Motherhood

When School Starts

"The mother is the hub of the home, holding all the spokes in place. Without her being at her post, the family spins out of control and falls apart.” Mark Chanski

When school starts, do you find that it gets more difficult to “hold all the spokes in place”? I sure do.

On a typical day I must get my son, Andrew, out the door for school (with homework, lunch and back-pack), clean up from breakfast, homeschool my two younger boys, pay the bills, drive to an afternoon activity, get home in time to meet Andrew and help him with homework, prepare dinner for my family and a guest, do dishes, catch up on laundry and finally clean up my house which looks like it has been visited by a tornado.

Just another ordinary day in the life of a mom. But so often, I go through these ordinary days far more aware of what I am giving than whom I am serving.

I need my gaze lifted beyond my daily duties to my eternal mission as a mother. In his book, Womanly Dominion, Mr. Chanski brings us encouragement right where we need it:

“There she sits exhausted on the edge of her bed, her face in her hands, wondering, “Where's the glory in this?”

She needs something more empowering to keep her going.

She needs to gain and maintain the deep conviction of the glory, honor, and nobility of selfless service. This she finds at the foot of the cross, looking up to the One who earned for Himself “the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9), by “emptying Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (2:7), humbling “Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (2:8). There she beholds her Savior who mopped up the damning vomit of her own sin with the precious sponge of His perfect life and atoning death. The love of Christ constrains and compels her to press on (2 Corinthians 5:14). The Spirit of Christ empowers her” (pp. 120-121, emphasis mine).

Are you having a hard time being “the hub” today? Then "fix your eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2-3), ask Him for help and strength, and thank Him for the honor of being a mother.

--from the archives

The phone rang…

...last Thursday at around four o'clock. I didn't recognize the number, so I didn't answer.

The person hung up and called right back. I still didn't answer, so she left a voice mail. I listened to the message and it was our family coordinator from the adoption agency. She didn't say why she was calling and that could only mean one thing. I called her right back. "We have your referral" she said, "Would you like to get your husband on the phone so I can tell you together?" I patched Steve in, my fingers shaking as I dialed the number. Then she told us about a sweet pair of siblings--a boy age 6 and a girl age 2. I couldn't believe this was happening. I thought it would be many months before we received this phone call. "I'm sending you pictures" she told us. We hung up and Steve drove straight home so we could see our new kids for the first time, together. I wept while I waited. Happy tears.

The email took a few minutes to come through and I sat there clicking "Send/Receive" like a kid who won't stop pressing the elevator button. "That won't make it come any faster" Steve reminded me. "I know." I told him, but I didn't stop.

The first moment we saw our new children was indescribable. Like the moment they place your newborn in your arm. Elation and wonder at this precious life. Only difference is, I'm still waiting to hold them. I can hardly wait. They are so beautiful. Such a gift from God.

We called Jack and Tori to join us, and they were thrilled to finally see their new brother and sister. We couldn't have planned their ages more perfectly if we tried: eight, six, four, and two. All the waiting to get pregnant after Jack and Tori was God making space in our family for these precious children. 

We don't know exactly when we can bring them home. The Ethiopian courts are closed right now and won't reopen again for another month or so. Then we will get assigned a court date and after that we must pass embassy. We are hoping and praying we can bring them home some time in January, Lord willing.

The waiting is both sweeter and harder now. Sweeter because I can now look at my children's pictures (which I do about every five minutes). Harder because I can only look; and not see and hold and tell them how much I love them.

(I wish we could show you their beautiful faces today but that will have to wait until we pass court and they are legally our children.)

The morning after we received the best phone call ever, I opened my Bible and my eyes fell on these verses:

"May the Lord give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth." Ps. 115:14-15.

"Behind the gift is the Giver" says Derek Kidner "and the psalms response is altogether positive: praise here and praise now, in the place and time He has allotted us; praise, moreover (we may take it), in the way we handle this heritage, not only in the way we sing about it."

We are praising God today, in this place and time. And we pray our Savior will give us much grace to glorify him with our heritage--as we seek to love and raise our children in the ways of the Lord.

