Missional Mothering

My husband pointed me towards this article by Jani Ortlund...a favorite pastor's wife of mine. And although short, it's morsels were good reminders of my mission as a mother.

It begins like this...

 Young mother, it seems like everyone wants something from you. And you’re probably already giving way more than you ever thought you could give. But even with all your giving, you might struggle with guilt—lingering, joy-drenching, energy-sapping guilt—that you should be doing more, giving more, accomplishing more...

Read the rest here, my young mother friends, to be encouraged in your high calling today. 

Busy seasons...

Thought you might enjoy this little snippet from "GirlTalk"...a sweet blog by Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters. All godly women with good things to share.
This one was especially applicable to me today...well, everyday for that matter. :o)

Whew! After devotions, exercise, grocery store run, beds made, dishes done, house straightened, laundry underway, Chad homeschooled, soccer carpool completed, editing project for my husband finished—I can finally attempt to write a post
Life is busy!
And it’s not just me. Whether you are a student, holding down a job, or caring for a family—the fall season unfailingly fills our lives with lots to do.
So what does it look like to glorify God in the midst of a busy season?
The first must-have to survive—and even thrive—during busy seasons: humility.
I still remember the wise and helpful counsel my husband CJ shared with me many years ago when I was having one of those “I just can’t get it all done" breakdown crying sessions. When he finally got the chance to speak, he said: “Carolyn, only God completes His to-do list. We are not God. We are finite creatures with serious limitations. Therefore we need to humble ourselves by accepting our limitations and draw upon God’s strength to simply do what we can.” CJ’s advice not only helped me then, but continues to benefit me to this day.
Here are 3 simple ways we can be mindful of our limitations as we make our to-do lists these days:
1.      Separate the-really-do-matter items from the really-don’t-matter items—of course doing the really-do-matter items first.
2.      Simplify the really-do-matter items where possible. (e.g. pizza for dinner or store-bought cookies for entertaining.)
3.      Trust God for all the things on the list that don’t get done.
Let’s honor God by responding to our “endless” list of to-dos with humility—joyfully accepting our limitations and simply doing what we can.

 Sound familiar?

Praying you are trusting God today with all things while being diligent with the time you do have...and then humbly accepting when you cannot do it all.

That's what I'm working on today...and everyday. :o)

Change...

So fall is officially coming.
The leaves are changing...
The weather is changing...

And by God's grace, my heart is changing.
Here's a recent excerpt from "You Can Change"...a great read by Tim Chester.

The gospel is so foolish (according to my natural wisdom), so scandalous (according to my conscience), and so incredible (according to my timid heart), that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should.  There is simply no other way to compete with the forebodings of my conscience, the condemning of my heart, and the lies of the world and the Devil than to overwhelm such things with the daily rehearsings of the gospel.

 Blessings in this season of change...