Multitude Monday

January 21, 2013January 21, 2013 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

As we wrestle to get two get tucked into bed and one cries as she practices a speech, today feels like another ride on the crazy train, but for now I’m laughing and smiling and thanking God for His mercies and grace to walk through each new day.

2369. finding rhythms

2370. raindrops tapping on glass

2371. waking up to a clean, quiet house

2372. third born, whose heart of service and generosity has taught me more than I’ll ever teach her

2374. rain all day

2375. pace slow enough to enjoy it

2376. laughter at the table

2377. being knocked back on my knees; where God really wants me anyway

2378. fellowship with Sunday school friends; laughing, reflecting, looking ahead

2379. this sense of community God’s been giving

2380. Sunday – a day to slow and rest

2381. Monday – a fresh start on a new week

2382. coffee on a bitterly cold morning

2383. a list that always seems the same; these gifts that are given every day

2384. being out of MOI and on to passports!

2385. giggling girls – sleepovers to celebrate birthdays late

2386. warm sunshine

2387. Christmas decor down

2388. third-born loses another tooth

2389. these children – always hungry

2390. all these signs of beautiful, growing girls

2391. a few hours away with my beloved

2392. family game nights

2393. a new day, a new week – mercies poured out again

For His Glory ~

Old Habits, New Year

January 7, 2013 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

We stumble through this first Monday…first of the year, first of the semester. We muddle through new curriculum and remember old routines. We re-learn how to get up “early” and how to carry and borrow and divide numbers out long. And I struggle to keep my balance as the house whirls with activity and questions and paper trails that would make some auditor proud. I forget to put the potatoes in the oven to bake and lunch doesn’t get served until 1:30. Children are still doing school at 5:05 and the oldest and I finally start dinner at twenty til 6. But we did it…we survived the first day of the second semester. We got over that Monday “hump” and it’s all downhill from here, right?

And as we get back into routines and welcome back something resembling a schedule, I get back to listing the gifts (how long has it been?!) because He deserves our praise no matter how life spins us ’round and because peace comes in giving thanks, in opening our eyes to all He has already given, already done, and opening our hearts to hope of all He is still doing.

2294. Barbies strewn everywhere

2295. blankets laying about

2296. signs of a house full of life

2297. children doing kind things – just because

2298. stomach issues and another day of not running

2299. books discussions with a good friend

2300. Christmas gifts picked up here and there

2301. my second-born – now eleven

2302. a good week

2303. cloudy, overcast days – looks like winter

2304. littlest one beginning to feel better

2305. quiet Sunday morning, home with two sickies

2306. snuggles from my Chandler

2307. winter weather

2308. movies as a family

2309. single digits and snuggling under blankets

2310. the sparkle of Christmas lights

2311. shooting stars on a morning walk

2312. hearing nothing from Haiti

2313. cough medicine for weary girls

2314. end of the week, end of the semester

2315. happy vacuumed floors

2316. oreo truffles

2317. fingerprints re-taken

2318. a day of Christmas shopping with my love

2319. holding my girls after a day of senseless tragedy

2320. a front row “seat” at the light show

2321. a heart that hurts for the hurting

2322. a God who heals

2323. a beautiful day to run errands

2324. Christmas shopping done?

2325. my girls – each one a gift

2326. Christmas break

2327. snow!

