I wish I could say that church me, work me, mom me, and neighbor me are all the same. We all like to think of ourselves as genuine, but sometimes I feel like two different versions of me are necessary.

Society likes to make God inappropriate outside of the church, and sometimes, I inadvertently let that lie seep into my life.
 
I don’t intentionally switch mindsets from Sunday to Monday.

• When I learn about gratitude in my Sunday school class, I don’t leave thinking “I’ll only be thankful until midnight, and then I’ll complain again tomorrow.”
• When God uses the preacher to convict my heart, I don’t tell God “I’m sorry for this sin today, so I won’t do it again until tomorrow.”​

A few months ago, it would have been hypocritical of me to try convincing anyone that a simpler lifestyle could benefit their walk with God. Being an introvert, I’ve learned to regulate the number of events and people cluttering my schedule, but as a lover of books, nick-knacks, and every birthday card anyone ever sent me, I didn’t have a natural understanding of how simplifying our home could give me a sense of spiritual rest.
 
As 21st-century Americans, we’re used to having more than just the bare necessities. We know the Bible says we didn’t bring anything into this world and we can’t take anything out (1 Timothy 6:7), but we still cling to a garage full of stuff we don’t use. We might know that we are supposed to build up treasure in Heaven instead of on earth (Matthew 6:19–20​), but we still spend a lot of time boxing away earthly items that we might use “someday.”

The message of the Gospel is beautiful in its simplicity. It is straightforward, it never changes, and it holds equal power for every individual who believes. Behind that simple message, though, is an infinite and incomprehensible divine power.

God is behind the Gospel, and He is capable of anything.​

• He can make a Gospel simple enough for a child to understand but complex enough for scholars to discuss for centuries.
• He can make a Gospel simple enough to distill into one sentence and complex enough to fill an entire book.
• He can make a Gospel simple enough to understand at the time of salvation and complex enough to still be learning about it twenty years later.

This Mother’s Day was my first time being included in the “mother club.” It felt good—if strange—to have people wishing me a “Happy Mother’s Day.” So many people assured me this past Sunday that I was indeed a mother, and it got me thinking about what truly makes a mother and why we actually celebrate mothers.
 
We celebrate mothers because of the relationship we have with them. For those of us blessed enough to have had good, godly mothers, this relationship is one that imitates God’s relationship with His children because it is a relationship built upon often unrequited sacrifice, selflessness, and love.

​Just like we love God because He first loved us, we love our mothers because they have shown so much love for us before we even knew how to reciprocate. 

The sound of “Count Your Blessings” instantly transports me back in time. I grew up singing this beloved hymn, but sometimes, in the nostalgia of the melody, I forget the powerful truth of the words. This past month has been so full and packed with good things:

• My Mom received clear pet scans and biopsies and was told, to the disbelief and astonishment of her doctors, that she is in remission after taking only half of the prescribed chemo treatments.
• My husband and I escaped for a weekend babymoon, a time for just the two of us.
• My church friends and family gave baby Lucy and me the most beautiful shower, supplying many needed baby items.
• My parents were able to visit for nearly a week. We enjoyed time together and celebrated Mom’s improving health and our upcoming addition to the family.

As I approach the beginning of my third trimester, God has been pricking my heart constantly. Everything in my life seems somehow heavier. Not harder, necessarily, just more important.

My daily habits—the working out of my faith in my life—will soon affect a brand-new little life that God has entrusted to me and my husband. 

This realization has opened my eyes to the reality of my faith in a world that will try to teach my child so many things that oppose that faith.

Who can I turn to in order to find what I need to become a good and faithful mother? The answer is simple: my heavenly Father.

​God has pushed my heart toward prayer more in these recent months than ever before.

​Growing up as a pastor’s kid sometimes made me feel at a disadvantage—ostracized in some way from other children. Expectations were different. Our lifestyle was different. Anything I did or said could come back to damage my parents’ ministry and reputation. And sometimes, this all seemed unfair.
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As a child and teenager, I tended to see only the negative aspects of my family’s ministry. I loved my parents, but sometimes I wished I could feel just a bit more “normal.”

​As an adult, ministry has become a choice I make for myself instead of my parents making it for me. I decide how I minister and where, and sometimes I feel my own fears getting in the way.

At this point in my life, I know that ministry is worth it. I know that it is important.