When I first began diligently teaching my children the Word of God, they were just two and four years old—tiny hands folded in prayer, eager hearts soaking in His truth. Today our son is 19, graduating from boot camp in the United States Army, preparing to serve our country as a linguist. Our daughter, now 17, is preparing to graduate high school while working at the very same preschool where I once served when she was just a toddler. Time is like a river—always flowing, never standing still.
Motherhood has been one of the most rewarding callings God has placed on my life. And now, as I find myself in the middle of a season of transition, I am reminded that I must bend, or I will break. I am deeply grateful for the time I’ve had with my children—for the moments I chose to say “yes” to them and “no” to the distractions that would have pulled me away.
This transition is good. It is healthy. It is necessary. And yet, it is bittersweet. I think of the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 16:7:
“…it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
I see now that it is good for our children to go when their time comes. Their journey forward allows our voices to grow fainter so that the voice of the Father through the Holy Spirit becomes louder and stronger in their lives.
It is good.
Still, transitions often carry a sense of mourning. We mourn what could have been, or we mourn what once was. Yet, God gently reminds us:
“Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
As we navigate these seasons, we must teach our children an important truth: Life will always bring transitions. People will come and go—through moves, broken relationships, or even passing into glory. Our homes, our jobs, our projects—they will all change. But through it all, one thing remains constant: God never changes.
Walking through this transition, I find that 70% of my tears are tears of gratitude—thankful for the sacred moments spent in God’s presence with my children, for the times of worship, for the countless prayers whispered together. The remaining 30% is mourning the reality that time cannot stand still. But if time stood still, wouldn’t it become stagnant? Instead, I choose to rejoice, knowing that joy does come and that in His presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
The unity I share with my children is not just in our home but in Christ. It is as Jesus prayed:
“…that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:22)
To the Mother in Transition, if you find yourself in a season of transition, I am praying for you. I pray you embrace this time with grace. You are not alone. Give yourself permission to mourn, to feel deeply, to process the changes. If you have other children still at home, walk with them through their emotions too—they may not yet have the words to express their own sense of loss. Be patient. Speak openly. Communicate with your spouse, your friends, and most importantly, with God.
And keep pressing on.
Sixteen years ago today, I met Jesus Christ, and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 was one of the first passages that illuminated my heart—to teach my children diligently. This week, I watch our son step into the world, and in just two months, our daughter will graduate high school. Only the Lord knows the depth of gratitude I carry to be called their mother. Only He knows the strength He has given me for this calling.
I know I am not done; we are just entering a new season.
But this week, I pause.
I celebrate.
I stack my stones of remembrance—marking this moment with thanksgiving and giving all glory to God.
This past Sunday, my Pastor posed a thought-provoking question: “Why do you think people, even Christians, become bored with the Gospel?” It struck a chord with me, as it seems many of us have lost our sense of wonder for the Gospel’s beauty and power.
For me, the reasons are many. Sometimes, I get too busy—like Martha, distracted and focused on the wrong things. Other times, my attention is consumed by the brokenness of sinful people and sin itself. I can also find myself slipping into a routine, going through the motions of life without truly acknowledging God, treating each day as business as usual.
But the cure for losing the wonder of the Gospel is: obedience.
Obedience to step out in faith and walk in the good works God has prepared for me. Obedience to abide in Christ, the true Vine, and live a life dependent on His strength and Spirit. This life of abiding in Christ is an adventure. Yes, it is full of trials and tribulations, but in those sufferings, I share in Christ’s sufferings—knowing, through it all, He strengthens me.
Some of the good works God has called me to involve the ministry of reconciliation through Under His Wings. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing miracles—yes, MIRACLES. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. How can we lose the wonder of the Gospel when we push through our fear and step out in faith instead of lingering on the sidelines? I cannot lose the wonder when I live a life that REQUIRES access to the One True God through Jesus Christ by ONE SPIRIT. Just as I need oxygen to live, I need daily faith to remind me that I have EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus.
So, just as God asked Adam in the Garden, “Where are you?” What assignment has God given you that requires you to push through fear to faith? Have you stepped out in obedience? Do you truly KNOW God, or do you simply ‘know of’ Him?
I pray that you are experiencing the joy and love found in Christ Jesus. Let us live lives that reflect the reality of the Gospel and the wonder of His grace. As the Moravian prayer declares: “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
The other day I was sharing something very important to me about God to someone I felt would understand. They have an Apple Watch. Do I need to finish the story?
