Potty-Training and Patience

If you read my last blog post, you know I’m reading through the Bible this year with the Bible Recap Plan. Currently, I’m in Leviticus, and it’s D R Y. This book has always been difficult to read, and I know it isn’t just me.

Something that the host said this week really stuck with me. It was a reminder that the laws God set in this book were about creating a way for God to be among His people. The sacrifices were what made it possible for God to be present with His people.

I had never thought of God wanting to be with us so bad that he would ask us to daily kill an animal to atone for our sins.

The host of the Bible Recap, Tara Leigh Cobble, focuses a lot on examining what these stories and books of the Bible tell us about God’s character. In all of the sacrifices, God made it accessible to all people. Wealth has no bearing on your ability to become ceremonially clean. God is compassionate!

How blessed we are that God is compassionate…and patient.

As the Israelites went on their way after escaping Egypt, they were frustrating! They regularly complained about everything! So much so, that they actually wished they could go back to being slaves in Egypt rather than trust in God.

I can relate to this in some ways, but the first that comes to mind is potty training.

I despise potty training.

I thought it was rough with my son, but boy, was I just getting started! My daughter has so far proven to be much more challenging.

She is stubborn and apathetic about the whole thing. In fact, I have almost just wished she was back in diapers and we could start all over.

Some people try to tell me she isn’t ready- I disagree. In fact, she goes so well at daycare that I don’t even bring diapers anymore. She hasn’t needed them for months, not even at naptime. She goes potty when she has to and that’s that. There’s relatively no fuss about it anymore even.

But at home??? It’s a completely different story.

This girl has accidents in her pants like she’s never used a potty before.

She was doing really well…until the baby was born.

I digress.

I’m so grateful for this Bible Recap! Because for the first time ever, I’m seeing these laws as a blessing to the Israelites. I’m seeing Gods character so much more vividly than ever before. His compassion and patience for the people of Israel is vast and overwhelming.

This study is not only teaching me about His character, but I’m striving to be more like God.

So where I used to loose my temper with my seemingly not so potty trained little girl, I take deeper breaths and try to approach her with compassion and patience. She has consequences, just like the whiny Israelites did, but they are not enforced with anger anymore. More with compassion and love.

Do I still get raging angry when she says, “Mommy, I’m pooping!”? You betcha I do. I sometimes just want to scream and light something on fire.

Lately, however, I remember the many, many, MANY times God patiently forgave and blessed the Israelites when they didn’t deserve it, as well as the many times he has undoubtedly given me grace for all the dumb things I’ve done and said throughout my life. So, after several “cleansing” breaths, I clean up the mess she made and go on loving her and playing with her like nothing happened, because the truth is if God held my mistakes over my head all day every day, it would be hard to get out of bed and keep trying every day.

Please, feel free to send some prayers our way as we continue to climb this mountain with our daughter! Some days, we react like two human parents who have cleaned enough poop out of underwear at this point to work at a sewage treatment plant. If you’re wondering what a person at that kind of whits end might look like, think Clark Griswold at the end of Christmas vacation.

Additionally, share with us your tips and tricks to getting a stubborn little girl to use the potty at home like she does at daycare!

I swear I can see the Promised Potty-Trained Land just around the corner.

“Do not be afraid”

We welcomed our sweet baby girl just after Thanksgiving and named her Joey, after a couple of my favorite biblical men. Admittedly, I thought I was having a boy, but the name is still just as lovely on her!

Recently, I’ve been a little less invested in my relationship with God.

I hate to admit that.

After the baby was born and we jumped into the newborn sleep schedule, I struggled to find time in my day to eat, sleep, cook dinner, and meet the needs of everyone in the family, let alone study my bible and pray without falling asleep.

I missed church and fellowship several times due to the kids being sick, keeping the baby away from winter germs, and hospital visits with the baby. At first, it bothered me a lot, but after missing it a few times, it felt…familiar. Comfortable.

I began engaging in conversations that weren’t fulfilling, relationships that were draining, and activities, like mindless scrolling, that was a quick hit of dopamine for the day.

All of this had me feeling more exhausted and unfulfilled than ever, even though I had a brand new baby that stole my heart and mind.

The longer I spent “trying to find time” to spend with God, the farther from Him I went.

Now, I will give myself a little bit of credit - I did seek the Lord much more than I did prior to establishing an intentional relationship with Christ. But that is about the only thing I did right in this regard.

By the time I realized what all my time away was doing, I felt like I couldn’t hear God anymore.

The truth is, He was probably talking, I just wasn’t listening anymore.

I’m still working on structuring my day to ensure some time with God daily, but after chatting with a friend about it, they suggested using the time I was feeding the baby or pumping each day to read the Bible on my phone. It was a game changer and has become a time I look forward to throughout the day. But I’m not telling you this to pat myself on the back. I’m telling you because I learned something about myself in the process.

