Discouraged! 

That’s what I {Lindsey} have been feeling over the past few weeks. That first spark of excitement over starting this awesome site with some amazing and Godly ladies had all but been extinguished. My enthusiasm for writing the weekly devotional each week had dwindled. My desire to do much other than lay around relaxing, not cleaning my house, or tending to responsibilities was extinguished. I was left feeling unmotivated and unsure of exactly why. 

I believe we all go through stages of losing our will to really fight the fight, to persevere, and to keep living our purpose for God. It's tiring! People depend on us for a lot. When we are walking the Christian walk, not just saying but doing, people take notice. They rely on us for much. That can be exhausting. Then take a look around at the state of our world, our nation, our cities. They are quickly turning into the scenes that before we had only ever watched on tv. This is discouraging. The culmination of dependence on us and the desperate state of our nation can often lead to the extinguishing of our flame.

In our past weeks devotional I talked about the intense commitment that is required to shepherd or disciple to someone. Trust me when I say, I wasn’t just preaching to all of you last Thursday. That message was one that I had in many ways been giving myself for several weeks. Our relationship to Christ is like any other relationship in that our feelings of desire are ones that must be worked at. We aren’t going to wake up every day 100% ready to get out there and preach a sermon, write a devotional, witness to a stranger, but we are capable doing each of these things if we choose to remain committed despite our fleshly desires.

Our journey towards purposeful living is not a fun 20 minute joy ride to the mall, its that 16 hour ride from Ohio to South Carolina with 3 screaming kids in the back, a million potty breaks, twice as many spills, and meltdowns from all involved. However, the paradise vacation at the end of that journey is worth the hassle, the discouragement, and the wait. That first night on the beach, toes dipped in the ocean and warm sand all around you was worth fighting through discouragement and opting not to turn back for home after the first 20 minutes. How much more the reward we will get when we are greeted by Christ at Heaven’s gates if we can be one of the few to say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 

Father, I pray that you help me to stay committed even when the fire isn’t there. Help me to actively pursue you  and your will for my life daily so that I might get through these times of discouragement and can fan that first spark back into a fire that no one will be able to miss. Help me to be content in times of challenge and to keep fighting the fight even when I wake up not feeling like it. I want to have a testimony like Paul’s. I want to be able to say that I have fought the good fight, have finished the race, and have the whole time kept the faith. Help me Lord to do that each and every day until I am home with you. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Every morning, I [Ginny] stand with my girls in front of their bathroom mirror as I style their beautiful curly heads of hair.  As I take a turn with each girl, she watches her hair transform in the mirror from a morning fro to adorable braids, piggy tails, etc.  Their favorite part comes when I put a cute little hair piece in their hair as the final touch. 

I've never really paid attention to their facial expressions as they look in the mirror, but the other morning I did, and it struck me.  They didn't make ugly faces at themselves in the mirror.  They weren't searching for something that was "wrong" with themselves.  No, they smiled in the mirror, tilted their heads and practiced their "camera smiles" and told me that their hair looked "SO PRETTY!"  They believed me when I told them they are so amazingly beautiful, inside and out. 

How many times do we look at ourselves like that as grown ups?  I can probably count on my fingers, and it was probably when I was at my lowest weight, tan, and had just worked out.  Other times, I notice how my nose looks like a ski jump, my freckles are overwhelming my face, my thighs touch, and how the bags under my eyes are just growing each day.

But what if I looked in the mirror like my Heavenly Father looks at me?  What would I see?  I can just imagine what He might say - "My daughter, I was walking through the valleys in Heaven the morning I created you in your mother, and I was inspired by the rounded mountain ledges I saw rising majestically above me and created your nose.  I looked above around me and saw crystals speckled among the rocks and imagined your freckles.  Your thighs were made in the perfect shape to match your body's shape.  And daughter?  Those bags are a sign of the love you have for your children like the love I have for you.  But those bags of worry?  Hand them to me, child, and let me take your worries.  Your children are mine, and I am taking care of them."

