I am a planner. I like to know what is happening next and when it is happening. Insert 3 kiddos and you can guess that I don't always have my planning needs met. 

I didn't plan on having to sweep up a box of cheerios right after I had mopped the floor. 

I didn't plan on someone desperately needing to use the bathroom after I had just put the car in reverse to head to the store (come on Nate, I told you to go before you buckled up;)

These unexpected things that pop up in my life can stress me out to the max. I wish I could say that each time they happen,  I gracefully and patiently respond and readjust. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't.

I am an imperfect human being who is not constant. Unexpected things throw me off, steal my joy, and inconvenience me to the point of utter annoyance.

But you know what? We serve a God who is not thrown off by the unexpected. We serve a God who knows the plans that He has for us, and He is never surprised. He is constant. I don't know about you, but this is a truth that I need to heavily rely on.

There are decisions, diagnosis', and detours (to name a few) that come up in our lives that we were not planning on. They throw us off track and threaten our sense of normalcy. We have to recover, re-coup and then inevitably ask the looming question..."what now?"

When life takes an unexpected turn, here is something we need to remember. We are not walking on our own. We are securely nestled between our Heavenly Daddy's shoulders. It's the ultimate piggyback ride experience.  It's His job and His joy to navigate the path that He has marked out for us. He knows it well. 

We just have to allow ourselves to let go of our plans, our expectations, and give in fully to trusting the One who is always faithful, always good, and always right on time. Not always as easy as it sounds, but always worth it. 

So dear friend, whatever it is that has happened that is unplanned or unexpected, know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has you, and He is not surprised. He is already working it out for your good, and the best is yet to come...

Deuteronomy 33:12
“May the beloved of the Lord dwell in safety by Him;
He shields and covers him all the day long,
And he dwells between His shoulders.”

1 Peter 5:7
"Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] 
on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]."

Before You.

The other day, at Nate's parents house, Caven needed to get downstairs. Since his little brother is not quite stair climbing qualified, there was a baby gate blocking the top of the stairs. I didn't feel like taking the gate down so I stood behind Caven and was going to lift him up over the gate.

He FREAKED out.

I quickly problem solved and went over the gate first, stood on the top stair, and then lifted him over. He looked up at me and said, "Oh, now I understand, that was much better Mommy." His little self thought that I was going to just toss him over the gate and leave him on the other side of the stairs all by himself. Alone. Scared.

That moment when Caven looked at me as I was holding him tight on the other side of the gate, my Heavenly Father spoke straight to my heart.

He reminded me that He is the God that goes before us. We do not have to be afraid of moving through uncertain circumstances, because He is already there. He has already made a way where there seemes to be no way.

My prayer for you this beautiful morning, is that you hang on tight to Him as He lifts you up and out of your circumstance and places you on solid ground. Trust in Him, because He is the God who will never lead you down a path that isn't good, and He will never leave you or forsake you.

Having faith and trust can be overwhelming at times, but instead of being overwhelmed with fear, let yourself be overwhelmed by His love for you and His protection over you!

Psalm 91:9-16
"If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
No plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and Cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation."

Psalm 125:1
"Thos who trust in and rely on the Lord (with confident expectation). Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but remains forever."

Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Psalm 40:2
"He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path."

This song is amazing and I hope it encourages you today!

Fix Your Eyes.

Caven got a cut on his finger a while back. It was a pretty good cut and didn't look very pretty. I brought him into the bathroom to begin fixing his owie. He was a mess, sobbing his little heart out. Every time he would look at his finger, his sobs would escalate. I kept telling him, "Look at mommy, don't look at your finger. Mommy can fix this, don't worry! Just keep looking at me." 

As he would look away from his finger and fix his eyes on me and not on his owie, he would calm down.

Is there a wound in your life right now? Something that keeps beckoning for your focus and attention? Something that is so painful that your eyes are fixed on it and you keep wondering how you will get past or through this?

I think sometimes, unintentionally, we get so focused on wanting to fix the pain that we feel, that we forget to fix our eyes on the One who can soothe, relieve, and bring purpose from our pain. Just like little Caven, we stare at a wound and become a mess because we don't know how to fix it. 

But we serve a powerful God who knows exactly what to do.

He can fix whatever it is you are going through, if you will fix your eyes on Him. 

He is the Author and Perfecter of your faith. He is the anchor that will keep you steady and stable as the waves and winds of life rock you. Let His loving kindness give you the strength to look away from your situation and fix your eyes on Him. Place your trust in Him, even when all around you seems to be in chaos, be assured that He is the one who will calm the storm. Every time. 