I left the meeting feeling not fully heard or understood. I also felt like an inconvenience, a box to be checked, a speed bump preventing them from their day. It hurt and made me sad. I was offended and angry. When I recounted the offense to my husband, he told me to stop. He did not jump into the tornado of my offense. I saw I have a choice; To continue being offended or forgive. Our Pastor just preached on Matthew 5:21-22 “The devastating Consequences of Anger & Contempt.” How anger and contempt are seeds to murder. I dared to pray and ask God for help to forgive this small offense and forgive me for defiling others in my anger. The next morning, I realized I may not have an Apple Watch, but I have done that to others…to my own children. I have done it with my phone, my laptop, even my journaling. It pierced me to think of the times I made my children feel unseen. Then I realized the times I sat alone with the Lord reading the Bible and journaling, only to interrupt with a “quick check” of my phone, just as this person did with their watch. Then I realized the Truth.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all need grace and forgiveness I am thankful God helped me to obey Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.” I desire to forgive because I have been forgiven for so much and I do NOT want to grieve and ignore the Holy Spirit who lives in me. The gospel is a supernatural truth and I need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to share with others, why would I want to ignore and deny His power?
I’m learning un-forgiveness is a HUGE barrier to experiencing the power, gifts and fruit that God freely gives to those who walk in repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who do you need to forgive? Don’t ignore that nudge in your heart to take that first step.
Who are you? According to Oxford Languages Identity is defined as, “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” Discovering who we are is a quest we journey on in life as we look to others for affirmation and acceptance. There is great freedom and peace in knowing the truth of who you are and where you belong. This peace is stolen by berating daunting doubts from one who wants company in his misery. His name is Satan. Lucifer was once enjoying this peace and acceptance until he became discontent and wanted to be God. His consequence was to be brought to the lowest part of the pit of Sheol (Isaiah 14:12-15). In Hebrew Lucifer means, “shining one, light bearer,’ and Satan means “the accuser or adversary.” Today Satan roams and whispers lies to tempt us to doubt our identity.
When Jesus was baptized heaven was opened and the Spirit of God descended like dove and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17). While Jesus was in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil one of the first temptations was a provocation for Jesus to doubt His identity, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:1-3).
God the Father just affirmed Jesus as the Son of God and that’s the area where Satan goes after first…His identity.
Satan still does this today. He desires discord, disharmony, and discontent. He relishes in destroying relationships beginning with your relationship with God. Hell was never created for you and me. Just for Satan and his followers. Why else do you think Jesus Christ commands us, “Follow Me…” We can either follow Satan to hell or follow Jesus Christ to God the Father in heaven. What is the truth about you? Who are you?
You are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)
You are deeply loved (John 3:16-17)
You are not perfect (Romans 3:23)
You have been given a gift (Romans 6:23)
If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ and turned to Him, then you are a child of God and there are so many more truths about you Satan tries to deflect and devour.
You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You are forgiven (Acts 13:38-39)
You are holy (Ephesians 1:6)
You are redeemed (Colossians 1:14)
You are saved (Ephesians 2:5-6)
As Christians if we are struggling to believe these truths it’s because we are believing a lie from the enemy who is tempting us to doubt our identity in Christ just as Satan did with Jesus in the wilderness. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
Another reason we as Christians struggle to believe these truths could be our hearts are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin in our lives and we have given Satan a foothold. God gave a way out for that too through confession and cleansing (1 John 1:9) and you can do that now.
Jesus Christ came to give life abundantly. The life of a Christian is repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith help us to remain in Christ and prevent spiritual theft from the enemy. Keep pressing on my brethren.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9
*Glorify God, Magnify Christ and Edify the Brethren
A silent suffering takes place each day in this world because it is full of depravity, depression, and darkness. It’s worse when you are surrounded by vanity fair, and everyone looks like they are fine…except you. You are not fine. You are hurting in place no one can see: the heart, soul, and mind.
You go through each day feeling lonely, lost and unseen. There is One that sees you and is near your crushed spirit. There is One that wants to save you and keep saving you. His name is Jesus Christ.
Maybe you do know Him but still experience this sadness because the enemy whispers lies causing you to doubt the goodness of God. You experience this sadness because this world is not your home.
The uninterrupted joy that our hearts yearn for is only found in Jesus Christ. He can take the pieces of our shattered soul and spirit and make something beautiful. It’s hard to believe but it’s true.
I won’t drag or push you. I will just wait here with you and love you through these moments.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
During air base defense training, one of the reports we learned about was the ACE report. ACE reports were designed to give leadership a status check after a battle. ACE stood for:
A-Ammo: How much ammunition do we have?
C-Casualties: Did we have any casualties?
E-Equipment: What is the state of our equipment? Do we need to replace or replenish anything?