I am afraid.

I’m afraid of everything. Germs and disease, disappointing people, mental health, hurting people, sinning…the list goes on. But the worst on the list was my fear of disappointing God and not following His will.

But this is what I learned recently: If I keep worrying about whether or not my actions and decisions are pleasing to God, I might never do the things that actually please Him. The analysis paralysis has been wreaking havoc on my life, and in my time of vulnerability, I’ve allowed it.

Making decisions gets significantly harder when you weigh them against what the literal Creator of the Universe is going to think about you. But do you know what He thinks? Jesus tells me that I am loved beyond belief.

Worrying about following His will is even sillier. He can do anything with anything or anyone. The HOW is none of my business.

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts this week, and it just so happened that the host had one of my favorite pastors, Craig Groschel, as her guest. He recently released a new book called, “Think Ahead,” and discussed decision-making and fatigue.

One major topic he addressed in the podcast is the fear of making the wrong move and messing up God’s plan for our lives. He reminded me that God is God. He doesn’t need me to do anything to make His will be done. I will never be able to veer too far off the beaten path of His plan for me.

In this journey back to God, I’ve started a Bible study called, “The Bible Recap,” with Tara Leigh Cobble. It has been so exciting and fun to read the Bible with this study, because it breaks it down and puts it in chronological order so that if you only do one lesson a day, you spend approximately 20 mins total with God and in His word daily. I decided that was completely reasonable and actually do 2-3 lessons a day because I get invested in the stories.

In this study, I just read about Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph. Each of these men made their fair share of mistakes, sinned or were sinned against in some big ways, and received a lot of grace from God- but they always were exactly where they were supposed to be. God’s plan was always fulfilled.

And it will continue to be fulfilled in us.

There is no point in worrying if your making the right choice to stay on the right path for God- He already knows the steps you’ll take and how you’ll get from point A to point B, C, X, Y, & Z.

It is our job to trust God, do our best, have faith, and praise Him for His unending grace.

All that being said, I had a feeling it was time to start writing again, but at the very same time, delete my social media apps from my phone. So while I’m not on social media right now, I believe God will help me share these lessons I’m learning with whomever needs them as well.

A Compassionate God

Recently, I’ve been diving into the book of Jeremiah.

I came across a few different portions of scripture where God is describing the horrible things he is going to do to the Israelites and their children. Throughout the Old Testament there are several instances where God punishes His people by punishing their children.

This broke my heart.

There were so many children dying because of the sins of their parents.

I prayed on this for a little while, wondering why God wouldn’t just punish the actual sinners for their sins, why did the children have to suffer for their parents? They were innocent.

I always thought that God punished the Israelites with the death of their children as a way of breaking their family line, essentially ending their lineage. It can be so easy to forget that they were people just like we are, with feelings, goals, and loved ones.

Their children were everything to them, just like ours are for us today. They weren’t just about securing a family legacy or making a few more farm hands.

I wonder if maybe this is the most severe punishment humans can endure.

The worst pain I can imagine as a parent is watching my children suffer or even enduring their death.

I mean, I can hardly stand it when they are sick!

Recently, my kids caught some little virus, which started with my son, and eventually hit my daughter. In a moment of worry for my son’s recovery, a friend of mine reminded me how important it is to take a step back in moments where you’re overcome with worry, fear, or anxiety, especially for your children. She reminded me that sometimes, just remembering to thank God for the opportunity to be worried about my child can help alleviate my fears.

Shortly after this conversation with my friend, my daughter got sick. While it wasn’t entirely unexpected, after the time it took for my son to kick whatever it was and get back to himself, it made me pretty concerned for how she might handle the same thing.

As I started to fret, I remembered the conversation with my friend and began to thank and praise God for my many blessings. I gave gratitude for my daughter, the strengthening of her immune system, that she wasn’t super sick, my son, his health, and so on and so forth.

It seemed with every blessing I named out loud, no matter how big or small, I felt the weight of fear lighten on my shoulders.

When I think about that whole situation, I’m so grateful that they weren’t more sick. But I remember the many times God punished the Israelites with the demise of their children and praise Him for being the loving God we know since Jesus.

That thought brought me to another truth.

God knows how painful that punishment truly would be and is for any parent who endures it because He endured it for all of us.

He sent His only son to die for our sins. From the moment Jesus entered our world, it was planned. God knew exactly what would happen and how, and yet, because He loves us, He went through with it anyway.

The God I serve is not without compassion or understanding.

It is so naive of me to think that when my heart is breaking here on earth that God doesn’t understand.

This might be the biggest takeaway from the Book of Jeremiah that I’ve had so far.

Upon surface level reading, it seems like God is just super mad and tired of dealing with the Israelites’ sinful ways. It just seems like He’s “over them” and wants to completely wipe them off the earth in a fit of rage.

