Heather Cofer

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A New Earthly Home + Grounding When Stress Hits

17 Oct

If you had told me in August we would be moving this fall, I would have thought you were crazy. Well… God has a way of doing things that surpasses our own understanding. Because that is exactly what we’re doing in exactly one week. 

The story behind this new home is one only God could write. In a nutshell: a dear family from our church is moving to another state. They have a beautiful home they’ve used to show radical, biblical hospitality. Because of our own heart for hospitality, they asked us if we would consider buying it, which we thought would be impossible. But through the long-term, gospel-centric vision God has placed on the hearts of this precious family, He’s made a way for us to steward this incredible earthly home. We are blown away by God’s faithfulness in giving us this place to care for, and we pray it will continue to be used to show God’s love to many in the years to come. And! God provided buyers for our home on the same day this all started coming together. The contracts on both homes were signed within a few hours of each other, which is just one of many confirmations that the Lord is in every single detail of this move. [Keep an eye on my Instagram for pics in the near future!]

As excited as we are about this home, it’s added a very big project to our already full plates, especially between Judah’s work travel and me working on the details of getting my book published. So, as you might imagine, there has been huge bait for stress and anxiety. I’ve felt the physical, mental, and emotional strain of the season in many ways. But there are some grounding points that have been so helpful for me, calming my anxious, whirring thoughts and directing my vision back to Jesus over and over again. And I hope these will be an encouragement to you, too. 

1. God Equips you when (and where) he calls you

When God asks something of us, no matter how impossible it may seem, He is the one who will give us the grace to do it. This is the beauty and power of the Gospel! My husband preached a message last Sunday about the work of the Holy Spirit based in John 14, and his main point was this: God lives inside of you. He said it many times, asking us to just let that sink in. It’s astounding. We’ve not been left to our own devices. We don’t have to try to figure out this life of obedience on our own. The Holy Spirit is living inside of us to enable us to do what is otherwise impossible. All we need to do is trust Him and obey Him when He says, “go,” and He takes care of the rest. 

2. Peace is found in God alone

We’re told by the world that peace is lots of different things and comes from lots of different places: financial security, good health, having stuff (or less stuff), going to yoga classes, and a hundred other things. But all of those give counterfeit peace. The feelings only last as long as those circumstances remain the same. But we all know that doesn’t last for long. The incredible thing about God’s peace is that it isn’t based on circumstances: it’s based in an all-powerful, unchanging God of love. So, no matter how busy we are, what we are walking through, or what is to come, our souls can find rest in Him. Here are some of my favorite verses to meditate on when I need that reminder (which is… a lot). 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

3. My first duty is to delight in God

I’m pulling a lot in this post from Judah’s Sunday sermon, which was just so good. Another thing he touched on is that we can get so caught up in obeying God that we forget to delight in Him. He said, “Loving God and obeying God are not the same thing. True obedience is an outflow of love; our first and primary duty is simply to delight in God.” 

This is where it all starts: loving God. Sitting at His feet. Delighting in who He is. Marveling at His faithfulness and goodness. Praising Him for the countless ways He has shown His love to us. When this is the focus, the rest falls into place. 

One of my favorite choruses to any song is this:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

When Jesus is our delight, the cares and tasks of this life fall into perspective. We lay our Martha tendencies aside and put on the attitude of Mary, who sat at His feet… who just wanted to be near Him and soak up every single word. Who wanted to know Jesus before trying to do a bunch of things for Him. 

Jesus is after a relationship with us. He wants to minister to our souls through intimacy with Him. He wants to satisfy us in His very presence. He wants to relieve our burdens and give us rest… because He is the only one who can. And He can do it very, very well. 

So, as we go about our lives, doing what God has given us to do, let’s look to Him. Let’s love Him first and then obey Him, remembering that nothing we do earns His love or approval. Let’s remember that He has given us what we need through His Spirit to do what He calls us to do. And that when our souls are satisfied in Him, there is unexplainable, unshakeable soul rest to be found. 

Well, I’m off to pack some more boxes!

Blessings, friend,

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren says

    October 17, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    Can’t wait for a play date in your new home – and praying for this week of packing and moving! ❤️

    Reply
    • Heather says

      October 17, 2019 at 7:15 pm

      That will be a FUN day! Thank you so much, friend!

      Reply
  2. Carol Beth Sprenger says

    October 17, 2019 at 3:50 pm

    Praising the Lord for the wonderful gift of your new home! I am thankful that He is surrounding you with His peace which surpasses all understanding and supplying strength for this moving process. Thank you for sharing these three truth- filled grounding points! I am looking forward to hearing more of Judah’s sermon, too!

    Reply
    • Heather says

      October 17, 2019 at 7:15 pm

      Thank you, Mom! He is so good! And yes, I hope that sermon will be ready to pass along soon! Love you!

      Reply

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My middle-little sister, Holly, has spent the past My middle-little sister, Holly, has spent the past 6+ months in our house fam. There’s a 7 year age difference between us, so when I got married she was just entering her teen years. She lived across the world from me for a good part of the next decade, so when she decided to move up our way for a while I was thrilled. Spending hours of up-close, in-person time together has been a precious gift. Having siblings that become some of your dearest friends is, I’m discovering, one of the greatest joys of adulthood.

Now she’s off to the next chapter. I know God’s going to continue to use her to bless others in significant ways, just as she’s blessed us—this servant-hearted, joy-filled sister of mine. I’m so grateful for you, @holly_sprenger.
As I watch the happenings in this world I have an As I watch the happenings in this world I have an ever-increasing ache—a yearning—to be known first and foremost by my allegiance to Jesus Christ.

