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It shouldn’t surprise us when our time in the Word is assaulted by a flood of thoughts. Personally, I operate all other time with a lot on my mind—managing responsibilities, anticipating needs, interacting gracefully with my children, thinking through ideas, meditating on Scripture, praying for a friend, etc. . So how do we zone in on the Word when those blessed moments of alone time do come? I don’t have all the answers, but here are some practical ways I try to make the most of it, even if it is just 10 minutes. . When all the babes are down for nap: 1. I don’t look at my phone. There may be several notifications that will crowd my mind while I read with all the ways I need to respond. 2. I keep my phone at a distance. When it’s within reach, I’m tempted to send that text or look up that idea—really quick! But these can add up and distract and keep breaking my thoughts so that I can’t travel deeply. 3. I pray and ask for help. I cannot quiet my mind without the Spirit. 4. I pause and pray for each of the things or people that come to mind. Somewhere in there, the Lord may even lead me in my time with Him because He cares about our cares. 5. I pick up a pen and journal. Even if all I do is write down the Scripture I’m studying, this act puts me physically in the text and helps me focus. . #womenintheword #bedeeplyrooted #wellwateredwomen #wordsworthnoting
Her disobedience is painful. Enduring the cost of her sin against me requires a strength that I’m quickly depleted of when I’m looking to my own resources to supply. Frustration quickly boils to the surface and bubbles over, compounding the pain. . Her disobedience not only signals my lack of control; it exposes how I desperately want to control. Not for the sake of the glory of God, but for the immediate fix of a harmonized relationship. I’d rather have the comfort of her delightful obedience than suffer for the gospel to be won in her heart every time she shows her need of God. . And if all this was not painful enough, my own inability to keep from sinning is a megaphone of the truest truth—that I need God as much as she. In the same way that no amount of discipline can make a dead heart come to life, no amount of self-discipline can deliver me from my need of grace. . Oh Father, rescue me from coddling my pain that eventually makes my heart hard and gives way to sin. Beckon me to fellowship with Christ that I may endure everything for the eternal hope of salvation. Even as I share her need of you, teach me to embrace my own. . #motherhoodissanctifying #risenmotherhood #wordsworthnoting
As she grows, I must grow, too. There’s a war inside me, of wanting things to stay the same yet knowing I don’t. Of wanting to experience everything with her and wanting to share her and let her experience God’s glory in others. . The complexity of emotions that accompany change can blur reality and leave my hands grasping. In my instability, I’m tempted to hang on tighter to what was than to the Lord Himself. . And this, I think is the key. To let go long enough to grieve the change and grow right along with it. To notice how my love falls short when I love her merely for my own pleasure. To recognize that while I often feel my love is so big it could explode, it is actually not big enough when she is its chief end. . I need to receive the comfort of God rather than the comfort of the known. I need His ministry rather than shaming myself by playing out the logic of my desires. This holy dependence deepens intimacy with Christ and allows me to see a little more clearly again. . (also picture #2 is possibly one of the best things I’ve ever seen, and it came from a daddy/daughter date❤️)
It's amazing how hours spent in the dark bring to light the places you never wanted to see. . The reality is I've spent over 100 hours of his little life tucked away in a dark room tending to his specific needs. Day and night, I'm pressed with limitations that expose me and call me to dependence. I've become acquainted with the ways a heart responds when given a responsibility one didn't want but is still called to be faithful in. And while I resist looking into the crevices of my own heart, I have gained clearer vision for what I most need to see—the unseen. . But maybe your dark place isn't motherhood. Maybe it's your marriage, your singleness, or your work where God calls you to the end of yourself. Maybe it's a hard relationship, a hard diagnosis, or a hard set of circumstances. Whatever it is, I pray you surrender your life in worship by offering yourself as a living sacrifice and find more of Christ in return. . NEW blog, “a living sacrifice” Link in profile.
Every fiber of my being is used on vacation. Traveling with littles. Conversation with adults. Extra labor in caring for sandy and sunscreened babes. Sensitivity to others’ needs. Awake long stints in the nights. All of it requires a heightened level of dependence, an aversion to seeking my own comfort, an expectation to give my life away. . But vacations always serve as a sort of marker for me. Being away from home and the daily rhythms illuminate the growth or lack thereof the Lord has achieved in me. The unique pressures squeeze the fruit right out of my heart—whether good or bad. . I marvel at the Lord’s provision of rest amidst it all. This was the first trip where I didn’t experience much wrestling, only surrender. Where I saw how deeply the Lord has ingrained on my heart His ways of denying self to gain more of Christ. Of abiding to see the fruit I desire. . I write to glorify and commemorate this truly supernatural work of the Lord. It has not come without much pain and repentance, but it has come as He promised.