Hey Ya'll
I'm Rachel.
I’m so glad you’re here.
I'm Rachel.
I’m so glad you’re here.
When you are simply guiding a child about who they were designed to be, providing opportunities for them to critically evaluate, and exposing them to Truth you are only spurring them on to be decisive, informative, well-rounded human beings who will grow to make their own assessments about life.
Parents love and nurture their children, provide and lead to the best of their abilities. Then all of a sudden the clock strikes some magical tune between the ages of 5-7 and a child is launched out into the real world. Alone, children without the full ability to navigate the prefrontal cortex, emotions, or fight and flight instincts are asked to trust and follow a complete stranger.
Every single day, I ask God for wisdom and strength to get me through the hard days of temper tantrums, sensory meltdowns, sibling rivalry, harsh words, dirty bathrooms, discipline, and foolish behavior (there's and mine).
As Easter draws nearer and my days continue to contain mile-long to-do lists, I focus on what matters most. The party and presents don’t matter. The time spent with my children that I’ll never get back matter more. The perfect way the cake looks or whether I remember the party favors won’t be remembered but the ways in which I encourage my boys, bring them up in righteousness and lead in gratitude will resonate with them for the rest of their lives.
Some fears are founded with validity and deserve cautious proceedings and wisdom to navigate. Other fears are purely irrational, nothing threatening exists where you wander but you cannot help but remain paralyzed there.
I was a believer by the time I entered into recovery for the first time but I was gripping so tightly to the lies and shame of my past that I could not fully trust my Savior to actually save me. I had to address my mess. I had to accept where I was, what was around me, how it was seeping into my every pore and affecting every part of my life before I could accept Christ’s promises for healing.
Grief and joy are never far removed from one another. One emotion can easily access the other. Neither emotion is every far from your embrace. Yet, grief is a tightness in your chest. Grief is a crashing wave. Grief is lingering and heavy. Grief is the emotion we don’t want to experience, we are ready to be rid of it as soon as it sweeps over us and yet this unwelcome visitor persists. Unfortunately, and this is what the work of Christ teaches us, without grief we would not cherish joy.
Think about Mary, lying in damp, dirty, smelly stable as Joseph embraced her through contractions. Did her mind wander to those original emotions: fear? Did she begin to have doubts? As the pain intensified, did she want to change her mind? I can’t answer these questions but we know the end to this story.
Just because hardships arise does not mean God stopped being good for a brief moment in time. Despite what’s been happening in the world over the last year, God has not forgotten His people. Regardless of what has happened in your own life, He has not abandoned you. He is still good and He can still bring good out of any situation. Out of rape, He brought forth an advocate who has helped numerous victims come to Jesus and gain salvation.
