Do you ever feel done in, exhausted and ready for a retreat?

Jesus's disciples knew how that felt. One time, fairly early in His ministry, He sent them out to all the surrounding cities, telling them to not even take provisions for themselves. They were to preach, heal and cast out demons.

When they came back, their faith was stretched, their eyes were opened to the power of God and they were worn out.

Jesus had compassion on them and took them out in the middle of nowhere so they could rest.

But it was not to be - Jesus could not be hidden and throngs of people followed them. So Jesus preached & healed.

And then all the people were hungry.

Now the Son of God could've asked for manna from Heaven or created a banquet in the wilderness. But He didn't.

He turned to the disciples.

"You feed them," He said.

Any Mom knows the exhaustion that sentence can bring.

Feeding a multitude is no small deal. These men were worn out. But here was Jesus, asking them to serve again and they had nothing to give. They were hoarding the little that was available, trying to refresh themselves with it. But Jesus asked them to give it up. And they did.

And we all know what happened after that. 

Jesus took their little bit of nothing and multiplied it far beyond what was even needed!

Everyone was satisfied, everyone was happy. And the disciples learned that it wasn't about them and their lack of strength and resources. It was about Jesus and His ability to make something out of almost nothing.

So next time the tasks pile up and the exhaustion sets in - when you've given almost everything you've got and you're longing for a retreat way out in the middle of nowhere - take it to Jesus. Offer Him your little bit of nothing and sit back and see what He will do. 

And be ready to see your faith stretch before your eyes.

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Become a Warrior Mom - get your Battle Plan now!

When our family started the adoption process, we had no idea how long of a wait we were in for. We knew that adoption could take a long time, but every thing stretched out so much longer than planned and there were times I really needed to learn to give the wait to Jesus and allow Him to calm my heart.

And then we finally got the long awaited call. We were matched with a precious baby girl, due in a few months. The countdown was on! We could hardly wait.

Fast forward a few months and we finally had our darling daughter in our arms. We knew she was the one we were waiting for the instant we saw her. Or was she?

Painful waiting
Suddenly, a few days later, we were thrown into a more agonizing wait than we have ever experienced before. Waiting to see if she would truly, physically be ours, or if our dreams of her would be shattered.

It was hard.

It was painful.

And it seemed to last forever.

And I had to battle worry constantly.

I wasn't only worried about the pain to my own heart. I thought about our 2 kids at home. At ages 3 and 4 this would be way too big for them to understand.

Would it ruin their faith? How would we explain how to trust in God, even in the middle of an unexplainable situation? What kind of damage would this do to their already attached little hearts? 

We were right in the middle of a hard wait and it was causing worry and stress like I had never experienced before.

But God...
God is so faithful to us, even in the middle of our shortcomings. He was able to get my attention and pour peace into my heart, even in the middle of the worry.

Shortly before we went to meet our baby, a friend gave me a lullaby CD and we played it for our little girl over and over again while we waited in the motel. But the words jumped out at me and filled my heart with so much peace. 

"Don't you worry about anything; instead pray about everything....and the peace of God, far beyond what we can understand will keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus."

​Beautiful, beautiful, truth-filled words. God is so very faithful to us.

And He gave me the grace to turn those words around to worship Him! He is so worthy of our worship because He created our hearts, He created the waiting time and what's more He created it for a purpose! And so we can freely worship while we wait for Him to reveal His purpose in our hearts.

Worship is the anecdote
So friend, if you're going through a hard time of waiting; if your heart and your patience are getting stretched thinner and thinner, take a minute to stop. Be still and let God speak to your heart.

Maybe it will be a verse or a simple song, or both, like it was for me. Maybe He will whisper words to your heart, just for you! Whatever it is, take it and use it to worship God, with your whole heart.

Worship is the anecdote for worry - every single time!

Have you ever been faced with a worrisome wait? What did God speak to your heart during that time?

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"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."

"Do hard things; they are good for you."