Recently, Dove, known for advertising to REAL women, did an experiment.  They brought in a forensic artist who did two drawings:  The first was a drawing of how the person described him/herself.  The second was a drawing of how another person described him/her.  You can see the experiment at this link: http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/ 

What amazed me was how accurate and beautiful the second drawing was and how inaccurate and UGLY the first drawing was.  How incredibly sad that we are so full of insecurity, self-doubt, and pain from the past and the lies the media sends us that we can't see ourselves for the truly beautiful creations that God made us?  And how much does that negative view of ourselves affect everything else that we do?  Is it holding us back from following our dreams?  Trying something new?  Or most importantly - following God's call for our lives?

I challenge you this day to read Psalm 139 (read it as many times as you need to so that you start to BELIEVE IT) and then spend some time in front of the mirror and look at yourself as God, your Creator, might look at you.  Think about what may have inspired Him when He created your various parts.  Remember, God thinks all of His creation is good.  His view of beauty is not the same as the World's view.  Unlike the world, He is the perfect God - therefore He does not make mistakes. 

Once you have looked at your outside appearance, remember that God did not just create your outward being, He created your inmost parts.  Think about what God loves about your personality, your talents, and your dreams.  What gifts and talents has He given you?  Are you using these gifts to glorify Him?  Have your insecurities and negative thoughts about yourself held you back?  Have you focused so much on what you CAN'T do that you have forgotten what you CAN do?  Satan wants to use our negative thoughts to keep us from serving God fully. 

I encourage you to practice his activity at least once a week, and let it transform you over time.  Keep a journal to track your progress as you see yourself less like an ugly creation and see yourself more as God's creation - a creation that brings God joy.

Hi, all. 

It's Mandy here.

It's my turn to post and it isn't going to be about what I originally intended.

I originally wanted to talk to you about our world and how I think it's an awful, dangerous, quickly-becoming-godless place and how I believe that can be changed.

That is still very, very much on my heart, but today God has been reminding me of something else.

What is your stronghold?

What is it that makes you feel like you have plummeted 5 million feet below sea level, with a weight around your ankle and no air tank? What causes your heart to beat too fast and anxious thoughts to race through your mind? What grips you like a bully holding down your arms and spitting in your face?

For me, I struggle with a few things.

But the worst, by far, is fear.

F.E.A.R.

There's an actual feeling I have associated with fear. It's an oppressive, smothering sensation when it is at its worst.

My fear surrounds harm coming to my kids or myself.

Not only do I stress about common scenarios like one of them falling off the monkey bars or getting hit with a rogue baseball, but I plan ahead with my worry. ;)

Driving sometimes is an exercise in deep breaths and reciting scripture because I wonder if "today" is the day we will be hit head on by an out-of-control semi or if a construction truck will have neglected to tie down its metal tubes and one will fly off and crash through our windshield. Or what if someone fails to stop at a red light and I'm T-boned? What if I don't see the train coming? What if the rusty supports on the bridge decide to give way right as I'm crossing? How will I possibly release all of the kids in time from their seat belts/car seats and swim them all to safety?

And when we make it home safely, I have other things that clutter my mind and take my breath away.

Like how Evangelical Christians are now being considered hate groups. I wonder if that verse in the Bible where Jesus says, "But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say." (Matthew 10:19, NIV) will become a reality in my lifetime. 

Do you see?

It is exhausting being in my head.

Exhausting and unnecessary. And unproductive.

I used to think of Deuteronomy 31:6 ("Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.") as God shooshing me and rubbing my hair while he calmly whispers to me. 

But then I read something that rocked my world.

And not in a mother-holding-her-sleeping-baby kind of "rocked."

No, this was in a meteor-the-size-of-Texas kind of way.

Joshua 1:9 says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

My eyes were opened. It's God asking, "Have I not COMMANDED you..." [emphasis mine].

Commanded you. 

This was God saying, "I am not asking you, nor am I suggesting to you, but I am DEMANDING that you not fear." (Mandy paraphrase)

Demanding with authority.

Look at those definitions: directing authoritatively, to demand or receive as one's due, to have or exercise direct authority, to dominate as if from an elevated place...

So, yeah....God isn't cooing in our ears, "Shhhh, darlin'. Everything's gonna be okay." (Said with a slight southern twang.)

No! He is pointing in that "Uncle Sam wants YOU!" manner and TELLING us we are not allowed to fear. Not Allowed. Not. Allowed.

