Proverbs 3 has always been familiar, but today it felt deeply personal.
Proverbs 3:5–6 has long been an anchor verse for Shaun and me. It’s one we return to often, and one I’ve written in countless farewell letters to people we’ve sent out—because it reminds me of something I desperately need to remember:
my own ways are not trustworthy.
Left to myself, I can reason well, justify well, and still end up off course. Trusting the Lord—fully, humbly, without reservation—and walking in obedience to Him isn’t optional if I desire an upright life.
It’s essential.
What struck me anew in this chapter is the intimacy the Lord shares with the upright. Scripture tells us that the Lord is intimate with those who walk rightly before Him, and I find myself longing for that closeness—not because it makes life easy, but because He is so good.
His nearness is not earned by perfection, but enjoyed through surrender.
Proverbs 3 also speaks about the Lord’s correction, and I’m grateful that it does not shy away from it. Correction is not a contradiction of His goodness; it is an expression of it.
When God corrects, it is never harsh, never careless, and never disconnected from love. Even when it’s uncomfortable—even when it humbles me—it is always for my good.
I see this so clearly through the lens of parenting. We correct our children not because we delight in their discomfort, but because we love them too much to let them continue down a path that will harm them.
In the same way, the Lord disciplines those He loves. His correction is evidence of relationship, not rejection.
Proverbs 3 reminds me that wisdom, trust, obedience, intimacy, and correction are not separate ideas—they are deeply connected.
To trust Him is to submit to Him. To walk uprightly is to remain close to Him. And to accept His correction is to rest in the truth that His heart toward us is always good.
Today, my prayer is simple:
Lord, help me trust You more than I trust myself. Help me welcome Your correction. And help me walk uprightly—not to earn Your love, but because I already have it.
Proverbs 2 doesn’t treat wisdom as optional or passive.
It doesn’t say, “If wisdom happens to cross your path…”
It says receive, treasure, incline your ear, cry out, lift your voice, seek, search.
This chapter shows us the intensity with which wisdom must be pursued—with the same intention and consistency as someone mining for silver. Not a casual stroll. Not a once-a-week glance. But digging. Reaching. Returning day after day because what’s buried is worth the effort.
And Scripture is honest here:
If wisdom is not actively sought, something else will fill the gap.
The absence of wisdom doesn’t leave us neutral—it leaves us vulnerable. Vulnerable to crooked paths, distorted desires, and voices that sound convincing but lead us away from life.
Proverbs 2 also shows us something tender and reassuring: wisdom protects before it corrects.
When we seek it, wisdom guards our steps, sharpens our discernment, and keeps us from paths we don’t yet recognize as dangerous. It doesn’t just tell us what’s right—it keeps us from falling into what would cost us peace, integrity, and joy.
And here’s the promise woven through the whole chapter:
When we seek wisdom earnestly, the Lord gives it.
Not reluctantly. Not sparingly.
He delights to give understanding to those who ask—and He uses it to preserve, guide, and anchor them.
Wisdom is not merely knowledge.
It is protection.
It is clarity.
It is a kindness from God for those who are willing to dig.
Every January, I try to start the year the same way—anchored in wisdom from the Word. One chapter of Proverbs a day. One month. Thirty-one chapters. A reset for my heart and mind.
Today I started with Proverbs 1, and what stood out to me is how clearly God defines wisdom from the very beginning.
Wisdom begins with a proper fear of the Lord—not fear that runs from Him, but reverence that submits to Him. It’s choosing obedience over impulse. Truth over temptation. Discernment over distraction.
Proverbs 1 also gives a loving but sobering warning: Don’t desire evil. Don’t run with people who do. Not because we’re better—but because sin always costs more than it promises.
What really struck me is how wisdom is described as calling out—loudly, clearly, publicly. God isn’t hiding truth. He isn’t whispering it in secret. Wisdom is right in front of us… but some choose ignorance instead. Not because they can’t see—but because they won’t turn.
If you’re looking for a simple way to begin the year grounded in truth, I encourage you to read Proverbs 1 today. As you do, ask yourself:
Am I truly fearing the Lord, or just acknowledging Him?
Are there influences I need to flee instead of justify?
Where has wisdom been calling—and I’ve been ignoring it?
God is faithful to give wisdom to those who ask and walk in humility. Let’s start the year listening.