2328. sleeping in

2329. warm house

2330. UPS man that delivers packages late on rainy nights

2331. December thunder storm

2332. more snow

2333. really good days

2334. girls eager to add to the Gifts We Already Have list

2335. making ornaments

2336. a pre-holiday family getaway

2337. College Basketball Experience

2338. Plaza lights

2339. ice skating

2340. adjoining hotel rooms

2341. making memories together

2342. Christmas celebrations

2343. kids so generous

2344. a hard holiday season over

2345. helping kids learn truthfulness

2346. dear friends coming to visit

2347. celebrating another year of life for my beloved

2348. quiet days

2349. learning to wait in silence

2350. the close of 2012

2351. tentative hope for 2013

2352. cards and pizza with friends on New Year’s Eve

2353. a house sold on the last day of 2012

2354. a blank slate ahead of us; wonder at what this year might bring

2355. beautiful snow everywhere

2356. sleep for tired children

2357. hard conversations revealing a hard heart

2358. praying God to restore, knowing He is able

2359. an ugly gym run; the long road back to being in shape

2360. school plans made

2361. Haiti photo books completed

2362. the return of Friday classes

2363. a four mile walk/run in the mid-day sunshine

2364. fresh snowflakes

2365. Saturday

2366. church that gives so generously to the building project AND to Haiti

2367. being awestruck at God’s goodness

2368. the beginning of a new semester

Praying this is a year full of good habits and trusted routines and a heart full of thanks.

For His Glory ~

When It’s Hard to Say Thanks….

December 3, 2012 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

The end of November, it drags like an eternity, and it’s hard to give thanks and laugh delighted when your heart pounds raw with every beat, and so I just stay quiet. A season that is normally my favorite comes and I wish with all my heart we could just skip it this year.

Christmas just doesn’t feel the same when part of our family is so keenly missed. And the glitter and lights and music just make her absence more obvious.

We Skype on Friday night and my heart, it just can’t take it, this saying good bye again. We promised the girls we would decorate the tree and nothing goes right – not enough lights and a broken tree stand and a DVD player for watching Elf that only works when it wants to. And late I sit in front of the tree, lit without ornaments, and I sob heavy over this pregnancy with no due date and I surrender my hopes – small and foolish as they may be – of her being home by Christmas.

Saturday dawns, head pounding and heart still aching, and I curl up on the couch with God’s word…

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

~ Lamentations 3:21-26

And as I work and run and pray my way through the day, my soul it finds rest. And I am reminded He is still God and He is still good. I write it on the kitchen chalkboard. And joy, it creeps back in, and peace, it floods my heart. And every ounce of me still aches to just have her home, but I still have so much to be thankful for because He is still so good to me.

2244. slow, quiet Monday

2245. not sleeping; talking to God in the dark

2246. time on the couch with my people

2247. going to bed early

2248. children who see their own sin and seek change

2249. quiet nights with easy bedtimes

2250. days that are long and I want to run and hide

2251. a sweet girls night out, even for just ninety minutes

2252. feeling raw and stripped bare

2253. Friday…blessed Friday

2254. long dates

2255. laughing hysterically at the Tim Hawkins show

2256. lingering over dessert

2257. breakfast and more time to connect

2258. a cleaner garage

2259. tank tops on November 17

2260. fifth date in two days and feeling so loved

2261. child who helps me through grocery stores

2262. another child who puts dinner in the crock pot

2263. grace when things are broken

2264. twelve hours of sleep for this sick mama

2265. a new day and feeling much better

2266. a season of thanks

2267. long weekend ahead

2268. family together

2269. a day at home

2270. a less-than-quiet Quiet Time

2271. girls’ Christmas shopping nearly done

2272. a movie, late on Friday night

2273. another child turns seven

2274. a Christmas project kicked off to benefit the orphanage

2275. a God who can move mountains

2276. a God who never stops being good

2277. hard Mondays, fought with tears

2278. cold, cold mornings with candle burning and quiet before the Lord

2279. running

2280. running on empty

2281. news of more friends adopting – oh the wonder!

2282. an evening to be creative

2283. Christmas decorations partly up

2284. doggy snoring

2285. a God who leads gently; asking Him to change my heart

2286. Skype and a broken heart

2287. the tree that would not be decorated

2288. tears that won’t stop falling; holding on to hope

2289. peace

2290. new friends; a community God is building around us

2291. house finally decorated; tree a-glow

2292. that Christmas feeling finally coming on

2293. date night – every time a gift

I am blessed beyond measure….

