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20 Years: Reflections on Mongolia

This week marked a very significant milestone in my life. 20 years ago, on September 29, 1999 I stepped foot…
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Postpartum Encouragement Part 3: Emotional Preparation
The Birth Story of Jack Lewis Cofer
Postpartum Encouragement Part 2: Mental Preparation
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I regularly see posts about the difficulty of moth

I regularly see posts about the difficulty of motherhood. I also frequently get asked questions about it. One post I saw several days ago caught my attention, and made my heart ache.

Here’s a snippet:
“I wish I’d known how big a load [motherhood] was to carry. But I also am glad I was naive because some days I think, if I would have known how hard it was, I never would have signed up for this.
The mess.
The chaos.
The crying.
The fighting.
The lack of sleep.
No alone time.
No days off.
No leaving the house on a whim…”

The rest of the post was dedicated to inviting women to share about the hard of motherhood—giving permission to vent their frustration.
And that’s where it ended.

But, sisters, this is *not* where it ends. For those who know Jesus, this is where it begins. The hard of motherhood is the perfect place for His power to be displayed. Our lives become fertile ground for sanctification and transformation. And, when our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we have a goal and vision for motherhood that goes far beyond today.

As Christ-following mamas, our lives should reflect to those around us that Jesus is enough;
that He is our comfort and peace.
That He is our wisdom and joy.
That we aren’t left to our own wit and strength.

If we don’t take God at His Word—believe and obey by His grace—how will the world know He changes everything?

Fellow mamas, let’s not stop at hard. Let’s allow Jesus to start there, being beacons of hope to a world so in need of Him.
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#motherhood #lookingtoJesus #Jesuschangeseverything #Christcenteredmotherhood #children

Several weeks ago @engracedmotherhood suggested we

Several weeks ago @engracedmotherhood suggested we do a bonus post to finish out our postpartum mini series with some of our favorite baby items—and I was totally on board! Figuring out what baby items to get can be overwhelming, especially because there are literally thousands of things to choose from. I hope these recommendations from mamas with 8 kiddos between us will be of help to expectant and new moms!

Link in bio!
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#pregnancy #postpartum #motherhood #baby #babyessentials #babyitems #babyregistry #favorites #mamahood #newmama #newborn

This precious girl has a servant’s heart. She’

This precious girl has a servant’s heart. She’s often asking if she can help fold laundry or make dinner with me. She delights in giving gifts of service.

Watching her makes me wonder:

How many faithful saints will have places of honor in heaven that we never heard about earth-side?

There’s such a push for influence—a feverish drive to make an impact in some big, flashy way. To be world-changers who everyone knows about.

But Jesus tells us He prizes those who serve and give in secret—who quietly pour out for “the least of these.” He says the greatest is the servant of all.

Who knows how many servants have made an eternal impact with a thousand unseen acts of worship to their Savior.

In a world that says, “Do what it takes to reach the top,” let’s follow the example of Jesus instead; washing feet, loving the least, serving with joy for the Father’s approval alone.
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#lookingtoJesus #servantofall #serving #Christcenteredwomanhood #lookingtoJesus #motherhood #childrenareagift

My husband has used a phrase in several sermons th

My husband has used a phrase in several sermons that often comes to mind:

You do what you believe.

Emotions are powerful, and it often feels impossible not to act according to what they’re telling us. But this is where it’s vitally important that we listen to truth and not our emotions.

Remember: our emotions change, but God’s truth does not.

His truth is always right, and our emotions are very often wrong. So if our emotions are telling us something different than what God’s Word says, we must defer to Him. We’ve been given the indwelling Spirit of God to live out what is otherwise impossible. And it’s in these moments that God’s power is displayed most clearly.

[Excerpt from my most recent blog post. Link in bio]
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#emotions #belief #truth #lookingtoJesus #Christcenteredwomanhood #Christcenteredmotherhood

I wish I would’ve known as I entered into marria

I wish I would’ve known as I entered into marriage, then motherhood:

It’s ok to be a beginner.

It’s ok to have a learning curve when you’ve never been a wife or a mama before.

And that with each new child, each transition, each stage, there would be new learning curves that would bring another season of being a beginner in some way. And, that acknowledging this would be the key to growth.

I wish I would’ve known it would take nearly 10 years to establish patterns and habits that don’t come naturally—to not be paralyzed by *all* the things, but just do the next thing in front of me without stressing about the things I wasn’t doing in that moment. That I wasn’t a failure if those new skills took longer than 30 or 60 or 90 days to establish.

I wish I wouldn’t have gotten caught up comparing myself to homemakers and mamas with years of experience on me, saving myself from unnecessary shame. And, I wish my pride wouldn’t have deceived me into thinking I should try to hide the ways I needed to grow, but humbly acknowledge it and seek out advice more often.

But how I praise God for His grace; that as I prepare for the next decade of being a wife and mama, it’s a bit easier to acknowledge where I’m a beginner. I’m a little less bothered when others see where I need to grow. I’m a bit quicker to ask for help or advice or prayer.

I’m learning more and more that humility is the door to grace and growth. Pride just stunts my growth and hinders grace.

Thank you, Lord, that you’re not done with me yet.
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#Christcenteredmotherhood #Christcenteredwomanhood #marriage #humility #grace #lookingtoJesus

Trying bangs for the first time in 20+ years 😅🙈.

Anyone else get the urge after having a baby to do something drastic with your appearance? I’ve gotten my hair chopped twice after a couple of kids, but didn’t want to go short this time. I considered semi-permanent pink highlights (yes, I did), but found out it won’t work well unless you have previously bleached hair. Soooooo bangs it was. I’m just grateful my slightly impulsive decision didn’t result in one of those DIY fails 🤪.

If ya need me I’ll be here, wrangling five kiddos and figuring out how to style this new do. Happy Monday!
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#postpartum #bangs #diy #motherhood

“Until you have given yourself to Him you will n

“Until you have given yourself to Him you will not have a real self. Sameness is to be found most among the most ‘natural’ men, not among those who surrender to Christ. How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints.” - C. S. Lewis

I see so much talk today about identity: cultural, ethnic, vocational, you name it. There’s such an emphasis even amongst many Christians on characteristics that define us in some way—particularly as it relates to being a woman or the color of our skin. There’s a desperate grasping for affirmation in these traits, so much so that these take center stage. And if we’re not careful, these identities are subtly emphasized as the *most* important aspect about who we are.

But for the Christian, these aspects of ourselves are no longer our primary identity. We glory in the reality that we are *in Christ.* We boast in being defined as redeemed children of God, bought with an infinitely precious price. And because of that, Jesus is our ultimate definition. All else takes second place to being known as His.

Are our sex, melanin count, or giftings totally unimportant? No. But as a believer these are not what we fight for or hold up as the pinnacle of our existence. We rejoice that Christ loves and redeems those from every background, men and women alike, who call upon His Name. This is what makes us *different.* So why would we want to be primarily defined by anything else but Him?

Paul said in Philippians 3:8
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

What an infinite privilege to be loved and defined by Christ.
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#Jesusplusnothing #Christcenteredlife #lookingtoJesus #identity #inChrist

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