Tagged: parenting

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 1:14 The suffering of our children changes us.   The last time we saw Mary, she was standing at the foot of the cross, watching a mother’s worst nightmare. Her beloved Son, the Firstborn who made her a mother, was dying. When Jesus saw the mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26-27 But Jesus rose again. He conquered death and all the trauma surrounding it. Mary could… Read More

[caption id="attachment_4106" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!  Psalm 84:3-4[/caption] Be quiet, O heart, O stubborn heart! Cease your troubled thunder.   Hush now, heart, Compose yourself,   Discern the song of silence.   Can you hear the tinkling melody of swallows? The birds are not worried.   Among the olive trees They dance; Upon branches sparkling with diamond raindrops They drink  Water from heaven.   To and fro,  They journey; With songs of gratitude They delight  In the food that is given.   The doves… Read More

Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted. Be still, and know that I am God. Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. -Isaiah 7:4, Psalm 46:10, John 11:40, Psalm 112:7-8 “He will be fine,” said the innkeeper, “Mothers always worry the most.” You don’t know our story, I thought wearily as I set my luggage down. Five hours and three hundred miles earlier I’d been sitting in a parking lot, immobilized. Unable to leave my youngest son behind until I’d made a decision. Would I trust the Lord? After a… Read More

All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed by shame.Psalm 44:15 Like a flood that creeps in overnight, flowing under doors and rising over baseboards, shame has come into our hearts and homes, invading the privacy of our most personal dwelling places. The introduction of smartphones and social media has brought convenience and benefit to our lives. We can now take passport photos on our phones and get them the same day at the local print shop. We can pass 'n play Scrabble with our kids while we wait in line at restaurants and track our Fantasy Football team minute by minute. But smartphones and social media have also made us extremely vulnerable. All this social networking and information at our fingertips has allowed… Read More

@audreycfrank Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NASB). The rubber plant in my dining room is reaching toward the sun this morning. Day after day I have walked past it without noticing. When I brought it home the first day so many years ago, it was a small starter plant that I hoped would grow to fill the immense ceramic pot in which I placed it.… Read More

for David, and myself Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) In the past week, I have Googled everything from sparrow photos, tossed broccoli salad, what causes insomnia, and where to find a halal sheep farm near me. More than revealing my eclectic interests and lifestyle, the ability to search such a wide range of topics in an instant discloses how dependent I have become on going to the internet to answer my questions and provide solutions to daily problems.  On a tough afternoon as I battled anxiety about one of my… Read More

@audreycfrank And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand…' Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. (Genesis 21:16-20, NIV) There is a time in many mothers' lives when, like Hagar, they “sit nearby”, a feeling of helplessness overwhelming them as they watch their children suffer. On… Read More

@audreycfrank “Mommy, come see this! Look at this!”  In her excitement, my young daughter forgets I am driving as she pores over her doll magazine in the backseat, wishing to share everything with me.  “This doll has her own spaceship, Mommy!” she exclaims. “Look! Look!” I peek in the rearview mirror while trying to keep my car safely between the lines on the road. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I find it very difficult to say no to the sweet invitation to join in her delight as she discovers new things. She is a teacher, my beautiful, growing girl. She teaches me about God. In her delight, I behold His. I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer… Read More

According to the dictionary, a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place. Whether you are a mother who only held your child briefly in your womb, a mother who has outlived her children, a mother who is striving alone to raise children in a frightening world, the mothering journey is sacred, holy. We find in Psalm 84 a map for the pilgrimage of motherhood. Upon close examination, we discover that it makes a large circle. Its beginning and end are the same, and one finds herself embarking on this journey from the same place to which she hopes to return at the journey’s end. The pilgrimage of motherhood is all about Trust. Trusting the Lord, dwelling with Him. He is the beginning and end of our… Read More