for the blessings He bestows upon us. And we give because God's only Son was given to us, so we may have eternal life if we believe in Him. As I began to make my gift lists this year, I have found myself in a mental wrestling match. If I'm honest with myself, I love giving.  There is no greater joy than to see those I love open a present and truly enjoy a gift I've given them. Even in Luke 11, Jesus talks about how even evil people will give good gifts to their children. So, this d...

Typically, I find myself to be a morning person. I don't mind rising before the sun in order to enjoy the peaceful stillness. But, even my love of the morning hours could not draw me out of bed the last several weeks. I was secretly hoping the upcoming time change would alter that. But, even after catching up on sleep over the weekend, this morning was incredibly hard. I did not want to greet the cold, dark world by leaving the comfort of my warm, soft bed. I want to nestle down into my comforter and pretend I had no responsibilities! As I pried myself from bed and shook the sleepy cobwebs from my head, I felt the Holy Spirit remind me that what is true in the physical, is often true in the spiritual. Have I found myself in a comfortable rut in life? Have I stopped pursuing the cold, dark world in exchange for the comfort and warmth of my own personal life? It hurt to think about the truth of my answers. Of course He continued to speak through His Word as I opened my B...