MOTHER’S DAY WISDOM
The Proverbs tell us to above all else get wisdom. Today, I’ve decided to share wisdom from some of the brave women in my life. They each decided to take their pain and use it for purpose. And in the process have left a legacy for me and so many others.
DawnChere Wilkerson - Jesus is the promise, so wait with purpose
Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This was the scripture that my parents spoke over my sister when she was born. Little did they know how key it would be for her journey.
My sister has always been an intense follower of Jesus
Even as a young girl, I found her diary (yes I read it) full of prayers to God and hopes for a life spent in His service.
She also very much wanted to be a mom. And when she found out at 25 that the journey for her to motherhood wouldn’t be easy like it had been for me or for my mom, it was absolutely devastating.
I’ve walked with a lot of women through the years of infertility. And watching my sister, walking with her, was really quite amazing. She grabbed on to a truth early in the process that carried her through.
Jesus is the promise, so wait with purpose.
My sister taught me that if Jesus is the promise, then we are not waiting on fulfillment or purpose or peace or joy or any of the things that He can give us.
You don’t have to put your life on hold while you are waiting for the next season, opportunity or dream to come true. You can live with purpose exactly where you are today.
And living with purpose will renew your strength!
The Bible tells us that hope deferred makes the heart sick - but living with purpose will renew our strength.
My sister would proudly declare throughout her journey of eight years, whether or not I ever hold a child in my arms, I know God is faithful and I have received my promise.
Were their tears? Yes - and maybe you’ve shed tears over what you are longing for too. That’s okay. But don’t allow your tears to keep you from actively waiting with purpose today.
- Lean in
- Love Big
- Stay on Mission
God sees you, loves you, has a plan for you. Jesus is our promise. Lean in to the purpose of today.
Mom - DeAnza Duron - Trust in God, and make a memory
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
My mom taught me to truly trust God with my future.
If you are worried, choose to trust God. And don’t just trust Him with your words, trust Him with your whole heart. When we submit our ways (our habits, choices, daily movements) to Him, we have to then trust Him to make the path straight.
She demonstrated her trust of God for the future by embracing the present and building memorials to God’s goodness and faithfulness.
In the old testament, when God would do something great, they would build a memorial. My mom took that into the every day.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
My mom learned to stop and pray, even in the moment, about every single thing. She would tell God what she needed. But she didn’t stop there! She thanked him for what He had already done and set up sign posts for us all the remember.
We’d drive into our house and she would stop in the drive way and say thank you God for our happy home.
Why is that important? By thanking God for what He had already done, she reinforced her trust in Him for what He would do in the future!
At birthday parties, she would make sure we honored the person having a birthday with a word of encouragement.
Why? Thanking God for what He had already created in that person reminded all of us that God would be faithful to finish the good work He started!
My mom didn’t miss the now because she was worrying about tomorrow. Instead, she created memories, memorials to God’s goodness in our lives on purpose!
Trusting God allows you to live aware of the miracles going on around you right now, not just the ones you are waiting for.
Trusting God frees your heart to make memories in the life you have not the life you wish you had.
So, next time you start to worry, choose to trust God and make a memory instead. It takes practice! But it is worth it to create a culture of trusting God and remembering all that He has done!
June Barnhill - The miracle is in the details, so keep showing up
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
When I was five months old, an amazing woman joined my mom and dad in ministry. June Barnhill is spectacular and has handled every detail of their lives, and countless projects, for a really long time. (I’m a long way from five months old!)
The world is mesmerized by the flashy and the glamorous, but there is a miracle in the details.
Zechariah 4:10 - Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.
The big party may be thrown when the building is opened, but the scripture tells us that God rejoices when we pay attention to the details.
God is a detail God. We see the flash of Jericho’s walls coming down, but the detail of Joshua and company walking around in silence for days before hand. (Great story - in Joshua if you want to read it)
It’s easy to get caught up in asking where the spotlight is for your life. It’s easy to look for what makes you stand out. It’s harder to just work diligently every day in the details, and keep showing up trusting that God will bring a harvest in due season.
