What is in a Name?

I had good intentions of posting all about an art project I am working on with my girls to create original canvas art that represents their unique personalities. But…that post will have to wait for another day.

Last Wednesday night at church we talked about the different names of God. During one of our breakout sessions we looked in books to discover what each of our children’s names meant. I had done this in the past for my older two girls.

Taylor my oldest represents a “tailor”. She doesn’t like this at all. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it really suits her. She is a girl that is truly gifted at creating beautiful things. It doesn’t matter if it is words on paper, drawing, crafting or making music. I think her name represents her very well.

My middle daughter is Madelyn. Her name represents the Woman of Magdala, otherwise known as Mary Magdalene.  My Madelyn is my little prayer warrior that has a stronger relationship with the Lord at 9 than I did at 29.

So then we came to our little one, Nadia. Her name means Hope. Her middle name is Grace. When I read this in the book, I almost laughed. I think I need to give you a little background on this little one.

She could be the strong-willed child that Dr. Dobson wrote the book about. She has a huge heart and is always making us cards and love notes. She is one of those kids that is always telling us she loves us and giving us hugs and kisses. She is super shy at school and as smart as a whip. But she is very, very stubborn. She likes to be the ruler of the house and we can have a world war any second around here.

To be honest, as a mother, lately I have been at my wits end. In fact, my husband and I have been taking turns getting her ready for school most days because it can be such a battle.

So to read that her name meant hope, well, it gave me some as her mother. And to think that her middle name is Grace. Made me think a lot about how I need to give her a little when she is driving me crazy. (I do have to remind myself often that she is 6). At night my Madelyn has been praying for her to find peace.

I don’t have a lot of wisdom to share when it comes to a strong willed child. Honestly we are just trying to get through it and hope she grows out of this little phase, (and placing an online order for seamless socks with overnight shipping).

Are you a mom that is dealing with a strong willed child? How do you do it everyday?

 

Posted in Encourage | 17 Comments

My Dear One

Feburary is right around the corner and with it an emphasis on L-O-V-E. As the mother of young girls, I want nothing more than for them to embrace this.

 

Since we live in a culture that promotes worldly love, I invite all of you to read the message with your daughters. I wish I knew where I could buy it because I would love nothing more than for it to be reinforced daily. Then, for those with tweens on up, grab a starbucks or hot chocolate and chat with them about 1) how this hits them, 2) their real life struggles in living it out, 3) what qualities they see as important in a future spouse, 4) what qualities you pray their future spouse has, 5) their biggest question about boy/girl relationships, 5) their biggest weaknesses when it comes to boys, 6) and a unique gift/idea that will symbolize this discussion and prompt a “God first, right boy second” message when they see it.

We can’t shy away and pray that our girls make good choices. They are living in the thick of a culture that bombards them with messages contrary to God’s heart. So, have a beautiful discussion…continue having them…and know that if you expose them to Perfect Love now they will be more likely to choose Godly character in an earthly man later.

I’m be praying for each and every one of you :)

Posted in Character, Encourage, Inspire, Purity, uncategorized | 11 Comments

This One Thing

“All of us have things we are going to do.

All of us have things we want to do.

But what is the thing you must do?”

Andy Stanley, This One Thing

Last weekend my dishwasher flooded.  It was a disaster.  I had big plans of writing and napping all afternoon while my girls were out with daddy.  Instead I spent that time rewashing every dish and mopping my kitchen floor.

While grabbing my mop bucket, I happened to remember a friend and mentor had sent me a link to a message by Andy Stanley of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta called “This One Thing”.  I decided to listen to it while cleaning up the kitchen.  God ended up using it to clean out mind of all the clutter that had been living there.  He spoke to my heart.  He said…

You are doing a great work here.  Do not come down off the wall for any reason.

If you have 45 minutes this week – while cleaning your kitchen, driving to pick up your kids, or in the wee hours of the morning while drinking your coffee -  can I encourage you to listen to this message?  It will greatly bless – I promise.

This One Thing, by Andy Stanley

{If you do listen, I’d love for you to come back and tell me what you thought.}

 

Posted in Character, Encourage, Inspire, Resources | 6 Comments

Intentions and Joy

Last year, my “one word” was intentional.  Part of that of course, meant being intentional in my parenting … well, let’s be honest, most of the word was geared toward my parenting!  To that extent, on New Year’s Eve 2010, I sat down with my girls and had them reflect on the past year and also think about the upcoming year … with intentionality.

We thought about and “assigned” a scripture, and talked about goals for each of them for 2011.  I had prints made of their verses and keep them in close view as a daily reminder.  Truth be told, some crazy life events happened last year and all my “intentionality” didn’t go quite the way I’d intended.

Even though the execution didn’t go quite as planned, I loved the premise and the girls loved it too.  So at the beginning of this year I decided to give it another go!

