how He loves us

Everything comes back to His love. I am moved every time I hear the words to this song. It really says it all. He loves us and wants us to know Him. His love isn't based on our works or our gifts. No, His love is pure and an open invitation for every one of us. I am so grateful to know His love. I am so grateful for His grace. I will fall short every single time on my own and I am slowly learning that this is more than okay. His grace is what I see now instead of failure. It is in these moments of brokenness I am humbled. I realize just how much I need Him. The world often feels like a magnet trying to pull me away and I need Him to bring me back to this place with Him. To the only place I truly find rest, peace, and contentment. And because of His love and grace, I want to love others more. I can see other's hurts instead of faults and I want to offer grace instead of accusations; yet some days I still fall to my flesh and need the reminder of Him. It is because of His love for us, that the darkest days are overcome with Light. And it is because of His infallible love that I can trust in Him and his provision for my life; even when the path seems uncertain and hopeless.

Yes, everything comes back to His love.

“He is jealous for me, love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.

Oh, how He loves us 
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us all.

And We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us.”

the end of a fun day

duck hunting

Easter eggs

I love Easter. Not because of the eggs or hunts or family gatherings. I love Easter because of the Cross. I love this time of the year because it really makes me pause and reflect on what Christ did for each of us. I love the reminder of His amazing, sacrificial love for us.

Ann Voskamp sums up so much in these words,

"And this week, Jesus looks you right in the eye, and He takes that yoke off your back, He takes that weight off your mind, He takes that heaviness off your heart -- and He carries it because He wants to carry you.... to carry you right through.
He looks you right in the eye & says, "I did it for love..." (Jn3:16)
He takes your hand & takes that crown of thorns & says, "I did it because I had to take you..." (Jn14:3) 
He takes that Cross you've been carrying & He lets you walk weightless -- *grace is weightless* -- and He says, "I did it because I desperately wanted you..." (Ro.5:8)
Who in this world has ever wanted us like He has?"

He is waiting for each of us. Today. And every single day. He pursues us like no other. It all comes back to one thing. LOVE. That weightless walk. That grace. We don't have to travel the roads of life alone. We don't have to carry our burdens and our brokenness alone. He is waiting. He is here. He is a hope that defies all darkness.

Yes, I love Easter, because it celebrates a freedom, a grace, and a love that I know only through Him.

It is through Him that I can find joy in all circumstances. It is through Him that I can know the meaning of grace. It is through Him that I can know the depth of selfless love. It is through Him that I am renewed each day. It is only through Him that I can live. Without Him, I am broken and lost.

My prayer is that each one of you would know Him too. It's so easy to depend on our flesh, to think we can do life on our own; yet, each day I am reminded of my need for Him and His never ending grace. And I'm so grateful He never stops pursuing me.

she shines

exploring

cousins

Only four months apart, these girls are such a gift to one another. I remember the day they met almost 11 years ago. Our daughter, only 8 weeks old, meeting her "big cousin" for the first time.

They would continue for years, seeing each other during the summer and at Christmas; growing closer with each visit. Tears were shed every time we said goodbye. They dreamed about one day being neighbors and getting to see each other every day. We all dreamed about one day moving "home".

In 2011, this dream became a reality. It has been such a blessing to watch them grow the past four years, together and independently; each with hearts full of love for others and God. They are on the brink of so much change and it is something special to have one another to share these un-navigated waters.

As I look at both of them, I can't help but think back to all the years we waited. We dreamed of these days surrounded by family. A vision I thought would always be a dream, yet here we are. I am forever thankful for God's provision in our life. For His plans, in His time, always. And it is a reminder to wait on Him.

52 Saturday Mornings | Week 13 | slow morning

This year I am taking part in a weekly collaborative photo project called 52 Saturday Mornings. You can see the entire group of images here.

diving for rings

a magical place

there's a special place we visit. 
i love to watch our children here. 
it's magical for them. 
new worlds are created. 
new people come to life. 
and imaginations run wild. 
the best kind of days.

messy braids underwater

soaking it in

Some days I just stop and stare at her. And I wonder how we both got here. She will be 11 in less than a month. I will be 40 in less than a year. I remember when my dad turned 40. I can still see the black balloons and the “lordy, lordy, look who’s forty” decorations. Most days, I still feel like I should still be in college; yet, the reality is that my own children are now closer to college age than myself.