Years later, this acronym is helpful to me in evaluating my spiritual status as a Christian, along with the status of my fellow brethren that engage in spiritual warfare. Being involved in ministry provides many ‘opportunities’ to engage in spiritual warfare. There are days when you are tempted to be discouraged, disheartened, and demoralized. It is through these times I like to conduct a status check on myself and fellow brethren and ask the questions:
A-Ammo: How much of GOD’s WORD is in us? Are we still walking in Christ? God’s Word is the Sword of the Spirit. Do we just ‘know it’ in our head or are we using it?
C-Casualties: Who is still with us? Do we have anyone that needs to transition and retreat out of the battle for rest and respite?
E-Equipment: The Armor of God. Are we still wearing it?
There was a time in my Christian walk when I was not a ‘target’ for the enemy because I was just reclining and enjoying my salvation. I was no threat to the plan of the enemy. The moment I began to walk out the good works God has prepared for me, there have been many enticements to give up. However, it is the LOVE of God that compels me to continue. I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. The more I read the Bible and learn about the promises God has made and kept, my faith in Him grows.
God is real, and can be trusted.
God said He would send Jesus Christ: He did.
He said His Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment: He does.
He said Jesus is coming back: He will.
If you are a Christian, you understand what I’m saying because the Holy Spirit teaches you. May we wake each morning and do our ‘ACE’ reports. Do not let you heart become hardened by the sin you see in the world. You know how it ends. Keep praying and walk out the good works God prepared for you.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.” Proverbs 24:16-18
His shoulders slump and his head is down in defeat as he shares with me a repeated sin he committed. He looks frustrated, weary and condemned. I too am frustrated ready to pile on condemning words, until I felt a tinge of compassion fill my heart. I was reminded of the confessing cleansing conversation I had with a friend about my sins just minutes before.
By God’s grace, I knew it was most important to share with my son the spiritual heart of the matter, to tell him the truth about the Truth-Jesus Christ.
To be transparent and share my genuine compassion for his sin struggle because I struggle too. It was a holy opportunity to share the Gospel. To share the gift of forgiveness and mercy that comes through repentance towards God and faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. To share the freedom that comes by power of the resurrected Christ. To walk him to God’s throne of grace.
It was a chance to remind us we’re not perfect and we need a Savior. Any righteousness we have comes from Jesus Christ in us. We are to practice righteousness, press on to maturity, but only God will perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus.
I write this stone of memorial to remind myself, we must practice patience–with ourselves…and one another.
***
When I was a new Christian I was naive to think I would no longer make a mistake. I read that I was a “new creation” and given a “new heart,”and though I “knew” I was not perfect, I made an expectation for myself that I should be perfect or I was a hypocrite.
This led me to great frustration and even condemnation because I couldn’t understand the continual struggle against sin I was dealing with, let alone the number of times I failed. What I see now is any holiness I have is CHRIST IN me. I have seen my flesh and it’s ugliness to the point I’ve doubted my own salvation! The redeeming part is that my flesh and sin remind me of my need for a Savior. This gives me compassion for those that struggle, beginning in my own family.
A fruitful life comes by a daily walk of abiding in the one who is perfection: Christ.
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:1-2
Conviction is a pathway leading to the CROSSroad of condemnation or freedom.
The narrow road to freedom comes through Jesus Christ as we confess and repent of our sins.
Daily we get to choose whether we will walk in condemnation or freedom. The choice is ours but so are the consequences.
May we walk and live in faith by the Spirit.
Stay focused: Glorify God. Magnify Christ. Edify the Brethren
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
As children of God we have been given POWER!
Power to overcome temptation and sin (1 Cor 10:13-14;Romans 8:9-14)
Power to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:16)
Power to forgive (John 20:23; Matthew 6:15)
Power to overcome fear (2 Timothy 1:7)
Power to LOVE (Romans 8:2-4; 1 John 4:19)
When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, He gave us access to God the Father by one Spirit. This allows us to ask the Father ‘lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…’ We have the privilege to go to God’s throne of grace daily to confess our sins and receive His faithful forgiveness and cleansing. This allows us to be vessels of mercy and grace to others.
When Jesus was resurrected, He demonstrated His power over sin and death.
Today Jesus is alive, seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for the saints. Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses because He has “been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
As children of God we are not perfect but have been given God’s perfect POWER by His Holy Spirit. May we not harden our hearts nor deny the POWER we’ve been given by quenching or grieving the Holy Spirit!
Stay focused: Glorify God. Magnify Christ. Edify the brethren.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
Altar of Heaven 