Mary Moments

Mary Moments

“Mom, I left my shoes at the park!”

We’d just pulled into our driveway. With a sigh, I turned the car around and headed back to the park. My frustration melted, however, when I heard my son praying his shoes would be there when we got back.

As we rolled to a stop in the parking lot, he jumped out and ran to where he had left them. I smiled.

They were still there.

Then I watched in grateful wonder as he looked up, right there in the middle of the park, and mouthed his gratitude, “Thank You, Lord!”

My own sweet mom used to call these Mary Moments – those times when something happens that is so beautiful, so eternally profound, you just tuck it away in your heart to treasure for always (see Luke 2:19).

The shoes-at-the-park incident was a Mary Moment for me. It was worth the extra drivetime to see my son’s faith in action.

Another time, he came to me in excitement and said, “Mama, God was really gracious!” He explained how he’d almost slammed his finger in the bathroom door, but God protected him.

Such a small thing, yet it showed him God is intimately acquainted with all his ways. That He cares enough about his little fingers to keep them out of the door jam.

I love watching my kids encounter these God sightings. Such moments make my heart smile. They remind me that the seeds I’m planting are not in vain.

As parents, we’re called to cultivate hearts – our own, and those of our kids. To weed and water and plant seeds of truth, of love, and of grace.

Most days, we see very little fruit from our labors of love, especially in the little years. It can feel exhausting and overwhelming. Sometimes we may wonder if we’re making any eternal difference at all.

Happy are the days when we catch a glimpse of what God is up to in their hearts. These are Mary Moments – memories to cherish, record, and hold onto.

Here are some thoughts for treasuring those moments:

  • Pray about the small stuff (and the big things, too)

God is at work all around us. Our needs provide countless opportunities for Him to show up. As we pray with our kids about both big and small concerns, they have an opportunity to see His faithfulness and love.

  • Write down your Mary Moments

Keep a record of your family’s God sightings. Use a journal or a blessing box to house these priceless memories.

  • Keep on gardening

As our kids grow, they’ll face situations where God doesn’t spare their fingers or keep their shoes from getting stolen, when their hearts get broken and their dreams seem to die. In those moments, let’s continue planting seeds of truth and reminding them of God’s faithfulness in the past.

  • Pray for continued faith

Ask God to strengthen their child-like faith and build on their younger years of seeing Him in the small stuff. Pray that finding Him there will lay the foundation of relating to Jesus, so that when hard times come, they’ll find Him just as present, just as gracious, and even more good than they ever dreamed possible in their younger years.

Moms and dads, ours is an eternal work. We serve Jesus as we cultivate the hearts in our homes. Let’s treasure each Mary Moment and press on in this irreplaceable ministry we’ve been given.

Helping Our Kids Thrive When Life is Hard

Helping Our Kids Thrive When Life is Hard

What will our kids remember from these history-making times in which we’re living?

As the Coronavirus spreads across the globe, our kids are trying to make sense of things, just as we parents are. They hear the news stories. They see the empty grocery store shelves. They wonder if someone they know will come down with the virus next. They feel the loneliness of social distancing and worry that their summer plans may end up cancelled before this is all over.

How can we help them thrive and build positive memories of these days spent at home?

You may have heard the following saying:

“People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

– Carl W. Buechner

Right now, the days are rich with opportunities to help our kids experience the following emotions:

  • Enjoyed

Extended time at home means lots of togetherness. Instead of being distracted, each on our own device, let’s be intentional about having fun together. Dust off those board games. Bake some cookies with your kids. Pull out your favorite childhood books and read them aloud. Enjoy a picnic in the backyard and play frisbee while you’re out there.

  • Thankful

It’s all too easy to focus on what we’re missing and fixate on what we don’t have. But now’s a great time to take inventory of all the good things we do enjoy. Give each family member an index card and take time to count your blessings. Add to this list each day.

  • Secure

The world may be in a panic and people may be stockpiling toilet paper, but at home, let’s cultivate a feeling of security and camaraderie. Invite open conversations where everyone can freely discuss what they’re thinking and feeling. Remind each other often of your love. Seek to create a haven where each person feels safe, understood, and encouraged to thrive.

