We moved 3.5 hours away to Atlanta right before Christmas. Decorations included the bare tree my oldest was nice enough to put up and sparse decorations my youngest could find. Our gifts to each other we either in Walmart plastic bags or we used the same gift bag numerous times, passing it around after we were done opening our gift. But it was fun, we are happy & healthy and relatively sane so all is well…On Christmas Eve-Eve our youngest yells “We didn’t buy our ornaments this year!” while fighting tears. So, off we go to Hobby Lobby. You know, the place that’s had Christmas decorated since August so on Christmas Eve-Eve they only have FOUR left to choose from 🙄. I digress. So, we found an ornament that we thought each of the children would like, except my youngest. Always a difficult decision maker, she finally selected a princess one, with flowing skirt and teal crown. O

“0h, no! This one is broken. One of her arms is missing,” I said, beginning to put it back on the shelf.

“That’s ok, Mommy! I still love her!” And with that simple statement from a child, I bawled in the middle of Hobby Lobby. For I, too, have deeply loved not-so-perfect people. And you probably have, too. People The World would dismiss, or call a “bother” or difficult. But they are all God’s children, made in His image for His glory. My little guy I love happens to have dyslexia, dysgraphia, closed spina bifida and slow processing disorder. But do I love him any less? NO! God forgive me for almost teaching a very bad lesson – that if it doesn’t look “perfect” it’s discarded. And thanks be to God for the teaching of a child to remind us that imperfections do not merit one unloveable, and we should always, always love the broken.

So many times when we are suffering we look for a reason why, as if knowing why will lessen the burden, somehow. Many times, there is no reason. Babies get cancer, people in their prime drop dead…with no reason except for life being hard and unfair. But in Exodus 20:20 we are given a purpose for (some) suffering: “God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will keep you from sinning.” As I look back over my trials in life, during the worst suffering was the worst temptation. The devil is like that. He waits until we are down to nothing, in the lowest pit, then attacks. He is ruthless. But what if it’s actually reversed? This verse indicates that SUFFERING could be sent to SAVE US from SINNING. And isn’t that what we do when we suffer? Look up, to the One who can rescue us? What if, in God’s loving grace, He can forsee the temptations coming and purposefully sends suffering to turn our necks toward Him – to protect us and redirect us and, ultimately, SAVE us? There are so many mysteries about God’s ways I do not understand, but here it is clear: God will stop at nothing to protect his children. He is such a good, good Father! Praise God for a God who is willing to go in the trenches with us and do the hard stuff to keep us in line!

We are living in limbo. Most of our house is packed up, but we are still living in our residence, so we are not completely done. We WANT to pack it all up and go on, but we can’t yet. It is a hurry up and wait game.

Living as a christian on this earth is like that. Our spirits yearn to go one home, but God says “wait. You’re not going yet”. A lot of times we feel like we, too, are living in limbo. The key is to find the joy here and do as much as we can for the Lord m. This will make a good use of our talents and also make the time pass faster, so that in the end we can hear, “well done, you good and faithful servant!” Don’t give up! Hang in there!!!

This Christmas I did something crazy. I gave my color blind father-in-law those glasses that help correct color blindness. Unlike the videos you see on tv, it actually takes 15 minutes of use before your brain begins to “see” the new vibrations. Even though it is “neat” most color blind people do not wear the glasses full time. Why? They are accustomed to the blindness.

I had a similar experience when I went to correct my “2-D” vision. I have never been able to see 3-D, and was about to get laser vision to correct it. Over the weekend they gave me glasses that corrected my stigmatism and Even though it allowed me to see the world as I had never seen it before (trees are really cool, by the way), There was a problem. The focused vision made me not see actions that were coming. I was photographing a wedding that weekend and actually missed shots I normally would’ve gotten because I couldn’t see the actions coming from my peripheral vision because my eyes were so focused on one thing. I actually canceled the surgery. Why? Because I found the strength in my weakness.

Spiritual Weaknesses are a tricky thing. On one hand we don’t need to become complacent or accepting of sin, But we do need to find the value of our weakness because the Bible says “when I am weak then I made strong” because it is our weaknesses that make us rely on God and build our strength/character. If you have a weakness that bugs you and you’ve done all you can to rid yourself of it, REST. IN. HIM. In Him is where you will find the strength to carry on, even if “carrying on” means continuing on WITH your weakness. He can use ALL THINGS for His purpose and glory.

