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For such a time as this

      The book of Esther is my favorite book in the Bible. God's presence is all over it, even though his name is never mentioned. It's such a powerful story of strength and faith, not to mention trusting God in the face of adversity.     One of my favorite verses comes out of chapter 4 when Mordecai tells Esther that she was born "For such a time as this." I love that verse so much! It was a reminder to Esther that she had been placed where she was for a purpose- it was all perfectly orchestrated by God.     I can not tell you how many times I have repeated that verse over and over to myself throughout the years. There have been struggles I have faced and I have just had to say "for such a time as this" to remind myself that whatever I see or am currently facing is not a surprise to God.     Imagine my delight when, in the middle of a challenging situation I found a coffee mug with this verse on it! (anyone who knows me knows about my coffee...
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Fighting the ops

      OK, so the opposition came, now what?     Thankfully for us, we serve the author of the playbook. And, fortunately for me, he is a good, kind and loving father who does not get annoyed when we ask for confirmation. Again.     And that, my friends, is exactly what I did. I was quite literally on my face, on my bed, just crying and crying out to God, asking for him to give me confirmation that I had done the right thing. I asked him to show me that I was doing what he had called me to do, what he wanted me to do, and not just puffing up my own pride or ego.     He reminded me of the exact things that previously walked myself through. The diligent prayers, the seeking confirmation along the way, the confirmation that had been received multiple times, and the affirmations that I had received since. He reminded me of the peace that I felt thinking about what the next steps with him were down this road, and the way that he was speaking to me ...
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The opposittion

      I saw a quote on social media one time that said when God placed the calling on your life, he already factored in your stupidity. And honestly, I thought that was pretty fabulous because I needed that reminder that God already knows every mistake I'm going to make, and that his plan is way bigger than any of them.     Recently, though, I have realized that God not only factored in our stupidity, he also factored in our opposition. Let's be real- any time we are walking in obedience to the Lord and walking out our calling, opposition is going to come. But, God already knows every little (or big) obstacle we have to overcome or thing that will come against us.     Opposition can come from anywhere. Maybe it's unexpected red tape when you're starting a business or financial surprises (gotta love those). Maybe it's a platform that's not working, or marketing challenges.     Maybe it's even a person in your life. Maybe someone you love and t...
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Praying with authority

      I can remember asking people to pray about situations for me for years. Issues with my husband, my kids or my job- there were friends or people at church  I would ask to pray about whatever was going in our lives that needed prayer.     Now, I know that's what we're supposed to do, we are called to pray for one another and bear one another's burdens. But, what I wasn't telling anyone was that, being honest, my prayers over the situations were pretty pitiful.      Not because I wasn't praying or because I didn't want to pray. It's because I didn't think that my prayers were strong enough. Not my prayers alone, just my prayers in general. I didn't think that I had the "power" or the "access" to God that some of the other people in my life did. I kind of felt like God wasn't listening to me, but this person was a stronger Christian than I am or this person has been doing this longer than I have, so I know God will listen to...
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Two things can be true

      Some of the best advice I ever received came from my daughter when she said that two things can be true. That made me stop and think about the very foundation of her statement, and I realized how much we can take a black and white stance on things. Sometimes we get so overtaken and feel so strongly about our own viewpoint or opinion of a situation, we can forget that life is very multifaceted and complex. Especially when people and emotions are involved.     One area I see this a lot in is when it comes to thankfulness and gratitude.     So, let's just be real about this-life can be overwhelming! Bad things happen, we go through things, people hurt us and disappoint us. None of us gets out of this life unscathed.     However, sometimes when we try to express our hurt or disappointment, or feeling overwhelmed to some of our Cristian friends, the knee jerk reaction can be "but don't forget how blessed you are," or "But you still have so m...
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Lost in motherhood

      Motherhood is by far and away the greatest gift I have ever received. It is my favorite job that I have, my favorite title I wear and the hardest job I will ever love.     I was never able to be a stay at home mom, or even a part time working mom. I have worked full time my entire adult life. Working in healthcare, specifically in an emergency room, this often meant twelve hour days. So, when I was gone, I was gone all day long.     I learned fairly early on that this meant I needed to maximize every moment that my kids and I did have together. This consisted of day trips, swimming, going to the park, me volunteering at the school, and intentional family time. I am proud to say that I got lost in motherhood and would not change one.     Now, however, I'm in the phase of life of parenting young adult children. My daughter is recently married, my son is in a serious relationship, they have their own lives and interests. And, while we are ...
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Not a lost cause

      Have you ever used the words "lost cause" or "beyond hope"? I can say that I absolutely have, more than once, about more than one situation.     There would be people or circumstances that I would be praying about over and over again, sometimes for years. And, when I didn't see results, I would just chalk it up to "They'll never change", or "this is a lost cause", or "I've given up hope on them."  It was frustrating and disheartening because sometimes it made me feel like God wasn't listening. I wondered why my prayers were not being answered, especially because they were prayers for good things. It wasn't like I was sitting there going "Please God let me win the lottery," I'm talking, "Please God let that person find a job so they can support their kids", or "Lord please change that emotionally abusive person's heart and how they treat their family" kind of prayers. So, wh...
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