The words breezed by me countless times throughout my 36 years, I’m certain.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” –John 13:34
All these times, I’ve registered recognition but not nothing more: Oh, yes. The love commandment. I know that one.
Until this day.
God’s been persistent in whispering clues about how He loves. He knows I need to get this before I get anything else.
I’ve been alert, awaiting the whispers. So, on this day, when I read of Jesus speaking about love…
I pause.
Continue Reading »
I sometimes wonder if this picture is how my children will remember me: my back to them, staring at the computer screen, saying, “Just a minute” for the fifth time in a row.
Is my love for everything internet causing me to neglect my children? I was so disturbed by this idea that after reading Not Now Darling, Mummy’s Tweeting, I was ready to unplug and exchange my smart phone for a dumb one. The article suggested that ignoring your kids in favor of a screen damaged their self-esteem.
How many times had I done that? I was clearly neglecting my children and I was overcome with guilt.
Continue Reading »
The words stuck to my tongue like peanut butter on dry bread. And I’m so thankful they did. Though the taste was familiar, they felt bitter and far from the sweet, savory truth.
But shouldn’t I help my son overcome the fear of darkness?
Shouldn’t I tell him his surroundings are the same in the dark as the light? Shouldn’t he feel safe regardless of the time of day, no matter what he can or cannot see?
Normally, I would have tried to convince him of this. But the idea of light has followed me around lately. Reaching me in the most obscure and obvious places.
Continue Reading »
I stood outside their bedroom door tonight after tucking them in, leaning on the frame, listening. Curious if they would fall asleep quickly or if there might be some cute dialogue between the two of them. Usually I break away for the computer or a book — some place to decompress after a mentally-draining day, but tonight I lingered, wanting to soak in a motherhood moment.
“Did mommy leave?” asks the younger. “Yes.”
“Didshee come in dust to top?” he says in his usual not-so-easy-to-understand 3-year-old-ese. “What?”
“DID she come in dust to talK?” he enunciated the k better this time.
Continue Reading »
There are painful times in life when it seems that all we can do is grasp for some sort of encouragement to get us through the present moment. These times can either be full of a flood of excess emotion or the opposite absence of emotion. Both are a sign of a heart in intense pain. It can be hard to tell which way is up, and time is blurry and abstract. It can be hard to have vision for the current day, let alone the grand scheme of life.
If you aren’t in a time of life like this right now, chances are you have been or will be in not too terribly long.
Continue Reading »
So shall the king greatly desire your beauty: since he is your Lord, worship him.
Psalm 45:1
I pulled into the beach parking lot at six in the morning. I knew that my regular walking partner would not be there, but another friend had mentioned joining me, so I made sure to show up. I sat in my car, opened the small devotional I had brought along for just such a waiting moment and I waited.
By 6:15 it was clear that for reasons unknown to me, my friend was not coming. I smiled and stepped out of my car, breathing in the glorious morning.
Continue Reading »
Teresa, 5m4m contributor shares her insights on perfectionism and how it can become a major stronghold in your life. The book, Confessions of a Raging Perfectionist is the perfect tool you need to finally break free from that lie. We were compensated to write this post and sent a copy of the book to review, however all opinions remain our own.
Per·fec·tion·ism, noun. “A fault, often disguised as a good quality, that ends up leaving the bearer disappointed with oneself for not having acted ‘perfectly’ in a given situation.”
I realized at a young age that I might have a bit of a problem with things being ‘just so’.
Continue Reading »
Thank you for stopping by during our Mother’s Day series. We hope that you were blessed and will continue to read.
The winners of the giveaways are as follows:
Fed Up With Flat Faith – Sarah (#13)
Growing in Love art print – Rosann (#6)
Feed Your Soul Necklace – Kristin Smith (#14)
Young Essential Oils – Vicki (#4)
All winners have been contacted by email and have 24 hours to respond with their information. In the event a winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen.
Continue Reading »
