Over the holiday, some friends and I had the privilege of showering my dear friend, Jordan in anticipation of the arrival of her daughter, Jane Ellen (Ellie). We had so much fun brunching and watching Jordan open her gifts. She got everything from a tutu with "Ellie" monogrammed on it to an owl hair clip (future Chi-O) to a swing.
I offered Jordan some words of encouragement as she and Adams embark on this new chapter of their life. I wanted to make it applicable to everyone in the group--women who were mothers and those who were not. I started by stating that children are a gift and a blessing from the Lord.
We tend to do a few things with blessings:
1. Worship it over the creator
2. Worry about it (losing it, etc)
Instead we should:
1. Let it point us to Christ
2. Hold it loosely and trust that God is sovereign—Ellie already belongs to Him!
What do our fears have in common? Many of them are in our imagination.
Our minds generate countless scenarios of “What if this happens? How will I deal with it?”
Often most of the bad things we imagine never actually come true. But there will be other trials—ones we can never anticipate. That’s why Elisabeth Elliot’s wise advice is invaluable in fighting fear: “There is no grace for your imagination.” God does not sprinkle grace over every path our fear takes. He does not rush in with support and encouragement for every scenario we can imagine.
Instead He warns us to stay off those paths. Psalm 37:8 explicitly tells us: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.”
There is no grace for our imagination. That’s why our fearful imaginings produce bad fruit: anxiety, lack of joy, futile attempts to control.
However, God does promise sufficient, abundant grace for every real moment of our lives. That’s why the Proverbs 31 woman can “laugh at the future” in contrast with being worried or fearful about it.”
It seemed you had fun on that party. Foods look great too.
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Dear Emily,
ReplyDeleteYou are such a dear friend to Jordan. What a wonderful shower and what an incredible celebration of Jordan, Adams, and little Ellie! I couldn't believe all the special touches and details at the shower. The brunch was delicious and it was such a special day for all of us as we anxiously await the arrival of sweet Ellie. Thank you for all the planning and thoughtfulness...and especially your words of wisdom for all of us to share. Jordan is so lucky to have you!
Love,
Jane Jones