But as I read through the chapters, God is telling the whole story, and I find it to be filled with such a deep grief. God isn’t just mad, He’s devastated.

Perhaps He was grieving, feeling rejected, disappointed, sad, frustrated, and angry, just like we would. After all, we are made in His image.

I empathize with Jeremiah for being the listening ear for God, a punching bag for the rest of Judah, and the messenger everyone wanted to shoot. From my reading so far, he earned the right to be called the weeping prophet. I can’t imagine anyone who could live through what he did and not be even a little emotional or moved to tears regularly.

What brings me comfort is knowing that when I feel deeply and utterly alone in this world, surrounded by anxiety and fear or disappointment and heartbreak, God knows how I feel. He’s felt it for Himself and He feels it with us when we are struggling.

For me, sometimes just knowing that someone else has felt what I’m feeling or has been through what I’m going through can make all the difference. In this moment, it is especially helpful to know that my Father in heaven doesn’t expect me to always be happy - just faithful.

Why You Should Know Your “Why”

The more time I spend with God, I learn that it is not of His character to make us feel shame, fear or guilt.

I often talk about the Bible study that changed my walk with Christ, I will share it again here because I genuinely cannot give enough praise to God for inspiring the author to write it. It’s called, “Take Courage,” by Jennifer Rothschild and will surely change your life if you are someone who often suffers from worry, anxiety, and fear.

One thing Ms. Rothschild covers at great length in the Bible study is that fear, guilt, and shame DO NOT come from God.

If you have accepted Jesus in your life as your Lord and Savior, your sins have already been forgiven, so what would the point be in keeping score?

But you know who does keep score and likes to remind you regularly of everything about you that makes you human and sinful? Satan. He works day in and day out to ensure you’re paralyzed by fear, guilt, anxiety, and shame, to prevent you from living out the life God has planned for you.

I say all of this to establish a foundation for what God has been putting on my heart lately.

Over the last couple months, when I am working through any problem or concern, the first thought that pops into my mind is often, “Seek the Kingdom first.” At first I thought it might’ve just been my mind remembering scripture that could be helpful in the moment (which absolutely could be true), but as I have continued to walk this path with the Lord and have spent time getting to know Him, I believe it might be the Holy Spirit whispering a gentle reminder to me.

That reminder set me straight many times, but I still don’t feel like I have fully grasped how to maintain such a level of commitment. Let me explain.

I have a hard enough time staying focused on any interest of mine longer than a couple months, let alone for the rest of my life.

So then I asked for clarity. What does it look like to “Seek first the Kingdom?” In some situations, I think it is easy to follow that command. Other times? It feels a little more complicated.

As we have continued on our debt free journey and gotten “Gazelle Intense” as Dave Ramsey would say, I always start to waiver and question my commitment. I worry that I’m making my priority the money of this world or idolizing the Ramsey plan. There have been so many moments lately where I have gotten so worried about idolizing money and things, that I just wouldn’t even touch or allow myself to spend time on anything related to the debt free journey.

Who do you think was causing my mind to doubt and telling me lies about my purpose for choosing the debt free path? It wasn’t God.

As I continued to pray about this night after night, I started to worry that maybe I was prioritizing this over my faith and relationship with God.

But it doesn’t stop there. I’ve been hard-pressed lately to understand the ministry God has planned for me. I’ve prayed nightly that He would reveal his grand plan to me so I could start living out my life for Him.

Yes. You read that right. As if I couldn’t start living my life for Him RIGHT NOW.

I’ve mentioned my mentor friend a lot lately, and in this area I am certain God delivered her in to my life to set me straight and give me guidance that was based in His truth and wisdom.

She has regularly challenged me to think beyond the boundaries of what my brain perceives is possible. However, she has also given me truth in kindness. After I passionately told her what my hopes and dreams are, she said something like, “Why not start doing that now?”

Because I tend to think in a very black-and-white manner, this sort of made my brain stop dead in its tracks. How could I possibly start doing any of that now while I don’t have any of the things I need to be in that situation?

BECAUSE IT ISN’T ALL OR NOTHING. If I want to be a stay-at-home mom and my passion is spending time with my children learning and growing, what is stopping me from having those moments now?! Nothing. Not a single thing.

I could make excuses all day about why I don’t have time, but the truth is, we prioritize this every weekend. During the week, I forget that we have the opportunity every evening after dinner to do something together as a family. WHY CAN’T I start intentionally building in time with my family if it brings me such joy?

Her question for me was, “How can you intentionally build in time with your family weekly and how often can you do it?” She pointed out that if that was bringing me so much joy, why not try to do more of it.

Now, this whole thing seems obvious, but truly, it was a paradigm shift for me.

But why did I tell you this whole story? Don’t worry, I’m getting there.

This joy I was getting from my family time? Guess who started making me feel insecure about my priorities again? It wasn’t God, if you’re wondering.