📖 Why I Created This Bible Study Companion Guide — A Resource to Help You Know and Love God Through His Word
There’s a quiet joy that comes from sitting with an open Bible, heart ready, pen in hand—seeking not just knowledge, but God Himself. For years, I’ve have strived to study the Bible more deeply and faithfully, to see not just verses, but truth—God’s character, His promises, His purposes for the world and for me.
But let’s be honest: studying the Bible can feel overwhelming. Where do I begin? How do I know I’m interpreting this correctly? What does this actually mean? And how does it apply to my life?
These are the questions I’ve asked countless times. And they’re exactly why I created this printable Bible Study Companion Guide—a simple, clear set of questions and reminders that I’ve personally found helpful every time I open Scripture.
After reading two books that have deeply impacted the way I approach the Bible—
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin, which offers a clear, accessible method rooted in knowing God first,
And 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible by Robert Plummer, a seminary-level book I first encountered during my theological studies—
—I found myself wanting something concise and practical that I could return to regularly. Not just for me, but for my kids, and a few friends who had also expressed a desire to study Scripture with more confidence and depth.
I asked ChatGPT to help me take the heart and wisdom of these two resources and distill them into a brief guide—something printable, simple, and rooted in sound interpretation principles.
💡 Why This Guide Matters
Every passage of Scripture is part of a bigger story—and when we understand that story, we begin to see God more clearly. This guide is not a rigid formula but a compass—something to reorient our hearts and minds as we read.
You’ll find thoughtful questions like:
“What does this reveal about God?”
“What’s the historical or literary context here?”
“How does this passage fit into the big picture of the Bible?”
By asking these questions, we begin to slow down. We move beyond quick devotionals or isolated verses, and we step into real study. We let the Word shape us, instead of shaping it to fit us.
📄 What’s Inside the PDF
The guide is designed to be printable, shareable, and easy to use—perfect for individuals, families, and small groups. Whether you’re a seminary grad or just starting out, this tool can meet you where you are.
Inside, you’ll find:
Core principles to keep in mind before you begin
Key interpretive questions for every passage
Practical study reminders to avoid common mistakes
A short closing prayer to center your heart on God
It’s the kind of tool you can use every time you open your Bible—and one I hope my own kids will carry with them for years to come.
🤝 A Gift
I created this because I needed it. I still need it. And I wanted to share it because the Word of God is for all of us—not just pastors, not just scholars, but every single follower of Jesus.
If it helps you or someone you love see God more clearly, love Him more deeply, and obey Him more joyfully, then it’s done its job.
So feel free to print it. Share it. Use it with your small group, your kids, your journal, your church. Let it serve you the way it’s served me.
May we be people who study the Word not to master it, but to be mastered by the God who speaks through it.
I’m tagging along on a business trip with my hubs because he’s going to be relatively close to a good friend I haven’t seen in ages! As we do when he and I are on roadtrips, we picked a book to listen to. I had downloaded Jon Acuff’s “All You Need Is A Goal,” since it had been referred to me by my bestie.
There’s the link in case you’d like to get your own copy, I do earn commissions from Amazon from my referral links.
Anyhow, the first exercise he instructs readers to do is create a best moments list. He goes on to list some of his own best moments as well as others so there are ample examples of what those could look like. He even talks about the difficulty in focusing on yourself enough to call attention to some of your accomplishments as you recognize them as best moments. Not all best moments are accomplishments. Later you’ll categorize these moments into 4 different categories: experience, accomplishments, relationship, & objects.
This will not be a book review, it’s the doing of this exercise that captured my attention from a mental health standpoint.
As Shaun and I began to form our lists audibly calling out loud our best moments and reminiscing there were tears, smiles, laughter and joy. Jon said the 40’s hit a little different and are characterized by self reflection which I find to be true.
Today has been a gray day and it sputtered rain off and on all day. This is the typical kind of day that usually gets me down and blue, but this exercise made me really focus on so many of the good and wonderful moments I’ve had in my life. It’s very difficult to be gloomy when you’re focusing on those moments and literally writing them down on a piece of paper that you can stare at. It’s very difficult to ignore the truth you’re very plainly listing out and continue in false and dark thoughts attempting to consume your mind.
I listed things like
-meeting my husband,
-getting to be pregnant 3 times
-having 3 beautiful babies!
-The sound of our children’s laughter even as adults especially when we’re all together.
-Our first trip to CO and every trip since that allowed us to meet some of the most incredible people who have become family and not just friends.