For God’s Glory ~

~ Sara

Eleven and Twelve

November 12, 2012November 12, 2012 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

And nearly a hundred more….

November 11 – A game of golf I’m actually good at….

November 12 – Candles burning and the quiet calm of a fall Monday….

And continuing to list and count the gifts He gives daily, relentlessly, out of His over-flowing love for us….

I didn’t realize I haven’t listed the gifts here in nearly a month(?!), so the list is long, long, long….

2175. last long run finished

2176. kind words that encourage, build up

2177. a quiet night with my girls

2178. another rainy Saturday

2179. husband who spends his Saturday doing a project I could do, but just don’t have time for

2180. painted bathroom

2181. so many deadlines closing in

2182. grace for each hectic moment

2183. a God who is present and close by

2184. the energy and motivation to just keep going

2185. just a few more days of crazy-busy

2186. iron to strengthen tired blood cells

2187. Thursday

2188. crazy wind

2189. swirling leaves

2190. all this beauty of fall

2191. a school week finished strong

2192. warm soup

2193. fresh bread

2194. a “rest” day

2195. fifth half marathon completed

2196. dear friends who train with me and a dear friend to run it with

2197. eyes open to the hurt in our kids

2198. seeking how to make it right

2199. girls’ surprise, coming home to a yard raked clean

2200. productive late nights

2201. foggy mornings and time in His word

2202. cool rain

2203. temperatures dropping

2204. leaves falling

2205. race weekend here!

2206. the thrill of watching countless hours of work come to fruition

2207. smiles on muddy faces as they crossed the finish line

2208. new friends

2209. lots of laughter

2210. really good sleep

2211. race bags unpacked

2212. loaves of bread lining the counter

2213. a day spent working alongside my girls

2214. forty loaves of bread baked in two days

2215. husband and oldest girl nearly ready to fly

2216. learning daily the value of prayer, the power in talking to God

2217. husband and first born in the air toward Haiti

2218. photos from Haiti – braids and just-met sisters

2219. sleep

2220. leaves scattered all across floors – remnants of fall’s beauty brought inside

2221. continually learning to release my own agenda

2222. laughter of little girls

2223. incredible music at church

2224. worshipping the Lamb

2225. a meal to benefit the homeless; girls’ eyes opened to their neighbors in need

2226. battles worth fighting

2227. restored fellowship

2228. election day and freedom to choose

2229. hope for the future because my hope is not of this world

2230. trust in God’s plan, even though it may bring discomfort

2231. a massage – gift of a sweet sister-in-law

2232. adoption talk and a voice of balance and reason

2233. missing my people

2234. fluids for my very sick dad

2235. only one more day

2236. chatting with my oldest last night

2237. beautiful pictures of love shown in Haiti

2238. a husband I am beyond proud to call my own

2239. feeling caught up on a Friday morning

2240. my people home, my heart happy

2241. tales from Haiti – laughter, tears

2242. encouraging words for my oldest child – how she did so well

2243. family time on the weekend

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

On clearing out the worry and putting on the armor….

October 10, 2012 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

Monday morning dawned with to do list overflowing its page and calendar squares bulging til the end of the year and an irritable crankiness settled in like a heavy fog. And I grumbled against that to do list and these children and how home schooling just takes so.much.time.

And this morning as I sat at His feet and soaked up His word, still battling the irritability and anxiety, I read in Streams,

Do not fret. (Psalm 37:1)

I believe that this verse is as much a divine command as “You shall not steal”. But what does it mean to fret? One person once defined it as that which makes a person rough the surface, causing him to rub and wear himself and others away.

And isn’t that what I’ve done all week, what I do every time I allow life to overwhelm and crowd out the most important things? I become rough on the surface and wear us all away. So I pray about schedules and priorities and how to put first things first and not let the urgent become a tyrant in our lives. And today is a new day and I choose to trust God with our schedule and our time.