I know my priorities, in order, should be God, Family, Work/Vocation, etc. Between our debt free journey and my family-time freedom, I started to worry I had pushed God down a couple notches in that list.

But this is where God stepped in with a powerful reminder. Why am I doing either of those things?

As I began to disect my “why,” it became very clear that this “conviction” I was feeling might not have been from God.

Why are we on a debt free journey? Because it makes everything else possible. We aren’t trying to tie ourselves further to our earthly possessions or things, we are trying to break the chains that we took on as part of the debt we secured. We are trying to unchain ourselves from the earthly possessions that seemed so important to us at the time that we borrowed money to get them, rather than following the biblical wisdom that specifically argues against debt.

Why does my family take a priority for me in this life? Because part of the ministry I feel that God is leading me toward is Motherhood! I have always felt an intense longing for a big family. I want biological children and adopted children, I want to help other people raise their babies, and I want to share and trade parenting advice with other parents. I have always been sure of one thing - I was going to be a mom. God placed that on my heart early in life and the passion behind it has never waivered. So spending time in this area of my life is only an act of worship to the Lord. I am glorifying Him through gratitude and love for the wonderful blessing He’s given me.

So when I asked God for more about the HOW of “Seeking first the Kingdom,” I was met with, “die to this world.” It was actually a little morbid when I realized what had just crossed my mind.

Then as I read this week’s scripture in preparation for our Sunday Service, Paul talked extensively about the Resurrection of Christ and the role it plays in our faith. (1 Corinthians 15)

He didn’t explicitly say to die to our earthly possessions, but he very clearly discussed that our bodies, our things, our legacy here, will all stay when we die and leave this world behind. Our earthly bodies cannot enter heaven or live for eternity with Christ.

I prayed that God would lead me as I wrote this evening and this message definitely went in a different direction than I expected. If you have things in your life that could be an idol or taking precedence over Jesus, I encourage you to take some time and map out your WHY for spending time on it. It could reveal something to you about your journey with Christ!

The Value in Fellowship

Photo of the adult class. It grew this week!


All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
— Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2‬:‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Last week, our church started up Fellowship nights for the year. Every Wednesday we get together, have a quick dinner, and head to our respective classes. There are classes for all ages - even the nursery is open for the babies!

I have had the most wonderful time at each fellowship night so far and I think God is putting it on my heart to share about it with you.

But first, I want to step back for a moment. Approximately two years ago, I was not quite as hyped on activities at church as I am now.

Around that time, my husband had accepted his call to ministry and I naively thought that it was just going to be another job, not particularly impacting me. WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

It didn’t take me long to realize that ministry was demanding and didn’t often follow a regular 9-5 schedule…at all.

As a new parent, this realization struck hard with stress, anxiety, resentment, and definitely a lot of self-pity. I remember saying, “I don’t understand how it can be God’s will that he is off spending all his time raising other children when his own child is at home without him.”

While the thought wasn’t entirely wrong, it was shortsighted and assumed I had no role in that problem.

I remember stressing about the expectations that presumably come with being a pastor’s wife, the selflessness that might be expected of me… the inconvenience. Thinking back to my mentality at that time, I’m almost embarrassed.

In the spirit of giving myself a little grace, I was working a very VERY stressful job at the time. In fact, the job I had came with a very tough environment that ALWAYS left me mentally, emotionally and physically drained by the time I picked up my child - soon to be children. Of course I was throwing myself a pity-party! I was constantly pouring from an empty cup and relying on my husband to pick up my slack at the end of every day. So on the nights that he was gone, I felt loads of resentment toward him for leaving me to manage the chaos alone.

I remember a time when Church held fellowship nights - but I don’t think it was as in depth and extensive as it is now. I don’t recall there being a children’s class or nursery available. If I’m being honest, I doubt I’d have used it if there was.

Coming from a Catholic background, or at least the parish I came from, there really isn’t an option for children other than sticking it out through church. I remember when my sister was a toddler at church. My mom would stock a bag full of the essentials, tons of snacks, books, and even some quiet toys to try to keep her occupied, but most of all, quiet. As she grew, obviously the expectation was for her to begin to participate in the mass.

So when I started attending our church, even after I realized there were options for babies and kids other than sitting through church, I didn’t allow my children to participate. The mentality I brought with me from my previous church was something like, “If they get to play and have fun outside of the sanctuary all the way up until they are ‘old enough’ to sit through service, the transition will be nearly impossible because church isn’t fun.”

HA! Church can totally be fun, but I digress, past Ashton had some work to do to learn that.

I remember sitting at home on Wednesday nights, watching the clock and just counting down the minutes until my husband came home. I had tried to bring my kids to the Wednesday night fellowship and classes, and mostly just ended up even more exhausted and leaving shortly after dinner. I felt that if I was only going to be there chasing my children around, I would rather stay home and chase them, because at least then I had systems in place and could ask my mom for help. This became my excuse for attending so little.

