Encouragement grounded in Scripture
Rooted in truth. Anchored in Christ.
New reflections weekly.
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Giving Thanks to Him
I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened to you-it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1:4-5
Lord, you give me peace that
surpasses understanding;
a voice to praise you through
every trial.
You give me hope when
my faith starts fading;
a promise that my troubles
will only last a while.
Lord, you have given me grace
I never deserved;
a new life lived only for you.
You have blessed me with prayers
both answered and not.
There is no situation you have not
Brought me through.
Lord, what you have done for me
is beyond words;
A love given that could never be measured.
I thank you for a future, hope,
faith, love and forgiveness;
a bushel of gifts that will forever
be treasured.
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Finding Blessing in the Inconvenient Moments of Life
This is how my Monday ended…stuck in traffic on a two lane road on the way home from work. Stuck here for about 45 long minutes. For those that know me well, I can be impatient at times, have a tad bit of road rage, and come slightly undone over slight inconveniences. So, after working a longer day than usual, I was slowly starting to come undone. Dinner was already late, and now due to traffic it would be even later. I had a relative sitting at home with my children, and now I was sitting here-waiting and waiting, and complaining.
Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14
I wanted to complain. I was tense, wound up, and ready to explode.
Until I heard God say: January, what about that ambulance that just passed you? What about that accident you were able to avoid? Do you think those involved are worried about dinner being late?
But, I wanted to complain. When my husband called while I was sitting in traffic, I wanted to give him a list of all the reasons I was inconvenienced. I wanted to tell every social media source just how tense, wound up, and ready to explode I was. But, God’s still small voice told me to check myself, and reminded me that a late dinner is a minor inconvenience of every day life.
Be joyful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I seem to be the queen of inconvenient moments, too. When I am running late, I get behind every bus and dump truck on the way to my destination. When I have 10 things I need to do when I get home from work, I get stuck in traffic, get side-tracked by another childhood fight, or the dog decides to chew on another toy, or destroy another object adding one more thing to my to-do list.
And in these moments, I admit it-I complain! Instead of thanking God for making me late to my appointment or lunch date, because it means I avoided being involved in an accident, I complain. Instead of thanking God I have a home to go to, and food to put on the table, I complain. Instead of thanking God for blessing me with children who are strong-willed and won’t back down, I complain they argue too much.
We all do this. We all complain. It is human nature, but I don’t want to complain about every inconvenient moment in my life. I also don’t want my social media friends to be the first people I tell about my horrible day. I want to be able to stop what I am doing, look up, and thank God for all the chaos and inconvenience that he allows in my life. Sure, it is frustrating, but these moments can be moments spent with Him, moments that He uses to fulfill a greater purpose, and moments spent thanking Him for all I do have, instead of complaining about the inconvenient moments of my day. It’s time to realize these moments are reminders that I am alive. I am blessed, and although everything may be going wrong, I have a much bigger God who will see me through all these small things!
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His Will, Not Mine
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had just found out the news. I remember thinking to myself- How could this be? This was not part of the plan! This can’t be right! Two lines? Yep, there are definitely two of them-two VERY blue lines, in fact. My then 10 month old daughter was running in and out of the bathroom, and then it hit me. I’m pregnant! Again!
So, I did what any woman does who has waited for those blue lines to appear. I did what any woman does while waiting for a test to seal their fate. I did what any woman does when she finds out she is going to have a baby. You guessed it!
I sat on the bathroom floor-and cried!
I cried for the daughter I hadn’t had enough time with. I wasn’t ready to share her. We weren’t ready for another child. We had no room. We couldn’t afford it. We had so many of my own medical expenses to contend with, now this? This certainly was not part of our plan!
Not your will, but mine….
That’s right. God had another plan. And it wasn’t the four year plan my husband and I had hashed out, and from day one Hunter has been a child full of surprises, unexpected blessings, and unplanned events.
Today is Hunter’s 5th birthday, and although according to my will he should only be a year old, God’s plan for his life and ours has been more amazing than we ever could have planned it ourselves. Through the “surprise” of another child, I have learned in the past five years about plans, blessings, and just how God works things out for His purpose.
Every good and perfect thing comes from above. James 1:17
I planned to have a healthy child with 10 fingers and 10 toes. And I did. But, I did not plan on having a child who would eventually struggle to walk, to speak, to communicate what he needs, to adapt to the chaos of everyday life. I didn’t plan on the same child to be diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. I never planned on spending many mornings and afternoons each week in therapy sessions, or learning how to restrain a child who is having a meltdown, a child who at times is known to harm himself. I never planned to still be waking up to a screaming child 5 years later. I never planned on learning everyday how to interpret the needs of a child who still has problems communicating them to me.
I planned to have a healthy child with 10 fingers and 10 toes.
God had another plan, and it was nothing like mine.
God planned on showing me just how much patience I really had. God planned on showing me how to be tolerant, and to not judge another parent who has “that” kid with them in a store. “That” kid is now usually my kid. God had plans to help me find humor in the midst of all the meltdowns. To learn that not everything is within my control. To be there for others struggling through parenthood. God had plans to show me how to love unconditionally despite flaws, imperfections, or pasts. To teach me that sometimes love isn’t about saying the word at all. It’s in all the things, actions and emotions that words cannot express.
