Even so, there are many nights that I lie awake and wonder if I really know their heart song. If I am way off key in nurturing their little hearts. If I am singing of God’s perfect, unconditional love or screaming loud, my imperfect, conditional love.

Then doubt creeps in all the more when I think about adoption. I already struggle to get it right. My own perceptions of love tainted with conditions. Our child through adoption will come to us knowing only of conditions with minimal, if any experience in being loved.

Words of death not life, etched deep, wounds fresh,

Abandoned. Unwanted. Worthless. Forgotten. Orphan.

I desire to be an instrument that can beautifully play the unique heart song of each of my children. To rejoice with gladness over who God has made them to be. To work these truths into their days. To knead them into their open, pliable hearts. To sooth and quiet wounded, crushed spirits. To restore hope. To be ointment that heals. To nurture new life.

This is only possible if I first grow quiet and listen to the song He sings over me. To count the ways He delights in me. To allow His love to quiet all my conditional voices so that I may rejoice in his unconditional love.

In my desire to learn my children’s heart song, I must allow God to rewrite mine.
To truly believe that His love will never fail me. Even more so, He doesn’t just love me, He rejoices over me with gladness.

In quieting to His love, I hope to become more receptive to the song that He is continually singing over each of my children. To echo His song of unfailing love as I speak into their waking hours and pray over their slumbering heads.

Words that bring forth life, resonating and rooting deep,

Chosen. Loved. Worth. dying. for. Redeemed. Child of God.

This new song that He sings over all His children,

“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

Free Printable – Rejoice Over You

Our hope is to create one light hearted printable each month. Our prayer is that this simple print might inspire, encourage, bring smiles and become reminders of God’s amazing grace. We encourage you to pass it along as a gift or use it to grace your home for a season. Many thanks for your continued support, encouraging words, faithful prayers and gracious love and friendship.

Download the Free Printable

As a teenager and young adult, I got it in my head that the world had more to offer. The sparkle and glitter of this world had great appeal. This road I chose only lead to heart break and loneliness. Soon enough I came to the hard realization that there were no rainbows with pots of gold at the end or lucky four leaf clovers. These were all fables. Even so, I had a hard time turning back. I did not feel worthy of anything good and I was certain that God’s grace was not enough for all of me.

At the age of twenty two, I had come to my breaking point and this life just plain hurt. The sparkle was fading and glitter was cracking. It was time for a change. I made the choice to take the road less traveled in search of the true source of all that is good, lovely and beautiful. The one and only source of life, Jesus. In doing so, I did not have to go far. He was right there to pick up all my  broken pieces and He so tenderly loved me and began to teach me of His grace and sweet mercy.

Today, when I stand back and take a good look at how far God has brought me, how I have grown and all that I have in Christ, I am brought to my knees. All my experiences, good and bad are my story, they have made me who I am today.  I must continually live into the truth that, I am His and I am forgiven. His grace will always be more than enough for me.  I know without a doubt that, I am the lucky one.

All that is good, lovely and beautiful comes from you. Thank you, Lord for the gift of your unfailing love and amazing grace. May we each choose the road less traveled.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”John 14:6 NLT

Free Printable – I Am The Lucky One

Our hope is to create one light hearted printable each month. Our prayer is that this simple print might inspire, encourage,  bring smiles and become reminders of God’s amazing grace. We encourage you to pass it along as a gift or use it to grace your home for a season. Many thanks for your continued support, encouraging words, faithful prayers and gracious love and friendship.

Download the Free Printable

My home growing up was not perfect but without a doubt I know that love lived there. My parents choose to love in the messy and they stayed put in the tension, lack of space and endless repairs. The home they provided grounded me. More importantly I was given a firm foundation in Jesus. I am so grateful for this. Over time and with more perspective I am able to see just what my parents truly sacrificed so that I would have a solid foundation in which to build my own home on.

I know many who have been given this foundation and what a blessing it has been. I am also aware of many who lived with the mess and tension and where the broken was beyond repair.  Where love did not come easy or maybe it did not come at all. Where there was too much space, sparkle and picture perfect but no comfort to be found.  I am inspired and encouraged by many who have lived with little or without and are now making brave and better choices for their own families. They are learning that love does not always come easy but we can choose to make the needed repairs,  pick up the messy broken pieces, create space and welcome love in.

While we are broken and far from perfect we serve a God who perfectly loves us. A God who can take our messy broken lives and our hearts in need of repair and create something new, whole and beautiful. He can make space in our homes for love to live if we are willing to open the door and welcome Him in. We need not clean under the rugs or organize our closets before we allow Him in. He already knows all our messy places and guess what, He doesn’t care. God loves us, regardless.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

Free Printable – Home Is Where Love Lives

This printable was the first one that my husband and I created. I wanted a reminder in our own home that love is a choice we must make, sometimes daily (sometimes more often) and that we can’t do it without Jesus. He is the glue that binds us together and makes us whole again. May this simple print be a blessing to your hearts and homes.

Download Free Printable

He went home to be with Jesus more than a decade ago but the smell of coffee and the early morning light still brings his memory rushing back. His big bear hugs, his quiet “I love you’s” or the pride in his eyes when all his children and grandchildren were in church with him.  I can almost see, hear and reach out and touch. Moments that I will always cherish and never forget.

Sitting down and having a cup of warm coffee with a loved one or friend is made up of moments to savor. Being still and taking a few minutes to watch our children play or listening to our spouse tell of his or her day can be the making of beautiful memories. All this over a cup of coffee. A way to slow to the rushing of time and imprint pictures in our hearts that will live on, long after the precious moment has passed. This is what makes up a life and can not be retrieved for a more convenient place or time.

I am so grateful for my rich memories and I am fully aware that time passes by far too quickly. Moments must be honored, held close but not too tight and never taken for granted. Yet we run the risk of allowing discontent, bitterness and regret to seep in, take root and hold us captive.  May we each embrace the wonder and joy that is in the ordinary, routine and even hard minutes and hours of our day. There are sweet mercies and pockets of grace available for those who are willing to fully engage and truly see.

Can you smell the rich aroma?

Go on, sit a while and have a cup or two.

Free Printable – Love My Coffee

My husband and I have created this printable as a gift for each of you. I have come up with the basic idea and my husband with his skill and talent in graphic design has made it a reality. Our hope is to create one light hearted printable each month. Our prayer is that this simple print might inspire, encourage,  bring smiles and become reminders of God’s amazing grace. We encourage you to pass it along as a gift or use it to grace your home for a season. Many thanks for your continued support, encouraging words, faithful prayers and gracious love and friendship.

Download the Printable