Occasionally, I would ask my mom to take care of the kids on some Wednesdays, just so I could feel that I was meeting the expectations that literally no one expressed to me in being a Pastor’s Wife. I didn’t do this often, as I didn’t want to burn my mom out and ultimately, felt like it was my responsibility to raise my kids.

Reflecting on all of this makes me very proud of the growth I’ve had in the last couple years. I know I have more growth to experience before this life is over, but I’m so glad the Lord pulled me back into this relationship with Him.

After a series of unfortunate events, I had no choice but to rely on the services that the church offered. As a worship leader at our church, there were many Sundays that my kids needed a place to go while we were in band practice. Sunday School. Then, as my son got into his full on toddler years, there seemed to be nothing to keep him satisfied during church. We sit in the very front, so it is no secret to the congregation when I had to bring him out to try to settle him down or needed a break myself.

It was also easier with just one child. But once we added my daughter, with her own wants, needs, and expectations of entertainment during service, it was a whole new ballgame. So we started using the nursery.

Not long after that, our church made an incredible decision to hire a Children’s Program Director. SHE IS AMAZING. My kids love her so much, which made it even easier to start sending them regularly to the nursery or Sunday School. Around this same time, our church also started a program for preschool age kids during service. It is a perfect environment for them to begin learning about God and Jesus at an age appropriate level.

After a little coaxing, my son became a regular attendee of Wee Worship and now looks forward to it every Sunday.

All of this to say, it truly takes a village to raise children. Without these church programs, I would probably still be sulking at home and pouring from an empty cup.

The adult bible study class has been absolutely lovely and exciting. It was full of great conversation, scripture, and just time spent with God. If you’re in the area, come out and join us on Wednesdays! If you aren’t in the area, I encourage you to check into your church or FIND a church and see what activities they have to offer. Because finding fellowship with other Christ-minded individuals was inspiring and fulfilling. And if you’re in a situation like I mentioned above where maybe you feel trapped or that isn’t bringing you joy, I offer you a couple pieces of advice.

  1. Recognize your part in your misery. When I was in that situation, I was blissfully ignorant about my role in my disappointment and resentment. I regularly avoided opportunities for my children to experience the children’s programs at our church because I stubbornly felt it was MY job to raise them. Are you holding yourself back? Are you sitting in your “own mess” (so-to-speak) and don’t know where to start to get out of it? The first step is seeking God. He’ll show you where to go from there. Not to mention, your children, like mine, benefit from learning from other people, and will grow even stronger in their faith because of the testimonies of others and the passion they pour into your children.

  2. Analyze your situation and identify the root cause of your emotions. Using my example from above, was it the fact that my husband was working late on Wednesdays and spending his time with other children that bothered me? Or was it the fact that I was out of my metaphorical spoons long before my workday was complete? The problem was my job, not my husband spending time in God’s presence. I’m so glad he patiently endured that season with me.

  3. Pray and ask God for guidance. God just might be using that time of miserableness to lead you in the direction He needs you to move in. With a little prayer, you might start the conversation with God that reveals His wonderful plan for you.

I’m here for you if you ever need to talk, but if it’s fellowship you’re looking for? Tap into your local resources and let God lead you to your next big adventure.


I’m excited to share this fall I’ll be helping teach an adult class for Fellowship Night! If you have questions, please reach out! I’m excited to help others with their finances and build a support system for myself and others for getting out of debt! You can sign up for the class here.

Fear of a Fire

God has been putting this message on my heart and I think it is imperative that I put it out there. I’m not sure who needs to hear it, but I pray God speaks through me into your heart.

I’m going to start with a question and I want you to keep it in mind as you read.

What are you afraid of?

While in CO, I had the absolute pleasure of a lifetime of baptizing my sister and her friend in the pond on the mountain. They have been praying over this decision for the last few years. Being raised Catholic, it was a complicated and confusing decision that didn’t always come with the support of their Catholic friends and family. A decision I am very familiar with.

Catholics believe that sprinkling water as a baby is all the baptism you need. Committing your life to Christ upon your own volition happens when you’re confirmed, typically around jr high to high school age.

While I was older than these girls when I felt God’s intense pressure on my heart to be immersed in baptism and knowingly choose to follow Christ, I still had to battle the giants of the faith I was familiar with and the possibility of disappointing my parents and family in the process.

What are you afraid of?

One of the first preachers to take the stage and bring a message to the massive crowd at NYR, Aaron Chambers, addressed these giants. It’s as if God spoke through him directly to those two girls in our group that day, moving them to tears.

He was referencing the story of David and Goliath. David was the least likely candidate to defeat the largest and most terrifying guy in the land. Not to mention he did it with a few stones and a sling. Mr. Chambers covered a lot of wonderful points, but one thing he hammered down on, is giants and how to arm yourself against them.

