Tag: moments

The Visit

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The Lord your God is in your midst, a Mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

The following story is not real in the least, but lives within the imagination of the writer and most likely many of her readers.

I visited her today. “Who?” you ask.

Myself. I wanted to tell her things I’ve learned along the way.

I saw her at 12, standing in front of her bedroom mirror. A shy smile peeked through as she gazed at her reflection.

Twirling around, she frowned, no longer loving what she saw.

I wanted to whisper, “You’re so beautiful and strong. Rise above this world and keep your precious eyes focused on Jesus.”

I saw her at 21. Married and expecting her first baby as she wrapped up her college degree.

She glowed, yet seemed impatient at not looking pregnant then weeks later was completely miserable at looking way too pregnant.

I wanted to whisper, “You’re so beautiful and strong. This too shall past while you keep your precious eyes focused on Jesus.”

I saw her at 29, surrounded by her four little children all clamoring for guidance and attention.

She smiled at each one, wishing for just one moment of quiet.

I wanted to jump into the room, kissing each of the four soft cheeks one more time.

And to her, I wanted to whisper, “You’re so beautiful and strong. Embrace this time as they will grow so fast. And keep your precious eyes focused on Jesus.”

I saw her at 40, surrounded by her precious family. Facing so many difficulties, she looked worried and sad.

I wanted to give her a big hug, telling her to hang on. That life will become so good again. I promise.

I wanted to whisper, “You’re so beautiful and strong. Keep your precious eyes focused on Jesus while He wipes every tear and leads you exactly where you should go.”

I saw her in her 80’s. She was standing next to her family, smiling at the crowd surrounding her.

I wanted to whisper, “You’re so beautiful and strong. You did it. Keep your beautiful eyes focused on Jesus while your godly legacy continues to point others to God.”

Sigh. Wouldn’t it be incredible to visit ourselves? To remind our younger selves with what’s important? To stand on the sidelines cheering us on? To see us near the end of our life, knowing we did good? Knowing we stayed true to God?

Thinking about ourselves, it’s not always easy, as we walk where God leads us. Not easy to remember what’s important in the moments of our life.

But God is with us each step of the way. While we cannot go back in time, or jump forward for that matter, we can remember what we wished we knew and carry ourselves forward as if we did.

Let us live first within our identity as God’s precious child and focus our beautiful eyes only on Jesus, our Savior and dearest Friend.

My blog’s address will be updated soon. Everything will be forwarded and I’ll let you know when the new site is live!

Tired Like a Mama

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat……And they went away…..When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them… Mark 6:30-34

Jesus preached and worked all the live long day.

Every day, tirelessly, He fed His sheep.

But even Jesus wanted rest.

But when He tried, the crowds would run to find Him.

And He would begin again, feeding them. Healing them. Helping them.

As mamas, our children tend to find us, too.

We try to get away, but it’s never for more than a few minutes.

You hide in the bathroom.

Pretty soon, you hear the little feet outside your door. A timid knock. You reply, “Just a minute!”

You lay your tired head down to sleep, and your baby awakens, demanding attention.

You try sleeping in past the ungodly hour of 6am, but the dog comes in with a note on its back, asking for pancakes. Pancakes?

When babies are little, you carry them everywhere with you.

Bedtime? They are next to you in a cradle.

Want a shower? You bring them to the floor in a bouncy seat.

Just starting to walk? They are always within view.

Going anywhere? Guess who is coming with you!

Yes, we have moments where they nap.

Yes, we have moments when they’re occupied and you can catch your breath.

But the constant parenting is never ending, even when they’re older.

I’m convinced tired mamas are under God’s wings.

He knows dog tired as He was so many times while walking this earth.

Humans are exhausting.

But here’s the good news: God is never exhausted.

He has unlimited strength to give you.

Jesus experienced human tiredness as He was fully human, yet fully God.

And He remembers.

Ask Him to fill you with His strength. His peace. His joy.

And smile, because He understands tired.

He gets it!

So if you’re in the season of tired mama stuff, take heart.

God understands. And I promise it will end, but not soon enough, I know.

And if you’re plain tired from reasons other than helping tiny humans survive, God’s ready to fill you up with His strength, too.

Because when we are weak, He is strong. So very strong.

Photos by Jon Flobrant, Ephraim Mayrena, Olivia Snow, & Sai De Silva on Unsplash

Directing Your Steps

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

Does God direct your steps?

Do you allow Him to plan your days?

When you wake up, what is your first thought?

Often we decide what is next.

We decide what is on the agenda.

But is that the very best?

When you look back at your life, what steps will be the most memorable?

Which ones will come to mind?

Sure there are big steps like marriage, the birth of children, the death of loved ones.

But even those are made of little steps in between.

The dating years that led up to your wedding day.

The long days of pregnancy, leading up to the birth.

Years of moments with your loved one before their last.

When you think of your childhood, lots of little steps create the emotion you feel when recalling your youth.

The millions of tiny moments with your children create the fond yearning of wishing to hug their little selves just one more time.

Healthy eating, exercising, or any healthy habit consist of directing step after step.

Bad ones, too, unfortunately, arrive just the same way.

Ask God to direct your steps.

He wants the best for you. The very best.

It’s never too late to start.

And today is a great day to begin.

Photos by Lacey Raper, Renaud Confavreux, Samuel Foster, & Jake Hills on Unsplash