-Specific hunts
-our Little Buddy
-Frankie the Tortoise
-church camp 2018
-publishing my first book!
-and so on!
My list is soooooo long and it’s hard for me to continue to be blue with all of these clearly wonderful moments staring at my face! This will be an exercise I employ when I feel myself being blue, and it’s one you can use too.
As a believer, I have long known the expression “count your blessings” which makes me think of the song and then the following lyric “name the one by one.” This isn’t a new tactic, clearly it’s been in use awhile!
Further, I’ve long learned to employ the verse about taking my thoughts captive in 2Corinthians 10:5 and forcing them to be obedient to the will of a Christ. To turn them from gloom and despair to what Paul suggested us to focus on in his letter to the Philippians,
Philippians 4:8 (NASB95): Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Sometimes hearing that and doing it are two separate battles and trying to use it to reprogram your thought processes can be just as tough. This exercise however, is a simple one that set me on the right path today. I know that all good things come from my Father above, so if I’m listing out blessings, that’s focusing on lovely things that are worthy of praising our Father about.
If you’re struggling with depression, what could it hurt to grab a pen and paper and start listing some of your best moments, any favorite memory. You’ll see that the truth, and what you’re feeling, aren’t in alignment right now and you need to continue to focus on these “bests” to have them help you reprogram your “stinkin thinkin.” This worked for my stinkin thinkin today!!
The next book I listen to will be “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen https://amzn.to/3OeRJHE and I’ll see if there’s anything practical and helpful I can use and share with others in there!
Please tell me you pronounced that title like it was said on “The Princess Bride”!? In all actuality I was wanting to stay in my horse world with horse thoughts, but I’m doing a zoom Bible study with a group of women about combatting lies we have believed with the truth found in the Word of God. This week was about???? You guessed it MAWAGE, or in case you haven’t seen “The Princess Bride”, (shame on you! LOL) marriage.
Coming from a broken home in a society where divorce is the norm I really never understood the symbolism of marriage. I understood that it was an important commitment to be taken seriously and except in cases of extreme exceptions, marriage is lifelong. I didn’t start to truly grasp the Biblical imagery of marriage until well over a decade into my marriage. Additionally, I carried and still catch myself carrying some unhealthy or incorrect thoughts, fears, and ideas about marriage. It is always when I come to the Word of God that I am able to see those imperfections and allow His Word to correct them and then act on them.
We understand the concepts of monogamy, and faithfulness that are true of a marriage, in Genesis 2:24 “husband and wife are joined together and become one flesh.” We even see the Old Testament prophets (specifically Hosea)compare God’s people to a wife cheating on her husband, God.
Often, we incorrectly think marriage means one or the other spouse loses their individuality. This was especially true in my case when well-intentioned people taught me what is required of me to be a Godly wife and explained the expectation of submissiveness citing Ephesians 5:22. Under their tutelage my life would now revolve around my husband and I would care for his every need, clean the house, wash the clothes, raise the children, make myself available to him and serve him. Under instruction like that, I was basically walking rebellion looking for a place to happen. If you look at that entire passage and unpack the rest of it and back up to Ephesians 4:15-16 as well, you understand that “as husbands are to be the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything,” we are really talking about leadership and so much more. Unpack that whole passage from Eph 5:22 down to verse 33 and sprinkle in Eph 4!
Ephesians 5:22-33New American Standard Bible 1995
Marriage Like Christ and the Church
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [a]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she [b]respects her husband.
Understanding God’s attributes also helps us to better understand the relationship between husband and wife as we submit to the authority of God. We know that God is needless, and is not served by human hands according to Acts 17:25. We also know that according to Psalm 145:8-9 that He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and good to all. In the passage in Ephesians 5 above, we see evidence of the husband’s responsibility to exhibit characteristics of these attributes, and trust me, a man like that is easy to follow! The body of Christ has Christ as the head, the leader. So a wife should be inclined to follow the husband’s leadership. John Piper uses “the inclination to yield or a disposition to follow because no subjection to another human is absolute. The husband does not replace Christ as the woman’s supreme authority.” Humans, including our husbands, are sinful and we should never follow them into sin. This is certainly building the picture of a relationship between husband and wife that because I love and trust him, I want to follow him while understanding we are both in subjection to God as we together follow Him.
