Perfect love casts out fear

    I won't even pretend to have my life all together. Although, I must admit, I do try. But this life is so unpredictable, from moment to moment sometimes in the Libby home. The kids can all be playing peacefully one second and the next second I am in the middle of world war Libby and all sanity is gone. I get overwhelmed by the amount on my plate, I love to be involved in ALL that my husband does in ministry, it's my favorite thing to come along side him and have a front row seat in all he gets to do for the Lord! Then the privilege of seeing God work in mighty ways in the lives around us is precious and powerful, I love to see God at work and I love for my kids to see it too! As much as I love to be so involved I have had to pray and discern where the Lord wants me. In this season my primary job and ministry is to my family. I have been called in the deepest way to support and encourage my husband in all he does and to nurture, teach and grow all the little beings in my home. I LOVE it and it is a true honor! But it also has its moments... there are days that I am on the verge of crazy! 
      Keeping up with the cleaning, cooking and all the drama around here can take it's toll on a girl! But what really breaks my hearts and can cause great anxiety and fear to seize me is when my children are touched by this world. I do all I can to protect and shield them from it, but unfortunately it's impossible to do forever...we live here on this earth, right in the middle of it, sin is all around us. What the Lord has greatly impressed on me and my roll as a mother is that it's not my job to shield and protect them from everything, I do my best and then He, in His great sovereignty, covers over all, and truly watches over them like I never could. He is with them every second that I am not and even when they sin or are introduced to it, He is there. He never lets them out of His sight or hold! The beauty in that is that I can loosen up my grip, take deep breath and do my best to train them up and teach them wisdom, discernment, obedience and how to be lights in this world. That becomes my primary goal, to teach them how to live in this world, how to be the influence, and how to be a light in the darkness. As much as I wish that I could walk through every day of life holding their hands, counseling them, guiding them, protecting them....truth is my job is to love them, teach them and help them grow into solid, secure, wise, independent God loving and fearing beings that can successfully maneuver through this world and make a difference for eternity!
      But what do we do as mothers when we see our children hurt, broken and influenced by this world? We cry out to God, we pray, we teach our children to pray, we memorize scripture to help us in our fear, anxiety and distress, we help our children memorize scripture so that they too can call out to God and start forming their own relationship with Him.....and we TRUST that God sees, God hears and God is doing something in the middle of it all that is going to make us and our children look more like Jesus! Praise God! Even our pain and trials are used by God, nothing is left untouched by Him and everything is used for His glory when we TRUST Him through it all. 

Psalm 107:13-14 

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; 

He saved them from their distress. 

He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their chains apart."

     What a comfort and sweet promise to us in our pain! God, our Father hears us and sees us in our troubles! He saves us from the things that distress us and He faithfully brings us out of those dark seasons.... when we emerge from it there is a deep unexplained joy, a maturity and growth. Our faces our brighter, our loads are lighter and we look more like Jesus. As I fell asleep last night this verse rolled around in my mind, over and over again... the first part blessed me and gave me such joy... and i kept coming to a halt on the word chains. I am sure the darkness and the chains come hand in hand! God does deliver us, but we need to come to Him, ask Him to free us from the things that bind us and follow in obedience too! Sometimes easier said then done. There was a season in my life where I was completely bound by fear, it governed my thoughts, my emotions and my parenting! The Lord was gracious to me. He brought this verse and song to my mind on repeat! 1 John 4:10a "perfect love casts out fear". I can honestly say that even though there are moments where I am still fearful for my children I am not bound by it. He has freed me from it....it came down to how much do I truly trust God and what His word says? I believe it, so I need to live like it! He knows what binds us and HE is the deliverer!! He breaks our chains and equips us to be all HE desires us to be for His kingdom and for our every day lives! This is true for us and for each of our kids!!! He will be all they ever need! I can rest in that and enjoy all the ups and downs I am privileged to live with them and in the end may all us Libby's look more and more like Jesus through whatever this life brings. 

Dedicated with love to my sweet grandma Nightingale who has graciously and lovingly imparted much wisdom and advice from her own life experiences with a large family in ministry. I love you SO much and am forever grateful for your wisdom and love.