  • Hopeful

This won’t be the only time our kids face scary situations. How we handle things now can prepare them to face the future with confidence. Remind each other of ways you’ve seen God answer prayer. Talk often of His faithfulness in the past – both to you and to other believers. (Reading missionary stories is a great way to do this.*)

Above all, keep coming back to Jesus as our Rock in unstable times (Psalm 61:2). Read the Psalms together and discuss what you learn about Him there. Spend time praying with one another. Verbalize your faith that God works all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).

The days ahead are rich with family-building, faith-cultivating opportunities. With intentionality, we can help our kids feel enjoyed, thankful, secure, and full of hope.

They’ll remember these feelings for the rest of their lives.

*Christian Heroes: Then and Now and the Trailblazer Books are our family’s favorite missionary story series.

3 Reasons We Grow Weary (And What to Do When We Are)

3 Reasons We Grow Weary (And What to Do When We Are)

Have you ever been so tired you wished you’d come down with a bug, just so you’d have an excuse to stay in bed?

I’ll admit, I’ve hoped for such a thing on more than one occasion.

Last fall was one of our family’s busiest seasons ever. Between sports obligations, church commitments, school assignments, and a full remodel of our 1960’s kitchen, our schedule was incredibly full. Often feelings of weariness, frustration, and just plain anger overwhelmed me.

During those months of crazy, God repeatedly reminded me of the following passage:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV).

As I prayed through those verses, I realized that several factors can contribute to our feelings of weariness:

  1. We’re carrying burdens of our own

I’m a natural-born people pleaser. As such, it’s really easy for me to over-commit. To take on responsibilities God never asked me to carry. To try to solve people’s problems myself, rather than pointing them to Christ, praying for them, and stepping aside as He works in their lives.

You may have heard the saying, “Every yes to one thing is a no to something else.” I’m not sure who said it first, but I find it helpful to remind myself of that reality. If I’m spending time and energy on things God hasn’t called me to do, I’m unavailable for those areas where He is leading me to serve.

  1. We’re shouldering God-given responsibilities alone

Sometimes, we are living within the calling He’s placed on our lives. Our responsibilities are gifts from Him. Yet we’re weary because we’re trying to carry those things on our own.

We’re living for God, instead of with God.

In the above verses, Jesus references a “yoke,” a piece of wood placed over the necks of oxen for use in plowing a field. Yokes are often placed on a pair of oxen so they can work in sync. Through this image, we see Jesus calling us into the yoke with Him — not because He needs our help, but because we desperately need His. He invites us to walk in moment-by-moment connection with Him as we carry the responsibilities He’s entrusted to our care.

  1. We’re in an intense season of learning

Some seasons are unavoidably exhausting and relentlessly demanding. We’re juggling God-given jobs and we’re looking to Him for strength. Even so, we feel we’re barely hanging on.

Jesus understood. He spent His days loving and serving, teaching and healing. He was no stranger to busyness and exhaustion (Mark 6:31).

In our times of weariness when nothing can or should be changed, He calls us to learn from Him. To fix our gaze on the God who loved well, who knew how to make room for rest, and who poured out His life in service for those He loved.

He was gentle. He was humble. And He is our Source of rest.

So today, if your heart is weary and you’re overwhelmed by life’s burdens, Jesus invites you to draw near.

In the midst of our crazy, one thing matters above all else — walking in relationship with Him. He wants to show us which responsibilities He’s calling us to carry, and He’s eager to bear them with us. He longs to reveal His heart and teach us to find in Him the fulfillment of our every need.

How do you find rest in Him when you’re weary? I’d love to hear — please leave a comment below.

What’s the Purpose of Your Face?

What’s the Purpose of Your Face?

By Meredith Mills

Friday nights are a favorite around our house. After running full speed all week, each family member looks forward to an evening of doing nothing.

Well, not really nothing.

We do have plans, but they’re fun plans, plans to stop everything and enjoy just being together. Most of the time, this means gathering in the living room for a family movie night (because anything else requires too much energy for this worn-out mom.)