Interesting, now we’re getting somewhere I’m on board with going. This is painting a picture of God’s relationship with His people, the church, believers in Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. Just as God allowed the use of the different individual writing styles of the men who penned the 66 books of the Bible as the Holy Spirit led, being in submission to God or our husband’s doesn’t mean we lose our individuality nor are we becoming their nanny as if they aren’t capable of doing anything for themselves. We are all members of one body, but all do not have the same function, yet all are needed for the body to be complete and effective. Just as members of the body are gifted with certain spiritual giftings to be used to serve and make the body of Christ stronger and more effective, I also have individual and specific traits that when paired with my husband make our partnership better, capable of more than we could each achieve separately. The hand may bring food to the mouth, and the mouth may chew, but the nutrients never get used in the body without the digestive system. All of these parts are needed to work in their individual ways collectively to accomplish a main goal. While I have had the great privilege of being able to stay home with our kids and start my own business while my hubby works outside the home, I do end up doing most of the housework, childcare, and a lot of the cooking, but make no mistake, my hubby is capable of doing all of those things too and does as do our kids. He doesn’t do them to “help me out,” he does them because he lives here too, and we together had children and we all collectively make the messes so we all collectively clean them up.
For years I compared myself to women I held on a pedestal of being the perfect submissive wives with their clean houses and washed folded, and put away laundry, their organizing gadgets, and their calm, gentle and quiet ways with everyone. I tend to be a little louder, and sometimes too opinionated, I don’t think mating socks should ever have been a thing, and I like tidy, but I also prefer our home look like we live there, and you can feel comfortable relaxing there too. I have always been what others previously called a tomboy, I prefer the outside to the inside and when I am inside, I like to bring the outside in with me, so it doesn’t feel quite so inside. I love so many of the things the boys love, hunting, fishing, muscle cars and tough trucks, baseball, shooting, and don’t mind competing with them to prove it, since birth ya’ll. All of these things together made me feel like I’d never be the perfect organized, decorative, clean freak, soft-spoken, timid, servant and prayer warrior of wife that I thought I had to be. All I can say now is, THANK GOD I’M NOT what I thought I was supposed to be. Those women are absolutely what THEIR husbands need, and they are slaying what God called them to do inside THEIR giftings for THEIR families.
My husband needed all of the things I thought were wrong about me as well as being a servant of Christ and prayer warrior! He’s needed an actual warrior at times to stand beside him and wield a sword and he’s needed me to stand in front and shield him when he’s needed to catch a breath. My kids, all believers, have been made Holy through the blood of Christ, but they are also a little hood! So sometimes I have to break out my hood side and set things straight! We’re a little hood and holy! I honestly think if I was less Jael and more Esther or Naomi like, that I wouldn’t have been capable of being up to the task of being Shaun’s help mate! The way God made me wasn’t a mistake and I’m not some rebellious jezebel, which I have actually been called, bless her heart, I know she meant well. I’m definitely a sinner who needed a Savior and I’m in definite need of staying in the Word of God and asking forgiveness when I realize I have behaved in a way that is contrary to God’s will, but I was uniquely made by Him for MY race and MY family so I have different strengths and talents than other women who need what God gifted THEM with for THEIR families and THEIR RACE.
You may be feeling some of these same things too. I’ve talked with many a woman who doesn’t understand why she was made a certain way instead of like some other lady whom she clearly admires. I can assure you; I’ve been there, and comparison is a joy thief and, in this case, a great way the enemy attacks and whoops up on us or lets us whoop up on ourselves! I can also assure you that God does not make mistakes, He is perfect the Bible says so in Matthew 5:48. As long as you are following Him and yielding to His leadership your fierceness, timidity, or insert any adjective that obviously does not contradict the word of God, meaning it is not sinful. Those qualities about you are exactly the way you are supposed to be for YOUR race as you pursue Christ and use your uniqueness to help both the body of Christ be more effective as well as your marriage while you use them in your role as wife and bondservant of Christ!
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My bestie just sent me a super fun insta reel of someone describing what it means to give off “horse girl” vibes. There were several girls attempting to jump several jumps as a horse would in an arena and the conversation is layered over the video. At the end, the one thing that truly defines a horse girl is being unapologetically themselves. I instantly replied that I definitely aspire to be a horse girl when I grow up!
Toddler me and the beginning of a life long love!
