To all my fellow mamas...

This Mother's Day if I could pass along any wisdom from my mere breath of motherhood experience I would say, relax mama...breathe... It's entirely normal to feel in over your head most days and moments. It's normal to second guess, to labor over every decision far after you've left the maternity ward, to lose your junk in the grocery store or cry in the bathroom at the end of a long day. Keeping us in this constant state of pure joy and beautiful chaos is Gods way of allowing us to experience a glimpse into His kingdom. Messy and mundane yet sacred and holy. Take off your shoes! Raising littles is exhausting and tedious, you won't receive a badge of honor for how clean your house is, you won't gain any accolades for elaborate craft sessions, or get five star ratings for your lunch making skills. Serve anyway! Love fiercely! Pursue your children even after you've lost your cool in the middle of Target. I'm convinced they won't remember even half of what we hold onto stressing over, but will always cherish the times we let go. Let go of our own expectations, reveled in their belly laughs and sticky fingerprints, snuggled at bedtime, rolled in the grass...They will always see us as beautiful even in our yoga pants and messy hair. They will see us at our worst and love us regardless. They will lavish grace extravagantly more than we could ever gift ourselves. See children are a blessing, even if the world fails to recognize their value, and there is a reason the Bible tells us to become like a child. How blessed we are to see tangible forms of Gods grace in these small exhausting creatures. A glimpse of His glory earth side. Cherish these times, stress less, be aware of holy moments, they are everywhere if we slow down to breathe them in. God is for you, He doesn't shame your mistakes, but calls you to rest and rely on His strength.

 On my fridge amidst the messy kitchen, dirty dishes, and discarded Lego trail is a reminder that I read every day when I begin to crumble under the pressure of mothering. 

"My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in your weakness." 

Feel overwhelmed, unqualified, in over your head? Perfect...your right where God wants you. Rely on His strength, listen for His whispers amidst the chaos, seek His presence, and you won't go wrong. Your children may never witness a perfect mother, but they will witness a broken mother transformed by relentless grace, and that right there is the gospel. Gods glory wrapped in the everyday struggle between breakfast and bath time! To all my fellow moms...you got this! Your position is irreplaceable, your role is more than a maid, chef or chauffeur, you are called, chosen as God's number one choice for the children He has placed in your arms. Don't for a second dismiss your calling, and don't dare forget He holds you in the delicate grasp of His sovereign hands. Be encouraged this Mother's Day and the days to follow, whether weary, weathered or worn out, you are treasured, you are important and every small act of service you contribute to your family is an eternal investment into the kingdom of God. You are irreplaceable,valued and cherished. Keep rocking this motherhood thing, you are not alone...we are in this together! I only wish I could hug each and every weary mama and tell them their doing an amazing job. For now, take these words as a virtual pep talk, remember them when it's witching hour and your husband is working late, or when your toddler pushes your buttons for the fifteenth time that day. Remember them when your weekly shower turns into a crying session, or when you feel shamed by another mom at the playground. And if you remember nothing else, remember this...from veteran moms who have gone before me... One day in the future when you find your house eerily quiet and clean, no more signs of sticky footprints or trails of plastic dinosaurs, you will miss these exhausting moments. Cherish every heart wrenching second! 

What Hollywood isn't telling you...

On this eve of Valentines Day my heart has been heavy. Just another hallmark holiday, just another day to buy chocolate and roses and swoon the one you love. I personally have nothing against the day; in fact I view it as a highlight to the dreary never-ending days of winter. I think it is sweet to share the love with my kids, my friends and of course… my husband.

            When we were dating we pulled out all the stops: romantic dinners, love notes, poems, extravagant gifts, and chocolate…c’mon we can’t forget every women’s love language! Now years later, I am faced with a love that has survived pregnancy mood swings, morning sickness, childbirth, burnt dinners, midnight cravings, newborn feeding marathons, blow out diapers, projectile vomit, toddler tantrums, messy minivans, and the toll of these exhausting and holy days of raising children. It doesn’t look the same as it did when we were starry-eyed teenagers, but our love has only deepened in the seemingly mundane events experienced over the last seven years as husband and wife.

