Hi Friends, Happy Mother’s Day week! I once saw a video where a woman shared “one simple tip to keeping your home spotless”. In the next scene, she ushers her children and husband out the front door, and closes it behind them. Brilliant! We chuckle at memes like this because of the seed of truth underneath them. There is so much pressure on mothers, self-imposed and otherwise, to do it all—keep a perfect home, advance her career, remember all the milestones, volunteer at all the things. We read the million parenting books, pulling from each one, hoping not to mess up our kids all the while knowing we will miss the mark. It has me wondering: what does God want in a mother? As the only person in the world who chose His own family, who did He choose? You might think He would choose to be child 2 or 3 in the family. Let them work out their parenting style on someone else first. Maybe He’d choose a well respected family line: one with generational wealth and respectability. But He chose Mary—a young girl with no experience in having a family. Too young to have much experience in anything, really. But there is one thing she had: Mary had a heart fully surrendered to God. God chose the woman who said, “Be it unto me according to Your word” to raise the Man who would say, “Not My will but Yours be done”. It is not wealth or opportunity or comforts that are ideal conditions in which to raise a child. Perhaps the most important environment is one of surrender. Maybe preparing our children for their future has less to do with getting them in front of all the right STEM curriculums or in the perfect sports leagues. Maybe it’s not agonizing over exposing them to the right Bible teachings at the right time. Maybe our greatest gift to our children is raising them in a home where we face the future with our eyes on Jesus and our hands wide open. I’m aware, even as I re-read these words, that I’m not one who can speak out of authority on this. There are miles between where I am and where I hope to be. Lord, help me to live in open-hearted surrender. Help me to trust You in all things. Let all my life say, “Be it unto me according to Your word”. –Anna |
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, In bold below is the chorus of a song I wrote with friends a few years ago. Below that are a few thoughts. Jesus, Oh my BrotherI love You more than everFrom the cross Your love is carrying me now There are moments of grief and uncertainty in life where time seems to slow to a crawl. This is when we most need Jesus our Brother. When the door shut behind him, and you didn’t realize it would be for the last time. When the diagnosis comes in, and the ground swims under your feet. When...
Hi Friends,Ever feel utterly helpless when you hear about injustice? Pain, suffering... and the lack of truly helpful solutions can feel like the nail in the coffin of it all. And yet, Jesus. Let’s talk about that.In bold below is a chorus I wrote about this, and below that are a few thoughts. The Lord is good, He is kind, He is just See how He lifts up the poor from the dust See how He sets them on thrones like princes Clothes them in His righteousness Things are not as they seem. So often...
Hi Friends, Shawn and I are back from Mexico, and we are grateful for so many things… the time away, the sunshine, and my amazing parents who dazzled the Blanc boys for a week with crafts and world famous Sloppy Joe’s. (After a childhood’s worth of guesses, I’d say the secret ingredient is oregano, but you can’t ever be too sure…) Something we loved about Puerto Vallarta was watching the intermingling of tourists and local residents. It seemed like a lot of locals would get off work and come...