We are moving. Gag. For the 10th time. Double gag. Part of moving is packing and … DECLUTTERING!!! My parents were both teachers and I inherited their (needed) pack-rat ways combine that with 4 kids who are all artsy/craftsy and it is a MESS around here. Decluttering for me is super hard. Like, trying to do trigonometry for most people. I feel confused, exhausted and like i’m sinning as i envision my grandmother who lived through t he Great Depression tisking me in shame every time i throw something away. But, truth is, we are not living in the Great Depression. This is a different time and place and some things just need to go!

Sometimes our spiritual lives are like that. Maybe we’ve inherited bad ways or patterns of living that need to go, but it is HARRRD, so very, truly HARD to do something different, something new. Many times, it feels foreign and even wears us out, it’s such a different reality than we’re used to. But we must keep our eye on the ultimate prize and press on, despite the hardness and foreign feeling and exhaustion. For, at the end, comes the reward. If you are trying to break old ways, or plow a new spiritual path KEEP GOING! Your future generations will thank you!

Christmas has already sprung. Hobby Lobby is decked out in tinsel, trees and lights and carols are playing at the grocery store. In October. It’s all a bit…early, but one thing I do enjoy: the crystal trees. They resemble the tree at Crystelle Creek restaurant in Gatlinburg that stands over 12 deep tall, dripping in glittery icicle lights. I could spend hours watching the slow moving, dripping lights. It is a tree most beautifully adorned.

The Bible also uses the phrase “beautifully adorned” except it’s not talking about trees, but women. Most specifically, the ones with “gentle and quiet spirits.” 1 Peter 3:4 says the women of past were like this, “adorning themselves with a gentle and quiet spirit, WHICH IS OF GREAT WORTH TO GOD.” In this day and age, the loud and proud and entertainers get the glory but what is of great worth to God? A “gentle and quiet spirit.” He calls those people “beautifully adorned.” May we all strive to become what pleases God and not man.

We are moving again. Number 10. And invariably the question comes, “Are you excited?” And I’ve started answering, “We’re choosing to be.” because, usually, it’s true. Moving, like every other change in life, comes with questions, unknowns and trepidations. So many things can play with our minds and emotions. But there are also new starts and friends and horizons. For the most part, whether we are excited or not depends on which part of the move we choose to focus on. Luckily, Feelings are like that: they are unpredictable and sneak up sometimes but they can also be DIRECTED. Let us pray for God to give us strength to direct our feelings in the right way.

Our family moves. A lot. We have moved 10 times between 5 different states for my husband’s job and We are about to make our 10th move. There’s something I’ve learned through the years: once you make an offer on a house, you stop looking. Why? Invariably, if you keep looking through the “for sale” websites, you will find something that seems “better.” The same advice can be said of marriage, in some cases for the same reason lol. But seriously, once you’ve selected one and sign the papers, STOP LOOKING! Good advice.

We just got word we are moving again. Our tenth move. Back to Atlanta. I’m currently in the process of decluttering and packing up & there’s something interesting about the moving process: it makes you get real. When you have to pay by the box, you get down to the essentials: do i use this? Not “will i use this?” Or “one day i want to use this,” but “do i use this?” You are forced to see who you really are and what you really do. (I literally just asked my husband if it was ok to toss a fondu set that had been setting on the side table for months, with dreams of being used lol. I’m discovering we are very simple people.

It’s almost like Sunday mornings, where all pretense is stripped away & you stand, bare and empty handed, before God. Where you can’t hide behind your title or degrees or money or status…it’s just God and your heart. That’s the important thing about Sundays: they strip you to reveal you. All the good, bad and ugly so God can begin a good work in you. Don’t neglect Sundays, guys. They are vital in keeping the heart soft and real.

I love seeing how the Lord responds to his people, especially in times of trouble. In one particular case, he confronts Adam after he and Eve have sinned, having eaten of the forbidden fruit. Even though their actions have affected mankind forever, God does not blow up or destroy them. No. He asks a simple question, “Who told you you were naked?” It is almost as if He is directing Adam’s (and His own) attention to the fact of where the problem lies. SATAN had told them they were naked, so His message could not be trusted. What messages are you believing today? “Who told you that?” When we can derive just WHO a message is from, we can decide whether it’s even worth listening to, or just a pack of lies. Always question, and always stay alert.