Five things I’m learning as a wife, mom (of men), and follower of Christ in this season of life…

1️⃣ Humility is the key that unlocks true beauty. Beautiful things catch my eye more quickly when my eyes are not on me. Letting go of selfish desires allow me to embrace the things my pride threatens to take away. Beauty is more securely held with a looser grip, because it’s held fast in Him, not me. I must be held by Him to behold true beauty from a place of humility.

2️⃣ Life is short, but love is long. When I surrender the temporary, I remember the eternal. This life will pass, but God’s love will always last, and that’s what I want to be continually receiving from Him and giving to others.

3️⃣ Boys will be boys who grow up to be men who will be men, and that’s OK, because that’s the way God created them, that’s what He uses to steer them, and He will not lead them astray when they are following Him. I may not always understand them, but I can trust them to a God who does.

4️⃣ When in doubt, pray it out. I’m a verbal processor, but processing it all with God first helps me to communicate it to others best. My mantra is to “pray more than I say.” My words to Him are more powerful than my words to them.

5️⃣ Ministry is far more than what you see. As an author, speaker, and teacher, I can sometimes measure effectiveness in ministry by the things I’m producing, the likes and follows, the ratings and reviews. And while I know all those things are important, the most important aspects of ministry to me have become the things that are going on behind the scenes, beneath the surface, when no one‘s looking. That’s where the seeds are planted, the work takes place, and it can all grow in grace so my marriage, motherhood, and ministry can blend together in perfect harmony.

The beauty in each season is more noticeable in the change of seasons. One ends, another begins, and while we may miss things about the previous season, we can embrace and enjoy the one we’re in, love and laugh with the ones we’re with, and look forward to all the next one holds.

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven….Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬, ‭11‬, ‭NLT‬‬)