Thanks to each one of you for your prayers and encouragement. Please pray that by God's grace we can bring our little boy and girl home quickly. And if you'd like to follow more detailed updates you can check out our humble little adoption blog.

“Motherhood is Application”

You've gotta read this latest article by Rachel Jankovic on motherhood. Excellent!

Mothering is a job that is full of difficult moments. Diapers blow out in stores when you have too much in your cart to just walk out. Sudden carsickness can leave you pulled over on the side of the road wondering just how much can be done with half a bag of wet wipes. You need to take what you believe and apply it to these difficult moments. Does the Bible teach us that God is disgusted by our frailty? That he doesn’t want to carry our burdens? That he doesn’t have the energy to deal with us?

The good news is, you don’t need to have been through some elite mother’s training camp to apply the gospel in your life. You need to believe. Trust God, give thanks. Laugh. Believe — and that will feed your children. Rest in God, and your children will learn to. Extend God’s kindness to you, to them. Forgive them the way God forgave you. You have everything you need to spiritually nourish your children, because you have Christ.

The Gospel for Busy Moms

How do busy moms preach the gospel to themselves with the constant demands of caring for young children? How do we find time to meditate on the gospel when we need 45 minutes to do what it takes others 15?

Here are a few suggestions (nothing new here!) but we hope they give you some ways to get started (or re-started)!

Six Ideas for Preaching the Gospel to Yourself (for busy moms)

1. Take 15 minutes a day to read and re-read chapters from books on the gospel. The Discipline of Grace and The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper, Living the Cross Centered Life by Dad, and books by Charles Spurgeon--all are great places to start.

2. Listen to Scripture throughout the day.

3. Listen to sermons online from your local church and biblical teachers. Even if it takes you a week to get through one sermon, you’ll benefit from the little bit you hear each day.

4. Memorize gospel Scriptures and gospel truths.

5. Write one gospel Scripture on a note card and post it where you’ll see it often or carry it in your pocket for review throughout the day.

6. Listen to gospel-centered music.

(from the archives)

Motherhood is a Calling

A wonderful article for mothers today from Rachel Jankovic: 

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Read the entire article here.

A Joy Road

--from the archives

To paraphrase the first magnificent answer of the Shorter Catechism: A mother’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. And isn't it interesting to note, as J. I. Packer points out in his new book, Praying the Lord's Prayer, that this doctrinal statement uses the word "'end,' not 'ends,' for the two activities [glorifying and enjoying God] are one." Dr. Packer continues:

God's chief end, purposed in all that he does, is his glory, and he has so made us that we find our own deepest fulfillment and highest joy in hallowing his name by praise, submission, and service.

Christians get so hung up with the pagan idea (very dishonoring to God, incidentally) that God¹s will is always unpleasant, so that one is rather a martyr to be doing it, that they hardly at first notice how their experience verifies the truth that in Christian living duty and delight go together. But they do! And this will be even clearer in the life to come. To give oneself to hallowing God's name as one's life-task means that living, though never a joyride, will become increasingly a joy road.

In other words, as we continue "lub-dubbing" along (I love that expression!) and learning contentment as mothers for the glory of God, caring for our children will increasingly become a joyful experience. That doesn't mean it will be easy or a "joyride" as Dr. Packer says. But if our highest fulfillment is found in worshipping and obeying God, then motherhood will undoubtedly be a "joy road." And if this is what God has called us to, then there is no other road we would rather be on.

Part of the Plan

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life.  Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan.  Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait.  No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait.  God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me.  By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires.  Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom.  And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands" (emphasis mine).  Paul Tripp

Our Adoption Journey Pt. 2

We're still waiting for the phone call that we are going to be parents again. In the meantime, I'll bring you up to the present in our adoption story.

For us, adoption was actually an easy decision. Once we determined that our desire for more children was from the Lord--but that it wasn't wise for me to give birth to more children--adoption was simply the next step.

Within days of beginning to pray about adopting, several women separately came to us and told us they had been praying for us of late and wondered how they could pray more specifically. Their kindness was yet another reminder of God's personal care for our little, but expanding, family.