We have been commanded to not fear.

So, no longer can I look at God's directive as merely for my own good, but as a direct order that I must comply with.

I learned some interesting things while reading Lysa TerKeurst's book Unglued. In it she explained how our bodies react physiologically to fear. Our fight or flight response kicks in and actually stimulates parts of our brain that focus on getting us out of whatever the situation is that is causing the fear or anxiety. That reaction actually keeps the brain from thinking logically. Therefore, we are not [as] able to think clearly or make wise decisions.

God certainly does not want us making poor decisions. And He certainly does want us thinking logically.

So if we allow fear to consume us, if we focus on that anxiety or those things that make us afraid, it interferes with making smart, wise decisions.

Look at 1 Peter 1:13: "Therefore, [a]prepare your minds for action, [b]keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace [c]to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." NASB.

That word 'prepare' in the beginning literally means to "gird".

What in blue blazes does "gird" mean?

I'm glad you asked. I looked it up. It means this:

Gird: 

1.to encircle or bind with a belt or band.

2.to surround; enclose; hem in.

3.to prepare (oneself) for action: He girded himself for the trial ahead.

4.to provide, equip, or invest, as with power or strength.

So......Peter was telling us to hem in or prepare our minds. How can I possibly prepare my mind or hem in my thoughts when I am allowing fear and anxiety to consume me? How can I expect to make wise choices in the face of frantic thinking?

The short answer is, I can't.

And neither can you.

And that is why God commands us to stop worrying. To stop being afraid. Does He love us and want to keep us from needlessly working ourselves into a lather?

Yes, of course.

BUT...I don't believe that is His main objective when He tells us over 300 times in His Word to not be afraid and to not worry. I believe it is also because we get in the way of His divine plan when we focus on ourselves and on the things we think we have to worry about

I liken it to my own experience with my kids. So often, my kids are afraid of something because they are unsure. Unsure of how it will really feel or how it will turn out, etc. I know that they have nothing to be afraid of, and I tell them that. While they trust me, they are still afraid because they don't want to experience something that is uncomfortable or painful. So, they expend all kinds of worrying, fretting, fearing, crying, snotting, tantrum-ing, and the like on something that has not happened or may never happen. As a parent, I get frustrated. I wish they would just TRUST ME!

Sound familiar?

I imagine God looking at me thinking the exact same thing.

He tells us to Trust Him. He's got this. No matter what it is...sickness, financial worries, relationship struggles, death of a loved one, job troubles, politics...He's got this.

Even the safety and well-being of my children.

Let's go back to 1 Peter 1:13 and look at something else: "keeping sober in spirit." Most of us associate being sober with not being intoxicated. But when I looked up the word 'sober' I found more than that:
not intoxicated or drunk. 2. habitually temperate, especially in the use of liquor. 3.quiet or sedate in 
demeanor, as persons. 4. marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, 
etc.: a sober occasion. 5. subdued in tone, as color; not gay or showy, as clothes.

Do you see QUIET and SEDATE in demeanor???

I don't know about you, but when I am afraid of something, I am HARDLY quiet and sedate.

I think---*I think*---that my true fear comes from doubting that God really has this.

Ask me:

Did He create the world and everything in it in 6 actual days and rest on the 7th?

Yep.

Did He form man and woman in His likeness?

Yep.

Did He part the red sea?

Yep.

Did He flood the entire earth and everyone on it, and save Noah and His family and 2 of every kind of animal?

Yep.

Did He send His only Son to earth to die on a cross, allow Him to be beaten and crucified to save my sins and then raise Him again on the 3rd day?

Yep.

Did He create me and know me intimately while I was still in my mother's womb? Does He know my every thought and the number of hairs on my head?

Yep.

Will He be with me every step of the way and protect me and my children?

Um....I think?

So while I believe my fear to be about harm coming to my children, I am beginning to realize it's really 1) my doubt in God's promise to be with me every step of the way, all of my life and 2) Satan's attempt to oppress me. He can't have my soul, but he certainly can try to oppress me and make my life miserable here on Earth. He can distract me from God's promise and derail my train of thought so that I am getting in the way of God's plan.

