A Mother's Day Love

 "I love you to the moon and back" my Mom would always write me in her notes.

And I believed every word. My Momma loved us three kids and I am so thankful that we knew love at an early age. My parents have been amazing examples of God's great love and I hope that the boys and I continue to carry on that legacy. 

Today for Mother's Day I will remember and celebrate with a tender heart. I will thank the Lord for giving me a good Momma and wish that she was still here, but I will also remember the Hope that still stands strong in my heart. God didn't leave me by myself--He gave me a DeDe, a Memaw, a great Daddy, two brothers, and four sweet, sweet aunts that I love--and big family and a whole lot of girlfriends, neighbors and ladies from church who love and mentor me.

And God didn't leave you by yourself either. He loves you. In the Bible, Jeremiah 31:3 says that "And the Lord says, I have loved you with an everlasting love and have drawn you in with a loving kindness." 

So today as we recognize our Mommas, Memaw, aunts, and best friends take a moment to thank them for their love. We need them and they are so special. Also take a moment to pray for those whose hearts are tender today. Send a text and remind them as they wait, they hurt, or they wish that God is not done writing their story. And that you love them and so does He. 

I love y'all to the moon and back!

xoxo

Jes

 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:8‬ ‭

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11-13‬ 

When I'm Weak

As an avid CrossFit enthusiast, I’ve learned to do pull-ups, squat cleans, clean and jerks, climb ropes, flip tires and now know words like WOD, AMRAP, and RFT. I’ve also learned that I’m physically stronger than I ever thought. The physical fitness has brought on a mental fitness where I’ve learned how to push beyond the muscle fatigue to meet (or beat!) the workout goal.

However in all of the physical fitness, there have been a few times when I wanted to quit. I wanted to literally quit the workout, skip the next exercise rep and walk away. In life, there have also been times that I wanted to quit the job, stop the work, forget the responsibility, leave the commitment and simply walk away.

Today’s WOD (Workout of the Day) was a 20 minutes AMRAP where you complete as many rounds as possible in the allotted time. Going into the workout, I had made a mental note to complete at least four rounds. I started off pretty strong, slowed down some in the third round, and pushed through the fourth to realize that I still had four minutes left on the time clock!

“Holy smokes, are you kidding me? I thought, I can’t make it through one more round. But I can’t sit around and wait for the time to expire either! “Lord, give me strength to finish.” I whispered while chalking my hands to jump up to the pull-up bar once more. As sweat was dripping down my face and my arm muscles were starting to burn, I barely busted out the last few pull-ups. From there I went onto next exercise and whispered again, “Give me strength, Lord.” as I took in a deep breath to finish the last set of lunges just before the buzzer went off.

I made it! Feeling quite accomplished and completely worn out, I laid down on the cool concrete to recover.  I had just complete five rounds--one more round than I thought that I could to start. As I caught my breath, I felt as though I heard God’s voice whisper in my heart, “For when you are weak, I am strong.” a Bible verse that I recognized.

My mind raced as I thought about the times in my life when I didn’t think I was strong enough to finish. When I kept seeing no while waiting for a yes, when my guy walked out and the heartache was fierce, when my boss couldn't see the worth of my work and perfection was defeating, when my commitment to teach stood in the way of the evening of fun or my fight to stand firm when the right thing wasn't cool. 

In those times, I had whispered the same prayer. While God's strength didn't always change my circumstances, it gave me the confidence to have faith in His power and persevere in His truth. It allowed me to finish even when I was stretched thin. God's strength changed my attitude [perspective] and gave a peace in my heart do the work, bear the disappointment or carry on through. 

I’ve said many times, “God must think I’m strong.” as I endured trial after trial, but the truth is, He is the One who is strong. I'm simply the one who asks for His power. Because when I am weak, He is strong. 

xoxo

Jes

P.S. Where do you need His strength today?

"I can do this through Christ who gives me strengths. " Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

“But The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 9 & 10b (NIV) 

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us. " Philippians 3:14 (NIV)