We continued to seek counsel from family and close friends in our church--all of whom were very supportive and excited for us to pursue adoption. But once we had decided to adopt, there were a whole host of other decisions to be made: domestic or international, agency or private, boy or girl, infant or toddler or school age child? So we widened our circle of counselors, contacting friends near and far who had adopted or who had some connection to adoption.

Janelle first threw out the idea of adopting kids close to Jack and Tori's age and the more we thought about it the more excited we became. Having all our kids close in age would allow us to do things together as a family instead of our attention being divided between older and younger children.

As we asked around, one particular international adoption agency kept coming up. Everyone had wonderful things to say about their love for God, heart for orphans, and commitment to integrity. We concluded this was the right agency for us.

On a getaway for our tenth anniversary we got the first of what we hope will be several more happy phone calls: we had been accepted by the agency and were beginning our adoption journey. We couldn't have received a better anniversary gift.

When we reviewed the countries available through this adoption agency, we first thought that one Asian country in particular was the best fit, but after a few months it became clear that there were some practical hurdles for us--specifically the uncertainty of being able to adopt two older children at the same time. Our contact at the adoption agency confirmed what we had already begun to think, that we should pray about switching to Ethiopia. "Take the weekend to pray" she encouraged us.

In God's kind providence, we had already invited dear friends over to lunch, along with their four children whom they had recently adopted from Ethiopia. When we planned the lunch, we didn't know we would be considering a change in countries. But God knew.

Our friends' wise counsel, and their beautiful, joyful, children only served to increase our faith and desire. And the strong support from our families provided further encouragement and confirmation. We applied for the Ethiopia program, and began the paper-chase.

So that brings us to the present. Waiting. I sit each morning in my blue chair to meet with God and I see our family picture on the wall across the room. I try to imagine two new faces there. God-willing, soon.

Mission Motherhood

Rachel Jankovic--a wife and mother of five little ones--has a must-read post for mothers at the Desiring God blog today:

If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

My fellow moms, we need to read and re-read articles like this every week to help us keep the gospel in view. Read the whole thing here.

Bible Memory Aids

We wanted to pass on a few more of the resources for helping kids (and adults) memorize Scripture that were often mentioned in our contest entries this past week:

Desiring God Foundation Verse Pack

Fighter Verses
(did you know there is also a Fighter Verses app?)

My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt

(at least today the Kindle version is only 99 cents!)

Hide the Word by Mark Altrogge

Colin Buchanan
(a favorite from our Aussie frends)

Hide 'Em In Your Heart by Steve Green

Word of Promise Audio Bible

ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible

Bible.is (in ESV)
(a free app which includes audio)

Seeds of Character Winners

You all make these contests absolutely impossible--it is so difficult to choose from all the great ideas!  I am so provoked and encouraged by the creative and intentional ways that so many of you are teaching your children to memorize Scripture. Here are the ten winners of the new Seeds of Character album. Congratulations! Thanks Seeds Family Worship and thanks to all of you.

Cathy DeVinney

I own a set of Crayola Window Crayons.  I use them to write Scripture on the bathroom mirror for my 6 and 8 year old daughters.  The girls learn them while they brush their teeth.  My son is 3, and I write verses on his bedroom mirror to learn while we help him get ready each morning and night.  They love requesting certain colors and little pictures next to their verses.  It's easy to Windex off and start again when they are ready for more.  Just a hint--use the fan in the bathroom during bath time or the crayon runs from the humidity!

Kim Schmidt

We memorize verses together as a family by saying a verse before each meal. The verses are on flip charts. Once everyone knows a particular verse, we flip the chart and start working on the next one. We've been doing this for several years and have worked through hundreds of verses. It has become so ingrained in us that we do it no matter where we are-- at home, a restaurant, or a friend's house. Say a verse, pray, and then eat. That's the routine, three times a day. My boys are 6, 4, and 1. The oldest has done this since he was 2 years old. My second started participating by the time he was 2 as well. And the baby will soon, I'm sure, because it's just "what we do"!