In the early morning dark I also read this quote from Ann,

Life’s not hard because you’re doing anything wrong: Life is a battle. Put on your armor.

And it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with schedules and surrendering our time to God, but it gives me strength today as I remember again that this life is not easy, it is a battle, so I should expect hard and I should expect challenges and I need to dress for war every day. But by surrendering my time, my expectations, my schedule to Him, I am freed to fight the battles He brings with both hands, rather than fighting one-handed while clinging fiercely to my own plans with the other.

And as I drove across town this week to get a tooth for a science project, I soaked in the silence but begrudged the trip out in the middle of busy. But as I drove I talked to God and heard His Spirit whisper in the midst of my unhappy grumbling just give thanks. Thanks for to do lists that will never be done. Thanks for kids and projects that send you driving all over town collecting teeth or staying up helping with fundraisers or cleaning rooms you’ve helped clean a thousand times. Thanks for the opportunity to die to myself and my own plans and to serve Christ by serving others, primarily my family. And thanks for all the gifts He daily gives….

2154. perfect fall days

2155. a tour of the local fruit farm

2156. apple cider slush

2157. apple cider donuts

2158. making happy memories

2159. a pantry re-stocked

2160. a couple of days off school

2161. resting, relaxing, slowing where we can

2162. thirteen miles run

2163. a long, slow Saturday

2164. laughing all evening long with old friends

2165. seeing others give so generously to help the oldest go to Haiti

2166. warm furnace turned on

2167. girls in jammies all Saturday long

2168. the Sunday crazy train and all it teaches me about grace and giving it abundantly

2169. an honest, insightful letter from a daughter who struggles to find her place

2170. a Spirit reminder to just say “thanks”

2171. grocery day

2172. fall riding in on a cool north wind

2173. new shoes. again

2174. yummy new recipes and happily feeding my family

I continue in my 31 days of prayer and I lift up prayers for a changed heart and eyes opened and a mind stayed on the truth of His Word. I lift up prayers to continue to rest from the fretting and the wearing down of those around me and to daily put on my armor and die to myself and my plans. And I lift up prayers that you would each know the realness of His presence in your life this week.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

Fighting the Battle and Facing the Enemy

October 1, 2012October 1, 2012 / Sara Vincent / 4 Comments

It’s Sunday morning and no matter how we prepare to avoid it, try to derail it, we board that weekly crazy train that sends the whole day into a tailspin. Children bicker over shoes and outfits and hair accessories and through our own gritted teeth we say how much prettier they would look with a smile. And on this particular Sunday I’m so thankful we’ve decided only to go to Sunday school, so I don’t have to referee the arguments during the sermon.

And it’s clear this day is going to be a doozy, because the arguments they pick up right where they left off after church and one child wails angry and another does everything in her power to aggravate. One shuts herself up in her room and another is trying to figure out who to side with. And I just want to run away.

It’s Sunday night and we sit, the six of us, all crowded into our little sitting room, and we discuss angels and demons and the very real battle that is always taking place around us. We discuss the full armor of God and how we are to dress ourselves, prepare ourselves, to engage in this battle, because even the most non-confrontational among us will be called to the front lines.

We talk first about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. And then we talk about how we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). We talk about how our Enemy the Devil, he wants to distract us and confuse us and he does want us to wrestle against each other and how he does a victory dance every time he drives a wedge or builds a wall between us. He doesn’t want us to love each other or be kind or obey or control our tongues and when we fight and bicker against each other he gains a foothold and he wins a battle for our hearts. We talk about our instruction to be light to the dark and to help the poor and needy and to raise up children who love the Lord and how much Satan hates us for trying. We affirm that we know Who ultimately wins the war, but these battles we fight every day are important and we can’t give up even one just because we’re too tired to fight. We purpose to work together to fight this common enemy, rather than letting our enemy divide us. We agree that God has given us each other to love and care for and protect, and to make us more like His Son, and that we are a team and we’re all working toward the same goal.

