Chrissy Teigen’s Loss

Let me begin this post by saying I am a Pro-Life advocate and supporter. I have been following Lila Rose since she spoke at my college in 2012. And I appreciate that she has been posting to her pages about Chrissy Teigen’s loss. I don’t know her motives for posting. But I know that every time I see a post regarding their loss I can pray for her and other mama’s who have lost babies.

There is an unhealthy and toxic mindset saturating the comments of Lila’s posts and Chrissy’s posts. Comments that she should not feel pain for this or grieve the loss of her son or she deserves this because in the past she has supported abortion and she is Pro-Choice.

Now, I could totally be wrong, but the Jesus I follow would have mourned with Chrissy. He would not be bringing up her faults or past ignorance. He would be sad for her and with her.

Why aren’t we more like Jesus? Why are we slamming her and condemning her during this time of mourning? Instead of hating her…pray for her. We are not called to like everyone but we are called to love them.

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The Joy of the Lord

I can only describe this time as bittersweet. Today marks 77 days since my last day at work and my heart aches for my little one I take care of. I miss everything about being a pediatric care tech and am counting the seconds until I can return to work.

I miss normalcy. I miss teaching preschoolers on Sunday mornings. I miss meeting with the students on Sunday nights. I miss going out for coffee with my friends. I miss going out with my man after a long work week and just staring into each other’s eyes over a candlelit dinner (yeah yeah…we can still do this, but our dog isn’t the best waiter). I miss the mundane and I miss the crazy. There are so many things I took for granted that I completely ache for now.

But I am so ridiculously blessed. I haven’t personally lost anyone in this pandemic, but I know so many who have. Financially, I am struggling in this time of being laid off, but God has abundantly provided every time I have needed. Mentally, I am hanging in there, I’m blessed with a “team” of support when it comes to my mental health so my heart goes out to those who are feeling the depths of depression during this time. I pray that they are being supported and loved during this trying time.

Joy has been found in the Lord across the world in this pandemic. My students are flourishing in their own personal walks with God. They are encouraging one another, they are taking to social media to hold virtual Bible studies, and they are sending cards and flowers to those who need it. They are thriving and they are creative in their own personal study of the Word. I am so proud of each and every one of them for how amazingly they are handling their senior year of high school. I have seen my preschool parents post the fun things their kiddos are doing, from climbing trees, to making posters to hang out of their cars for a drive-by birthday party, to making their parents breakfast in bed. My friends and I are doing check-ins with each other…just to let each other know we are here and we are praying for one another. So many virtual hugs and “coffee vibes” have been sent out. Relationships are being built stronger than ever before. I am seeing God in all of this. I am seeing Him work in ways I haven’t seen before and that is so encouraging.

The church is not a building. The church is people continuing the ministry of Christ. The church is people reaching out those who need a conversation. The church is meals being delivered. The church is drive-by conversations held 6 feet apart with masks on. The church is responding to this time in such a beautiful way that only God could orchestrate. And I’m blown away.

So continue to spread the joy of the Lord during this time, it is so very needed.

Self Love vs. Self Care

Self care is great, but self care doesn’t necessarily equal the self love that this world talks about. Self care is self preservation…loving yourself AND taking care of yourself. It’s reading your Bible, sleeping, showering, take your medication, doing your laundry, going to the gym…things like that. 

Our society seems to be so caught up on self love. Self first. Others last. That’s not how Jesus functioned. That’s not how He operated. He was love others and also self care. He taught others how to put others before themselves. While He also was the example of napping and eating and taking time away from everything going on to sit in a garden and pray. He took care of himself and was able to love and take care of others. What a concept.

He was love others and self care. Can we all agree that this self love and finding yourself is a gigantic waste of time and is so far from what Jesus intended when He was on this earth? Jesus didn’t say to His disciples, “I need to leave you and go find myself. I need to learn how to love myself. You guys figure this out on your own.” Nope. He was alongside of them during His ministry. He loved them. He did life with them. Alongside of them. He loved others. He cared for people before Himself. He literally died for us, taking on the sins of the world, and saving us!

Check out this resource from Equipping Godly Women’s Mary Harp Click Here! I highly recommend reading through her post thoroughly. 

So let’s love others while also practicing self care.

WWJD? Love others while also taking care of yourself. Which means eat, nap, pray.

Dear Friends…

Don’t apologize for your kids with special needs.

I love how kids know. They know when a stranger is safe. The amount of times a person with special needs has run up to me and grabbed my hand, started a conversation, or just stood next to me and smiled is countless. And I’ve heard numerous stories from my fellow nurses, techs, teachers, and nannies who work with kids who have special needs. Those kiddos just know, there is an unspoken connection with these friends and it is fantastic.

