In August of 2013, we traveled to Elevation where the church offered an opportunity to be baptized on the spot… a few Rebacks took them up on it!
So yesterday I went all princesses and tiaras on you…and that was fun. And true. And real.
But today I want to be honest and share with you a different kind of crown altogether.
I’ve been frustrated lately. Overwhelmed. Emotional (which is not really like me…) and I know I am pregnant and I know I have a lot on my plate but it’s more than that honestly.
Some seasons in parenting are wonderful, and truthfully, some are challenging….to put it nicely. Those of you who have been through difficult seasons yourselves are drinking your coffee right now and saying, “Amen.”
I’m with you, sister.
I know. It can really suck.
But as I was reasoning and thinking through so many different things I am working through with so many of my children….and as the Lord is SIMULTANEOUSLY working on ME with so many different things, I ran across this clip from a sermon this past week…and for once, so much of what I have been struggling through FINALLY made sense.
This small clip of Pastor Steven’s sermon is powerful, but the whole thing was just monumental to me (you should listen to it…well worth your time). It removed clouds of doubt, gave me continued strength to carry on and the faith to believe that YES, God’s grace is sufficient…for me…for my family…for us all. The frustrations I have been sensing are not signals to run away, but proof that I should keep running, on my broken feet and wobbly legs towards all that the Lord has for our family!
Parents, those thorns, those tough people (even if they are disguised as your own family members, your own children) are meant to drive you to Christ. The thorns that hurt us, the things we think disqualify us, the people who would mock us, the overwhelming stumbling blocks placed right in our paths, the hurtful things of our own past, the failures we have endured and tried to cover up, the skeletons in our closets, the terrible habits we are trying desperately to overcome, the voices in our heads that keep playing the “you’ll never be able to actually do this parenting thing right” tapes….any and all of those thorns were once wrapped into a crown and placed on the head of a Savior that died a terribly painful, embarrassingly humiliating, skeleton baring death for our sake so that we could walk in VICTORY.
So wear your tiaras, ladies. And realize that every thorn in your side, every loss and hurt and shred of humiliation or frustration has been paid for. He wore the crown of thorns for us, so that we could be royalty in His sight. Even though we know our own faults and failures, we no longer need to let those thorns stop us on our path towards all He has for us…We can instead walk in faith and continue to gather jewels in the crowns he prepares for us when we finally get home to heaven.
To view Pastor Steven’s sermon, Making Friends With Frustration, click here.
Jenny says
I may be listening to this about 5 times a day! Thank you.
Jennifer says
I’m pretty stoic Lyette, but this. THIS. God sent this to me this morning. After I type through tears, I’m going to shake hands with some big frustrations. Thank you!
Michelle Wiginton says
Strangely, I had listened to this sermon “an angel sent to me on FB” earlier this week…what a breath of fresh air! Frustrations as CONFIRMATIONS, not CONDEMNATIONS! Praise the Lord! Remember, too, that you have been put into a place as a “Godly Mother” to millions (yes, I did not stutter!) of moms like ME who need to know how go get over the hurdles with grace, get through the mucky sinkholes with faith, and get through life with love, power and amazing kids who serve Our Lord and Savior!! You help us deal with things that you’ve already traversed….so your path is also for me and the millions of other mommies who will drink from the fountain of God’s wisdom that flows from His throne, through you, to us! Thank you!!!