We pour our hearts and our souls into our children; abundantly loving and teaching them. Sometime during all those years, our own youth starts to fade as we watch our children from the sidelines; cheering them every step of the way. There is definitely not one defining moment, but something so gradual that takes place. Sure, we sort of notice it on birthdays, but each birthday somehow turns into two decades of life quicker than we ever imagined.

I wouldn't trade one moment or year of this bittersweet circle of life. These years of motherhood have been filled with lessons I needed to learn; lessons that will be etched in my heart forever. I have experienced true joys and sorrows and realized the meaning of selfless love. I changed.. my heart changed.

Yes, somewhere along the way, I grew up, while watching them begin to grow. It’s a blessing unlike any I have ever known and it is why some days I just stop and stare. I nostalgically wish these days didn’t have to end, yet I know the reality is quite the opposite. It is the reality that brings tears to my eyes and a big lump in my throat. It is the reality that knocks me in the face every birthday we celebrate, with every year that flies quicker than the one before.

I know that these moments are fleeting and I want to just soak them in, however I can.

seeing the light

We need to walk through the dark in order to fully see the light. There was a time when I couldn't see the beauty in the valleys of life. It’s easy to see the beauty in the mountains, the triumphs, the blue skies and sunshine; yet, we often miss the glory that can be found in our darker days.

I have seen that through every valley God has drawn me closer to Him. I need these days; perhaps more than I need the joyous ones. I must be reminded of how much I need Him. I need to be reminded that His abundant mercy and grace are never ending. It is during the trials that I see that He is bigger than anything I am going through. It is through the struggles, that I realize that I cannot do life on my own.

When everything is going right in life, there is a real tendency to rely on myself. There is a tendency to forget who is in control. It is during the trials of life that I seek time to pause, time to search within. There is something so metamorphic that takes place in the dark days, weeks, or months. Yes, we need to walk through the dark in order to fully see the light. John 1:5 speaks such beautiful truth, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Spring is Here

a choice

“We have a choice today.
We can look out and see the unlimited, abundant opportunities God has placed before us. 
To create. To write. To serve. To sing. To be and become.
Or we can stare at the opportunity of another person and get entangled in the enemy’s lie that everything is scarce. Scarce opportunities. Scarce supply. Scarce possibilities.
And we start seeing another person’s creations as a threat to our own opportunities.”

I read these powerful words from Lysa Terkeurst last week. Honestly, they were a bit convicting. As an artist and mother myself, there have been times I have felt this threat; this underlying feeling of insecurity.

We live in a world where social media makes it easy to see others' accomplishments and recognition. This can be professionally, artistically, or even on the home front through our children’s achievements. Some refer to this as noise. Some may say they tune out the noise, but each one of us is susceptible to it at some point. We all have days where we face self-doubt. Days we wonder when our turn will come. Days we want to quit. Days that we let the noise into our lives.

My prayer is that we will use these times, to search within ourselves. To seek God more. To follow Him. To use the times of waiting for growth. God’s plan for each of us is unique and so intricate. In knowing this, we can rejoice with others. We SHOULD rejoice with others. We should be able to genuinely encourage those around us, while we patiently wait for God’s provision in our own life.

I pray our little artist and her siblings will have the confidence to know that God has given them each bountiful opportunities. As Lysa says, “there is an abundant need in this world for your contributions to the Kingdom . . . your thoughts and words and artistic expressions . . . your exact brand of beautiful. Know it. Believe it. Live it.”

lake shenanigans

a familiar sight

homemade mudslide

siblings

Siblings. Yes, there can be competition and bickering, yet, there is so much love and friendship too. I hope when they look back on their childhood, they will remember the fun days they shared; playing together, encouraging one another, learning together, and truly becoming the best of friends. And I hope they will see what a gift they were to one another.

You can see more fun from the dock here. 

ready... set... JUMP!!