And when I realize both of those things it ticks me off.

I don't want to give Satan a foothold.

And I sure don't want to disobey a directive from God.

So I will recite Joshua 1:9 and 1 Peter 1:13. I will write them and post them around my house. I will save them as a screensaver to my phone.

And you are welcome to join me if you also struggle with fear. Let's pray for courage and wisdom. God gives abundantly to all who ask (James 1:5.)

And together we can combat this anxiety with God's Word.

Feel free to save this image to your computer and upload it as your screen saver and/or into your phone. May it be a constant reminder to all of us...

Every mom of youngsters hears this same advice:

“Enjoy this time because they grow up so fast!”

Or

“I wish I could have kept them forever at that age. “

ENJOY?!?  Keep them forever as (eek!) TODDLERS?!?

I {Ginny} seriously believed that those women had either lost their minds or had lied to themselves so much over the many years since their children were little that they couldn’t possibly remember just what it was REALLY like:

NO Sleep – TANTRUMS – CONSTANT whining – ENDLESS questions – DESTRUCTION to your home/animals/mind  – and let’s not forget…POTTY TRAINING!

They want that back?  Have they lost their minds?!?  Do I need to make a call for a white jacket?


No, they are incredibly sane. 

I had just let my own mind get lost in the craziness.

It wasn’t until just recently that I began to realize why they say these things. 

They say them because they have experienced real loss.

They experienced the loss of little hands holding theirs – grinning spaghetti covered faces – those first moments when their child said their first sentence – the proud moment when their little one climbed up the steps on his own for the first time – the tickle fests – the silly scary monster noises they made – tucking them in at night – reading books while their little one sat on their lap engrossed with every word – singing at the top of their lungs in the car and their children thought it was great! – the moment when their little one first says, “I love you, Mommy” – climbing on the structures at the park and sliding on the slides because it is still cool for mommy to play with them – watching their little one clasp her hands together and say a prayer only she and God can understand with a loud AMEN at the end.  The list could go on and on. 

I realized that in my own craziness of raising two small children, I had lost all sense of reality.  I had gotten myself so engrossed in the hardships that I had forgotten to savor the moments with my children that would be gone in a heartbeat – moments I would never have again with them.  I had allowed Satan to discourage me so badly that I saw my children as a negative in my life and not the beautiful gifts God had given me. 

I never know when they will willingly grab for my hand the last time.  I never know when they will want me to sing or read to them before bed for the last time.  I never know when they will stop allowing me to hug, kiss, and tickle them endlessly until they can’t breathe. 

So I’ve decided to take a new attitude towards parenting and search for the “melt-away moments” in each day – search for the positive highlights that I can hold onto during the really difficult times.  When I find myself going down a negative path, I’m going to remember Psalm 118:24(ESV), “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” and turn things around to a positive outlook.  I’ve already started doing this, and I’ve begun to enjoy parenting so much more.  All of a sudden the things that seemed so “big” before don’t bother me as much.  Worries I have are melting away as I rejoice in what they ARE doing and not what might happen down the road.  I’m taking a moment to soak in the cute things they are doing, and my attitude towards them is changing.  I no longer perseverate on the negatives.  I’m enjoying the positives:  the mispronouncing words in a funny way – their love of dress up – watching them splash in the sink, giggling like crazy – their cute little songs that they love to sing.

For those of you in a different season of life, you may find that you need to take a new approach to marriage, a job situation, or a relationship with a friend.  Our lives go in seasons, seasons we cannot take back or relive.  God doesn’t want us to get lost in the negatives.  How can we enjoy the blessings, small and large, He has given us in each day if we are focusing on what is wrong or driving us crazy?  What if we started focusing on soaking in those melt-away moments that we will look back on someday and wish we could relive?  If we enjoy these moments even more NOW, we might be able to look back down the road and say, “I lived those moments to the fullest, and although I wish I could go back and relive it, I know that I didn’t throw those special moments away by focusing on the negatives.”

I would love to hear your melt-away moments in the comments below.  Please take a moment and share yours, and let's laugh and cry together!

