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There is no privacy with grief. There may be a profound loneliness, but grief will not hide itself in the shadows. . The tears come in front of our children. . The sadness hinders any attempt at keeping a forced smile on our faces. . The apathy leaks into every light conversation. . The emotions enter places we hoped were off limits, and we find ourselves weaker with every new wave of realization of how our loss will play out. . Jesus never belittled pain or aimed to quicken its course. He entered in and stayed. He intentionally chose the road marked with the most amount of suffering, intent to endure all the sorrows of the Fall. Intent to identify with His own and that He might take up residence in their grief. . Letting Him in to that place we wish would stay private is our only hope for healing. . (if you’re walking through a season of grief or know someone who is, we pray our Grief & Sorrow Verse Card Set is the sweetest gift to your soul and brings the ministry of Christ to the darkest places. Purchase a set at the link in profile.) . #grief #wordsworthnoting
“No nap can transform my heart,” I humbly confess to the Lord as I lay my head on the pillow. . I surrender to the heaviness of my eyes, the weakness of my body, the weariness of waking in the night and caring for a toddler while carrying a baby in my womb. I feel hard pressed, acutely aware of how close I am to giving into temptation—to frustration, to outbursts, to seeing everything and everyone through my own kingdom lens as servants to my will or not. . I confess this as I lay down because there’s a deeper war going on in my heart. One that says, “If only you get a nap, then you won’t be so weak. If only she sleeps a little longer, we’ll have a better afternoon. If only you can control your circumstances so that they are a little easier, then you’ll be joyful and not so painfully needy.” . I need the renewal of my mind and the rescue of my heart. Ease can never make me less sinful; it tends only to mask my sin. Hard pressed forces the dying I resist, the self-denial, that if embraced for the sake of Jesus, actually produces the life I so deeply desire. . #motherhoodissanctifying #seekfirstthekingdom #risenmotherhood #wordsworthnoting
Anytime I’m unexpectedly kid-free, my mind and my heart start racing—imagining all the things I could get done. It feels like stolen time. . But I start to get anxious in my hustle, overwhelmed with the possibilities and the pressures. . And I feel the gentle tug of the Lord to draw near to Him. He reminds me that time was never meant to be used to serve me, rather I was made to serve Him with my time. . With this shift in perspective, I’m freed up to be faithful rather than fruitful. Because undoubtedly if I don’t engage this true reality, I’ll leave this time allowing my mood to be based on how much or how little I got done. Or how much or how little was done for me. Both of which are temporary. Both of which leave me a little bit restless. . But when I draw near to God and rest in Him, time loses its grip on me. I can engage this time with humility and gratitude, looking to Him to lead and guide me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. . #motherhoodissanctifying #risenmotherhood #seekfirstthekingdom #wordsworthnoting
I can’t remember the last time I walked into a responsibility where I’m leading in some capacity when I felt “ready.” Where I felt refreshed, well-rehearsed or prepared fully. Where I felt I had spent adequate time in prayer and thought and devotion to the task. . My circumstances can often feel too much, too big for me. Maybe yours does, too? Maybe your singleness, job, hard marriage, or a trial you never wanted feels like too much to bear. . I think of Moses and what God called him to in Exodus 3. He questioned God, “Who am I?” Who am I to be responsible for this kind of calling? God doesn’t respond with: “You’re Moses! You’re awesome and you can handle it!” That would have only fed into our innate tendency to turn inward. It would have bred deeper insecurity and spun a captivating cycle of pride and shame. . God responds: “But I will be with you...I AM.” This is the reality we must embrace: feeling our weakness acutely is the way God has actually designed life to flourish best. That we’d find no confidence in the flesh. That we’d find in Him all we need. . That we’d know that He is God and we are not. That we’d find our greatest source of hope is that He is actually with us. . Sure, it’s great to feel refreshed and ready, but it’s vital to feel my need of God. Oh Father, help me to embrace grace more fully, and for the sake of Christ, grow me in contentment with my weaknesses. . #wellwateredwomen #lampandlight #sanctification #weakness #womenintheword #wordsworthnoting
Nothing I could ever say will change my husband. No perfect phrasing, no pleasing tone, no performed words have power in an of themselves to bring lasting change to the man I’m in covenant with. . If I embrace the gospel to be true, then I must also embrace the reality that God alone, through His Word alone, by His Spirit alone can bring about change in the human heart. And if He will graciously use one of His people as an avenue for that kind of powerful work, that person has to be at the mercy of His agenda, not her own. . Believing the gospel and surrendering to God’s agenda frees me up to love my husband through prayer instead of lording over him with law. To worry less over the ways his shortcomings affect me and consider more how the gospel could be magnified in our lives. To remember that the gospel travels down paths of mercy, grace, and truth rather than control, disappointment, or bitterness. . Marriage is sanctifying. But sanctification always leads to greater intimacy with Jesus. What better gift could I give to my husband than that? So Father, help me to embrace sanctification myself that I might be used by You as a sanctifying tool in the life of the one on earth I love most. . #marriageissanctifying #wordsworthnoting