I’ve learned from June’s example that miracles are in the details. The big things come together because of a million little choices and tasks and decisions along the way. In the middle of the daily, it’s easy to get tired. But the scriptures tell us that if we don’t give up, we will reap a harvest!
Everyone wants to thrive, but sometimes surviving is thriving.
- Keep showing up in the marriage
- Keep showing up at the job
- Keep leaning in to the relationship
- Keep teaching the kids scriptures
- Keep speaking your faith
- Keep working on that degree
- Keep working out even when you don’t want to
If you stop showing up, you miss the miracle in the end. There is a miracle in motion. Just keep showing up.
Grammy - Frances Duron - Impossible is one choice away, why not you?
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen
My grandmother always saw possibilities regardless of the circumstances. She started a private school, launched programs to help kids with learning disabilities, and championed women leaders.
People who worked with her learned to be wary of bringing her ideas because she would often say, “I think you could do that.” Some saw it as a punishment for having an idea. But I think she was just declaring a core belief in her soul. “Why not you?”
- If you see a gap, why not you?
- If you have a dream, why not you?
- If there is a need, why not you?
- Why shouldn’t you be the one to work hard, make a difference and leave a legacy?
Well, Destiny, I’m not qualified. I don’t know if I have what it takes to make it happen. I get it. And you do have to work really hard to see the impossible happen. You do. But there is more.
We tend to put it all on our own shoulders, but we forget who we are partnering with. As Christ-followers, you are partnering with the Almighty, creator of everything. And with Him, all things are possible.
And if all things are possible, then impossible is one choice away. I’m not talking about super hero impossibilities. I’m talking about the kinds of impossibilities that the world aches for us to jump into. Hunger, homelessness, illiteracy, sickness, disease, loneliness.
Do the statistics seem overwhelming? Just take a step, make a choice, and move toward the impossible.
There are 4,000 foster children in Louisiana and 8,000 churches. If we would simply all lean into the challenges that face our society, we could fill the gap!
Next time you are faced with a seemingly impossible situation, take a lesson from Grammy and ask, “Why not me?” And then make the first choice that leads you on a journey to living in the exceedingly abundantly above with the God who specializes in the impossible.
Me - Destiny Deas - How you feel doesn’t dictate who you become, declare and dare anyways
I’m adding my name to this list, because at some point you have to decide to take your place among the brave ones in your world. You have to decide to add your brave to theirs.
And this is what I have learned: How you feel doesn’t dictate who you become; so, declare and dare anyways.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
This is the soundtrack of my life.
What I feel on the inside doesn’t have to dictate who I become.
Just because I feel anxious doesn’t mean I have to live anxious.
Just because I feel fear, doesn’t mean I have to be fearful.
I can submit my emotions to His will and declare and dare anyways.
First, I have to accept that God has the power and He has given me power through the Holy Spirit. So, when I feel defeated, that isn’t who I am, because I have the spirit of power within me.
Second, I have to allow God to love through me. Frustrated, okay, but I can still be loving. Angry, okay, but I can still be loving. Hate, animosity, resentment, envy, jealousy, have no place in me, because I have the spirit of LOVE.
Finally, I have to embrace the spirit of self-discipline. 9/10, my problem is me. Paul says it this way - I do the things I don’t wish to do. So, I have to submit not only to the power of God and the love of God, but to the spirit of self-discipline that removes excuses and allows me to live life on purpose.
These are the lessons from the brave women in my family
- Jesus is your promise, so wait with purpose
- Trust God, and make memories
- The miracle is in the details, so keep showing up
- Impossible is one choice away, so why not you
When we choose to raise the next generation without apology or excuse, to accept Christ’s invitation to create disciples as dominant in our lives, we have the chance to create a legacy. And we get to pass the pain of our lives on as lessons, wisdom to those around us.
Today, God sees you, loves you, and has a plan for you. Don’t give up. We need your brave too. Even when you don’t feel like it, dare and declare anyways!
What wisdom have you learned from the brave women in your life?
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