It breaks my heart that parents and caregivers feel they have to apologize. Apologize for the touching, the sounds, the closeness, the conversation, the singing, the everything unique and amazing that makes that person special, and not only that, but what that person might be doing that is annoying you so much is a result of sensory overload, it is a survival tactic.

So many parents and caregivers of people with special needs have been scolded verbally or with nasty disapproving looks. And they are constantly apologizing. Strangers who have no idea that the man loudly humming the same theme song over and over again has to do that. That the little girl tapping the table and rocking back and forth in her chair in a crowded restaurant has to do that. That the child who’s going into sensory overload can’t help but scream and hit himself.

If you can’t help but feel the need to stare down that person who is apparently annoying you, then please just turn around. Don’t let them see your judgmental glares. They really don’t need it. Trust me. 

To the parents and caregivers out there who have seen those looks and heard the disgraceful murmurs of the disapproving strangers…just know there are so many more of us out there who will love on your kids and love on you.

So please, I encourage you not to stop your child from being themselves. It makes my day when a friend runs up to me and grabs my hand or asks me to sing along with whatever song they need to sing. 

Love Your Enemies

Let’s talk about loving your enemies.

I have struggled for years with someone in ministry who is just the oil to my water. We do not mix at all. They have a completely different mindset, thought process, and way of life than I do. They go out of their way to bring strife into the ministry and I’ve almost quit so many times because of them. But ultimately I am serving for the Lord in this ministry and not for that person.

How do I move past the “kill them with kindness” mindset and into the mindset of actually forgiving them and praying FOR them instead of praying for them to change. I need to be praying that I see them through God’s eyes. I can’t change the narcissistic or misogynistic tendencies. I shouldn’t be praying for them to change. I need to pray that I can forgive them and love them how God loves them.

Harder than it looks.

Jesus wasn’t always respected. Yet He still loved those who disrespected Him. If Jesus can die on the cross for people who cursed Him and beat Him and betrayed Him, than I can learn to love my enemies too. Actually love my enemies. Not just say I love my enemies. Not just say that I forgive them. Not kill them with kindness. But actually have a change within my own heart.

Luke 6:27 “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”

1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.” (This is my email signature, so I should probably start living this verse.)

1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Just Eat

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Samuel 1:18 “…Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.”

1 Kings 19:4-8 “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.”

I was so touched by this verse that I had to text my man about it. I can get quite cranky when I’m hangry and he tends to be the receiver of my crankiness.

So many times in scripture food is referenced! Sacrificing food, gathering around food, gifting food, food falling from Heaven, food, food, food. God knows that we need food. Jesus was on this earth and His ministry was bringing food to people, fishing for food with people, gathering around food with people, sharing important news with people over food, using food as a representation of his body! FOOD!

The Bible also talks about what to eat, not to eat too much, and treating your body as a temple. Not to just be gluttons, but to appreciate food, and take care of our bodies.

Mental health and moods are included in that ‘taking care of’ bit. So enjoy the cake but also eat the foods that are going to nourish us and keep us from being miserable to those we are called to love.

Eat!

Halloween Treat Buckets

Halloween is almost here! I LOVE Halloween. 

I enjoy putting together special goody bags for the kids I work with. This year I am putting something together for my former nanny kids but I have very little time. Meaning I can’t make any fancy treats or caramel apples or drizzled pretzel rods. So I went to Target (#NotSponsored) and went a little crazy putting together treat buckets for. Of course…I also made one for their parents because why not 🙂 

Here is a breakdown of what I spent:

• 100 Grand Bars – Fun Size – $0.23 each – 10 Pieces – $2.30
• Reese’s Take 5 Bars – Fun Size – $0.20 each – 10 Pieces – $2.00
• Snicker’s XScream Bars – Fun Size – $0.18 each – 10 Pieces – $1.80
• Candy Corn – $1.00 each – $2.00
• Peeps – $1.00 each – $2.00
• Fudge Covered Pretzel Rods – $0.62 each – 6 Pieces – $3.72
• Cookie Bark Bars – $1.99 each – $3.98
• Mini M&M’s – $1.00 each – $2.00
• Star Wars Candy Dispenser – $2.84 each – $5.68 
• Kind Bark – $3.79
• Chocolate Covered Almonds – $2.79
• Halloween Bucket – $0.75 each – $2.25

$34.31 Total for 3 Filled Treat Buckets

Certainly not budget friendly but knowing this expense was coming up I gave up my second coffee of the day for the past week and a half. I am not even joking. But I love being able to treat those I’m closest to. This is definitely a major sourse of joy for me. I can’t wait to have my own kids that I can bless with fun treats from time to time.

 

I hope this post inspires you! Let me know how you’re ‘treating’ those close to you this Halloween!