Everyday Jesus Blog
Please enjoy my reflections of where I see Jesus everyday
Called To Serve
Last week I dropped some donations off at a homeless shelter in Madison, WI called The Beacon. The school where I work had collected items, and I had a full trunk of hats, gloves, socks, hand warmers, and tie blankets the students had made. I headed out on Thursday afternoon feeling pretty good about what I was about to do.
Then I arrived.
I am a small-town girl. I grew up in Mazomanie, and while I’ve always been aware of homelessness, I’ll admit I had never witnessed it quite like I did that day.
As I was unloading the donations onto a cart in the parking lot, a woman approached me, I wish I had gotten her name. She gently asked if she could have a blanket. As she reached for one, she told me she had to sleep outside.
My heart broke.
I encouraged her to take whatever she needed. As I looked around, I noticed more people waiting nearby. It became clear that what I had brought, though meaningful, was only a small piece of a much larger need. When I think about the many people around the world facing hardship and uncertainty, I feel overwhelmed.
How can one person possibly make a difference?
This morning at church, a young woman shared about her call from God to serve as a missionary. As she spoke, I was reminded of something important: while there is tremendous need in the world, we are not all called to serve in the same way, but we are ALL called to serve.
This afternoon I'm sitting here in my home watching the snow fall outside the window, a warm cup of hot cocoa in my hands and the comfort of knowing there would be a snow day the next morning. I would be tucked into my warm home, cozy with the people I love most, enjoying an unexpected day of rest.
And yet, I can't stop thinking about the woman in the parking lot.
While I would be warm and comfortable, others would be out in the cold, freezing, struggling, and perhaps wondering where God is in the midst of their circumstances.
I am reminded today...
Some people are called to travel across the world as missionaries.
Some are called to serve right where they are, in shelters, food banks, churches, community organizations, and in their homes.
Others are called to give generously so that ministries and missions can continue their work.
But no matter the form it takes, service is something every one of us is invited into.
God created us to care for one another. To share what we have. To open our hands and hearts with joy for those who need it most.
This week has reminded me of that calling.
It reminded me that even small acts, loading a trunk with blankets, offering a kind word, giving what we can, matters more than we realize. They are glimpses of God’s love reaching people in real and tangible ways.
I left that experience feeling moved to do more. I want to find new ways to serve both in my community and beyond it. I also feel a renewed desire to teach my children the importance of serving others, to help them see that generosity and compassion are part of the life God calls us to live.
The needs in our world can feel overwhelming, but we are not meant to carry them alone. Each of us has been given something we can offer, our time, our resources, our compassion, or our presence.
So today I’m asking the same question I’ve been asking myself:
How might God be calling you to serve?
Take a moment to pray about it. Pay attention to what stirs in your heart. The opportunity may be closer than you think.
And when we respond, no matter how small the step, we become part of something bigger than ourselves.
AMEN
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Since my oldest left for college, each of my children now has their own room. Sometimes it astonishes me how quiet my house can be, even with three kids inside. They’re all nearly teenagers, doing their own thing. Most of the time they’re in their rooms, texting friends or snapping pictures, living in their own little worlds.
Not long ago, this house was full of chaos.
I remember how exhausted I used to feel trying to keep up with the constant needs of little ones. Making dinner, giving baths, playing games, reading bedtime stories, and managing the nightly routine. Back then, I often wished for just a moment of peace.
Now, most days, I find myself longing for the chaos again.
I miss having them all under one roof.
But when Brie comes home, something truly special happens.
The noise returns.
The chaos comes back.
And somehow, so does a deep sense of peace.
She pulled into the driveway last night after her six-hour drive from Michigan. We set up her bed in Aubrey’s room so the two of them could share space during spring break.
Before long, all three girls were piled onto Brie’s bed.
I stood quietly in the doorway and took it all in... the gossip, the giggles, the brushing of hair, the kind of laughter that only sisters share. In that moment, I felt overwhelming gratitude. I thanked God right then and there that I was aware of how special this time is.
It’s such a short season, this moment when life feels like it used to.
When the chaos I once longed to escape returns.
And instead of exhaustion…
It brings peace.
Sometimes we spend so much time praying for the next season of life that we miss the beauty of the one we’re in. When our children are little, we long for quiet. When they grow up, we long for the noise again.
But God meets us in every season.
The laughter down the hallway, the late-night whispers, the pile of sisters on one bed—these are holy moments if we pause long enough to notice them. God’s peace doesn’t always come through silence. Sometimes it comes through the beautiful, fleeting noise of the life He has given us.
And when we recognize those moments, gratitude fills the space where longing used to live.
AMEN
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Recently at work, we had a teacher professional development day. Jason Kotecki, talented author and speaker, joined us for the day. In his message he encouraged us to make everyday just a little bit better than the day before. Taking baby steps toward change. He also encouraged us to stop waiting. Whatever is on our hearts to do....just do it.
It was as if he was speaking directly to me and my situation. While I have spent years speaking and preaching at my own church, I have been preparing to branch out into other churches. In that moment I asked myself, what am I waiting for? I am almost done with my college classes.....what is holding me back from reaching for my dreams?
I asked him after everyone left how to market myself as a speaker. Without a book to promote (yet) I was feeling stuck. He told me to draft an email and send it out to every church I was willing to travel to.
I did that and the NEXT DAY, I got a call from a church who was looking for a speaker. I couldn't believe it. And when I met with the ladies planning that retreat today, they couldn't believe it either. We are a perfect fit.
I am so excited to speak at the upcoming "Oh How He Loves Us Retreat" in Boscobel, WI on Feb. 28 and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. And now I have a new website to boot!
What are you waiting for? GO DO IT!!
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I found this photo on Facebook not long ago. It says, “I promise to teach my babies to love your babies”. It struck me when I saw it, but today I had to put it into practice.
Recently, my daughter said something hurtful about another girl in her grade. The girl’s mom, who I know well, felt comfortable enough with our friendship to mention it to me directly and we decided we’d navigate our daughters through it together.
My mama heart broke for her daughter and I was so angry and frustrated with mine I could’ve screamed. But I didn’t. Instead, I remembered that photo from Facebook and I taught my daughter how to love others. We talked, we cried, and I explained to my girl the damage her words had done.
We went to the girls house and the four of us; 2 broken-hearted mommies and 2 middle school girls worked it out, together. My daughter looked her daughter in the eye and apologized. She owned her mistake, humbled herself, and delivered the most sincere apology I have ever heard. Then she was forgiven.
It was a beautiful moment amidst the ugliness I have been feeling the past several days.
Sometimes, in the very high expectations I have for my kids to be kind to everyone, I forget they are learning and they are looking to me to teach them.
Parenting is difficult. I am grateful for the lesson my daughter learned today and for the love and support I shared with the other mama.
Amen.
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I use my blog to inspire people to see God at work in their everyday life.
I tend to want to live in my little bubble of nice people and enjoy my simple sweet little life while I speak kindly of my Jesus.
Today I stepped out of my bubble and ended up reading a post that shattered my heart. A person on a Christian group page wrote a comment that excluded certain people from the church. This, to me, is the reason a lot of churches are dying. We do not get to decide who is in or who is out; we are simply called to love everyone. Right where they are at.
We are all sinners, I often tell my children, "you are no better than anyone." It is a reminder to me as much as them. I am not better than anyone. I have done my fair share of sinning, just like everyone. I am not the judge, God is. We simply need to be kind, drawing people close with our love and acceptance. God will sort it all out later.
This world is a nasty place sometimes; though there are glimmers of hope everywhere. At the risk of sounding cliche, the world really needs love sweet love.
Go today in love.
Peace, friends
