God Has Answered

I don't know the results of this election yet, but I am at peace. I voted today, and I'll vote the next time and the time after that. I'm grateful to live in this country where I (and in a few years you), as a woman, can be heard, be educated, and be valued. This is a gift. Recognize your privilege. Advocate for this right for other women around the world. Take it seriously but not too seriously. It matters, but it doesn't matter most. Remember all our people statements? People are more important than possessions. People are more important than plans. Well, sweet girls, people are most certainly more important than politics. So as you continue to grow into the amazing women I am beginning to see glimpses of more and more frequently, remember that the way you follow Jesus will always matter more than the way you vote. Did you feed the hungry today? Love the unloveable? Clothe the cold? Friend the friendless? Share the only hope that is unwavering? That's what matters

I saw a mommy blog recently where a mom said, "I was promised a village. Where's my village?" I have compassion for the lonely mom who asked this question, but my gut says she wouldn't really like my answer to her problem. I was transplanted to my current home with a six week old baby and no friends or family in my new town. My heart longed for a community, a village. What happened from there is miraculous but was also really hard work. My answer to that lonely mom is you have to be the village before you have a village, and sometimes you have to be the village over and over and over again before you find yours. As a former lonely mom who now has an amazing, better than I deserve village, here are my suggestions: 1. Show up - I am an introvert. New places full of strangers and small talk are uncomfortable for me, but in order to find my village, I had to show up every time I was invited. I met one of my now closest, most treasured friends when I showed up to a church

 I almost missed it. Even after spending the last week thinking about God's response to Cain in Genesis 4. How God again and again pursues Cain's heart. How God again and again tries to let Cain re-engage in relationship with Him. How God offered Cain chance after chance to repent. For the past week, I've ruminated over God's heart and purpose even in the life of a bad offering bringer and brother killer, and yet, I still almost missed it. Her angry words at the dinner table and her refusal to readjust and rethink were met with discipline, time in her room and an early bedtime. Given the words spoken, the tone with which they were spoken, and the decibel level reached, the discipline was fair and warranted. But as I cleared the table, I knew we couldn't just be done there. The Spirit soothed my frustration and urged me on to chase after the heart and re-engage in the relationship. The Spirit urged me not to miss our second chance. A second chance in the form of a nu