ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
Life can feel so heavy. Whether you are listening to the news, talking to a friend or just living in the midst of your exhausting day to day, there can be a lot to be discouraged about. For me, I am in a transition season at work and have had difficult conversations with my adopted children’s birth parents lately. It has drained me emotionally. If I am honest, some days I can get to the end of my rope. Does that sound at all familiar to any of you?
This new season of life for all of us has brought an array of emotions. Some of us have been anxious with the unknowns of how long this quarantine will last. Some are frustrated at losing their senior year of high school or college. Some don’t know how to manage working from home and doing all the other tasks that include caring for an elderly loved one or teaching their children. There are job losses. Friends and family getting sick. This list is not exhaustive, but there is so much going on in our world right now.
When I say “12 days of Christmas,” my guess is most of you think of a song. If I ask if you know what Epiphany is, would you connect the two? Now, many of you have probably heard the word epiphany used to describe that peak “aha!” moment when a character in a book or play, for example, has a sudden realization that brings all the pieces of the story together to make sense. You may have even used this word yourself when something has clicked into place for you in your mind (I’ve just had an epiphany!).
One of my earliest memories was taking a road trip alone with my father. With his long work hours and my multiple siblings, time alone with my dad was a treasure. I vividly remember him buying me a toy at a truck stop along the way and “showing me off” to the couple that we were visiting. To spend time alone with my dad was a gift. a
When I read in my Bible about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, I imagine crowds of people lining the road, waving palm branches and throwing down their coats. The crowd joyfully praises God for who he is and what he is doing. The kingdom of God has come and the one who brings salvation is here!
A few years ago when I got pregnant with twins, I was so excited at the thought of having not one, but two little ones to love. I thought God was fulfilling my dream of a big family. My two older children are wonderful, but the Lord gave me a desire to grow our family. After seven years of praying for more children, God finally answered me.