As I read headlines, hot takes, opinions, debates between fellow believers—praying and seeking to learn and discern—I’m more certain than ever that being a Christian frees us from being defined by or confined to earthly labels in our stances on any given issue. We’re free to champion what God champions, to despise what God despises regardless of how it might be viewed by those around us or what political lines it might cross. We’re free to love those who differ from us, and yes, even free to love those who do us wrong. 

I have strong opinions and thoughts about certain issues—no doubt about it. I disagree with certain thoughts or opinions fellow believers hold. But what I want those brothers and sisters to know about me *first* is that I love them, not how I might disagree with them. Yes, there’s a place to discuss, to sharpen one another, to exhort and encourage, to warn and even to rebuke at times when we see fellow believers straying from Christ. But the world is supposed to know us by our love for each other, not our debates and conflicts. This should temper the “what,” “how,” and “when” of every conversation. 

Some of us are called to stand more publicly against certain evils and injustices than others. We should expect the best of those who aren’t doing or saying exactly what we’re doing or saying (*especially* if we’re defining them by their lack of words on social media. There are faithful Christians who will never say a word about current issues online, but are obeying in word and deed in their in-person spheres). That said, this should *never* be used as an excuse to neglect the actions and words that every Christ-follower must be marked by according to Scripture. And when we find ourselves hesitating to obey any of God’s commands due to another allegiance something needs to change.

Lord, may your people be defined not by causes, but by Christ; not by worldly labels, but by you alone.
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#lookingtoJesus #thegospelchangeseverything #Christcenteredwomanhood
I’ve been thinking about my little fuchsia plant I’ve been thinking about my little fuchsia plant the past few days. I snipped and propagated it from a stunning outdoor hanging plant we had a couple years ago after it scorched in the intense CO sun. After weeks of daily watching I finally saw the roots appear, and replanted it. Fuchsia is special to me, because it’s one of the plants that beautified our windowsills in Mongolia throughout our years there. I love having one in our home.

Recently, though, did a little trimming of this plant. I noticed there were a couple of overly flourishing sprigs; they were so long they were keeping the little plant from filling out. So, as much as I hated to do it, I clipped them off. To my delight, brand new leaves began appearing within days all over the plant.

Why has this been on my mind?  Because it reminded me that sometimes—in order for us to flourish—we need to clip back areas in our lives that are zapping growth. It’s often a painful decision, because they’re usually pastimes or vocations we love. But we know in order to direct time and energy toward our God-given priorities we need to do a little clipping of those gangly offshoots. Although we feel bare for a time, it doesn’t take long for the evidence of growth and life to show itself where it was much needed. 

And guess what? Those clipped offshoots are sitting in a jar in the kitchen, waiting to sprout new roots. They aren’t gone forever, just being prepped to produce life rather than zap it. Sometimes branches do need to be clipped and tossed. Other times they just need to be propagated—waiting for new roots to grow so they can grow and flourish at the right time in the right way.

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2
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#lookingtoJesus #plants #Christcenteredwomanhood #fuchsia #ponderings #lessonseverywhere
//Well, it’s all an adventure That comes with a //Well, it’s all an adventure
That comes with a breathtaking view
Walking a tightrope
With you//

The incredible @frostedphotographer took some headshots for us, and she said, “Do you want to snap a few together?” Yes, please. 😍😍😍

Forever thankful for the gift of a life adventure with this man.
//Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Su //Summer and winter and
springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their
courses above,
Join with all nature in 
manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness,
mercy, and love//
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#greatisthyfaithfulness #lookingtoJesus #springtime
“Being like Jesus” will never contradict the r “Being like Jesus” will never contradict the rest of Scripture.

Several times as of late I’ve read or heard examples of people using stories of Jesus from the gospels to back up an argument about accepting sin of some kind. They say that if His followers are going to be like Him they need to follow His example—His example by their interpretation, that is.

But the narratives told of Jesus in the Gospels will *never* contradict the specific commands Christ-followers are given in the rest of the New Testament. Jesus never justified a sin we’re commanded to repent of. A sinful attitude never laced His words, no matter how matter-of-fact His rebukes were. Jesus is the Word made flesh. He will never go against His character or commands for His people.

We can be hard-line on sin while being gentle and kind. We can show compassion without compromising truth. We can be loving while holding fast to biblical convictions. We can, and we must.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Changing Him in any way for our own gain—whether that’s for fleshly gratification or out of fear of others—is making a Jesus in our image. This is a Jesus who cannot save. 

But we have a Jesus who *can* save, who needs no re-making. May we, by His grace, be ever-conforming to Him.
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#lookingtoJesus #Christcenteredwomanhood #Christcenteredliving #truth #love #Jesusislife
“Only God Himself fully appreciates the influenc “Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of character in her children.” 
-Billy Graham

I know without a doubt this is true of my mom. This side of heaven I’ll have no idea what depths her godly influence and faithfulness has had upon me as a wife, mom, and woman in any sphere. I will never forget her telling us, “I’m so thankful I get to spend my days with you.” To have the assurance we were loved and enjoyed on top of all she did for our physical needs was a priceless gift. And, as I prepared to enter into adulthood she not only mentored me, but invited me into friendship with her. There aren’t words to sum up that kind of honor.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thank you for being willing to love and follow Jesus in whatever He’s asked of you. There is nothing greater you could’ve given to us. I love you.
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