At Home With Sally

The dreams inside us point to the destiny we were created to fulfill. We each want to know that our lives matter, that we are not invisible. When we see them only as a series of mundane days, become consumed by busyness, or dwell on hurts, we become prisoners to the circumstances of our lives. Ignoring the eternal purposes God has designed for us leads to emptiness.

To create a life where the hours and moments can be filled in satisfying interaction means that we must choose to fill the time our children could be engaged with machines or other entertainment with planned personal time that satisfies to the depths of their hearts, minds, and souls.

"A Joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Take good medicine, and even in the midst of draining circumstances, plan on lighting a candle in the darkness, playing music through the pain, eating avocado toast, dancing in the midst of the mess, and smiling often as it is truly good for the heart! And above all, give yourself sweet grace!

A drive for purpose and a desire to impact others for the kingdom of God does not come out of a vacuum. Vision of the heart is what empowers all of us, as God's children, to follow Him in faith and purpose in becoming fishermen in the world. It flows from inspiration, not from moralistic rules or laws to be kept.

We know we are called to follow Christ, to take His message to the world, to raise our children to heed Jesus' call. But sometimes we fail to consider that following the Lord means leaving behind the familiar, exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal.

Life as a woman, mom, and wife can sometimes be stressful, overwhelming, exhausting, boring and demanding on many levels. Sometimes moms feel guilty admitting the variety of feelings they have. Feelings are natural -- they neither define who we are or take away from our righteousness. They are just a reaction to the situation we are in.

The longer I am a parent and grandparent, the more I understand how God feels about us. We are irresistible to Him. We are His own, he made us to be like Him. He champions us and celebrates us. He gave everything, even His own life, to redeem, heal, bring us back to the infinite fullness of life as He created it.

Celebrating is a part of God's nature. The birds chirp to God, the sunrise and sunset sing of His glory, the stars declare His beauty. There is a life and hope and energy in this celebrating. It brings all earthly struggles into perspective, a baby bringing life that would conquer all ills, calm all storms, heal all wounds.

Resting in Him, choosing peace and putting off responsibilities is sometimes such grand medicine for my soul, that after choosing to rest and to invest in fun and love and ease of life, my strength is renewed and all issues are able to be faced with grace. I know busyness is coming, but I will face it with courage later if I rest today.

Today, I talk about making your life whole in mind, body, character and actions so that those who listen to you have a virtuous, good, right model to follow. Jesus said, “The student when fully trained will be like his teacher.” Those who follow us, and our children who look to us as teacher, call us to become our best selves out of the accountability they hold us to as we model truth in front of them.

Join me on my podcast today as I speak about why we choose to live with our hearts on fire, with our weary souls seeking one more day to worship, to sing, to be alive with His truths. We live with the end in mind, that our stories will be told throughout eternity, that He will wipe away every tear, He cares that we care for the children, friends, husbands He has entrusted into our hands.

This is the fallen world, and we will never be able to control ourselves, our circumstances, our children, or the world the live in. Living in the grace and knowledge that God forgives, knows our limitations, is not surprised or disappointed, but wanting to give us hope is crucial. Of course you have fallen short -- you are a mom and you are human.

Weariness and just plain sick of the constant day in day out work day inside the walls of our home had drained me. And so Joy, in honor of her name, announced, “Tomorrow night, we shall have a Girl’s Spa and Play night. I'll set the menu, the activities, and the entertainment.” And so she did. Listen in to hear how we had a fun night in.

We live in a world that values conformity. We want to use our force to make people, and our children, fit into the box. Be good. Be tame. Be moral. Come up with the right answer. Don't bring attention to yourself. And yet, after many years, I learned that who I was was exactly who God formed me to be, and suited my own story well. Live in the freedom of your own design today and cultivate your own life story as you live into your own unique part of His greater Story.

As women, mothers, and wives, it is absolutely crucial that we learn to breathe, relax, and focus and center ourselves on what should be prioritized. Today, I explore the idea of managing the elements that add to the chaos of our lives, and the ways forward to finding peace and centeredness.

The vision of the heart, the cultivation of wonder, is what empowers all of us, as God's children, to follow Him in faith and purpose. Now is a time to awaken to the wonders around you and to celebrate them with all in your wake.

One day at a time, God has helped me to take one step forward, to put my issues into His hands, to live forward by faith into what He was doing, what I was becoming. And now, as I look back, I am beyond amazed at what He has accomplished on our behalf through His generous faithfulness. How important it was, I can see now, that I learned to own my life right where I was, to dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

What you choose to believe and cherish, practice and submit to, work at and believe in happens when no one else is looking. These are the glorious days your children will remember—the joy of the meantime, the moments cherished, the memories made at bedtime, table time, birthdays, times of illness. So, who knows what tomorrow or the next day will bring. But what will you do in the meantime?

Many stresses and demands face us as women every day. Needs arise and require our immediate attention, someone needs our love, our time, our help. And yet, I do have to say, I love women. They seem particularly equipped by God to be great lovers, devoted friends, makers of beauty, civilizers of chaos, spiritually grounded and intellectually brilliant. Keep calm and carry on, my friends.

When we seek to disciple our children, it is cultivating in them a vision for their importance to Christ's work, a hope that they are needed to fulfill a kingdom cause--with their unique personality and skills, and then giving them practice in serving others as they grow up in our homes, which are the center of ministry. It is about them watching us serve and being caught up in the beauty of our loving, giving to, serving and inspiring others from the integrity and compassion of our own hearts and lives, that their hearts will be captured.