"Hurts have a way of refining you; embrace it."

"Life was never made to be easy. Learn and grow."

>>Insert 100 cliche quotes here.<<

The truth is, growing stronger doesn't always feel good.

Hard things are...hard.

Hurts really, really hurt sometimes.

And sometimes life is so far from easy that hiking a mountain while balancing a teacup on your head sounds like a walk in the park.

And no cliche words of wisdom are going to make it feel much better.

Sometimes we simply feel raw.

Broken.

Lonely.

Overwhelmed.

Sometimes we feel oh so fragile.

And the hard is too much to cope with. 

Sometimes we feel like we can hardly keep breathing.

I could say all kinds of things like:

"You're feeling exhausted because you're not drawing your strength from God."

or

"You just need to trust it to God. He has a reason for this particular trial you're going through. It's for your good and you just need to trust that."

But when you're over your head in raising your kids, in the middle of hard relationships, stretching yourself to reach all around, and being pulled in so many different directions you know you're going to break, guess what?

Those words will do nothing but burn like fire and sting like salt being rubbed into an open sore. Those are not the words anyone needs to hear while feeling burned out, exhausted and stretched to the breaking point.

So what words do you need to be hearing? Well, I can't say for sure,  but I think maybe they would sound like this:

"Yes, you are hurting. Those hurts in your heart? I know they are real. And they probably hurt more than I know.  

I can see you struggling to do the hard things, the right things. And I'm so proud of you. 

And I know you're working to see God in the middle of your exhaustion and I notice you sharing encouragement with others even when you hardly believe it yourself.

Because you know that God is good. You know He's got this. You know His reasons are far, far beyond yours.

But do you know this?

It is ok for you to rest. It is ok to step away. 

It's ok for you to heal.

There are times to dive into battle even though you're wounded, but there is also a time to retreat to a safe place and Rest. Regroup. Heal.

There is a time to be restored.

​Sometimes doing hard things means stepping away from who you think you're supposed to be and allowing God to restore you into the person He created you to be.

Friends, we get so busy trying to be somebody, trying to be everything, that we wear ourselves thin, internalize hurts and create hard places that aren't even supposed to exist!

Step away. Ask God to show you who you really are.

Then you can step into the hard and see reason.

Then the hurts can shape you into something beautiful.

Then you can be made stronger through tough times.

Then things will be as they should and the wisdom behind those cliche` words will ring true, in the way they were originally intended to.

Gather up those broken, hurting pieces of your heart, those exhausted fragments of your soul. Give them to Jesus. Ask Him to renew a right Spirit in you, to restore your soul and to show you who He created you to be.

Slow down long enough for Jesus to bring restoration and plant His truth in your heart. 

Rest in Him. Be restored. <3

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If I would mention the armor of God, I'm pretty sure you would know what I was talking about. You know, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, the Sword of the Spirit. 

Powerful, weapons, forged by the very hands of God, given to us for battle! 

There is a fight between good and evil, a war between God and Satan going on. And us as women are ready to defend our marriage, our children and ourselves against the enemy.

But do we know what battle truly is?

We hear about it in church and discuss it in our small groups. And we pat ourselves on the back when we shine up our armor a bit every day with  the polish of quiet time. If we can fit in some time with God every day we feel like we are really on our way! We are getting there! But my friend,  we are not even scratching the surface.

What if we are called to do so much more than to ward of the attacks of the enemy?

I believe with all my heart that as Mom's we are supposed to be on the front lines of the battle, initiating the attack against Satan and his minions instead of defending whenever we feel we are under attack. 

We are equipped with a full suit of armor to use in the defeat of the enemy but so often we underestimate the most powerful weapon we have!. The super-weapon of prayer. For some reason we look at it as a spiritual gift, but it's not in the list of spiritual gifts. We talk about "Prayer Warriors" as if there are only a few people really gifted to pray.

But Jesus has called each one of us to be Prayer Warriors. Especially us as Moms. 