       I’m not naïve enough to think that we have bypassed the hard times yet, for I know that seven years is just a short walk in the journey of a married life but I do know that God has been faithful to bring us this far. My heart is heavy, because when I look at the world around me, the picture of romance painted for my daughter’s future… I am disappointed. To see Hollywood glamorize abuse as pleasure, to feature practically pornographic images to my sons as we walk into our local bookstore, to cheapen the love story I have with my husband because it doesn’t seem as appealing as the romance novels. This is the stuff that makes me angry. I write today because all I want is to present another voice, a voice that may not be as loud as the surrounding noise, but a voice that only wishes to speak truth to the lies that Hollywood has wrapped in enticing packages.

True love is not self seeking, true loves cares about a women’s emotions and comfort levels, whether inside the bedroom, on the other side of a heated phone call, or the other end of a couch rubbing a pregnant women’s feet. A wise man knows that a women’s innate need for love and affection is directly related to her view of his masculinity and attractiveness. A man who is willing to sacrifice his needs for yours is a keeper, and is exactly the man who you want to look for. There is a reason Christ uses marriage to represent himself in the Bible and that is to show us that love cannot exist without sacrifice! If I had to tell my daughter who to look for in a valentine, I would tell her to look for a man that resembles a servant. A man that cherishes her for her imperfections as much as her beauty, a man that listens before he speaks, and is quick to apologize when he’s blown it. To the world this man looks a lot like a sucker or a pushover, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The world was redeemed by a single act of selfless love, and it was the most powerful event in history. Don’t tell me love can’t transform lives, don’t tell me a man that sacrifices his needs for yours isn’t sexy, don’t even tell me that you wouldn’t want a boring love like mine who walks in weary every day at sunset and gets his hands dirty changing diapers and stacking dinner dishes. Don’t tell me a man with a lap filled with little ones reading bedtime stories isn’t wildly attractive? Women, Girls, little Ella, don’t ever settle for just any man that tells you your beautiful, any one can lace together some compliments, choose the man who pursues your heart, who is willing to give up dreams, trade in sports cars, and fight for you at whatever cost. Outward beauty will fade, stretch marks happen, the size of your pants will fluctuate, and mascara and lipstick may be reserved for special occasions only, but a man who loves you beyond all of that is a man worth treasuring. My love story wouldn’t sell out in a theater, it wouldn’t make stellar ratings, and it would most likely be dismissed as boring, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 Is the hunt for a man like this hard? Unfortunately it is, there are a lot of men that have sold out to the world, a lot of men that have sought to validate themselves by domineering, and by disguising manhood in sportscars, suits, and success. There are also a lot of fathers who have checked out and not shown their sons how to be real men and how to show love at the risk of being vulnerable. But I believe there is still hope, I believe God is in the business of redeeming men and women back to himself, and I also believe the church has a role to play. At the risk of getting uncomfortable the church has remained silent on issues that matter, on sex, on marriage, on relationships. We think that a short series for a couple of weeks, or one small group bible study will give us freedom to check the box. Unfortunately our young people are slipping away, and the voices of the world are so much clearer than the whisper of the church. I’ve done ministry and been guilty of shying away from the uncomfortable conversations myself, but I realize now that if change is going to happen, if we are going to raise men that represent Christ well, relationships that are attractive instead of repulsive then we have to get this thing right. Our children’s future depend on it, the way we model marriage matters, the way we serve our spouses is way more than ordinary, and it is our responsibility to raise selfless husbands and respectful wives. Its not about who’s in charge or who gets the last word, its about who can out-serve. And when serving is your focus, both partners needs are met and your relationship will look a lot like what God intended to convey to a hurting world. And that’s the true love story that Hollywood is holding out on you.