One of our favorite movies is the DreamWorks film Home, about an unlikely friendship between a loveable alien and a scared little girl. At one point in the movie, as they’re looking for the girl’s mom, she becomes furious with her new friend. Confused by her angry expression, he asks in his awkward alien verbiage, “What is the purpose of your face?” He knows her look means something – he’s just not sure what (though she quickly fills him in.)

Like the main character in Home, our faces have a lot to say, and their words speak loud and clear. As we go about our day, our kids watch our faces and subconsciously ask the same question – “What is the purpose of your face?”

Let’s be sure we’re communicating what we want them to hear:

  • “You’re important to me”

Every day, I’m tempted to live distracted, to listen to my kids without looking them in the eye. I’m busy, after all. I need to multi-task if I’m ever going to check these items off my to-do list.

But our relationships with our kids matter more than dinner being on the table by six o’clock or than checking our notifications on Instagram. We need to read their faces, too, so we can understand their hearts.

  • “I delight in you”

I’ve often caught myself listening with a hurry-up-and-finish-talking-so-I-can-get-back-to-work look on my face. Though unintentionally, I’m communicating that my kids are a bother or an interruption.

Thankfully, God is making me aware of this tendency and teaching me to trade in that expression for an I-like-you look instead. A smile and attentive eyes go a long way in helping our kids feel loved.

Moms and dads, will you join me in asking God to help us speak life with the expressions we wear? The next time our kids wonder, What is the purpose of your face? may their souls grow stronger by the words they hear.

What do you want to communicate with your face? How are you intentional about showing those things? Please comment below — I’d love to hear!

Building Our Homes Like a Lego Master

Building Our Homes Like a Lego Master

My son loves building with Legos. His room looks like a Lego museum – and often like a construction zone, with tiny bricks strewn all over the floor, just waiting for an unsuspecting parent to walk in and step on them.

At the end of this school year, he completed a report on our home state of Georgia. For a final project, he chose to redesign our capitol building – constructing it the way he would choose, if he were the architect drafting the plans.

Guess what he chose as his building material? You got it – Lego bricks.

For several days, he poured his free time into creating a capitol building which would make the people of Georgia proud. He selected only gray and white bricks. He carefully placed an abundance of windows. He even printed our state flag on cardstock, attaching it to a tiny pole and flying it atop the capitol building.

It was quite the masterpiece.

At the beginning, before constructing any of the walls or installing a single window, he carefully laid a foundation which would support his large building. He knew this first step was essential to creating a strong structure.

We parents are a lot like Lego craftspeople. Every day we have countless opportunities to build our homes and strengthen the people who live within our walls. Let’s lay a strong foundation through faith that’s authentic, Scripture that’s central, and a mission that’s celebrated.

Faith that’s Authentic

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Every one of us falls short. That’s why Jesus came – to pay for the sins of those He loves and to fulfill God’s Law on our behalf. Let’s celebrate this in daily life by:

  • Modeling the gospel for our kids when we fall short, expressing that Jesus has forgiven us and asking if they will, too.
  • Forgiving our kids when they hurt us and reminding them that Jesus offers forgiveness, too.
  • Pointing to Christ as our hope for daily transformation.

Scripture that’s Central

“These commands that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

God’s Word reveals His heart and shows us how we can live in relationship with Him. Let’s bring Scripture into our everyday conversations by:

  • Telling our kids what God has been teaching us through our own times of Bible study and prayer.
  • Discussing what the Bible says about situations we encounter as a family.
  • Memorize Bible verses as a family. (BlueLetterBible.org is a great resource for finding verses topically.)

A Mission that’s Celebrated

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)

As Christians, we’re part of a worldwide mission. Through us, God calls a lost world into relationship with Him. Let’s prepare our kids to share this gospel message by:

  • Giving them heroes to emulate through reading missionary stories together. (We love the Trailblazer Books and Christian Heroes: Then & Now.)
  • Praying for missionaries and staying up to date on how God is working in their ministry.
  • Dreaming with your kids about how God could use them someday, while pointing out ways He can work through them right now.

This work of building our homes is an investment in eternity. As we live out authentic faith, teach our kids God’s Word, and cast a vision for joining in His work, we’re laying a strong foundation upon which they can build their lives.