Our children are the future church of Jesus. And these are scary times. People are leaving the church left and right. Our kids are going to hear so many reasons that Christianity is not for them. They are going to face attack from every side.

Mom friends, It is imperative that we initiate the attack against the devil and his evil army before they make an attack on our kids.

We must cover our kids daily in prayer, over and over and over again. The Bible says "Be alert and of a sober mind. Your enemy the devils prowls around looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Unless our children are covered in prayer every single day that someone could very well be them. 

Our kids have so much to face as they grow into adulthood, we cannot neglect this very important part of the battle for their souls. It is a very real possibility that they will not only face the lure of Vanity Fair, but also face persecution.

Will your child be able to stand against imprisonment and worse? Mom's, we must pray for their very souls, daily!

God talks about the down-spiral of the world in Romans. If we do not start setting up a wall of prayerful defense, this could be the description of our own children.'

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not proper..." Romans 1:28

As Mom's we need to band together as a great army, on the march against the enemy, claiming our children for Christ! We need to be prepared to get on our knees and fight for their souls in wrestling prayer, every day.

We need to be Battlefield Mom's, changing our armor from shiny and perfect to battle-scarred and used.

Praying for our kids as we work is awesome, but we need to get serious about it. We need to set aside time every day to pray for their future in Jesus.

Are you ready to join me?

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The young soldier threw his arms against the rock behind him and could almost feel it tremble. He lifted his left hand to shield his eyes from the sun, trying to get a better view of the small band of soldiers coming across the plain. His right hand grasped his sword a little tighter and he reached down to picked up his shield. 

He paused a moment, gazing at the round disk, his mind leaving the scene around him for a moment.

"But my Lord, these weapons look almost like a boy's playthings" he said somewhat hesitantly when he first saw his sword and shield, trying to feel his beloved Master out. The King looked at the soldier and then smiled before answering, "There is one lesson you have yet to learn before you can ever achieve a victory. You will never be victorious. And yet you can win every battle if you choose. But each victory must be won through the power of My might, not yours. That must be your battle cry in every encounter with the evil forces." 

The memory brought a brief smile to the young man's face as he prepared for yet another battle. It seemed as if he had been fighting one battle after another with minimal respite. He smiled again as he got a firm grip on his shield.The King had not told him that with every battle won his weapons would be come strong instead of worn down - the blade of his double edged sword seemed to grow sharper after each victory won through the power of his King's might. The shield was now a massive piece of armor that had saved his life on more than one occasion and he continued to grow in his skill with both. 

He glanced up. Three formidable looking men in full armor were closing in around him. The large rock behind him protected his back and he was thankful for it.

He checked his breastplate and braced himself for battle. He had been tired and discouraged a few moments before. Now the memory of the victory lesson his Master taught him seemed to give him new life. His eyes now shone with hope and determination as he adjusted his helmet.

Holding his sword in front of him, the King's soldier quickly shattered the silence. "I claim victory for the King! I fight you in the power of His might!" His attackers paused almost imperceptibly and then continued toward him, silently. The loud clashes of sword against sword and sword against shield were the next sounds to break the silence.

"You are all alone, fool. The King is far away and His power cannot help you here. You are in our power." The large soldier in front of him smirked and attempted a thrust into his chest. "The King's power never leaves those who fight for Him - our very weapons are filled with His might!" And the young man quickly deflected his blade and once again shouted "the power of His might!" 

The battle was long and hard. The sun moving slowly from the east side of the meadow seemed to pause over head and then began to slip down toward the west. The evilness of the three large soldiers was almost tangible and seemed to thicken the air. The soldier to the young man's right dropped back in a sudden change of strategy. The King's soldier glanced at him momentarily, wondering if he was retreating from the battle.