For all of us, those giants look different. Examples he gave spanned from depression, anxiety, and cutting, to what is going to be waiting for you when you get home such as parents and family who might disagree or not understand the decision to be baptized.

These two girls had been wanting to get baptized for the last two years that they attended NYR, however, not being 18, they needed their parents permission, which they did not receive. This year, now legally adults, they didn’t need their parents permission and they went through with this decision, praying fervently that God would soften the hearts of their families at home. The giants they were walking in the shadows of were going to be waiting for them when they got home. They had so many fears, but decided after a few days of prayer on the mountain, that their faith in God was bigger than the giants they were going to face upon their return.

WHAT are you afraid of?

In the fall of 2014, I attended a church service at the church I now frequent every Sunday. It wasn’t my first time there, but something about the service that day felt different, as if God had planned every piece of it just for me. Not only was there a very moving baptism at the church that day, there was also a passionate worship service and song special accompanying a message from the preacher that must’ve tied all of it together. All I know is that I was crying during the final song of the church service and something in my heart was telling me I needed to be baptized. This was difficult to understand, as I had never before felt God’s presence so overwhelmingly in church that it moved me to tears. I also didn’t understand why I needed to be baptized, because I already was…right?

God didn’t let me off the hook though. My boyfriend (now husband) noticed how the service impacted me and I talked with him on the way home about everything that I was feeling. His advice was to pray about it! So I did. Trust me, God isn’t subtle when He is trying to move you on the path He’s made for you.

That whole week, I could not be around a radio anywhere without the first song I heard being about water. Specifically, the song that kept greeting me EVERY time I was around a radio was “Something in the Water” by Carrie Underwood. This song wasn’t even at the top of the charts to my memory. Even Zach started to get a laugh about this answer from God on a constant loop while I labored over this seemingly scary decision.

After three days of God’s relentless musical loop, I spoke with the youth pastor at the church and set plans to be baptized the following Sunday. THAT is when the fears really sank in. I now had to talk to my parents about this decision and hope that they wouldn’t desert me for wanting a closer relationship with God.

Ultimately, I think it went well. My dad even came to my baptism, although I know he fought through his own disappointment and fear of what it all meant for me and my future. I’m forever grateful to him for making the decision to support me, even though it was hard for him to understand my choice. I gained a level of trust and respect for my dad that day that I never had before and now, as a parent, I’m even more grateful for the example he set for me.

Are you wondering why I keep asking you this question yet? Hang in there, I think this is all important context to the message I want to share with you. WHAT are YOU afraid of?

Everyone’s experience post-baptism is different I’m sure, but I remember feeling the most intense feeling of freedom. Like I was light and brand new, ready to literally fight a giant if given the opportunity. In fact, I was so on-fire for my new found faith in God that I did at least one art piece about it in college.

For a while I attended both the Catholic Church and the Non-Denominational Christian Church, starting to feel split down the middle between the familiarity of the church I grew up in and the overwhelming newness and depth of the church I was recently baptized in. I think Satan saw an opportunity and struck. After a few months, I was sleeping in on Sunday mornings, forgetting to pray before bed, and generally running from religion in the traditional sense because that was easier than facing my fears and addressing the giants that Satan was using as road blocks on my path. I continued on this journey for a couple more years until Zach and I got engaged and had to decide where we were getting married.

Having both been born and raised Catholic, our first stop was the Catholic Church, meeting with a priest to start the marriage process. I’ll spare you the details of that meeting, but just know that I cried through most of it, and not in the same way I shed tears at the other church service before my decision to get baptized. These were not positive tears. Something felt so wrong about that meeting I cried the whole way home, and when we got to my parents house, I cried as I told my parents about it. Even my dad seemed alarmed at my emotional reaction and again supported my decision to try talking to the pastors at the Christian church I had been attending.

During our meeting with the same pastor who baptized me a couple years earlier, I felt nothing but peace. The rest is history, but recently, it occurred to me that God didn’t stutter. He was pretty clear where he wanted me from the start of all this. It was my fear of what others would think of me and the unknown that held me back. There is a reason I cried through that whole meeting with the priest. There was a reason I felt unexplainable peace and comfort just going into the meeting with the pastor at the Christian church.

I swear this is the last time I will ask this question without immediately divulging my point. What are you afraid of?

At NYR, God’s presence is tangible and obvious. Attending as an adult, I still felt it and felt shaken and moved at every session and worship service. Can you imagine that feeling at the age of 14-18 years old? I was 20 years old before I felt that feeling in that church service. It was overwhelming, scary, and beautiful, but I was well into making decisions for myself by then. I felt a fire deep in my soul and I wanted to share with everyone the power and wonder of Jesus Christ that I now felt in my heart.

It turns out there were two pieces that year about my baptism.

