InstaEncouragements Blog

The Myth of Control

8/26/2022

My daughter Emersyn is finishing her swim lessons for the summer. It’s been rewarding to see her progress as both her skill and #confidence have grown. As I’ve had a front-row seat to her #frustrations and #successes throughout this process, it’s reinforced to me a part of her personality that I can relate to. In one of her early #lessons, her #teacher remarked to me that our greatest hurdle in helping Emersyn become a better swimmer would be #encouraging her to give up the illusion of #control.

My daughter Emersyn is currently finishing up her swimming lessons for the summer. It’s been very rewarding to see her progress as both her skill and confidence have grown. As I’ve had a front-row seat to her frustrations and successes throughout this process, it’s reinforced to me a part of her personality that I can relate to.

In one of her early lessons, her teacher remarked to me that our greatest hurdle in helping Emersyn become a better swimmer would be encouraging her to give up the illusion of control.

As her mom, I’ve seen this struggle manifest itself in many ways — her reluctance to go down the slide at the playground, hesitation in her interactions with our new puppy, unwillingness to jump from a higher step or platform unless I am holding her hand.

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Let Me Introduce You to Alma Louise

8/5/2022

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#Author and #Illustrator, Melissa Smith Turner, created the Alma Louise #children's #book series to teach simple lessons using #whimsical #rhymes and pops of color. The books have exploded in popularity and are a favorite for readers of all ages. The next time you have a baby shower to attend, remember the Alma Louise book series. They make great gifts. Also, you might consider gifting some of these lovely books to your church nursery. I'm sure they would be much appreciated! #AlmaLouisebooks

But first... let me tell you
how I met Melissa Turner.

I met Melissa Turner while watching Home Town with Ben and Erin Napier on HGTV. Season 4, Episode 3: The Church House aired on February 3, 2020. We were just about to go deep into COVID land.

Melissa's husband is a minister and they are offered the clergy house, but it's too small for their large family. Ben and Erin do their magic and the place is just amazing in no time at all.

I expected to see a lovely renovation while watching the show that night, but what I didn't expect was to meet an author and artist! Melissa Turner is both. She has a series of children's books that are both beautiful and inspiring.

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4 Ways to Love Someone Who is Grieving

7/29/2022

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Loss. Sorrow. Grief. Whether they happen to us directly or to those we love, they are frequent and regular parts of our existence in a sin-cursed world. In the last month alone, my husband and I have experienced a family member who has suffered a miscarriage, the sudden death of a beloved and faithful fellow church member, and a dear college friend of mine who abruptly lost his job and means to support his family.

Although we cannot escape grief in this life, as believers we have the blessed consolation of experiencing it very differently from those who live without God. We still grieve, but we do so with hope (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Even in the midst of deep pain, we have hope that God makes no mistakes, that He always keeps His promises, that He loves us and walks with us, and that one day all will be made right. He is our hope and the hope with which we can comfort others.

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30 Sayings of Counsel and Knowledge

6/10/2022

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This Spring, while reading through God's Word with the girls over in the Sweeter Than Honey Facebook group, I discovered 30 sayings of counsel and knowledge that King Solomon records for us in the book of Proverbs. Solomon (990 BC to 931 BC) is credited to have been the wisest man that ever lived, and these 30 sayings of counsel and knowledge that he recorded for us in Proverbs 22-24 are still applicable today.

"Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you. Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?" Proverbs 22:17-21

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Lessons Learned in the Mundane

6/3/2022

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Have you ever wondered where David learned to fight Goliath? David’s courage and dependence on God were developed in the everyday, mundane tasks of life. He didn’t know it then but God was preparing him for this very day all of his life! David was a simple shepherd boy keeping his father’s sheep. That seems somewhat mundane, right? However, that task taught David many valuable lessons. In those fields he learned to depend on God, and he developed the courage to fight the giant Goliath. #Bible

"As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him." 1 Sam. 17:23

Have you ever wondered where David learned to fight the giant Goliath? David’s courage and dependence on the living God were developed in the everyday, mundane tasks of life. He didn’t know it then, but God was preparing him for this very day all of his life!

David was a simple shepherd boy. He kept his father’s sheep. That seems like a somewhat mundane task, doesn’t it? However, keeping his father’s sheep taught David many valuable lessons. It’s in those fields that David learned to depend on God, and it’s there that he developed the courage to fight the giant Goliath.

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2 Ways God Reveals Our Sin Through Parenting

5/27/2022

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I'm a firm believer that God always gives believers His best. We are never missing out or overlooked because He never withholds good from us. Whatever season of life God brings is His best for us. Whether young or old, single or married, childless or parents, God is teaching us, growing us, and sanctifying us with His very best. In every season of life I see how He is increasing my faith and expose my heart to grow and change me. Each season builds on the last. #parenting #children #mom #family

I am a firm believer that God always gives every believer His best. We can always be assured that we are never missing out or overlooked because God never withholds good from us.

Whatever the stage and season of life God brings to us, it is His best for us. Whether young or old, single or married, childless or parents, God is teaching us, growing us, and sanctifying us with His very best.

In every season of my life so far, I can clearly see how He has used each one to increase my faith and expose my heart in order to grow me and change me.

Additionally, each season has built upon the other. Just when I think I may have discovered it all or figured it out, God shows me how much I have yet to learn.

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Choosing Motherhood

5/13/2022

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We celebrate #mothers on Mother's Day 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. #motherhood #mothering

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.

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