Mia Nichols

To help my children memorize scripture, I write it in chalk on our driveway.  Then we play "Bible jump" where they jump onto each word as they say it out loud.  Once they have it memorized, they hop on the words out of sequence and try to recite it from there.  This is working out well with my kindergartener who is reading but also with my younger 2 who memorize the verses by hearing and imitating their older brother.

Laura Reich

One of the ways we help our children learn Scripture is with bean bags. We toss the bean bag back and forth while repeating the scripture. The repetition of the tossing seems to help them remember the words.

Amanda Welton

I made the kids a Scripture memory book on one of those photo websites, like a photo book but with verses we want them to learn and fun pictures and backgrounds.  They love having a book with their picture on it and then opening it to practice their verses (or pick out a new one to learn).

Jen Patterson

My boys (3 and 2) LOVE to watch themselves on video - so often I will have them "perform" their memory verse for the camera, and we'll send it out to family and friends or post it to facebook...they think that's pretty cool and it inspires them to recite Truth with passion!

Heather Smith

Each morning after breakfast, we review the passage that we are working on memorizing.  When we review it, I allow my 2 daughters (ages 6 and 4) to stand on their chairs.  This is the only time of the day that this is permitted, and they think it quite fun to do that while quoting their verses! So far, no one has gotten hurt . . .  although it is definitely risky when we use actions or hand motions to go along with the verses because they can be very animated!  In the past year the girls have memorized almost all of Exodus 20 with hand motions to help them remember the 10 commandments.

Fiona Thoms

To memorize scripture i print out a verse or two on plain paper.  I cut up the paper into single words or phrases and put each one into a coloured envelope.  the envelopes have numbers on them.  i then hang the envelopes on a piece of string that is strung across the dining room window. each morning at breakfast one of the kids gets to open the envelope and peg the words onto the string.  we learn the verse word by word/phrase by phrase.

Liz Wetherston

The verses I know best are the ones my mum put on the back of the toilet door growing up. In light of that I've put some verses on the wall next to the change table - so every nappy change is an opportunity to learn our verses! (to our great advantage my 2 y/o started speaking well at 16 months, so I'd say most of the verse and she'd fill in missing words and we've built on that). I intend to move them to the bathroom door when potty training!

Abby Prescott

One fun way that I help my children memorize longer portions of Scripture is by making a cd for them to listen to at bedtime. I record myself (using garage band on the computer) reading the Scripture passage with a soft background instrumental track. Usually each cd will also have a few songs relating to the Scripture passage as well played in between each time the Scripture is read.  By the time they've finished the cd (although usually some are asleep before then!) they will have heard it 5 or 6 times. This is the way mine have memorized Philippians 2 and the Christmas passage in Luke this past year.

Seeds of Character Blog Tour (and Giveaway!)

So I'm starting to make summer plans for my boys--at least, as much as I can with six month old baby Claire--and one of my goals is to help my kids make progress in Scripture memory. That's why I'm such a big fan of Seeds Family Worship. They take key verses for kids, and set them to music that is easy on this mom's ears and gets my boys singing Scripture at the top of their lungs. What could be better?

As a matter a fact, it does get better, because Seeds Family Worship has just released a new cd, Seeds of Character, and they have begun using the English Standard Version of the Bible. Now my boys can memorize the songs using the same version they read each day and hear each Sunday. Yeah!

We here at girltalk are excited to be the last stop on a blog tour to introduce the new Seeds of Character album. This means we get to premier one of the songs from the new album in a special video, recorded just for us. Our song is "Children and Fathers" and it is from some oft-repeated verses in the Chesemore house, Ephesians 6:1-4 (you know what it says!).