In fact, when I shared about the art piece I made about my baptism in my final critique in the fall semester of 2014, I did share the feeling I now held in my heart and the faith that I had gained. Satan knew exactly what to do to shake me. I noticed the deafening silence in the critique from my peers who normally have lots to say about the artwork being presented. There was an awkwardness in that hallway that’s hard to describe. It left me feeling judged, outcast, now labeled a “holy roller” or “Jesus freak.”

The kids that go on this trip…they feel that fire in their heart for God. They feel closer to Him than anywhere else when they are on that mountain.

But when they come home, they feel the same feelings I did in that final critique. They feel that the fire that has been lit in their hearts for Jesus is being dampened, if not put out, by all of the fears of inadequacy, disappointment, doubt, and the labels they might receive.

But as someone who has reignited that flame and found their way back to Christ, I implore you to cast out the fears you’re holding in your heart that are keeping you from Christ.

What are you afraid of?

Is it the judgement of your parents, family, or friends? Are you afraid they won’t love you anymore for devoting yourself to Jesus?

Are you scared that your friends won’t like you anymore because you made a friend in Jesus? I hate to tell you this, but if that is true, they weren’t really your friends to begin with.

Are you afraid of the unknown? God created darkness before light, so you should expect that the path will be dark and scary at first, but trusting in Him will give you that light you need to see the path He has made for you.

Is it a fear of discomfort? Of leaving the familiar for whatever He is calling you to? I hate to tell you this, but God has a way of seeing your comfort and pushing you right out of it to grow and change. To quote Aaron Chambers, He will prepare you for what He has prepared for you.

There has never been a time better than right now to light that fire under your faith and fully commit to Jesus.

In Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus tells the parable of the soils. A sower sewed seeds on the path, shallow soil, soil surrounded by thorns, and fertile soil. This is an analogy for our hearts. The shallow soil is what I personally experienced upon my baptism. I was passionate in my faith and growing fast, but quickly died when I got overwhelmed. I then was faced with the thorny soil. The world around me choked out my spiritual growth with the fear that I wasn’t worthy or of how I would be treated if I continued to let that fire burn. I now understand and pray that I’m getting closer to the fertile soil. My roots are growing deeper by the day and my hope is that by continuing to share my faith, that my fire will help you reignite yours or maybe light it for the first time.

Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
— Matthew 13:18-23

It is time we, Christians, are unapologetic about our love for Christ. It won’t come without scrutiny or trial, Jesus himself said it wouldn’t be easy for Christians. But we are called to bring light and love into this world no matter the tribulations that we face along the way. It’s time we put down roots.

So, what are you afraid of? Nothing has changed my life as much as developing this relationship with Christ. Never in my life did I think I could hear God’s voice or regularly see His work in my life. But now, I see signs of His handiwork daily. I find myself more grateful than ever before for the small things. I am meeting my fears with prayer and confidence in my Savior. What is stopping you from letting God move in your life? What is keeping you from passionately choosing to follow Jesus?

I think it is important that I say this: I’m not shaming those parents for not allowing their daughters to be baptized. I know they meant well and were doing their best as parents! What I am saying? Catholics ARE Christians. But in my experience as a Catholic, there was never an opportunity to choose for myself to follow Christ. While that is what was supposed to happen with my confirmation into the Catholic faith, that was still not my choice so much as my parents saying that I had to do it.

Your parent’s faith cannot save you. One day, you’ll move out or your parent’s will pass on and you will not have them breathing down your neck to go to church, pray before meals, pray before bed, read your bible, etc. These girls, and younger me, never had the opportunity to choose for ourselves to follow Christ. Every opportunity was scripted and chosen for us. I promise I’m not dogging on Catholics. The point I’m trying to get at is that we all made a choice to be baptized to publicly declare our intention to follow Jesus.

Now it is the responsibility of those of us rooted in our faith to fan the flames for new believers like those girls. It doesn’t matter what denomination of Christianity you belong to, a new life in Christ should be a reason to celebrate!

Whether you’re Catholic, Christian, Baptist, or somewhere in-between, you have the same opportunity that those girls did to passionately follow Christ. Baptism may not be your path, but deciding that you’re going to rededicate your life to Christ can happen right now.

Preparation for the Great Journey

Davi at dinner before we left. Her and Ben were getting excited about “Kid Camp” with their grandmas while we were gone. She wanted us to know she was a “Cool Dude!”

The trip to Colorado for the Nationwide Youth Roundup (NYR) was an unexpected, incredible adventure.

For context, I have wanted to attend this trip for years. My husband, attending for his fifth year, has told me so many wonderful stories from his time at NYR over our time together, and it has only made me long for the day when I would finally be able to attend.

After a few years of deciding it wasn’t in the plan for me, I felt this year was my year, despite all the struggles of JUST trying to get to departure day.

