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Receive our helpful resource, Hope in Transition, with 5 insights and tips on navigating the rocky terrain of change.

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Never have I been more needed in my life. No sooner do I take a step out of sight than I hear the sound of my name unceasing from her little lips. . She can’t rest until she’s with mama or near mama, saying mama more times than anyone says anything, to the point that after spending a day with us, my sister asked, “Do you ever get tired of it?” . I can take all the deep breaths and rehearse all the truth, but what strengthens me to answer my daughter time and time and time again with grace and patience is that God continues to help me acknowledge how so much like her I really am. . The times that I want to despair and hide and grow impatient and just not be needed, God kindly shows me that this in and of itself is evidence of my neediness. . I am weak. I am unable to meet all of my daughter’s needs. Knowing I’m like her stirs up compassion. This place of reality, when I don’t check out to indulge in my own comfort or preserve my life, but confess, “God, I need you,” humility presses into me. . And humility makes me a fit vessel for the power and nearness of Christ. Because if He will increase, and He must, I must decrease. Being needed constantly brings me to the end of myself, where I’m invited to die with Christ. And if I do, His promise is to produce His very own life in and through me. . #preachingtomyownheart #heyharpergirl #risenmotherhood #amothersheart #2corinthians4 #wordsworthnoting
I can’t get over Jesus’ conversation with Martha after her brother dies. She’s grieving and likely disappointed that Jesus didn’t come, didn’t care, that He didn’t show up. . She speaks a jumble of words, a mixture of faith and frustration, trying to believe. She uses truth to comfort the ache she feels. “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know God will give you whatever you ask.” . Jesus enters in there, looking for an opportunity to reveal Himself if she would allow room for Him. She responds again with, “*I know* he will rise again on the last day.” I know these things. I know these truths, Jesus. I know what’s supposed to relieve my aching heart. . Don’t we do the same thing? We’re wrestling with real frustration, real pain, real disappointment and lack of understanding. But we say, “I know God has a purpose. I know this is a season. I know this hard is making me long for eternity.” . And all of this is true. But Jesus essentially says—that’s not enough. True facts are not enough to comfort an aching heart; only the revelation and embrace of God Himself will do. He tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” . In our hard and confusing and disappointing places, let us forsake forcing ourselves to try and believe and instead make room for a new encounter and come face to face with the Person of Jesus Christ. . #womenintheword #preachingtomyownheart #lampandlight #wordsworthnoting
Entering God's rest is a matter of receiving what He ordains for us rather than resisting it. . Of living in a posture of surrender rather than opposition, especially in a time of testing. . Of not hardening our hearts when we sense His calling and leading. . Entering rest goes hand in hand with allowing ourselves to be exposed by the Word—every inch of our hearts inspected and picked apart by that which is living and active, nothing hidden or kept from its intent to make us evermore able to experience rest. . Entering the rest of God entails leaning into our weakness and learning to receive more of Christ. More of His fellowship, more of His compassion and empathy towards us, more of His ministry of grace and mercy. . If you’re anxious or troubled or apathetic or bitter, the call to enter His rest remains. I pray your heart is softened towards it. (See Hebrews 3-4 for more) . #sabbath #rest #womenintheword #wordsworthnoting
Cast your burden on the Lord. We know it’s our invitation, to throw off the heaviness we feel at the throne of our God, to leave it for Him to carry instead of bear it alone. . But we don’t always take Him up on it. We become anxious or apathetic or consumed because we keep our concerns near. We pray about them, sure, but we protect them, too. . Why is it so hard to turn over these things? Entrusting them means we actually trust Him. We actually believe He will care for them better than we can ourselves. He will act wisely and lovingly. And comfort us all the while with His steadfastness. . One more comforting thing that I’m learning through the life and prayers of David—when we cast our burden on the Lord, He will sustain us for a greater purpose than simply our good. When we trust Him, His fame grows. When His people stand firm amidst trials, His faithfulness attracts the glory He alone deserves. . When we’re tempted to carry our burdens rather than cast them on the One who cares for us, let’s ask for His mercy to get caught up in the greater agenda of God. . (All prints + Press on Mama Cards are 25% OFF through the weekend!) . #womenintheword #psalm23 #psalm55 #lampandlight #wordsworthnoting
Sometimes my baby still wakes up in the night, hours on end, often a mystery unexplained. . I go into her room, my mind slowly waking to the memory of being there for months on end. In the dark of night, the quiet, the unseen. . I remember how I met with God night after night. The raw vulnerability making me available to His chiseling away of my pride. My heart grows in awe of the change I know He made in me there. . There’s something beautiful about limitation. Sure, we could say all day long, “I’m tired,” because we are. But the God who sees in secret rewards with intimacy that actually fosters life in exhausting places. . Now, on the days following the waking nights, I don’t chase after all the things I could do like I’m prone to with a full night’s sleep. By His grace, I get really close to the Lord, receiving His hemming in, and lean in to hear the one thing necessary. I need Him always, but the gift of limitation makes me more aware of my need of Him. . And if I don’t take offense, I’ve discovered that this place is where the Kingdom comes. . #risenmotherhood #motherhoodissanctifying #flourishinmotherhood #wordsworthnoting