And privately, we wonder do we make too much of this spiritual warfare thing. No one talks about it much since our high school days and Frank Perretti books and perhaps it’s a bit too charismatic and maybe this is just life? But in the past two years we have seen it, we have lived it, and my spirit knows somehow when it’s life and when it’s war. The battle is real and Satan fights dirty and he knows the chinks in our armor and will aim his fiery arrows straight for us. But we wait for a coming King, whose kingdom is not of this world, so why would the battles we fight be merely flesh and blood?

And in a small way that grows big, we can fight the battle of discouragement and discontent by daily listing His gifts – the good and the hard gifts. Because if it all passes through His hand and it all has the ability to draw us closer, make us more like His Son, then is it not worth thanking Him for? Is it not worth writing down and remembering? Is it not worth a whispered, “Yes, Lord, even this….thank you.”?

2116. cooler days

2117. chilly nights with windows open

2118. feet and legs that ache

2119. hope that new shoes will help

2120. continuing the hard struggle with one girl

2121. an impromptu date night – a few hours away from the “sick ward”

2122. God’s grace when I don’t deserve it

2123. hope when I am discouraged

2124. days that go horribly wrong

2125. words of encouragement in the morning

2126. hope overflowing

2127. Haitian girl actually speaking to us over Skype

2128. her silly, sweet smile

2129. an unplanned “in service” day to give this sick mama time to rest

2130. more rain

2131. more coughing

2132. never quite feeling caught up

2133. an unexpected hour and a half in a quiet house

2134. a lovely lunch hour run

2135. laughing with my girls

2136. heart burdened for one in particular

2137. weeks that I’m happy just to make it through

2138. a to do list too big to finish alone

2139. a God who sees me

2140. a beautiful fall Friday

2141. a thirty minute nap

2142. a home school soccer game

2143. full moon hanging low over western sky

2144. fog draped over grass

2145. husband who gives up his morning workout to ride his bike with me while I run in early morning dark.

2146. good friend who (literally) goes the extra mile (or two!) to help me finish my long run

2147. jeans that feel looser

2148. neighborhood cafe and incredible chips and guacamole

2149. country dancing with everyone twenty years our senior

2150. a good date night

2151. family talks about spiritual warfare and the battle we all really face

2152. learning to fight together rather than fight each other

2153. putting on the whole armor of God

Praying that as you fight your own battles this week, you will be able to see His goodness in everything.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

The Little Things

September 17, 2012 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

As I sit here on this Monday morning, still shaken from an awful dream that seemed to last all night, only to wake and find that for a family not far away that nightmare is their reality today, my heart is heavy but full of gratitude to the Giver of Life for the simple gift of being here with those I love most. We are but a vapor and I don’t want to take these moments for granted.

2063. groceries bought

2064. cabinet cleaned out

2065. brilliant, almost-full moon shining in through the window

2066. quiet time devotions that speak to me exactly where I am

2067. hope this morning

2068. a good five mile run

2069. glorious almost-blue moon setting

2070. breath-taking pink-orange sunrise

2071. good conversation with a friend who prays with me

2072. sleeping in just a little

2073. rain falling

2074. three-day weekend

2075. one last trip to the pool

2076. celebrating the Book of James with some Orange Leaf

2077. an extra day to get ahead for the week

2078. the book of Hebrews

2079. dinner with the in-laws

2080. a Tuesday that feels like a Monday – long, but still good

2081. lightening my load a bit and praying over the schedule

2082. a Hundred Day Cough for two of the girls (now three)