The man grinned viciously and began a verbal attack, making it hard for the champion of Truth to concentrate on the battle. "The King has filled your weapons with the power of His own might? Do you really believe that? It's all lies - lies He uses to bring people into His pitiful little Kingdom. Have you ever seen any part of the Kingdom He professes to reign over? He has tricked you and now you will die because of your stupidity."

​He paused to allow another malicious grin to run across his face as the young soldier seemed to falter for a brief moment. His grin quickly turned to a disappointed scowl as he saw the King's soldier once again deflect a blade wielded by one of the other soldiers of darkness. He had clearly counted on it being the death blow.

The evil soldier continued his bantering of the young man, never pausing for an answer. The soldier to the left seemed to be tiring and the young soldier started  directing his efforts towards him. Immediately the warrior that had been talking jumped back into the fight, allowing his tired partner a brief respite. Now the second soldier took up the mocking of the King and His soldiers. 

This pattern continued into the evening as the sun turned from its scorching yellow to a blaze of orange as it began to sink behind the trees in the distant horizon. The young soldier was at the point of exhaustion and didn't know how he could continue any longer. He had never battled so hard in his life and these were a most formidable foe. His shield was getting too heavy for him and he was getting slower with the handling of his sword. To give up was unthinkable and yet, was there another option? The fact that he was fighting two soldiers instead of three did not make it any easier because of the constant mocking of the third, confusing his mind.

The third warrior chuckled as he watched the younger man struggling for his life. "He's not so cocky now, is he?" This he directed to his two companions and they grinned as they continued battle. "Look at him" the representative of evil continued, "He's not fighting to defeat anymore. He's just trying to stay alive."

His eyes glittered and he laughed. "You aren't going to win this victory, are you? You with your special Kingly weapons. Those were just dreams, boy. Nobody has ever been victorious over us. What makes you think you would be any different? The King's got no special interest in you. He never gave you His power." He chuckled again, deep, dark and evil.

But the last statement the large soldier made was a mistake. "The King's power!" the young man thought. "This isn't my victory. It's the King's!" He felt new hope coursing through his veins. His foes faces quickly switched from cruel arrogance to dismay as the young man once again shouted his battle cry.

"By the power of HIS might!!" 

They screamed curses at him but he heeded them no longer as he continued to yell his battle cry and fell to the battle with such a burst of strength that it was over before the sun could completely disappear.

As he slowly put his sword back in its scabbard and let the shield lean against the rock he once again saw someone walking toward him across the plain. This time he ran to meet the man and knelt at the feet of His King.

"Through the power of Your might" he said softly. The King reached down and pulled him to his feet. "You have learned the lesson well and so the victory was won. For no matter how alone you may feel, I am always close beside you and you will always be victorious when you are strong through Me and trust in the power of My might."

When it comes to raising spiritually minded, courageous warriors for God, I think we can all agree that it's no small task. In fact, there is a battle raging for each of our kid's souls. And we are right in the middle of it, for the simple reason that we are parents.

It can be so easy to get overwhelmed with all the options and "have to's" that run thick in our culture. 

Memorize verses.

Pray this way.

Watch that training series.

Read this book.

And on and on. 

And resources and Bible memory and all those things are good. 

But before we start giving into all the things that we "need" to be doing, let's check our armor and lean into God's power. Only then can we proceed with victory.

Through the Power of HIS Might!

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"Mommy, one time we were at Grandma's house. And it was so much fun to play with her tractor."

"Mommy, do you remember when Daddy had poison ivy? It's all better now! Jesus made it better!" 

"Mommy, look! Jesus put water back into Grammi's stream! Just like we asked Him to! He came down, and then he went back up!"

After each of these quotes from my 3 year old, I just shook my head in amazement. So happy in her simple faith. So shocked at her memory. Some of these events happened almost a year prior!

As Moms, we all know that the toddler years are some of the most critical development years in a person's life. These little people are constantly gathering more information and data than we will probably ever even know. And if we are not purposeful about it, then the information and thought process that is cemented in their minds is going to be useless, at least in light of eternity.