For now, I’m going to end this post and go read Goodnight Moon to my little girls and ENJOY every part of that experience because I know that soon, Goodnight Moon will be collecting dust with the other outgrown toys and books from a forever past season.  Soon my children will read themselves to sleep, and I will be outside their door fondly remembering reading that simple little book over and over each night in the melt-away yesterdays. 

A special note for those moms struggling right now – I’ve been there.  In fact, not so many weeks ago, I wanted to pack my bags and head anywhere but my home.  I was feeling so discouraged, alone, and exhausted with all of the craziness that comes with being a mom.  From someone who has been there, I encourage you in that deep spot you are in to pray for God’s encouragement and strength and memorize Isaiah 41:10 (“Fear not, for I am with you.  Be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand).  Pray that He will help you see even the smallest possible positives in your life as a mother each day.  Right now, it may not feel like there is ANYTHING positive.  I get it!  Just start small.  Even if it means that you just read a book to your child one more time, hold a hug just a little longer, or stare at their adorable little face just a few seconds more – just start somewhere.  Then build on that each day.  Before you know it, you may find that you have a more positive outlook.  Life may still not be easy, but your attitude toward it will make it feel easier.

Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (ESV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” (ESV)

Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (ESV)

Ever had something you loved to do and you felt like you could be really successful with taken away from you? Yeah me too, in fact, I’m in the process of seeing this happen right now. It can be rather difficult maybe even devastating. I {Lindsey} have seen myself go through a sort of mourning over this loss. However, this time feels different. Of course I have had this happen before. We all try our hand at things and at times have those things fail. That failure can seem very personal, like an attack on your character or your capability as a person, a wife, a mother, a  Fill in the blank . 

I’m not going to lie, I have felt all of those things at one point of failure or another. This time, while the failure still hurts a bit, the truth of the big picture seems a lot more clear. I don’t have some sort of cheat sheet with all the answers, but my recent decisions to draw closer to God through more frequent and deeper study as well as through the writing of our weekly devotional has opened up my life to a purpose beyond the “this is what I want” mentality to “this is what I have been created for”.

When I started writing our study, I was not entirely convinced that it would be successful. To be honest, I wasn’t convinced that I could be successful in the endeavor. As I continue to write the study I am more and more convicted that my being successful has nothing to do with it. God doesn’t need me to be successful. He doesn’t need me to worry about failing Him because I have been promised this “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until its finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT) I don’t have to be successful, because God is a finisher. When He starts a good work, when He calls you to something, He is faithful to finish that work even as its completion stretches beyond your life here on earth.

We each have a legacy to leave, and when we partner ourselves with God, when we allow him to take the lead, we allow our legacy to be one that will affect the world for years to come. The great thing about investing in the legacy that God wants for us to have is that it will grow as much as we have faith in it. Matthew 25:14-35 tells us of 3 servants who were each entrusted with talents. One servant was given 5 bags and upon the masters return had 10 bags to give back, another servant was given 2 bags and upon the master’s return had 4 bags to give back and the last servant was given one bag, but upon the master’s return he only gave one back. The masters reply to that servant was this, “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:26-30

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be the man who is trusted with more because he invests his resources well. I am already beginning to see the benefits of the faith that I am investing in God’s will for my life. I don’t know exactly where He will lead, I don’t know what other endeavors I may have to give up, or how I will accomplish the future goals that God has already set for my life. I do know he has a plan, and that He is faithful in completing the works He started. I know that He has given me a vision, a target “audience”, and a new bag of silver to invest when I have completed and as I am completing the task of writing this first devotional book. I have no clue if it will ever be a published work, no idea the audience that it may reach, but I know that God called me to and started this work and I can be sure that it will continue to have an impact on this world until Christ’s second coming. If that doesn’t scream “YOU HAVE PURPOSE, YOU ARE MEANINGFUL” then I don’t know what does. 

I challenge you to freely let go of the closed doors, to praise God in the hallway’s of your life, and to be actively pursuing the areas of ministry He places right in front of you. Don’t let fear of failure keep you from blessings of investing in eternity. Don’t allow your own loud voice filled with doubt overpower the quiet calling of God. I promise when you take that first step that voice gets louder. The calling gets bigger. The blessings become insurmountable. God fulfills His good works. He created YOU as a good work. Allow him to fulfill you.