2083. “metaphorphosis” – the six year old acting it out while she reads it aloud

2084. a presidential signature and being one step closer to having her home

2085. being hope-full

2086. a really good day; still long, but good

2087. school finished, graded, and ready for next week

2088. whole house clean

2089. nutritious dinner prepared and served

2090. two sick children getting two good nights of rest

2091. a passport application for the oldest

2092. quiet, rainy days

2093. more cleaning and organizing finished

2094. First Friday Artwalk with the family

2095. a good Saturday

2096. birthday dinner out with my favorite

2097. another year of life

2098. birthday greetings from so many – the joy of Facebook

2099. a family that loves me and a husband who makes every day feel like my birthday

2100. open windows

2101. groceries bought – two SUV loads full

2102. the gift of an evening free

2103. youngest child’s first gymnastics class

2104. endless grace

2105. news from a far land – we are out of IBESR!

2106. knowing I don’t have to get up as early in the morning

2107. words to comfort, encourage, bless

2108. a beautiful day of rain, candles, open windows, and school books

2109. a couple of hours out alone – even if it’s for a mandatory meeting

2110. a rooster crowing outside my window in early morning dark – a reminder of Haiti

2111. long run finished for the week

2112. projects completed

2113. time as a family – laughing, playing cards

2114. life with those I love

2115. time to spend with them

May we all remember this week to give thanks for those we are so inclined to take for granted and keep our eyes open for the little things.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

Bearing Witness….

August 29, 2012 / Sara Vincent / 4 Comments

I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous;

I will praise the name of the Lord Most High.

~ Psalm 7:18

Praising His name by continuing to list His mercies, His faithfulness, and continuing to count the gifts…

2028. a milestone in a child’s life

2029. being there for her

2030. still daily learning how to do this mothering well

2031. learning to listen to my spirit

2032. soft dog at my feet

2033. each one of my girls

2034. swinging at the park

2035. sticky counter tops

2036. sink full of dishes

2037. sleepover friend for the third-born

2038. cooler mornings for running

2039. early morning snuggles with my Ellie

2040. late night struggles with another

2041. long talks in bed

2042. knowing I can never be enough, but God already is

2043. being chased by the grace of God

2044. a gymnastics class for the human monkey

2045. staying calm

2046. a few days away with my beloved

2047. sun

2048. sand

2049. salt-water

2050. loving each other

2051. uninterrupted thoughts, conversation

2052. books read

2053. pale orange sky

2054. sunset from 30,000 feet

2055. being welcomed home

2056. hard days that leave me tired and empty

2057. a God who fills if I only ask and slow to receive

2058. a pile of laundry to fold as I pray and reflect

2059. loud laughter after dinner

2060. realizing I need to take time to linger longer with these people, my people

2061. husband who brings lunch, makes dinner, prays for me

2062. being awake at 3:15 – a Wednesday morning routine; more time to think, pray, sit with God

Praying that this day, your day, is filled with an increasing awareness of His presence, His faithfulness, His unrelenting grace.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

Sometimes thanks come easy….

August 13, 2012 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

It’s one of those Monday’s when it’s easy to give thanks. It’s been gloriously overcast and cool. A perfect day for school work and lit candles. Right now the girls are reading quietly and I am enjoying the relative silence. It’s good to sit and remember and write down the days like this one. They give courage and renewed energy for the other kinds of days.

Continuing to list the endless gifts He gives….

2006. warm sunshine

2007. take and bake pizza

2008. a leisurely day

2009. first day of school success

2010. learning to manage time again

2011. up early to run in the dark

2012. a fever blister and a head cold

2013. third-born’s nagging cough

2014. freshly shorn labradoodle and her polka-dot scarf

2015. first week of school complete

2016. cooler evenings

2017. continuing to learn patience and grace

2018. girls night out with the in-law ladies

2019. taking my girls to a real art museum

2020. waking up to 59* outside

2021. quiet Sunday morning at home

2022. sleeping child, finally rest for her from coughing

2023. overcast sky

2024. open windows

2025. start of a new week

2026. quiet house

2027. nature walk

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

When I want to run away…

August 6, 2012 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

As we wait for tomorrow to dawn and bring with it the beginning of a new school year, fears from how last year was creep in and overwhelm and God gives words that comfort and encourage. I didn’t know one could suffer from post-traumatic stress just by home schooling, but there is definitely a high level of anxiety as we prepare to open the books on a new year. I know we are called to this and I am called to do something I am not gifted in so that He can fill me and enable me and all glory can go to Him because it’s definitely not me.