But that is not what any of us want for our children. We are raising soldiers for Christ, and soldiers need to be able to dig deep and know what they stand for.

Just like the tree in Psalm 1. 

1. Fill Their Mind With Life! 

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. {Psalm 1:3}

We need to fill our children's river {mind} with life-giving water. We need to give them what they need to dig deep and find nourishing strength in the Word of God. And it's never to early to start! It is not enough to tell a child how they should act. We need to be training their little hearts in "why" they should act. 

We need to teach them to delight in the word of the Lord, and to meditate on it day and night. And then when they are older, they will be that blessed person that "walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, not stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful."

Life gets hectic and busy - I know all about that! But this principle is so important, we as Moms really can't afford to put it on the back burner! We need to make it a priority in our lives, above laundry, dishes, sweeping and Facebook.

​We Moms of today have a lot to fight against to stay on track with Jesus, and on track with being present for our kids and training their hearts all day long. It's hard, but the good news is that God is ready and waiting to give us the grace and strength to make the right decisions moment by moment and day by day!

2. It's a Bible Command!

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk in the way, and when you lie down and when you rise." {Deuteronomy 6:6-7}

Although this is an Old Testament verse, I think the importance and the essence of it rings true through eternity. To make the discussion of God's Word and commands a part of daily life is as important for Moms in the 21st century as it was in 1400BC. 

So, how do we do this, particularly when our children are young? Some of our favorite ways are Bible on CD and repetitious reading of the same passage until it's memorized.

My parents used to turn on Audio Bible tapes every night when us kids went to bed. We would fall asleep listening to God's word being read aloud. We loved it.

Bibles verses put to song are also a great way to hide God's word in little toddler hearts. We like these 3 CDs, available on amazon. {affiliate link}

I have been amazed at a toddler's ability to memorize things they hear repeatedly. And we have found that stories are what our kids remember the best. So we've memorized portions of the Christmas story and the gospels with them. It really is so rewarding!

​What is one of your favorite ways to teach the Word to your kids? I'd love to hear about it!

p.s. I have this verse printed and framed in our house, as a reminder to continually teach the Bible to our kids. 

​
Get it 40% off using the code WALLSOFHOME here.

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What is a brave Mom?

Well I can tell you that it isn't me or you. At least it isn't us on our own.

A truly brave Mom knows that the courage for the job of Motherhood does not come from within, but from without.

A brave Mom gets her courage from God. 

A brave Mom is a woman of humility who wakes  and immediately pleads with God to be her Strength and Tower of Refuge throughout the day. 

A brave Mom knows the joy of the Lord is her strength and prays for it daily.

A brave Mom sacrifices her own feelings, comfort and time for her family everyday. She does it without a thought, because she has strengthened herself in the Lord at the start of every day and makes herself rely on Him continually.

A brave Mom forces herself to combat anger and temper and run to Jesus instead of saying those nasty words.

A brave Mom knows how to tell her children "no" and use the opportunity to train their hearts instead of just their obedience because she knows they will apply this lesson to their relationship with Jesus as they grow older.

A brave Mom is not selfish, but mothers her children all day, with no thought to herself, but every thought on the future of her child and their future in Christ.

A brave Mom knows that she has not attained and makes mistakes daily.

A brave Mom knows how to humbly apologize, even to a 1 year old and always to God. 

A brave Mom turns her failures into pillars of strength in the structures of little hearts.

A brave Mom is a Mom who seeks Jesus daily, hourly and more.

 A Mom who sacrifices and trains and falls and falls and gets back up again and says:

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!"

"The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!"

"I will wait for the Lord; I will be strong and courageous and wait on the Lord!"

I have not attained "Brave Mom" status yet, but I am learning that I must ask for it with every breath and like Jacob, not let go until God has blessed me with it!

What about you? Will your join me in asking for God's strength to go brave and bold with your parenting? Our futures depend on it and our God is ABLE!!

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