We’re at the park, and she’s happily bouncing, We’re at the park, and she’s happily bouncing, amazed by the big trucks driving by, never wanting to stop going down the slide, smiling constantly — and I’m laughing with her, amazed at her joy and think — Is this what God feels like with me as His child? 

Delight. Lightness. Wonder. Love.

I was filled to the brim with it, covering every crack and reaching every corner. And then I realized — this. is. it. 

This is how I operate in the world. 

I felt so... whole... not because of my efforts at wholeness but because I have God and He has me. (Psalm 23 rings loud: with Him as my Shepherd, I lack nothing.) 

The best I can do for myself is accept and live in His love, especially when mistakes and lack and circumstances scream reasons I can’t. And the best I can do for others, those under my roof and those on this platform, is to extend invitations of His love through my own and through His Word. 

If your life has told you He doesn’t want to love you or know you, I’m here to tell that He does. It’s waiting for you, probably even pursuing you... it just takes a Yes of faith. 

Message me if you want to talk about it; I would LOVE to hear your story, no matter how different we are. 

You're not forsaken,
You're not alone
His love is unending
So know it well
Remind your soul,
remind your spirit,
remind your heart
The love of the Father
Know it well
—Kari Jobe
Bless you and thank you for your heart and work, @ Bless you and thank you for your heart and work, @morganharpernichols.
“I told you about my life, and you answered me; “I told you about my life, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. Help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders. I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word. Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me your instruction. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees; Lord, do not put me to shame. I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding.” Psalms‬ ‭119:26-32 CSB‬‬
18 months old and she’s joined the ‘lover of t 18 months old and she’s joined the ‘lover of the slide’ club
“We must reflect that, when we reach the end of “We must reflect that, when we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. We are at risk, without quite fully realizing it, of living lives that are less our own than we imagine.” William James

With the help of God, may we strive to become abiding and attentive people instead of distracted and defeated people.
The entire thing is He loved me first. And even wh The entire thing is He loved me first. And even when our surroundings are burning or when all we see is rubble, there is an unseen Kingdom to serve, a Family to be part of, and a powerful Love to give and receive. 

Every week it seems I’m inspired by a comment a friend and pastor made years ago — “Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about the truth of Jesus. Think of it as joining a conversation God might already be having with that person.” 

May we be conduits of that strong, courageous, welcoming, comforting, healing, transforming, sustaining, peacemaking, eternal Love. Or as Bernice King said, “Love puts in work.”
Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’ Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’
“God is always coming to you in the sacrament of “God is always coming to you in the sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with gratitude.” Evelyn Underhill 

Such brokenness we see, such pain, such fear. Attend to Jesus — Lord, Savior, King — with all your honest thoughts and feelings, and let His power and love change you. Let Him form and re-form you into a help for the hurting, a bright spot for those in the dark, a presence for others to rest in. A ‘little Christ’ on the earth.

 ^ what I’m rehearsing to myself
Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfil Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfill the will of God through the inner influence of His Spirit instead of the outer influence of the law of God” (David Guzik).

This took me probably 15 years of following Jesus to grasp. It felt too easy, my willpower was my measuring stick, and the freedom was terrifying. 

But alas, God’s way is the best way, and there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. I can’t muster spiritual fruit, but His goal, thankfully and marvelously, is vineyards and vineyards.

May we surrender this work to Him.
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faith, motherhood · 06/26/2020

motherhood: when I realized my view of God was a little small

Honesty time.

What is outside my control is still in God’s control. This is a statement I have no problem remembering or believing.

Where the rub comes in for me is: how can I trust that God wants what I want?

Because as I know from the Bible, His thoughts and ways are different and higher than mine. As. it. should. be. He’s God and I’m not. Hallelujah.

So why do I still find myself in this place where I need things to be within my reach, or in my control, to know peace?

Anna is not a robot. And change is constant. And life is never predictable, sometimes painful and always a gift. And there is an ocean-sized amount of things I don’t know and will never know.

Motherhood has revealed that my view of God was a little small.

Is it enough that God knows what He is doing and I don’t? Is it enough that He is God and I am not, and all that entails? Is it enough that His unchanging nature is sovereign, all-powerful, merciful, and love? Is it enough that He can, and delights to, meet every need my people will ever have, even Anna at 10 months old, even if He doesn’t use me to do it?

“Worry is always a stab at the integrity of God’s love. It is not innocent. It always stems from an overconfidence in your own opinion.”

Tim Keller

My peace, courage and faithfulness as a mom can’t be grounded in my version of what’s comfortable. Reality is, even when Anna is in my arms, her well-being isn’t ultimately in my control. And if she’s discontent or hurting somehow, that doesn’t give me license to be unkind to those around me or live tense in anxiety. My proximity to, knowledge of and care for her can’t be the main source of rest and contentment. Even our wisdom as her parents only goes so far.

I experience peace when I, as her mom, can meet her needs. But that shouldn’t be the standard because there will be an innumerable amount of moments in our years together I won’t be able or expected to meet them.