Here's the lineup for the new cd: 

  1. More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:37)
  2. The Wages and The Gift (Romans 3:23 & 6:23)
  3. The Life (John 14:6, 1 John 5:11-12)
  4. The Fruit (Galatians 5:16 & 22)
  5. Delight (Psalm 1)
  6. Teach Them (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
  7. The Perfect Example (John 13:12-17)
  8. Children and Fathers (Ephesians 6:1-4)
  9. Put On Love (Colossians 3:12 & 14a)
  10. The Character Song (Romans 5:1-5)
  11. Give Thanks (Psalm 105:1-5)
  12. The Only Way (The New Testament Song) [all the books of the NT]

We have TEN copies of the new Seeds of Character cd to give away. So contact us and tell us one way that you help your kids to memorize Scripture. The contest will end by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning (June 1) and we'll pick the winners and post their ideas on the blog later in the day.

To purchase Seeds of Character or any of the Seeds albums, please visit their website.

Because seriously, how can you improve on Scripture for your kid's summer soundtrack?

Lean Back and Be Content

-from the archives by Janelle

Recently, my sweet 2-year-old misplaced her desire to sleep through the night. Mommy has been hard at work helping her to find that desire again. But it’s meant little sleep for Mommy at night and long days of wanting to crawl into the nearest bed. Mix in a rather nasty cold for the two-year-old and some pregnancy hormones for Mommy and I will leave the rest to your imagination.

But you know what? This tiny trial has forced me to draw near to God. And just as it tells me in His Word, He has been faithful to draw near to me (James 4:8). He has been reminding me of His sovereignty and love. This situation didn’t catch Him by surprise and it is the BEST for my girl and me. Sweet comfort!

So no matter where you find yourself today—in a trial big or tiny. Remember, the Lord isn’t surprised and He has PROMISED to work for your good in all things (Rom. 8:28).

These words from J. C. Ryle have brought me much encouragement:

“Reader, if God has given you His only begotten Son, beware of doubting His kindness and love, in any painful providence of your daily life! Never allow yourself to think hard thoughts of God. Never suppose that He can give you anything which is not really for your good. Remember the words of Paul: ‘He who spared not His own Son—but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things’ (Romans 8:32).

See in every sorrow and trouble of your earthly pilgrimage the hand of Him who gave Christ to die for your sins! That hand can never smite you except in love! He who gave His only begotten Son for you, will never withhold anything from you which is really for your good. Lean back on this thought and be content. Say to yourself in the darkest hour of trial, ‘This also is ordered by Him who gave Christ to die for my sins. It cannot be wrong. It is done in love. It must be well.’"

Celebrating Mothers

I know, I know, we did that yesterday, right? But let me beg your indulgence one more day, because there was a post last week we didn't want you to miss. Kevin DeYoung issued a humble challenge to Christian colleges and their alumni magazines:

"[R]oughly half of the graduates of Christian colleges are mothers. Close to 60% of the graduates are women and most them will get married and have children, many of them as their primary vocation for a long season of their lives....I’m wondering why the calling lived out by more graduates than any other calling is so infrequently celebrated?

So here’s my challenge: let me know if you’ve seen an alumni magazine from a Christian college that spotlights mothers, not mothers who also dance in the ballet and spin centrifuges, but mothers who are “just” mothers.

And a bonus challenge, this one for our fine Christian colleges: we’d love to see how proud you are of the half of your graduates putting their education to good use by helping their husbands, raising kids, serving in the church, and doing a hundred other amazing things that don’t look impressive to most people but should look impressive to us." (bold emphasis mine)

It's worth the ninety seconds it would take to forward Kevin’s post to your alma mater. But perhaps a more important response lies closer to home.

Let’s consider: what do we think about mothers who are “just” mothers? Are we proud of them? Do we spotlight and celebrate them? Do we want to be one?

If you are “just” a mother, what do you think about your calling? Do you think you are putting your education to good use wiping runny noses and dirty bottoms, combing tangles and climbing over toys, picking up after your husband and putting down your baby for a nap, creating crafts for your church’s children’s ministry and having new folks over for Sunday lunch?

To ask it another way: Who do we admire and applaud--the woman who is extraordinarily gifted or the woman who is extraordinarily faithful? As Christians, what doesn’t look impressive to most people should look very impressive to us.

Does it to you?

