Category: faith

challenges, faith, faithful, Family, flowers, gardening, God, God's grace, Jesus, mint, nature, parenting, religious, scripture, sin, spiritual, spring

Mortifying the Mint

katietkennedy

One beautiful spring day, I was planting flowers in pots. My eleven-year-old daughter came outside and joined me. We finished planting all the pots and decided to tackle the beds which needed to be weeded. Someone who lived in our house prior must have planted mint and it has taken over. Every year we try to exterminate the mint, but it proceeds to come back.

My daughter and I headed over to the beds and started pulling the mint up. You can pull it out, but underneath there are more roots you must find. Mint sends out runners that spread above and just below the ground. It quickly takes over an area. We discovered groups of it growing up into other flowers. We spent about an hour pulling up piles of mint. My daughter commented on how fun it was. Thankfully the roots come up easy and it’s very rewarding to make a lot of progress quickly.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Mint is like our sin. It will continue to spread and reappear until we mortify it. We must keep digging and digging until we find the roots, pull them up and dispose of them.

Pulling up the mint from our beds was tedious, tiring, and overwhelming at times. However, it was worth the effort. I can now gaze at the flower beds and appreciate how pronounced the flowers are without the mint resting aside them.

Unless we truly mortify our sin, it will continue to reappear and cause havoc inside us, spreading to areas of our lives we didn’t intend it to impact.

Thankfully we have a loving Father who can help us and is there to forgive us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Bible, challenges, children, communication, faith, faithful, Family, family trips, forgiveness, God, God's will, mistakes, parenting, religious, scripture, spiritual, trips, Uncategorized

Arriving Ahead

katietkennedy

One year we were on vacation with my family. My kids were having a blast spending time with their cousin. We were headed out to dinner and were a larger group, so some were going in the rental car, and the rest were riding in a shuttle van. The van showed up and was ready to load passengers. We were hustling around grabbing last-minute items before we left.

The kids (there were four of them) wanted to ride in the shuttle van so they jumped aboard. A few minutes later the van pulled away. We quickly realized there were no adults aboard the van. The kids spanned ages from thirteen to six and were a fairly responsible group (for children), but we never intended on sending them alone. The impressive (or scary) thing is how they convinced the van driver to leave without a parent. Once we realized the kids were on their way without us, we hustled into the car and hurried to meet them.

The kids, sure enough, were waiting for us at the restaurant. They were beaming with pride from their adventure and were surprised when we didn’t match their enthusiasm. We chatted with them about how we were glad they made it safely, but next time they are not to leave without an adult. We expressed our concern for their safety and explained why their decision to drive off without us was not safe.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Sometimes we like to forge ahead, we make our plans and ask God to bless our path. This usually turns out how the adventure with my kids went. We might reach the destination, but if it wasn’t God’s plan for us, something is usually missing. We rush ahead convinced we know what is best, forgetting to ask God to align our will with His will. When things don’t work out as we planned, we are disappointed.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

May we keep in step with the Spirit, for the steps of a man are established by the Lord. (Galatians 5:25 & Psalms 37:23)

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Cheerfully Chosen

katietkennedy

My husband and my daughters submitted a video to be considered in a photoshoot for a hunting organization. My husband Jonathan loves to hunt so this was a natural fit.

I helped them take a few videos and pictures while dressed in head-to-toe camo, and Jonathan sent them off. A week later, he was told he had been selected and they also wanted one of our daughters.

My husband was out of town when he got the news. We called him and I put my daughter on the phone. She hung up the phone after speaking with him and had the most precious look on her face. Her smile got huge, she looked into my eyes and tenderly said, “They picked me.” She spoke with surprise, humility, and delight. She seemed shocked they had chosen her.

This reminds me of our faith journey. We all desperately want to be known, seen, and heard. My daughter’s humility spoke of her character. I was excited for her. It feels good to be chosen, and it was important for this pre-teen girl to be seen and selected.

The great news is God sees you and me every day! He loves you and never takes His eyes off you. Wow! That is hard to comprehend. If only we walked around with that confidence every day, letting the negative comments bounce off us.

God knows you and loves you. Getting that information into our hearts takes some work, and an enemy is trying to block that truth from penetrating. Psalm 139:1 states, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!”

If I could share her joy that afternoon, I would. That same joy felt by my daughter can be felt by you. You are known, loved, and cared for by the One that matters most.

Bible, birds, blessings, bravery, courage, dream, faith, faithful, freedom, God, God's grace, God's will, Jesus, perseverance, religious, scripture, sin, spiritual

Flying with Freedom

katietkennedy

How Christ’s sacrifice was meant to set us free from sin.

In the back of our house, we have a screened-in porch. The screen is starting to show signs of aging but there are no huge obvious holes. There are a few small slits, but it should keep out larger animals, or so we thought.