What I’m doing differently this year?  I’m praying over their 2012 goals and verses.  Last year, I closed the notebook and lost it.  Literally.  I couldn’t find it this year.  I had to print my post from last year.  This year, I keep the notebook right with my Bible and each morning I pray over one of the girls, their goals, and how their scripture will impact their life.

Anyway.

Our lives are still turned upside down, but if I can stay focused on my own goals for the girls and be prayerful {how did I miss that last year!?} over their goals, I believe God will be faithful to us and breathe life into our intentions.

Another thing I’m doing with the girls that might encourage you … not only am I joining up with Ann this year for the Joy Dare, but I’m having my girls join too.

Ann says this:

Take the the Joy Dare. Isn’t that what Aristotle said– “We are what we repeatedly do.”

Then Christianity isn’t an act — but our faith is expressed only in our habits.

A habit of not complaining, but the habit of giving thanks; the habit of not worrying, but a habit worshipping. The habit of repeatedly giving God praise that our lives might become a prayer. Small is always the leverage of large. It’s one moment after the other, the small moments that turn a life. It’s the small actions that can change a life.

It’s habits that can imprison you and it’s habits that can free you and when thanks to God becomes a habit, so joy in God becomes your life.

Not only do I have this exact {deep} desire for myself … I have it for my girls as well.  I believe it’s oh-so-important for this young generation to take hold of this habit and begin to experience a continuous life of “joy in God.”

Posted in Encourage, Inspire | 4 Comments

When God Hides You

We swapped talents. I rolled up my sleeves, moved furniture, created files and made labels. She pulled out her stopwatch, recorded splits and weekly re-calibrated my plan to match my goal. I organized and she coached. She needed simplicity and I wanted to win a race.

That summer training pushed my physical limits to capacity. Each day I was more tired than the last. Muscles I didn’t know I had found themselves tested, and torn. In the afternoon hours, I ached and creaked only to get up the next day and do it all over again. And again. My body learned the rhythm of reach and rest.

My now-season of motherhood parallels that summer time. Four kids in two years, recovering a collective 15+ years of fatherlessness. Adoption made family addition more like multiplication for us. I’m a step away from training bras with my girls but I only just got my feet wet with infant hearts. We are full — seams bursting with life and pain and tears and beauty. I sink into my bed at night.

And there is a whisper that’s emerged from this season that I’m beginning to realize is the anthem of the underground railroad of motherhood. No one could understand.

I thought it was just me, until I started taking a sort of poll. The outfit changes from person to person, but the underlying sense is the same. Women stretched — taut — in different directions for different reasons who share the allure of yet another great lie (because His counsel is uncovering many lies I’ve believed), all who stand at the foot of opportunity.

“No one could understand” is a doorway.

Could it be that our daily ins-and-outs are not misunderstood, but hidden? Could it be that what we call empty is in fact holy?

Motherhood may be one of many seemingly sidelined times during which the world witnesses the glory of another so that our beauty is unveiled to only One.

We were made to be understood. We were created to have another peer into our private moments and validate where due, or gently guide where there’s lack. We were made to be known. To have another revel in our quirky beauty — or marvel at the still, subtle “yes” we give to Him when no one’s looking — is not a vain desire. Just like my little girls, I was made to be delighted in, by one who sees all of me yet still chooses to enjoy.

But the real question is by whom and when?

My cup is full to overflowing with a husband who walks tenderly beside me and priceless girlfriends who know and love my heart well, but the need to be understood stretches beyond what they could ever offer.

Because it was meant to. 

The longing is unto something. It creates a space to receive new aspects of God our constantly-filled-up selves couldn’t otherwise.

In the kingdom of God, hiddenness puts my name in will-call. I’m in. Hidden from the world, but known by Him. He invites me by covering me. Layman’s eyes may miss it, but His catch every single mommy-detail. That time my heart chose patience when circumstances begged frustration. The look she gave that said “you are safe” after months of kissing that same cheek with that same prayer. He saw the tears I fought back over laundry wondering if my mundane details could be won. The day I thought I couldn’t go another minute with all of their needs, at noon, but made it to seven when they slept — I found joy in those hours. And He saw them. All of them. He saw every one.

We crave understanding but mislabel hiddenness as toil, when it comes. We can’t wrap our minds around the fact that we can be both understood and hidden. We seek friends at the wrong times or find “outlets” that don’t actually lift us up and out to avoid the very remedy for our heart ache. Misunderstanding is a ticket to divine conversation. To relationship. To intimacy with the God-Man whose eye is on our every minute. The enemy of our hearts works around the clock to keep us away from that perspective of Him and away from those in-the-middle-of-life conversations.

But Mamas, these are our best days yet. We are not unknown; we are preserved.

He has saved us for Himself.

 

*Photography by Mandie Joy

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