And I learned this all through a small, angelic, quirky boy that was not part of my plan.
God had another plan, and it was nothing like mine. Oh, it was so much better!
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Different, Yet the Same
I want you to take a look at the two rocks in the picture above. Notice the one on the right is smooth, shiny, easy to hold, and without sharp edges. To some, this rock may be more attractive. The rock on the left, however, is jagged. It’s rough. It’s edges are not smooth, but pointy. It is not easy to grasp, and many folks would not pick this rock up at all.
The two are vastly different, yet the same.
Now, let’s imagine these rocks are people. The smooth rock. We will call this one the positive people. These are the folks who can look at any situation in life and put a bright, shiny spin on it. These are the people we pick up when we are blue and need a word of encouragement. These are the “rocks” we pick up when we need to be reminded of the positives. We need smooth rocks in our lives.
However, the rough rock; the one that is sometimes neglected and tossed away-you need these rough “rocks” too. These people are the ones who wear the scars of life on the outside, who have been hardened and made tough by the circumstances in their lives. These are the no nonsense “rocks.” You need these rocks when you want the truth (spoken in love, of course). You need these rocks when nothing is really OK. When you want someone to tell you that it most certainly is NOT OK. That life is hard. That life is tough, but there is hope. You need these “rocks” when you need a voice, an advocate.
Different, yet still the same.
From one man He created all the nations of the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. Acts 17:26
Just as God formed each rock to look different-some smooth, and some not so-he formed us in the same way. Some of us, like me, were made with rough edges. This toughness allowed me to navigate the streets of a not-so-nice neighborhood, to survive a teenage pregnancy, and to be strong and protect a younger brother. He also toughened me for the ministry to which he would eventually call me.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
They may look different, speak differently, and act differently; and their purpose and calling may be different, but each “rock” is a reflection of His image. Made to fulfill His purposes. Made to bring people to Christ and salvation, whether it is through the roughest of circumstances or the smoothest of waters.
You need rough “rocks” to advocate against the bullies that wait for you at the bus stop. To talk you down from the ledge when you feel like your world is falling apart. You need rough “rocks” who know the hardships of the legal system to help another sibling who has found themselves in deep you know what. But, you also need smooth “rocks.” To tell you you’re important when the bullies don’t. To hug you while you cry about your poor choices. To tell you: “It’s going to be OK. Life is hard. Life is tough, but there is hope.”
Different, yet still the same.
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Hope in a Big, Fat “Fine”
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:30-31
All three of my children have managed to inherit at least one of my various traits. They have managed to inherit some of the better ones such as a sense of style, a hearty laugh, and a love for all kinds of music. Unfortunately, each has also managed to inherit some of my not so wonderful traits. A diva-like attitude. Some of my OCD tendencies and then some. The fine art of stuffing feelings.
My oldest, a 16 year old learning how to navigate between the new found need for independence, the acceptance of peers, and still pleasing authority, is the stuffer. Like me, he loves to write. He has a way with the written word, but when it comes to actually expressing the much needed spoken word-he stuffs it. He hides his thoughts, feelings, and emotions with a big, fat “Fine.” Of all the traits I could have passed on, I always hoped stuffing it would not be one of them.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior, and my God. Psalm 42:11
A few nights ago when I entered my teens room to grab a few things from our printer, I noticed something odd. It wasn’t the earbuds that usually hang from his ears. No, I am used to seeing those. I was caught off guard by the fact that he wasn’t also watching TV while listening through said earbuds, and doing 20 other things at once (another one of my not so wonderful, but inherited traits). In fact, he wasn’t doing anything at all! “What’s wrong? You OK?” I was expecting the usual-the hiding of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions. A big, fat “Fine.” Instead of stuffing it this time, my mostly quiet, young man spilled his guts. He shared the deal with his not so stellar grades, and other things teens struggle with-girls, friends, teachers, classes, and the idea of driving.
Maybe it is the fact that he is currently grounded for those not so stellar grades, that he would be so bored to death he would actually want to bare his soul to Mom-you know, the lady who knows NOTHING about being a teenager…or maybe this time, he was sick of telling everyone that big, fat lie. Maybe he was sick of stuffing it and saying “Fine.”
But I cry to you for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Psalm 88:13
For some of his teenage burdens, I just didn’t have all the answers. For some of his angst, this mommy of a teen really did know nothing. So, I showed him how to have hope in the only way I knew how-through God. I urged him to pray, and shared with him that as hard as it is to relinquish control, sometimes the only thing we can do is let go and give all of our troubles to Him. Sometimes the only answer is to give everything to God. Admit to Him, that you really are not “Fine.”
I can’t solve all the problems my children will have. I can’t shelter them from all the storms and struggles. What I can do is provide a listening ear, a warm heart, arms ready to hug, and a shoulder to cry one. What I can do is also provide God’s promise of hope. Sometimes this is all the answer we need to truly be a big, fat “fine.”
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
About Me
I am January! Wife, mother, meemaw, pastor, and mental health provider who makes it through the day with my coffee, my journal, and my God. A simple human, navigating life through the messy and sometimes chaotic. All focused on Him.
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