The truth is I’ve been around horses all of my life and I’ve been around girls who love horses equally as much as I do and girls who love them even more than I do. I think we all unapologetically admit to our love of horses even when it seems crazy or financially irresponsible, but one thing I know about all of us from the most experienced and successful to the hobby horse lover, is that we are all susceptible to the lies Satan is so good at tempting us to believe, especially about ourselves. Even the most unapologetically themselves horse girl has doubts, fears, and sometimes anxiety that her horse can sometimes be the cause of and sometimes temporarily relieve!
Smokey gets so excited to see me he sits right down for a visit sometimes! These are the best conversations!
This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. I’ve declared on more than one occasion that horses are the most stressful stress relievers on the planet, any horse related endeavor can often be a logistical nightmare! My relationship with my equine has taught me so much and caused me to reflect on myself and situations with new eyes. ( I say equine because if I left my mule, Smokey, out of my musings he’d be offended and surely retaliate in an inconvenient but not dangerous way, he can be petty sometimes!)
Mountain views scream the magnificence of God our Creator
When I go out to feed, check on, ride, or just smell my equine they could care less what I look like, or how I’m dressed. They spell love T-I-M-E and also maybe F-E-E-D (insert laughy face) but seriously, they don’t care what I look like, or smell like as long as I show up. It should go without saying that my relationship with God is the same way, He doesn’t care what I look like, how I smell, make up or no make up, messy bun or ball cap.
Lena poses for selfies and always goes with the flow!
When I climb through that fence and I spend time with my arms around one of my equine, listening to their snorting as they eat grass, their tails swishing and breathing in their smell, or I simply just sit in the pasture and be near them, watching them and observing their behavior I find myself relaxing, breathing more deeply, and experiencing a moment of peace. This is the same way I feel every time I am intentional to seek God, to spend time in His Word and allow His Word to correct with it’s truths the lies I’ve been deceived into believing, but unlike the pasture, long after I’ve gone on with the rest of my day, His word is hidden in my heart and His presence dwelling within me continues to guide and direct me.
Mo and Cricket are not nearly as impressed with Wesley’s antics
It is very often as I stand draped across or around one of the horses or riding at sunrise on a cool mountain morning that my soul sings in gratitude of the goodness of God. I specifically remember one morning ride in the mountains in Colorado while the sun began to rise and pierce through the last yellow leaves of the aspens to bathe the forest floor. As we quietly rode through the unbelievable beauty of God’s creation, tears streamed down my face and my soul seemed to hum a song in awe of God’s magnificence. Talking to the Lord while breathing in the aroma of horse (why is this not a candle) is a common occurrence for me. There’s something about the view from the saddle, or even the pasture that always shifts my gaze and my thoughts to the Lord.
Colorado morning mountain rides
Horse girls may have some defining characteristics, like hay in their hair, poop on their boots, being able to tack out by themselves and maybe seeming a little obsessed with our equine sometimes, but for me, God has used my love of horses(and mules) to show me things about His love for me and how much more peaceful and rooted I stand when I’m intentional about seeking Him, observing Him, and spending time in His Word and His presence.
Pedernales Falls, TX with Lena, Cricket and Skeeter and the kiddos
This Mother’s Day felt different than those that have come before. For the second year in a row I did not have all 3 kids together with me but while I missed my oldest terribly, it didn’t hurt as bad as it did the year before. As I reflected on my life and all of the things that have changed drastically over the last two years, one of the things that hasn’t changed is being mom.
I heard a lady once say that she understood the highest calling on her life was being a mother to the children the Lord blessed her with to raise and that she would not stoop to be the Queen of England if it got in the way of her fulfilling that calling. At that time, it was a soothing balm to my soul. I had heard another very successful, brilliant business woman call stay at home moms, especially ones with a degree, parasitic leaches on their husbands. I was just about to graduate from college with my undergraduate but had no plans on immediately entering the workforce as my husband and I had decided I would home school our kids. I took that lady’s comment hard. That was in 2010 and I can still hear her like it was yesterday, so the other woman’s God centered encouragement was a seed of truth planted in the soil of my faith at exactly the right time.
This is not to say that I have not struggled with needing or wanting to do other things that I was capable of doing while schooling and loving my kiddos. I started a business, volunteered on our Chamber Board and helped to serve our community, and had the blessing and honor of serving first as a volunteer and later on staff at our church directing youth. I went to graduate school and collected certificates for many other trainings. So many things, so many hats. Each of those seasons has changed as God has moved in our lives and challenged us to walk more deeply into new places and seasons with Him. I struggled heavily at first as many of the posts on this blog will affirm, I felt I had become untethered from so many of the things in my life that seemed to make me who I was rather than just things I did.
