Motherhood is a joy and a privilege; it also carries weight and responsibility, and it can bring pain. Maybe you’re counting your blessings. Or maybe you’re grieving your losses. Wherever you find yourself caught in this tension, my heart goes out to you. And if my heart goes out to you, how much more does [...]
I love the shape this new book is taking, and it's my hope and prayer that—through both stories and Scripture—it will encourage many to live for Christ in the middle of their stories, even and especially the hard parts.
One at a time, holding back tears, I whispered the same three words into the delicately crafted ears of each child that day on the beach: “I love you.” I wanted to make sure each of them heard, each of them knew.
The pain experienced in labor and delivery (or the adoption process) is only a foretaste of the particular suffering a mother endures. But I’ve learned something else: God’s Word is sufficient for the particular suffering of moms.
"Hmmm," My youngest says, surveying all her options as my mom snaps this photo...And while I'm grateful for a cupboard that’s thoughtfully stocked by loving grandparents with kid staples like cereal, crackers, hot chocolate, and juice boxes, it reminds me of a different kind of food in a different pantry.
“You’re probably better equipped than you realize.” Sometimes the Lord uses someone you don’t expect to speak the truth you need to hear.
How do we help our children differentiate between God and fantasy so that the Christ child we celebrate at Christmas isn’t put in the same category as Santa and his elves? It’s important for our children to know that God is real.
God has used John Piper to teach me three truths related to motherhood and suffering that have given me great hope in my sorrow. The first is that we will suffer as mothers. That reality would be devastating apart from God’s promise that our pain as his children will not be wasted. Not only does God offer us future hope; his Word also sustains us in our suffering.
So much of motherhood is about presence, not performance. It’s about being present with and for our children in a thousand moments that make up their early years and beyond.
Dear Lord, I’m thinking today of the mom who desires joy, but when she considers her present circumstances, all she sees are challenges.