When I finally had decided nothing was going to get in my way of this trip come hell or high water, I had my fair share of signs from God that I was on the right path. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of spiritual warfare, but God was ever-present and giving me clarity with each obstacle I faced. Here are just a few:

  1. The Doubters - As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the minute I gave God a “YES” the world went from positive to negative. Everyone around me was suddenly filled with doubt and fear for my experience on this trip. While there really wasn’t much I could do to reassure any of them, the only answer I had in my heart was, “God is calling me to this mountain and I have to go.” Simply put, I can’t remember many other times in my life where I felt such a blinding need to be anywhere or do anything so desperately. I wasn’t compelled to argue with them, because normally, I would also think I was crazy! So I thanked each person for their concern and hoped they would pray for my safety as I went on this journey. Ultimately, I knew they were concerned for my safety and their intentions were sincere.

  2. My employer - When I hurt my foot, I had already told my employer to just forget about the trip. Originally, the plan was that I would work for 5-6 hours each day as a way to ensure I had all the time I would need for maternity leave. Upon my injury, I assumed the trip was off for me, so rather than try to make up my time, I took days off when I needed to for doctor’s appointments, illness, and mental health. When God put it on my heart that I would now be attending NYR, this was a huge concern for me. Figuring up my paid time off for maternity leave left me a little discouraged.

    When I finished my calculations, I realized I would have just over 50 hours of leave between my sick and annual leave when I returned from maternity leave. While that is still over a week of leave, with a newborn and two toddlers, it wouldn’t be hard to burn through my remaining leave. As I continued to evaluate my situation, I had a realization that I can only believe came from the Lord Himself. In all of my planning, pre-injury and post, I hadn’t paid attention to a small, yet very significant detail. By the time I did all the work I could manage while on the mountain, I would have saved myself less than 15 hours of leave. 15 HOURS. So I refigured my math and decided the ask for my employer was to just be unplugged for the trip.

    Because I have a very compassionate and kind supervisor, she definitely expressed her concern for my decision (both for my health, any possible pregnancy complications that I wasn’t considering in the future, and the demanding schedule of a newborn in their first six months of life), but ultimately gave me her support and approved my leave.

    This felt like another sign that God was present in this journey.

  3. God’s Words through a Friend…or Two - Two separate individuals were allowing God to speak through them, whether they knew it or not.

    The first was extremely supportive of my attendance of the trip from the minute I told her I was thinking about still attending post-injury. In fact, she even made multiple comments to the tune of, “I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I’m usually the friend that will tell you it is more important to take care of yourself and that you could always go next year!” She was so supportive of me going on the trip that she even helped me problem-solve several times, assisting me with “getting my ducks in a row” before take off.

    The other just happened to be passing through church one day when I was still working through the details of my attendance. He had asked how my foot was feeling and generally just made a little small talk. But for some reason, I felt compelled to tell him what was on my mind.

    “I don’t know why, but I just feel like I have to be there. My sister might decide to get baptized on the trip this year and I NEED to be there to support her,” I said.

    He followed my statement with something I hadn’t even considered. “Or be the one to do it.”

    In that moment, I actually started crying at the thought that I could even be the person to help my sister grow in her relationship with Christ. My heart started pounding in my chest as the tears flowed down my face. I was slightly embarrassed at my reaction, but I knew in that moment that had to be one of the reasons God was putting it on my heart to make this trip happen.

  4. Food Accommodation - Since I can no longer have gluten, I was worried that my last minute decision to attend the trip would be met with the obstacle of “BUT WHAT WILL I EAT??” GOD BLESS the cooks who planned and prepared every meal. When I told them I would be attending, they didn’t even fret. They immediately updated the grocery list and made sure I would still eat my fair share on the mountain. AND DID I EVER. (Fair warning, this likely won’t be the last time I talk about the spiritual experience that was the food on this trip. I ate better than I do at home AND got to enjoy some of my favorite foods again that aren’t always easy to come by in a gluten free variety.)

If you’ve stuck around this far, I appreciate it. I’ll be starting to share more about the meat of the trip in my next post. While these are all small things, I think it is so important to recognize God’s hand in all of them and show my gratitude for His presence in all of it. Without the constant pang in my chest of encouragement, I’m not sure I would’ve pressed on amidst the many obstacles that arose from the day I said, “YES,” to God’s plan for me in this season.

The theme at NYR this year followed Psalm 23. Each day centered around a topic within that scripture: God’s Power, Presence, Peace, and Provision. These daily focuses were incredible and eye-opening. Until we arrived and began following that learning track, it didn’t occur to me to think about God’s daily presence. I always knew he was working in my life, but never really conceptualized that He’s always hanging out with me!

More on this later, because what I’m trying to say now, is God is always present. It is on us to open our eyes, hearts, and minds to the ways He’s working in our lives each and every day. I know I fall short often, but I’m grateful for God opening my eyes over the last few weeks in preparation for what He has planned for me.

Bennett entertaining himself in Ms. Autumns office while we loaded up the trailer for the trip. Play Dough for the win!