One day my eye caught motion inside the porch. When I went out to examine, I found a bird flying around fluttering from one corner to the next, obviously very distressed. I opened the door to the outside and walked at an angle towards the bird to entice it to fly away from me, towards freedom.

The first time this happened it took us by complete surprise. After the third one, my husband and I now take turns freeing the birds. I still don’t know how they make their way in, but I’m thankful we have been able to help them find freedom.

This reminds me of our faith journey. A lot of people find themselves like those birds, stuck inside four walls, not being able to find the exit. They fly around stuck in their sin not seeing a way out. Satan is good at helping us find this spot. He likes us here, convincing us we don’t deserve otherwise. God says something very different.

Jesus has ALREADY made a way out for you and me through His sacrifice! You don’t have to wait for someone to come open the door and let you out, He took care of that when He died on the cross. He made a way out for all of us! It’s pretty incredible if you think about it.

Are you ready to accept the freedom waiting for you outside those four walls? Are you ready to experience the path God has for you? Are you ready to turn over your sin to Jesus and follow him?

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)

Bible, blessings, challenges, children, faith, faithful, sin, Uncategorized

Smothering the Scent

katietkennedy

One evening I headed upstairs to put my kids to bed. As I walked into my youngest daughter’s room (who is seven), I was blasted with a pungent smell. She immediately started saying sorry and explained the reason for the odor.

She had opened a container of nail polish. She didn’t actually put any on, but the act of opening the jar had smelled up her room. In our house nail polish needs to be done in the bathroom, and usually with mom’s permission.

When she realized the intense odor, she came up with plan B. Plan B involved taking hand sanitizer, rubbing it all over her hands, and waving them around the room. When this only increased the aroma in her room, she went to plan C, call in re-enforcements (big sister).

When I entered the room, older sister is by an open window (in the middle of winter) and I had a hard time distinguishing what scent I smelled. The two of them were scurrying around the room trying to make the odor disappear. I was especially light-hearted about this incident after I realized no harm was done, no property was destroyed, and no one was injured.

This reminds me of our faith journey. We sometimes try so hard to cover up our sin to God. We act as if we can hide things from Him. Instead of humbly coming to God and confessing our sins, we cover over them, or at least try to, just like my daughter did (usually making the situation worse).

Jesus died so we don’t have to carry around sin and burden we were not meant to carry. Don’t hide your sin from God, take it to Him, and let Him wash you clean. Remember the sacrifice He made for us and live in the freedom He desires for you. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)

blessings, children, courage, faith, faithful, fortitude, God, God's will, Jesus, parenting, perseverance, positivity, refresh, religious, running, scripture, spiritual, women

Rapidly Running

katietkennedy

One brisk fall morning, my girls and I were on an early morning walk as my husband was leaving for work. As he began to pass us, my middle daughter who is ten started picking up speed and took off running adjacent to his truck. In our leisurely walk, I wasn’t expecting her to take off so suddenly.

Without looking back, she ran with all her might to keep up. When he stopped at the stop sign, she also stopped and leaned over to catch her breath. I was impressed with her stamina and determination to keep up with him. I admired her drive and joy.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Oh, if we could run our race like my daughter did that morning. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1) 

What if we could run after God with the same intensity as she ran beside my husband’s vehicle? What if we did not grow weary of doing good for Him? What if we pumped our arms with enthusiasm and a huge smile on our face?

Imagine if all Christians chased after God with such veracity and drive? Maybe we all need to strap on our running shoes and be ready. Maybe we need to get out there and start walking so we will be prepared and ready as He leads the way.

We will need to occasionally stop and catch our breath, just like my daughter did. We need to constantly replenish ourselves in Christ and the truth the Bible shares. Then we can get back out there and continue the race.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good.” (Galatians 6:9)

blessings, children, clothes, faith, faithful, Family, God, God's will, parenting, perseverance, religious, scripture, spiritual, Uncategorized, women

Clothes for the In-between

katietkennedy

One beautiful fall Saturday, I took my oldest daughter shopping for clothes. I relish these opportunities when I get a chance to spend one-on-one time. Sometimes it takes a child growing out of her clothes to permit the occasion.

She is twelve but almost my height. She has long legs and everything in the kids’ section is too short and won’t fit after one wash. We found a few items in the ladies’ section, but most of the clothes were not made for a twelve-year-old body.

After a few hours of shopping, we pieced enough clothes together for her to have something to wear for fall and winter. It’s tough to be in between sizes. She’s not a woman, yet she’s not a little kid anymore.

This reminds me of our faith journey. As adult Christians, we are no longer children, ignorant and innocent. We are aware of our sin patterns and usually know the paths we should take. However, we retain our childish tendencies such as refusing to ask for forgiveness and wanting to do things our way.

Even mature Christians don’t feel worthy or deserving of the freedom and guidance God provides. It’s hard for us to step into and accept the unlimited help Jesus provides. We still like to figure it out for ourselves, leaning on our own understanding. I don’t think we will ever feel truly worthy of fitting in the clothes Jesus has for us.

