"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:28-30

We had a tough morning before school today... raised tempers and voices, a kid storming out, a slammed and kicked bedroom door... All before half my cup of coffee was gone, and in spite of our best intentions and preparations to have a peaceful morning and leave early because school testing starts today. 😩

In the quietness of my kitchen after they all were gone, the familiar feelings of shame washed over me. Shame that I yelled at my kids - again - when I’ve been doing better lately, shame over my messy kitchen with counters cluttered after the busy weekend that I still haven’t cleaned off, shame that I didn’t wake up before my kids to get Jesus and coffee in me early to set myself up for success... shame all around. I could’ve chosen to be a barometer of peace, which would’ve undoubtedly calmed my daughter’s reaction, but instead, my angry reaction stoked the flames of hers. After my husband dropped them off, we were texting, and I ended the conversation with “feeling very discouraged.”

As I moved into my quiet time with the rest of my (now reheated) cup of coffee, the Lord quickly redirected my thoughts and reminded me of the source of those feelings of shame and discouragement - the enemy. I immediately repented of my sinful yelling out of anger and took those feelings of shame straight to the foot of the cross and left them there. I was once again reminded of my desperate need for Jesus, and of my daughter’s. When we mess up, He never tires of offering us mercy and grace. When my kids mess up, try as I may, my patience eventually has its limits… but Jesus never tires of our “junk,” of our repeated failures. His mercies are continually new, every morning, and His faithfulness never ends! 30-something years into my walk with the Lord, I need Jesus every minute of every day, and my daughters do too. If I’ve learned anything in motherhood, it’s that we teach a lot more by example than by word, and I hope my daughters remember their mama definitely didn’t have it all together, but that she lived surrendered to a Savior who does. Motherhood is sanctifying, and it’s such a grace that the Lord lovingly uses our parent-child struggles to point us back to Him, time and time again.

There’s no room for shame in this parenting gig, because as Tony Evans reminds us, “We’re not fighting for victory but FROM victory” - all as a result of the cross!

Jesus is always there with arms wide open, ready to meet you right where you are - not just in your Easter best, but also right in the middle of your Tuesday mess! Come to Him today, invite Him into your mess, lay your failures and weaknesses at His feet, and leave renewed by the transformative power of the cross.

Bonus pic of the actual state of my kitchen - because in this world of perfectly curated images, there’s always real life behind the scenes… and maybe my bomb-worthy counters will make you feel a little better about your own - likely less messy - Tu… — Bonus pic of the actual state of my kitchen - because in this world of perfectly curated images, there’s always real life behind the scenes… and maybe my bomb-worthy counters will make you feel a little better about your own - likely less messy - Tuesday messes. ;)