The Fish Tank

You ARE valued. You ARE valuable. You ARE worthy. You ARE highly favored. You ARE loved. We need YOU. My youngest was taking a bath in my bath tub while I was getting ready for bed. We were chit-chatting about things when he noticed a 3x5 card on my mirror. W: Why do you have that sign on your mirror, Mommy? Me: I need it. It's a good reminder for me. W: Why do you need a reminder that "You have what it takes"? M: Because everyone needs that reminder every now and then. We ALL need a reminder that we add value to this world. We need to be told that we matter. Most of us, including myself, struggle with worth from time-to-time; sometimes all the time. We want to matter. We want to have a positive impact on this world. But, far too often, we instead feel alone, unqualified, and marginalized. We feel like someone else is doing it so no one needs us. We believe the lie that our voice adds nothing. We forget that we are valuable. You are valuable because you ex...

You are worthy. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are destined for greatness. You were made with a purpose and for a plan. You are beautiful. You are highly favored. You. You. You. We like compliments. We enjoy when people tell us how great we are. We check our social media to see how many "likes" our pictures receive. We like to go to church and leave feeling encouraged and good about ourselves, don't we? We are a pretty me-focused society. From toddler-hood on, we are a pretty selfish bunch. We like things to go our way, in our timing, with our plans. Tell us how fantastic we are, and our day is made. When we take a look at the Gospel, at the life of Jesus, we see quite the opposite. No longer is the message me-centered. Instead, it is others-focused. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be serve...

Bathsheba: David's mistress turned wife Deborah: Judge and Prophetess Dinah: Daughter of Jacob Elisabeth: Mother of John the Baptist Eve: The very first woman Leah: Jacob's wife Lois: Timothy's grandmother Lydia: First Christian Convert Mary: Mother of Jesus Mary & Martha: Served Jesus Mary Magdalene: Disciple of Jesus Miriam: Sister to Aaron and Moses; Prophetess Naomi: A Woman of Noble Character Phoebe: Deaconness of the Church Priscilla: Missionary Rebekah: Wife of Isaac; mother of Jacob & Esau Ruth: Left her life to be with her newly widowed mother-in-law; wife to Boaz The Woman at the Well: First Missionary This may just look like a list of names. The list could extend the entire page. There is a story behind each one of these women. A story of value, perseverance, and meaning. A story that was written and propelled by God. These are some of the women of the Bible. I was raised to be a strong woman. I didn't grow up in a feminist househ...

Anyone struggle in the parenting realm? I wish I had the hand-raising emoji. I have a feeling we would all be raising our hands. Like any mom, I struggle in all the things motherhood. Just name a day of the week and I can tell you a struggle. We all struggle as moms. Even if we have our mom-game down, we still have our moments. I could write a ten-page blog about all my struggles. But, for the sake of time, I will only chat about one. When I got pregnant with my first-born, I was getting my Masters degree. I thought I would work forever. I had always worked and liked the feeling of contributing to society and financially to our home. I remember talking to a friend when I was about seven months pregnant. He told me I was going to want to quit after I had the baby. In that moment, I knew for certain he was wrong. And then, my baby was born. I had quite a bit of time off with the way my schedule landed, so I didn't go back to work until he was five months old. I was dreading it (a...

The woman at the well. (John 4) The woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) Five loaves & Two Fish (John 6:1-14) The faith-filled woman who touched his robe (Luke 8:43-48) The thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43) The 12 Disciples (The Gospels) What do all the things and people on the list above have in common? Jesus. Besides Jesus? They are all a small part of a larger story. We are always looking for the big: the big following, the big impact, the viral video or post. Our culture craves the stage. We flock to watch performers do their thing in front of thousands. We watch viral videos along with a few million of our friends. Trends are set based on the Instagram post with the most likes. We feel the need to live in the big while Jesus is calling us to live in the small. Jesus operated in the small spaces. He had a mass following, however, his most miraculous moments were with one person or a small thing. Even the wedding where Jesus turned water to wine (his first mir...

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity Should I be consulted by them at all?" Ezekiel 14:3 I like symbols. For the most part, they bring about good memories. I love a good pumpkin because it stirs in me the longing for cool crisp air, falling leaves, and the holiday season. Each year, my husband and I drag the boys out to the Christmas tree farm in honor of Clark Griswold and chop down our family Christmas tree. I also love to hang my flag outside my home proudly every chance I get. Symbols are useful tools. They evoke emotion and nostalgia. Sometimes symbols bring pain and hurt. The cross is an example of both. You cannot think of the cross without remembering pain. Nor, can you remember the cross and without experiencing such great hope. But, if I get too fixated on the cross, a symbol I hold so dear, I lose sight on the most important part of my faith story: Jesus. It'...