We don’t have to think we have mastered everything in the faith. We are in the in-between place until Jesus comes again. We get to feel unqualified and unequipped because we have Jesus to fill in the gaps. He is there to cover our inadequacies. We get to be limited in our physical, mental, and spiritual abilities because He is unlimited. He loves us as we seek to know Him. He puts us back on the path when we wander off. He comforts us when the sin of this world is too much for us to handle.

As you seek Him, He will continue to clothe you with His goodness. “Put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27)

Bible, blessings, faith, faithful, Family, fortitude, God, God's grace, horse riding, horses, Jesus, nature, religious, rest, scripture, spiritual, Uncategorized

Hovering Horse

katietkennedy

How God’s protection for us mimics that of a mare watching over her foul.

We had the opportunity to stay at a dude ranch in Montana. The ranch owned over one hundred horses. They had seven new fouls among the herd.

They begin training the fouls when they are very young to be comfortable around people. They separate each mommy and baby pair to work with the fouls individually. They halter the momma, and the foul scampers behind. It’s adorable to watch.

I snapped this picture one morning as I finished up breakfast. I observed the mare leaning over her young in a protective alert stance.

The foul was finishing a mid-morning nap. His mom never moved while he slumbered.

This reminds me of our faith journey. We are like that foul. Even if we have been in the Christian world for a long time, we still have so much to learn. God works with us a little at a time, teaching us more about Him.

Observing the mare watching over her foul reminded me of how God stands protectively over us. He watches out for us, keeps us from danger, feeds us, and cares for us. While the foul napped, her mom lovingly stood by to ensure its safety, just like God watching over us while we sleep.

Psalm 121:3 reminds us of His power and protection. “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

God watches over us when we rest, work, play, etc. No matter what we are doing, He has a watchful eye on us. What a wonderful God we have.

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Deliberate Dolls

katietkennedy

What a children’s book and our faith have in common

One evening I was reading to my six-year-old before bedtime. We were reading The Doll People by Ann M Martin & Laura Godwin. This children’s book tells a story of a doll Annabel and her family. They live in a dollhouse but can walk and talk. They only move about when their human owners are asleep or not home.

In the first book of the series, Martin & Godwin informs us how the dolls are created and made “real.” The dolls decide if they want to be a regular doll (giving up human abilities) or a doll person (can walk and talk). If they choose a doll person, they must take an oath.

Annabel is informed right before taking her oath that being a doll person is harder, it comes with great responsibility. It also comes with fun and adventure.

This reminds me of our faith journey. The Christian life is not easy. Although we don’t take an actual oath, we do commit our lives to Christ. We promise to live for Him instead of ourselves. This is no easy task.

In the book, if humans catch the dolls moving, they are thrust into doll state where they can’t move or talk for 24 hours. There are also rumors of a permanent doll state for serious offenses.

As Christians, when we mess up, thankfully we aren’t thrust into a paralyzed state like Annabel. Instead, we repent of our sins to our loving Father in Heaven. He doesn’t reprehend us, but rather washes our sins away. He doesn’t chastise us and shake His finger in our face. He accepts our burdens and mess. He cleans us off, and helps us get back up again. What an incredible Father we have!

Just as Annabel forgets, or chooses to ignore her oath on occasion, we sometimes forget who we are living for. Or we choose to go our own way knowing it’s not God’s plan.

Being a Christian comes with responsibility and risk. It also comes with a great reward.

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Keenly Knocking

katietkennedy
Little girl shown in picture not actually Charlotte

My joy-filled six-year-old daughter Charlotte awoke one Saturday morning excited about her first horse lesson. She walked down the hall and knocked on Madelyn’s door (her older sister) asking what she should wear to her lesson. 

Charlotte’s enthusiasm was not matched by her older sister who did not appreciate being woken up at 6:00 am on a Saturday. Madelyn rolled over and tried unsuccessfully to return to sleep.

This reminds me of our faith journey. Jesus will come and knock at your door. He won’t force His way in, although He could.

He comes offering a better way, help, and peace. Most of us roll over and ignore Him thinking we’ve got this on our own, we don’t need help.

For those of us who rise, open the door, and invite Him in…. oh, the wonders that await you. You can ask for wisdom or knowledge or anything your heart desires. (Psalm 37:4)

If you open that door, put your seatbelt on because you are about to embark on an unbelievable journey. You are not guaranteed an easy path, but He promises never to leave you alone. (“God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9)

God will always be there to offer assistance, wisdom, discernment, courage, comfort, and more. Even when you turn your back on Him, He’s still there, patiently waiting.

My daughter’s enthusiasm for her horse lesson does not compare to God’s enthusiasm for you. He desires you to know Him. He has blessings to pour upon you, peace to give you, and an unforgettable ride to take you on.

Don’t roll over anymore at His knocking. Get up and open the door!