God will make all our obstacles serve His purposes. We all have mountains in our lives, and often they are people and things that threaten to block the progress of our spiritual life. The obstacles may be a untruths told about us; a difficult occupation; a thorn in the flesh; or our daily cross. And often we pray for their removal, for we tend to think that if only these were removed we would live a more tender, pure, and holy life

‘How foolish you are and slow of heart…!’ (Luke 24:25). These are the very conditions we need for achievement, and they have been put in our lives as the means of producing the gifts and qualities for which we have been praying so long. We pray for patience for many years, and when something begins to test us beyond our endurance, we run from it. We try to avoid it, we see it as some insurmountable obstacle to our desired goal, and we believe that if it was removed, we would experience immediate deliverance and victory.

This is not true! We would simply see the temptations to be impatient end. This would not be patience. The only way genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seem so unbearable today.

Turn from your running and submit….There is nothing in your life that distresses or concerns you that cannot become submissive to the highest purpose. Remember they are God’s mountains. He puts them there for a reason, and we know He will never fail to keep His promise.

I don’t know what this year will hold. We have prayed and discussed and planned and done everything we can think of to make this year better. But we’re still a family of fallen, broken sinners, so struggles will come. We will pray to be stronger people and live on the grace He gives everyday. We will cling to the hope that He is doing something great in our lives and that one day we will see the benefit of our struggles.

Never pray for an easier life – pray to be a stronger person! Never pray for tasks equal to your power – pray for power equal to your tasks. Then doing your work will be no miracle – you will be the miracle.

We must remember that Christ will not lead us to greatness through an easy or self-indulgent life. An easy life does not lift us up but only takes us down. Heaven is always above us, and we must continually be looking toward it.

Some people always avoid things that are costly, or things that require self-denial, self-restraint, and self-sacrifice. Yet it is hard work and difficulties that ultimately lead us to greatness, for greatness is not found by walking the moss-covered path laid out for us through the meadow. It is found by being sent to carve out our own path with our own hands.

For today and tomorrow and many days ahead, I will continue to count the gifts He gives. I will count as blessings the beautiful days and the ugly days, the days I wish would never end and the days that cannot end soon enough. Because if the good things are gifts – sunshine and flowers and laughing children – and all things come from God who only gives good gifts, then aren’t the days full of tears and broken arms and broken hearts gifts too? Not because we are supposed to be all happy-Pollyanna about those hard things, but because of what God can do in our life if we will only submit to those trials. As I look back, I am lying if I don’t say that it is the ugliest, darkest seasons of my life that have worked out the greatest beauty. No, I don’t want them there, but my Jesus He did something amazing with those years and I wouldn’t know Him like I do, wouldn’t love Him like I do, if He hadn’t walked with me down those paths. And He continues to do something amazing with these broken years. Years where I struggle to lead and mother and love well and I fall into bed each night, feeling like I could have – should have – done more. And yet, He’s always there to pick me up, hold me close, and whisper truth into my heart. There’s something amazing about the grace that picks you up out of the mud and makes you clean and beautiful and lovely and once you’ve experienced it, you can never give thanks enough.

1984. Olympic watching with friends

1985. laughing hard

1986. four and one half hours of sleep

1987. coffee to get me moving

1988. time in the Word to get me focused

1989. long lasting rain

1990. all asleep by 8:45 last night

1991. candles flickering

1992. morning coffee (again)

1993. all these feelings of failing, inadequacy

1994. my God who carries me

1995. a twelve year old today