Psalm 18:33-36 (AMP)

"He makes my feet like [a]hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]; 
He sets me [securely] upon my high places.
He trains my hands for war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds and sustains me;
Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great.
You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,
So that my feet will not slip."

The Pacifier.

Lexon is always learning, but there is one thing that he has not figured out quite yet. Many times, when I go to feed Lexon he will have a pacifier in his mouth. I can sit there with a spoon loaded up with nummy baby food, but he just stares at me, sucking away on his pacifier. 

Like this...

He hasn't figured out yet, that in order to get the food he wants and needs, he has to let go of what he currently has. His pacifier. 

You see, there is a time and a place for Lexons pacifier. It helps transition him from a state of worry and agitation, to peace and comfort.  But, just like there is a time and a place for him to benefit from his pacifier, there is also a time and place where it gets in the way, and is not needed anymore. 

Don't we have pacifiers in our lives too? Things that the Lord has provided for us during a difficult transition or season, that brought us much needed peace, comfort, and provision. Those pacifiers are beautiful things when used during their season. But, seasons change. There will come a time when the Lord will be sitting in front of you with a spoonful of a new thing, a new source, a new season, but we are hesitant to let go of what we currently have. 

It can be so scary to let go of something, not knowing for certain what will take its place. 

But when we know the heart of our Father, it gives us the courage to let go of those things that He is gently speaking to us about. He is so tender and gentle. He walks with us as we process through the fear and apprehension. He is patient with us as we start letting go of something, and then pause for a time because fear crept in again. 

Don't lose heart through the letting go process. As you hand things over to Him, it creates space in your heart and life to receive even more from the Father who knows perfectly what supply you need to accomplish the purpose He has set before you. He has such a calling on your life. Don't be afraid, because He is with you and He is for you. His perfect love casts out all fear. Rest in knowing that He has everything that you need, and His joy is to supply all that you need. 

Philippians 4:19  "And my God shall supply all of your needs, according to His riches in Glory. "

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..."

1 John 4:18  "There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]."

Good, Good Father

I cannot keep Caven in clothes. We get him dressed in the morning, and about 5 minutes later he is running around in his Paw Patrol, or character of the day, underwear. The funny thing is, he will run up to me fully clothed, say "I'm so cold!", then proceed to take his clothes off. No matter how many times Nate and I try to tell him that if he's cold, he needs to keep his clothes on...off come the clothes. He doesn't realize what it is that he truly needs.

I have found myself in that position so many times.

Times where I am grappling for someone's approval, not realizing that the only one I need approval from is my Lord, and He has already approved of me.

Times where I am stressed over bills, not realizing that He is my Provider.

Times where I feel so covered in shame, not realizing that He has covered me in the righteousness of Christ.

In these times, I need to realize Who it is that I truly need. One day I was reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and I read it in a different way...

God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. He does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. He never fails.

You see, if I don't view His love for me accurately, I will never realize (become fully aware of something as a fact; understand clearly) that His love is all that I need.  If Nate and I don't keep telling little Caveman that he needs to wear clothes when he is cold, he will be very cold and have some very awkward encounters as an adult.

He is a good, good Father. He will meet your needs. Bring them to Him and let His perfect love work itself out in your life. There is honestly no one like Him.

This song has rocked my world, I hope you enjoy!

Good, good Father - Bethel

Bowden is a very passionate child. He feels things deeply. Things that I just cannot understand. Like when he can’t get his action figure guy to move the way he wants him to. You would think that his little world has ended. In his head he knows the way that he wants things to go, or bend, and sometimes...they just don’t. No matter how badly he wants them to. As his mommy, I have some choices to make. I can either try to rationalize away his frustration at limitations, or I can just sit and hold him as he mourns the fact that life will be unfair and fused plastic elbows will not bend. In these moments with him, I try and think of how my heavenly Father would be with me. In those moments I have where there is inexplicable loss, frustration, and anger at how this world - this life - works, I imagine that He scoops me up into His all knowing and capable arms and lets me cry and be irrational. I imagine that He smooths my hair while my head rests on His shoulder and whispers, “I know the plans that I have for you, and they are so good…” That is why I am able to comfort Bowden, because I have received the same comfort in my moments. I don’t know what it is in your life that won’t bend, but let me encourage you, go to Him with all of it. It doesn’t matter how big or small you think it is. Nothing is insignificant to the One who knows the number of hairs on your head. Let Him whisper His perfect comfort into your heart as you lean your head on His shoulder. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

"It is Well", by Bethel Music, has been such a comfort to me through these past couple of months. I hope it blesses you like it has me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNqo4Un2uZI