If you’re reading this and you’re a mom, chances are you are shaking your head because this is something you already knew, but sometimes I can be really slow on the uptake. While reflecting this Mother’s Day I realized that so many things about my life change and will continue to change as I follow the Lord, but one thing that will never change, because it is not a season, is being mom! It’s ok that “being mom” is part of my identity, I love being a mother! I have found an incredible blessing in this season of not having a ton of other hats to wear and getting to just be mom. I’ve discovered new things about my “kids” 20, 18 and 16 (not technically kids but ya know), I’ve discovered new recipes we love as we’ve had time to experiment in the kitchen together. We’ve learned to dance together, traveled more together, laughed more, cried more, and loved more together! We’ve learned to be more intentional with one another. Those nightly phone calls around dinner time that usually start with, “Hey Mama Bear, how do I cook (random favorite food), or what’s the recipe for…..” are music to my ears and make my heart swell with joy. I cherish our calls and time together better, especially that very intentional Mother’s Day one for just me! Even though we don’t live together anymore, I’m still mom, (or Mama Bear as the oldest calls me) and as the other two get older and eventually “fly the coop,” I’m going to be an absolute mess, but I’m still going to be mom! I still get to love them and speak words of encouragement and truth to them. I will always get to be Mom. aka Mama Bear, Ma, MUH- THER, Maaaahhhhhhhhm, MMMMAAAAHH, Mama Ray and random other variations from our bonus kids I’m privileged to get to love on beside their parents too!
At this point the world knows I have a 60 pound escape artist of a tortoise! He’s escaped at our home in Texas and he’s escaped at our home in Virginia. The first time he escaped it was completely my fault, I left the gates open! Future escapes have been because he’s strong, or major rain events have caused deterioration to his pen, or something on his pen broke or wore out like this last time. Sometimes it takes us a bit to figure out what we need to fix. As a result he’s now outfitted with a tracker!
There’s always tears and heartache when I lose Franklin. This time was no different. He was gone for 6 days and I cried every one of them. I searched every single day even in the rain knowing the weather was too cool in the evenings for him to go too far or move too much. He was ultimately found less than a half mile from the house by the sweetest girls who were just as elated at having found him an reunited him with us as we were that they found him and he was safe and sound.
I realized while taking steps to ensure we don’t have to go through this heartache again that there was something far more beautiful that has happened each time Frankie has been found.
In our community in Texas and in our community here in Virginia when the trumpet blast was sounded via social media, word of mouth, and text or phone calls, the community sprung into action to help us. When people you don’t know, have never met, and maybe never will, take the time to not only share your post, but to physically go out and walk the neighborhood, to message or comment words of encouragement and let you know they’re praying it ads dimension to the relief of finding Frankie. This is the beauty of community! God created us in His image which includes living in relationship and community together with Him but also with each other.
Finding Frankie in Texas and Virginia has come with its beauty and relief but seeing communities come together to support us in both of those places has been so much more beautiful. Honestly, we were longing for the same type of connection to our new community here in Virginia that we have in Texas. Finding Frankie helped us to see the beauty of this precious community and see with new eyes the joy of connecting to others in it.
I can only imagine what life was like in the early church in Acts chapter 2 as they daily met together and broke bread in their homes and shared their meals and “God added daily to their numbers those who were being saved!” Acts 2:47
Community, connection, unity is important, Paul writes about having the same mind in Philippians 2 loving one another and being united in spirit intent on one purpose. Specifically, he even noted to consider others interests as important as your own.
Our community considered my interests in Finding Frankie. They demonstrated love to us and we are so grateful to be a part of them, but also to see God’s word more clearly as we think about living in community and being united in one spirit intent on furthering the gospel.
This may mean sacrificing my time, my wants, my preferences so that someone else will come to know Jesus as Savior and King. As I reflect on how our community responded in love to help us find Frankie, I also reflect on God’s word and purpose for our lives and the tenacity with which he leaves the 99 to find the one lost (Matt 18 and Luke 15) and hope that we demonstrate that same zeal for sharing the gospel with the lost!