I am confident that God helps us make wise, good decisions. But that confidence can’t go out the window when I’m not the one making decisions.

It is a grace to see my need, every person’s need, for God, but what God am I turning to?

The one I too-often jam into a human mold? The one I’m afraid won’t be enough when pain comes? OR the one I see in the Bible, the one who met my greatest and deepest need for salvation by sacrificing His Son in my sinful place, the one who deserves to be first place in my life, the one who indwells me?

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the moment), seeing my need usually comes in the same breath as a challenging, scary, navel-gazing or sanctifying moment.

“He is the Father of mercies. He is not cautious in his tenderness toward you. He multiplies mercies matched to your every need, and there is nothing he would rather do… Your gentlest treatment of yourself is less gentle than the way your heavenly Father handles you. His tenderness toward you outstrips what you are even capable of toward yourself.” Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly (133)

Our limitations can either be a reason to live under the weight of fear of everything but God, or they can be an entry point of knowing, glorifying and seeing Him in ways we might never otherwise.

It might feel like it’ll stretch me beyond my capacity, but I can be filled with courage and peace insofar as I believe God has no limits, on His reach or on His beauty or on His love. He is my God-sized God.

Is He yours?


Jeremiah 32:17 | Isaiah 40:28-31 | Isaiah 12:2 | Psalm 145 | Job 42:2

In: faith, motherhood · Tagged: fear, motherhood, peace, worry

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We’re at the park, and she’s happily bouncing, We’re at the park, and she’s happily bouncing, amazed by the big trucks driving by, never wanting to stop going down the slide, smiling constantly — and I’m laughing with her, amazed at her joy and think — Is this what God feels like with me as His child? 

Delight. Lightness. Wonder. Love.

I was filled to the brim with it, covering every crack and reaching every corner. And then I realized — this. is. it. 

This is how I operate in the world. 

I felt so... whole... not because of my efforts at wholeness but because I have God and He has me. (Psalm 23 rings loud: with Him as my Shepherd, I lack nothing.) 

The best I can do for myself is accept and live in His love, especially when mistakes and lack and circumstances scream reasons I can’t. And the best I can do for others, those under my roof and those on this platform, is to extend invitations of His love through my own and through His Word. 

If your life has told you He doesn’t want to love you or know you, I’m here to tell that He does. It’s waiting for you, probably even pursuing you... it just takes a Yes of faith. 

Message me if you want to talk about it; I would LOVE to hear your story, no matter how different we are. 

You're not forsaken,
You're not alone
His love is unending
So know it well
Remind your soul,
remind your spirit,
remind your heart
The love of the Father
Know it well
—Kari Jobe
Bless you and thank you for your heart and work, @ Bless you and thank you for your heart and work, @morganharpernichols.
“I told you about my life, and you answered me; “I told you about my life, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. Help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders. I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word. Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me your instruction. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees; Lord, do not put me to shame. I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding.” Psalms‬ ‭119:26-32 CSB‬‬
18 months old and she’s joined the ‘lover of t 18 months old and she’s joined the ‘lover of the slide’ club
“We must reflect that, when we reach the end of “We must reflect that, when we reach the end of our days, our life experience will equal what we have paid attention to, whether by choice or default. We are at risk, without quite fully realizing it, of living lives that are less our own than we imagine.” William James

With the help of God, may we strive to become abiding and attentive people instead of distracted and defeated people.
The entire thing is He loved me first. And even wh The entire thing is He loved me first. And even when our surroundings are burning or when all we see is rubble, there is an unseen Kingdom to serve, a Family to be part of, and a powerful Love to give and receive. 

Every week it seems I’m inspired by a comment a friend and pastor made years ago — “Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about the truth of Jesus. Think of it as joining a conversation God might already be having with that person.” 

May we be conduits of that strong, courageous, welcoming, comforting, healing, transforming, sustaining, peacemaking, eternal Love. Or as Bernice King said, “Love puts in work.”
Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’ Call it ‘a Sunday stroll in Appling.’
“God is always coming to you in the sacrament of “God is always coming to you in the sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with gratitude.” Evelyn Underhill 

Such brokenness we see, such pain, such fear. Attend to Jesus — Lord, Savior, King — with all your honest thoughts and feelings, and let His power and love change you. Let Him form and re-form you into a help for the hurting, a bright spot for those in the dark, a presence for others to rest in. A ‘little Christ’ on the earth.

 ^ what I’m rehearsing to myself
Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfil Living life with the Holy Spirit — “you fulfill the will of God through the inner influence of His Spirit instead of the outer influence of the law of God” (David Guzik).

This took me probably 15 years of following Jesus to grasp. It felt too easy, my willpower was my measuring stick, and the freedom was terrifying. 

But alas, God’s way is the best way, and there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. I can’t muster spiritual fruit, but His goal, thankfully and marvelously, is vineyards and vineyards.

May we surrender this work to Him.
“The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must en “The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.” Parker J. Palmer

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