A Special Mother’s Day Gift

Erica Sunshine Owen wanted to give her mom, Jodie, a special gift for Mother's Day. She wanted to give her "the gift of reminding her of the great grace of the gospel." So Erica wrote her a letter. And she kindly sent it to us, to share with all of you: "I thought some of your readers probably struggle with the same things and could possibly be encouraged by our testimony." (I suggest you have some tissues handy as you read this beautiful letter!) Thank you Erica for this wonderful gift. Happy Mother's Day to you and your mom.



Mom,

Thirty-five years ago you were celebrating your first Mother's Day as a brand new mom - a single mom, just turned nineteen. You had been through a difficult 9 months of loneliness and broken promises. And then you held me. You said that was the first happiness you had experienced in some time and you named me "Sunshine" hoping for brighter days ahead.

As a mom myself now, I discover more each year how difficult an accomplishment that was. Going through labor and delivery alone, having the huge hospital bill to pay off (I don't think you had insurance), and barely having time to recover physically before going back to work long hours on your feet to support me. And that was just the beginning.

There were your dreams for more education that had to be put on hold. I remember when I was in elementary school and you told me you were going to start taking classes toward a college degree. You even got nice new shoes you could wear to class that weren't nasty from the factory where you worked. I also remember the sad night our car broke down in the rain and you had to walk in those nice new shoes to get help for us. I sat in the car and cried for you knowing the shoes were ruined and that there would now be car repair bills which would probably put your education on hold even longer.

I was the only kid in my public school class from a single-parent home. It wasn't commonplace then, and we were looked down on. You didn't have time to volunteer in the school and get to know the teachers. You told me anything I accomplished would be through hard work and talent since I wouldn't get any breaks like other kids with moms on the PTA.

You sat alone at school plays and concerts and recitals. I know that was hard for you. I can see why you often sat there with tears in your eyes. I'm sure some of the tears were the tears of a proud parent watching her growing child, but I also know there were tears because you didn't have anyone with whom to share those times.

We lived in an apartment - a public housing apartment - when my other friends lived in nice houses. But you didn't baby me to compensate for the lack of things. It was reality, and you helped me deal with it the best you could.

We went through some really hard things too painful to mention here. But for years now, when I look back at everything, I have seen the hand of a gracious God.  Even in the hard times, He kept them from being as hard as they could have been. And He gave me to you and you to me which was just what we needed. I needed a single mom who was the toughest, most hard-working and determined woman I've ever known. That toughness and determination made your love for me a priority when it would've been easy to collapse under all the burdens you were bearing. And I was loved. There was no doubt about that.

But His grace is most evident when, as a thirty-four year old woman, you bowed your knee to Him and called on Him to save you. I remember that, too. And oh how our lives changed! There was hope, peace, purpose, and joy where there hadn't been. Yes, our God is mighty to save and abundant in mercy! And that theme had been woven through our lives from the beginning though we weren't aware of it. What a gracious God we have.

So today I want to say, as I've told you many times, how thankful I am that God made YOU my mom. I have learned so much from you. I am so proud of what He has allowed you to accomplish. Those public housing apartments we lived in? You've been the Executive Director of public assisted housing for years now. That Associates degree you were trying to start when I was in elementary school? You just completed your MBA last month. And the daughter you worried about turning out right because of the “baggage” and “wrong” home life? She’s happily satisfied in God and serving Him, married to a godly pastor, and has been blessed with three precious gifts from above. Grace upon grace.

I know you are a private person and are probably slightly annoyed that I've written this for others to read. But our story is the story of many others like us. And it's one that shouts of God's pursuit of His children in unlikely places and in unlikely ways. He sought us and never gave up on us. He loved us, and saved us, and forgave us, and we are HIS! "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)

Rejoice today, Mom, in sins forgiven and abundant grace that's yours! Rejoice in the work of our Savior doing for us what we could not do for ourselves! And rejoice that He has used the mess that was our lives and made His grace shine all the brighter BECAUSE OF the mess. Only God can do things like that!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I'm rejoicing together with you and because of God's work in you.

With much love,

Erica Sunshine