Eternity is in Our Hearts

How Do We Live Ready?

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

It was a summer Sunday afternoon and we have a everyone-rests-on-Sunday policy, so this afternoon lent itself to a bit more quiet time and a few minutes to think some of my own thoughts without them being hijacked by the needs of my precious littles.

I sat in a lounge chair in our backyard enjoying unexpected breezes on the hot summer day.  And I looked up at the clouds curling around the sun. Minutes ago, the clouds had filled the sky entirely and the sun’s warmth was faint. Now, blue sky cracked through the cloud-curls and the sun made my cheeks hot.

What does that even mean? I thought. That He has set eternity in my heart.  A heavier cloud slipped over the sun–it means so much.  Perhaps most importantly, it means I will never be satisfied with what this earth has to offer; it means I’m not home yet.

Eternity is set in my heart. It’s set it my husband’s heart, my children’s hearts, and the heart of my neighbor who doesn’t know Jesus.

And when I forget that, when I start acting like I’m home here, and finish lines and applause here are what matter, and as if my most important preparations are for next week’s menu, I will feel an aching.

I will be anxious and insatiable because we’re made for eternity and our soul knows it. 

So, what do we do? How do we get ready for eternity while living in a temporal world with needy little people?

 

Some ways to get ready:

1) Get to know the one you’ll be spending eternity worshiping–we were created by Him and for Him.  Be in His Word daily and His presence throughout the day. (Need help getting regular time in the Word? Check out Loving God Greatly or She Reads Truth)

 

2) Use your resources (money, time, talents, your mini-van and your house) to show God’s love for people and desire to be with them.

 

And, momma, meeting the needs of you little ones with soft touch and gentle words is doing just that–your relationship here with your little people is preparing them for an eternal relationship with our King.

 

3) When trials come, act like they are temporary (because they are), and as my pastor says, “training for the reigning!”

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully Looking Ahead

For the Momma Hearts Aching as Our Littles Grow

I don’t want to be a mom that clings to what has been in my children’s ages; I want to celebrate right where they are and joyfully anticipate the upcoming stages.

My maiden voyage to the grocery store with our first newborn, I had at least two elderly women tell me, “Enjoy this; you’ll blink and she’ll be grown.” Though that baby is only six (and will always be my baby—can I get an amen?), I understand the sentiment those sweet grandmas were sharing.

They grow so quickly.

Beckett discovered that his crib was an excellent teether as he’s been working on his two top teeth.  After three days a rim of white (non-toxic, of course) paint chips around his lips each time I got him from his nap; I broke down and ordered a rubber crib rail cover to be delivered in two days.

Are you surprised that the day it arrived, even though he’s still teething, he stopped chewing on the crib?  Nope, me either.

My little people learn, grown, and change at an astonishing rate, and if I am not careful, I can miss the joy of the present because I am mourning that my favorite 9 month outfit doesn’t fit anymore, and it’s time to pack away the tiny baby socks.  I can miss the joy of hearing Audrey read (extra celebratory since we survived and flourished at a year of homeschool together) as I mourn that she now needs me a little less.  I am mourning that spelling words is no longer a viable secret parent code!

My baby boy is turning one.  A year ago, he was still wiggling in my belly, the girls were counting down to Beckett-day, and his drawers were full of tiny onesies & socks.  Today, he is opening all the cupboards, inspecting the girls’ teeth whenever their mouths are open near him, and his wonderful chubby thighs are filling out 18 month sized clothing, and my heart is aching a little.  I could get lost mourning what is gone—the tininess, the swaddles, even the middle-of-the-night feedings (mommas to newborns, you will miss those…someday).

But, I don’t think God designed us to live looking longingly behind.  We are to be eternity-minded, Heaven-anticipating, people.

Philipians 4:6, is one of those verses I learned early on in life, but the older I get the more profound it is.  The longer I live, the more I realize just how big the word anything is, and just how deeply God cares for the details of my days.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

(Philippians 4:6, emphasis mine)

So, as my heart aches and my son turns one, I will trust that my God knows the heart of a momma (after all, He designed it).  I will not be anxious about what we are leaving behind as we enter Beckett’s second year of life, when that ache creeps up, I will hand it over to my Father; and, I will be thankful.

Thankful when he starts walking and needs my arms a little less, thankful when I pack away another tub of clothes, thankful that he is growing and changing faster than momma can keep up.

Are you having a hard time letting go of certain ages or stages?  It is okay to feel that sadness as something sweet passes, but join with me in letting our outward expression be one of thanksgiving for where we are headed.  For, with God, we know where we have been is never as good as where we are headed.

If you are feeling that ache, would you share with me?  I would love to pray over you.

No more “Yes, but…” You are Inspiring.

Believing That You are Being Used

Just as I didn’t need to clean myself up (an impossible task anyway) before surrendering to Jesus, I don’t have to be in the faith hall of fame before I can be used by God.

We lead a small group of young families through our church; almost a year ago I received a voicemail from another young momma, Rachel, who was looking to get plugged in.  Their family—her and her husband and three sweet little people, have been joining us now since late fall of last year.  It’s pretty beautiful how God has woven the group together, through no human design, to be so unified around particular issues and yet the variety of experiences allows for such depth of learning from each other and encouragement during trials.

All the women in our small group are absolute treasures in my life.  They encourage me as a woman, a wife, a momma, and a daughter of the High King.  But, for today, you get to learn a little about my new friend, Rachel.

Rachel is a good friend for God to place in my life—we share some similar interests in writing, and wanting to follow rules and do things “the right way.”  But, she also encourages me and she inspires me.

She is generous—generous with her abilities as a photographer, generous with her time, generous with her financial and physical resources.

She speaks life—some serious health trials were facing her and Logan, her husband, when they joined our small group, and yet, she spoke life.  She cheers me on in my blog writing and speaks life and encouragement over me regularly.

She is a woman of the Word—she uses scripture to encourage, to deliberate, to rejoice.

I am thankful to call her a friend.

So, I was surprised when she posted some precious pictures of me and my littles, and one of the captions read, “So I have this friend. I met her by joining one of our church small groups. She’s pretty much AMAZING! Totally inspired by this woman of the Lord!”

Me…Amazing?  Inspiring? Woman of the Lord?

My first thought was, she hasn’t even known me a year—she doesn’t really know me.  That’s why she thinks I’m amazing and inspiring.  Since that picture was posted I have ranged from letting my ego feel puffed by the comment to feeling like a phony who will eventually be seen for what I truly am.

If someone were to say those things of you today, would you be surprised?  Let me share with you what God showed me about what I truly am.

I am a broken, sometimes wandering, sinner turned saint.  I am sometimes faith filled standing upon the Rock and others faithless and stumbling. And, always, I am redeemed and equipped for whatever God calls me to.

But, if I allow myself to think I cannot be used to inspire other women to the Lord until I am some sort of flawless picture of godliness, I will miss the point—God works through broken, stumbling, Jesus-followers.

So, God helped me redefine a woman of the Lord.  It is a woman who loves the Lord, who seeks His words and His ways, and who accepts His free morning (and afternoon and evening) mercies.  A woman who knows she is a daughter of a King who has cleansed her from every trace of unrighteousness, and calls her husband, her children, and anyone in her circle of influence to be broken before a God who uses flawed followers.

You may not have the joy of having someone speak life over you as my friend Rachel did.  But, please know that you can be inspiring and amazing right in the middle of those messy days if your heart stays purposed and you listen to what He says about you.

You are inspiring.  Amazing.  A woman of the Lord.