I wonder, often, how you are doing and how I can support you. I know parents who are truly cherishing this time and stewarding it well to support those on the front lines, and I know parents who are being totally crushed by this season and feel like they’re not going to make it another day. I also know a lot of parents who fall somewhere in the middle. I’ve found myself in all of these places, just depending on the day (or hour!) I’m guessing you can relate.

I never imagined I’d be sharing a post about how God is growing us through a pandemic. I pray this note finds you and your family well and feeling held in God’s hands. If I can pray for you in any specific way during this time, please don’t hesitate to reply and let me know. I am alongside you under His grace.

It’s been another wild and wonderful year for our family, and we are so grateful for God‘s faithfulness through the challenges and celebrations of the past year. He is so good!

I don’t have “one word” or a New Year’s resolution this year but while driving alone in my car (a rarity, indeed!) and chatting with God about some things that were on my heart for my kids, God gave me four words that I could not ignore. I tried, oh trust me, I tried to ignore the words. I tried to convince myself those four words were merely of my own imagination and not from God. But throughout the rest of the day, the four words settled in my soul and I received them not as a challenge, but an invitation. 

I was pushing my cart through the décor section in Target when my toddler spotted the Christmas section across the way and exclaimed, “Look Mom, it’s a Christmas tree.” Had he not been buckled in, he may have ejected himself with enthusiasm. I wasn’t surprised that my little guy was excited to see the beautifully lit tree. What did surprise me was the answer he gave when I responded and asked, “You’re right buddy. That is a Christmas tree! Do you remember what Christmas is about?” Without hesitation he responded, “Yes! Santa brings us presents!”

Since many of us are sending our kids back to school, I wanted to share some ideas on how we might do that as a #momsetfree. I hope you enjoy it and find some relief from the stress as you read it!

I'm guessing you've picked up on a theme in my writing lately. You probably know by now that I love writing about the things we’ve been set free from. We’ve been set free from the pressure to be perfect, the striving to be enough, and the need to control the outcome of all we pour into our kids. We’ve been set free from the power of sin, the sting of shame, the grip of guilt, and the weight of our worries.  And so much more.

But today I thought it would be fun to chat on the blog about what we have been set free for, because even though I don’t write about this as often, I do sense it holds equal significance for us as moms.

My husband, Mike, and I had one of our biggest fights on Mother’s Day.

We’d recently moved from our tiny apartment in NYC to a small town about an hour north in Connecticut. The thing I missed most about living in the city was the bagel shop I’d frequented several times a week.  

There's a familiar pressure trying to make it’s way back into my heart. So I’m calling it out and sharing it with you in case you know this one too.

It’s the one that whispers, “Your child’s path is decided by how well you parent.” It’s not surprising that these pressures (aka lies) come creeping back. There’s enough messaging in our culture to make us feel like it’s all riding on how well we perform as parents. But strangely enough, this specific pressure once stemmed from me taking scripture out of context.

Growing up as a preachers kid, I have very fond memories of Easter. The church where my Dad pastored always held a Good Friday service that I can remember vividly, even now. The most memorable part being when we would walk up the front, as one would do to receive communion, but on Good Friday, my father would also place a nail in our palm. A nail like the one that was driven into the hands of our innocent Christ. 

But my father didn’t just gently place the nail in our palm. He applied pressure.  Just enough pressure to make you flinch. And he would say “This is how much He loves you.”