Sharing Love & Sending Joy the Old-Fashioned Way

A few years ago, an acquaintance's husband suddenly died in the night. My heart broke for her, but since we weren't very close, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to express my condolences, but I felt totally awkward calling or texting her to say something, so I did the only other thing I could think of.

I wrote her a note.

In August, I ran into her for the first time since her husband's death, and she told me that the simple little note I had written meant the world to her in the days after he died. She told me how much the prayer I included had encouraged her, and then she thanked me for taking the time to let her know that I was thinking of her.

I was shocked. It's been three years since I wrote that note, but she still remembers it. It took five minutes of my time, but it became a bright spot to remember in an otherwise dark and dreary time.

That experience served as the inspiration for a new line of stationery in the LAJ Shop. Sometimes God uses something as simple as a handwritten note to encourage and uplift us, and these notes were designed specifically with that purpose in mind.

Do you know someone who could use a little extra encouraging? What better way to share a little love and send a bit of joy than to mail a handwritten note? I don't know anyone who doesn't like getting mail. It's easy to send a text these days, but a card delivered the old-fashioned way speaks volumes. When we take the time to sit down and pen a heartfelt message, we become avenues through which God blesses others. Who wouldn't want that?

I'm celebrating the launch of these pretty little cards with a sale! Use code SENDJOY to receive 30 percent off all stationery in the shop and get busy sharing love and sending joy. Code expires November 7, 2016 at 11:59 pm CST. 

For the Times You Don't Feel Like Going to Church

Can I be honest with you for a few minutes? A few Sundays ago, I didn't want to go to church. We had a full weekend with out-of-town company and a bout with a stomach bug. I stayed home on Sunday morning with the sick one and planned to trade off with Dennis for the evening service. 

But when 5 o'clock rolled around, the last thing I wanted to do was get ready to go. I told myself I didn't have enough time to shower. I dragged around the house. I plopped down in my chair with a book and a big cup of Coke Zero. But finally, I got still enough to listen to the tiny little voice in my head telling me to get off my tail and go.

The truth is that we won't always feel like going to church. We'll make excuses. We'll drag our feet. We'll pretend that we're too busy. But practicing faithfulness has to be something that we do, regardless of how we're feeling in the moment, because we all know that feelings are fickle. They can turn on a dime, and they can't always be trusted.

God, on the other hand, is the opposite of fickle. He's faithful. And I show my gratitude for his faithfulness by trying to mirror it in my own life. Sometimes that means ignoring how I feel and doing what I ought simply because it's right.

When I got to church that night, we sang one of my favorite hymns, and I was reminded anew why we Christians do what we do. We go to church week in and week out because we desperately need a touch from God. We give, we serve, and we love all because of what Christ has done for us. For no other reason. Because he has given me life, I'll serve him with mine. 

I'm including the lyrics to that old chorus in this post because I think sometimes we all need to be reminded of why Jesus did what he did. When we forget that, we lose sight of everything that really matters. I hope these words encourage you as much as they do me. May we never stop longing for the touch of our Savior.

Until next time, grace and peace.

I Will Serve Thee

I will serve Thee because I love Thee;
You have given life to me.
I was nothing before you found me.
You have given life to me.

Heartaches,
Broken pieces,
Ruined lives
Are why you died on Calv'ry.
Your touch is what I longed for;
You have given life to me.

—William & Gloria Gaither, 1969

Trusting God When Hopes Are Deferred

Well, it finally happened. My oldest daughter started first grade this year, and I feel like the entire world has opened up. The first day of school, as the hours stretched out before me, I wondered what in the world I was going to do with all the time that had suddenly fallen in my lap. I could write. I could design. I could read a book. I could do all the things that I’ve been putting off for all the years that I’ve been a mom of little ones.

For so long now, my life has felt small. Don’t get me wrong. I love my girls, and I love this life that God has given our family, but as a mom of tiny people, there was really only so much I could do between wiping noses and picking up toys and nursing booboos. It was a sweet time, but it was also a hard time, and now that I feel it drawing to a close, I can’t help but be excited for what the Lord has in store for us next.

Several years ago, when I was a mom to just one baby, I read a blog post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner about all the messages she gets from new moms—moms who have something to say but don’t have the time to say it. Her response has stuck with me and encouraged me over the years, and I want to share it with you now.

If you’re a mom of littles, and your world feels so much smaller than you imagined, remember that this is just a season. It can be frustrating and discouraging to look around and see other women who seem to be doing it all. They have babies and thriving businesses. They’re rocking newborns and a writing career. They have everything you desire. Everything you’re striving for.

You want. You dream. You ache. God has given you a burning desire for more, and yet, most of the time, you’re doing good to make it to the grocery store and keep everyone in your home alive for another week.

I want to tell you that it’s OK.

You don’t have to do all the things right now. You just need to be faithful with the tasks that God has given you today. Take care of your babies. Feed your family. Maintain your home. And while you’re doing all of those things, let God shape you. Let him mold you into a better version of yourself. Let him use the waiting years for your benefit and his glory.

Because here’s the thing. Hope deferred will only make your heart sick if you let it. These years of waiting? They’re not pointless. God is doing something in you. Treat this time as a profound gift. A time to learn. A time to grow. A time to become the person that God is pushing you to be.

And someday, maybe sooner than you realize, your days will open up. You’ll be standing on the edge of a new season of life wondering what you’re going to do with all the time on your hands. And you’ll know with certainty that God has been preparing you for this moment all along.

Be encouraged, sweet friends. What they say is true. The days are long, but the years are short. This time will come to a bittersweet end before you know it. Don’t lose heart. Trust God. Maintain faithfulness. This waiting? It’s worth it.

Until next time, grace and peace.

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

—Ecclesiastes 3:9-12