A Privilege

There is a song that I love that we sing many Sunday mornings. It says...

"Take me deeper than my feet would ever wander, where my trust is without borders, and I will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior". 

I think it's easy to feel the emotion in this song and to shout it out. But it wasn't until I was struggling with something hard that these words came to mind and suddenly I realized that by making this my prayer, I asked for this struggle. Maybe that's pushing it a little, but the truth is, to go deeper and be in a place where your trust is truly without borders, you have to walk through something challenging. Something that will allow you to say, not by my strength, but Yours God. Something that stretches us beyond where our feet would lead us. 

I guess my point is that God never promised life here on earth would be easy. He never promised we wouldn't have struggles and hardships. But He does promise to walk beside us and to always be faithful. He promises to never abandon us. He cares so deeply about us and desires for us to surrender control and allow Him to carry us, strengthen us, and refine us to come out the other side stronger than before. So maybe walking through a struggle is a privilege. Because it's in that struggle that we will experience God's faithfulness. His goodness. His grace. 

Psalm 46:10-11

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge."

Fear of Failure

Amelia,
   I think the hardest part of being a mom is the pressure to teach you everything that is right. To show you how to live. How to love. How to be. The pressure to live as an example for you. Because I'm not perfect. Not even close. How I respond to others. How I treat others. Love others. Care for others. You see me and you follow in my footsteps. Its a big responsibility. One that I'm scared of failing at...

   But I'm reminded of this. That if I was perfect, then YOU would be scared to fail. To be human. To learn from your mistakes and have the privilege of building character and endurance. Of learning what is right and wrong and CHOOSING to do right.

    Life is really hard sometimes. It takes every bit of our energy at times. It knocks us down at times. Its a constant state of learning and trying and working harder. And sometimes we fail. Sometimes we endure trials and pain. But it will be okay. And I can tell you that with full confidence because I know the Lord is good. And He will help us. He will cry with us and share our pain. He will take on our burdens and lighten our loads. And that takes away some of the fear of failure. Because even when we do fail, God will redeem it. He will cover it and use it to make us stronger, and He will receive the glory. Don't be afraid to fail. Just seek Him and try your best. And when you do fail, look for the redeeming value of that pain. Because He works everything for the good of those who love Him.

~Mommy