Our two younger sons and daughters-in-law were on the road home from Colorado yesterday, and Holly and our grand babies were on the road home from Tulsa.
Moms worry. Like other moms, I’m well-versed in all the ‘right’ ways we are ‘supposed’ trust God with our children. There’s just something about the need to protect them that stays. Always.
When they are babies, we look at them with a certain awe and so many mixed emotions. This tiny person, created and grew to perfection in our wombs. I remember being overcome with the sheer wonder of God Almighty when I looked into each of their beautiful faces. And, again, looking into the faces of our grandbabies – how could anyone deny the existence and majesty of our Creator? And, who could fathom carrying the weight of the responsibility without the consistent, moment-by-moment help of our Heavenly Father?
Every glance at our little ones and our big ones remind us we need Someone much more powerful, much wiser than ourselves to raise this creation to adulthood.
Over the course of time, that “fear” will drive us to our knees and to God more often than we are able to count. No matter how old they get, we will still be driven to our knees over their circumstances,
hurts,
success,
their illnesses, and
disappointments.
They arrive and mark us for life, don’t they? The umbilical cord was severed only to create this invisible cord connected to our hearts.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb?” (Isaiah 49:15)
It is with relief I realize, God has wired us – at least us women – exactly in this way. He designed us so that it would be unnatural, for a mom to forget or withhold compassion from her child. I will forever love and pray for my children. Neverending.
No matter their size,
no matter how old, or
independent, or
how far they may go, or
how stuck they may get … the Good Shepherd loves them even more than we do. He carries them closer to His heart and has even more investment in them than all the momma-love of all creatures combined (thank You, Jesus!). And, He is gently leading us to carry-on as He leads us on our journey … alongside a journey with our children, and our children’s children … who are each on a journey of their own.
God knows. His Son was on a journey, too. He knows the dramatic heart of a human Mom. He knows the power of the journey as He created the heart-tied journey of all journeys that will lead us to the glorious day that every knee in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11). Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Our Bryan will be 30 tomorrow. Seems surreal that we have been blessed by his presence every minute for 30 years. I so loved having a Christmas baby. And, every year I’m thrown back into all the feels of celebrating … holding my tiny son while celebrating Mary’s.
The week Bryan was born, our grandfather, Pop Reinking, went to heaven. I remember every emotion being right at the surface during those tender days.
I often wonder if Mary’s emotions ever waivered?
Her little family was basically displaced.
No room.
No bed.
Unsettled.
Even worse, people were talking. They were not even married. Joseph was older and poor little Mary … she was so young and naïve. ‘Have you heard? … she said she saw an angel and the baby is God’s son! Have you ever heard anything so bizarre?’
In the turmoil of fear that would leave most of us in a puddle
‘… she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.’ Luke 2:7.
And, they slept. They rested. And, Mary treasured these things, pondering them in her heart. There is no indication in scripture that her faith faltered.
Every detail of her life was in an uproar – yet, she was in the presence of the Savior of the world, and that was all she needed to be able to rest, to ponder, to treasure.
Her faith did not waiver at riding a donkey instead of being carried in a cushiony litter. She rested, pondered, treasured.
If I had been ready to pop and rode a donkey, I would not be calm enough to rest. And, Dale would have not been calm about walking from town to town leading a donkey with a pregnant woman on its back.
Mary rested, pondered, treasured.
If I had to sleep in a stable, with coyotes and skunks and wild hogs roaming near, I would not be calm enough to rest.
Mary rested, pondered, treasured.
If I had to lay my perfect, beautiful son in a trough, I would not be calm enough to rest.
If my day did not have an agenda, I did not know how long I would have to be away from home, I would not be calm enough to rest.
If my world were as upside down as Mary’s I would not have been calm enough to rest.
Mary rested, pondered, treasured.
What trauma are you managing at the moment? What fear are you processing … that people can’t see from the outside, but it is ripping your heart in pieces on the inside?
“Come to me all who are weary
(like Mary and Joseph)
and heavy-laden
(gently lay it down into the
manger),
and I’ll give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
If He has been giving rest to those in His presence from His birth, then enter into His presence, place your fear in the manger, and accept your rest. He is waiting for you.
Blessings.

Good morning, DearHeart.
I’ve been listening to the group “We the Kingdom”. Their tunes get stuck in my head. One song calls out Satan “Don’t Tread on Me” … there is a line in the chorus:
“He’s choking on the blood
That ran down the tree
Ain’t no devil
Gonna tread on me.”
The visual that line leaves in my head is a called-out Satan, literally choking, while kneeling at the cross. Over and over, every time a Child of God exposes sin in their life, Satan chokes on the Blood of the One Who Saves.
How powerful is that truth?!
When we hand over fear, worry, time-wasters, bad habits, wrong thinking … Satan chokes.
It takes courage to call out Satan’s influence – especially in some of the habits we have threaded into our daily lives, have you noticed? And, even more courage to nod, inviting the Most High to enter into and fill those spaces. Taking a step beyond the flesh-of-the-day garb is not normal. The enemy will throw darts at every step; be prepared. Satan knows he can’t compete with the power of your Maker.
Not even close.
The more you get to know your soul – and engage the Authority of El Elyon, God of Perfect Control, the more you engage His POWER in your life and live in His AUTHORITY. At every “yes, Lord”, The Divine Himself wraps you in and takes you deeper.
‘In all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!’ (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭37-39‬ HCSB)
Answering His call to hand over full control to The Almighty will take you to both intensely light and intensely dark places. He will take you anywhere you need to go again, and again, and again, in order to meet Him in increasing intimacy.
The journey will take you through every kind of emotion there is. And, you will be left hungry for more of Him.
His ways are perfect.
His ways are right.
He is FOR you.
Wake up.
Agree to your soul-journey. Begin.
Go.