Have you ever walked around in the dark behind someone who had a flashlight but you didn’t? I remember this one time, in Texas of course, we were hog hunting. I can’t remember if Shaun and I were dating or had just gotten married but we were hog hunting with dogs with Shaun’s dad. I was new to hog hunting and had not run in and caught my first hog at that point. At that time I was the one who ran in after the dogs had caught and the guys had reached the hog and needed someone to pull the catch dogs off and secure them. Anyway, the bay dogs bayed in a pine thicket and we were fairly close, Shaun and his dad took off running with the catch dogs pausing to let them go as soon as they were close enough. You could hear the rally of hogs when they ran in. You could also hear the moment the catch dogs caught. I was not as brave, courageous, crazy at that time and didn’t run in as fast as the guys but I was headed that way. I was jogging in the pitch black of night without a flash light or a head light on my cap while hogs of various sizes were running out right past me and away! I remember being terrified but knowing I had to show up and do my part on our team. Depending on the size of the hog or if they had two separate hogs rather than one, they could use my help. I literally started saying out loud over and over, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” from Philippians 4 verse 13. Granted, I was taking it wildly out of context because I didn’t know any better at that time but in retrospect even then, in my belief I realized where strength and power came from. I realized that to go on in difficult or terrifying situations I would have to rely on God.
Fast forward 22 years, more hog hunts than I can count although now we don’t have any dogs to enjoy chasing around the woods and we do our night hunting with thermals, a whole other level of disorienting and not being able to decipher what you’re seeing with your naked eyes when switching back and forth for a while walking around. I was meeting the hubs for dinner, but needed to get diesel because I’m one of those people who likes to let it get dangerously low. In my defense the light had not even come on this time! Now that I’m in my forties I find it difficult to read things without my glasses, this is a fun little thing that is apparently gifted to you pretty much on your 40th birthday. Anyhow, I couldn’t really read the sign to tell how much diesel was from that distance but the closer I got the more clearly I could see it. I was reflecting on the fact that I can actually see long distances well and it is usually only reading and computer work I struggle with. Then I reminisced about hog hunting experiences when I didn’t have a light or a thermal and just trusted following along behind Shaun or Daddy (Shaun’s Dad).
I thought about how much that describes my faith, realizing that when Paul wrote that we “walk by faith and not by sight” in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 he was talking about believing in the gospel and works of God when we have not seen it as Jesus mentioned in John 20:29. The Old Testament Jews witnessed the power of God in mighty ways and many of the New Testament Jews and Gentiles, witnessed Jesus Himself. For me it’s always easier to trust something I’ve seen with my own eyes, but that’s not faith, you have indisputable proof and answers, you don’t have to have faith. To me, I do have indisputable proof of the truths of the Bible, both historical and experiential, but I don’t have all of the answers or understand everything, that’s why walking by faith is necessary.
Not having needed the therapy session of writing in a while I was able to dwell on what the Lord has brought me through and assured me of in this new season. If he had allowed me to see the big picture in fine detail like I can when I put my reading glasses on, I wouldn’t have learned as much, grown as much, tasted humble pie that I didn’t want to eat but definitely needed a piece of, and I wouldn’t be as grateful for the goodness and faithfulness of God as I am right now. As I drove towards those gas stations last night continuing to move forward but not knowing which one I was going to pull into until I could clearly see the prices, I thought that’s exactly what this last season looked like. We knew the direction we were supposed to walk obediently in but we couldn’t see the picture clearly. My focus is so much clearer now and God and an amazing group of Bible study ladies, have helped me to untether from needing to walk by sight and tether myself to walking by faith even when I can’t see clearly.
We joke sometimes in Bible study, especially when studying Revelation, when we struggle with something we are reading that we always just go back to the attributes of God and think about what we KNOW about his character revealed to us plainly in His word, and then think about how what we are struggling with aligns with His attributes and the metanarrative of the Bible. If it isn’t for our good and His glory and to win people to the Lord or help them walk in obedience then it’s stinking thinking. Walking in faith means I don’t always understand, but just like my relationship with my husband…and our dogs…I trust him, even when it’s scary, or I’m hurting, I walk forward in obedience, sometimes having to drag my feelings along behind me, and just as they are now, eventually the picture becomes clearer and more of God’s amazing character is revealed and my feelings align with my obedience. I see God continuing to work on me just as He promised! If I had seen it clearly in the beginning it wouldn’t have caused me to grow or stand more in awe and worship giving God the glory and trusting Him even more. I’m so grateful He’s not finished with me yet, even if moving forward isn’t always easy!
Raychel Writes 