I’ll admit it. I am a control freak. I don’t necessarily boss everyone around. Instead, I try to control every aspect of my life. I strive to know all the details and plan ahead. Then, I fret, worry, and overthink…
I was convinced I had missed a step when I became a Christian because I didn’t act like a Christian. I was too angry. My temper was too short. And no matter how many times I asked my children nicely to do something, I always ended up yelling at them. Perhaps I wasn’t good enough to be a Christian. After all, even though I’d heard this verse a thousand times, I didn’t feel like a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
As a teacher in the public school system, I have often been afraid to express my beliefs about Jesus. After all, I am technically a government employee. Thus, separation of church and state is necessary. Additionally, I have students of all different nationalities, and I wouldn’t want to offend anyone’s cultural differences. Yet my heart longs to lead others to God’s love and family. So, I have learned to lead like Esther.
When I was growing up, my mom frequently reminded me, “Patience is a virtue.” I am pretty sure she told me this so often because, well…I am not very patient. Maybe you can relate?
I read a funny social media post that said, “Most husbands know that when their wives ask them to do something when they get time, they may as well get up because she means ‘do it right now.’” Yeah, I am that impatient wife. Once, I asked my husband to sell his old car. He knew I would be impatient and immediately looked up the value online. But much to my annoyance, it sat in the driveway for the next 3 months. Finally, when my patience ran thin, I demanded he get it out of our driveway. So, he took to the dealer. However, when he came home, he had a big, satisfied grin on his face. He held up the check and said, ‘I guess it pays to be patient. The value went up $3,000 over the last few months. “
Are you a stressed-out, anxious, exhausted mom? Is there a recurrent pattern of “if only” in your mind? If only I could get more sleep. If only I had more time. If only I knew the right way to do this. If only I knew the right words to say. If only I had more patience. If only I could be a better mom like ____.
You see, we are called to love, not to be perfect. As Paul explained, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to work through our weaknesses and imperfections. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)
Why are hugs so magical? Sometimes, all we need is a hug to melt away all our stress, make us feel safe, calm the storms raging in our minds, and reassure us everything will be okay. When life gets tough, we need a warm embrace—not words, not advice, just a hug to make us feel better. Why? Hugs let us know we matter and are loved.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but…
Have you ever woken up from a bad dream that left you unable to sleep? Perhaps our bad dreams are more than our imagination. Maybe the enemy is hurling lies and insults at our subconscious mind.
I will never understand why God chose to do things the way He did. However, I learned that only pain and isolation come from blaming God and oneself. So, from now on I choose to seek God, rather than seek blame. I choose to trust God knows more than I can see or understand.
