This past month was one of the busiest seasons so far this year.
And people in our house require clean socks and three meals a day, every day! The audacity.
I would bet your life feels much the same. Each in our ways, in different seasons, we are all faced with pressing times.
But here’s what I need you to hear: I wasn’t drained.
I didn’t feel like I was crawling to the finish line.
I was full, showing up to each moment with joy, clarity, and fresh strength.
And no, it’s not because I mastered time-blocking (I haven’t) or finally figured out how to get up before the kids (although that does help, especially when I get to do a devotional and pray while sipping my organic coffee in the dark of the morning).
It’s because I’ve stopped living like my job is to pour myself out, get empty, and hustle to fill up again.
That’s not how Heaven works.
You’ve heard the phrase: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Recently, I said that to someone casually. "You have to fill up your Mama cup!" or something like that.
When I walked away, The Lord nudged me.
I knew the words I said were wrong.
So I went looking for that truth in Scripture..... and it’s just not there.
What I did find?
The Fountain.
Jeremiah 17:13 calls God “the fountain of living waters.”
John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in Me, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
That’s not a cycle of fill, pour, be empty, run back depleted, fill, pour, be empty, run back depleted…..its a continual flow.
When we live connected to Him, truly and intentionally engaged in our hearts—we don’t run dry.
We don’t white-knuckle our way to fullness.
Rather, we stay under the fountain.
It’s not just about listening to worship music while folding laundry or squeezing in a quick devo while the coffee brews (though I absolutely do those things!).
It’s about the heart posture inside those moments.
They mean nothing without the positioning of the heart (our cup, so to speak).
Ask yourself: Am I truly engaging with Him right now?
Am I letting this moment shift me under the fountain of His presence?
That’s the difference.
These practices of worship, prayer, stillness are not just spiritual “to-dos.”
They are invitations into alignment underneath The Fountain.
They change what the rest of the day feels like because they change where we’re positioned.
And when I feel that shift during times when distraction or pressure starts to pull me away, I ask Holy Spirit to help me come back.
Because that’s what He does!
Jesus said: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
He literally reminds us and helps us stay near.
And in Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Even when we don’t have the words or strength, He meets us there.
The world teaches us to grind to be good.
But the Kingdom way is different: John 4:13-14“…Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Do you feel the difference?
One life leaves you constantly running on fumes, and makes emptiness a normal part of the cadence of life.
The other leaves you full, nourished, ready because you’re not the source. You’re simply positioned under the flow.
While I try to avoid too many disclaimers as they can get a little out of hand, I'm going to add this one: this isn't a substitute for, or excuse not to, rest. This is a lifestyle of living in fullness, of which physical and mental rest is a part. That's for another day's discussion.
Psalm 23:5 says "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
So if you’ve been chasing fullness by effort, working hard to empty and refill again and again, I want to gently invite you back to The Fountain, where you can rest and overflow, remaining full all the time.
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Be filled, and be blessed, friend!
It happens every time.
One kid comes down with it, and you already know it's going to make it's way through the family, one by one.
But does it have to?
I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
One, cause facts.
And two, cause I've been able to stop that from happening in my family of six plenty of times!
Great news, right!?
But how?
Here's what I do when someone's got the ickies to prevent sharing.
1. Sharing isn't caring.
Don't let siblings share things! It seems to go without saying, but when you live together it's hard to even realize where we are being exposed. The ick-carrying kiddo gets their own bathroom, their own chair/couch, and preferably their own room until all better.
2. Treat everyone the same.
It took me a few years of natural living to figure this one out! The minute I realize one child needs immune system support, I give it to them...plus I give it to everyone else, too. The sooner I can boost them, the less time they will be down with "it" too.
3. Skip screens and sleep
I'm sure you already know the negative effects of "too much screen." The blue light tricks the brain into thinking it shouldn't sleep, and sleep is what a body needs to fight illness! Important immune system work is done during sleep. This tip stops spreading by speeding up recovery. The sooner the ick is gone, the better!
If you need entertainment, help them use their ears while resting their eyes!
Listen to music
Listen to a kid's podcast
Audiobooks
Let them take a detox bath
4. Purify the air
Separating the sick one helps a ton, but even so, sharing the air spreads ick, and there are other benefits to purifying air too, like making breathing pleasant, scenting the room safely and repelling bugs. We use Young Living Purification blend in the diffuser of every room of the house when someone is sick. It has Lemongrass in it, which is a powerful anti-ick plant that I use in my homemade Hand & Surface Purifier. The atmosphere it creates can't be beat-nor can the benefits!
Do these look like things you can do when one of your kids comes down with something?
For months she has had and worn this dress, but only today made this discovery.
When she found the pockets, her little face broke out into a mile-wide smile and she exclaimed, "Mommy! God saved these pockets to surprise me with them! I really like them! Do you? He just gave them to me."
Her perspective hit my heart deep. She wasn't disappointed that she hadn't been enjoying the pockets up until now. She wasn't so distracted as to not appreciate the discovery.
She was aware of the goodness of her Father, who had hidden this sweet thing away for her. Just recognizing His presence and attention towards her brought such depth and blessing to so simple a thing.
I don't think it would have been as special or sweet if she had known about these pockets from day one of owning the dress.
Receiving the pockets later gave it meaning- a lovely little surprise that He had set aside for today, to remind her He loves her and is thinking about her.
Sometimes, I think, we wrongly determine that because we don't yet have something we desire, that He is withholding it from us. This little lesson reminded me this is not the case.
Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the king's privilege to discover them."
And sometimes, I think we are so concerned with other matters, we forget to recognize that He is literally with us every moment...a doting Father wanting to surprise and delight us.
Thank you for the lesson today my sweet girl! Your mommy and daddy love you, but your Father loves you even more.
When she found the pockets, her little face broke out into a mile-wide smile and she exclaimed, "Mommy! God saved these pockets to surprise me with them! I really like them! Do you? He just gave them to me." Her perspective hit my heart deep. She wasn't disappointed that she hadn't been enjoying the pockets up until now. She wasn't so distracted as to not appreciate the discovery.
She was aware of the goodness of her Father, who had hidden this sweet thing away for her. Just recognizing His presence and attention towards her brought such depth and blessing to so simple a thing.
I don't think it would have been as special or sweet if she had known about these pockets from day one of owning the dress.
Receiving the pockets later gave it meaning- a lovely little surprise that He had set aside for today, to remind her He loves her and is thinking about her.
Sometimes, I think, we wrongly determine that because we don't yet have something we desire, that He is withholding it from us. This little lesson reminded me this is not the case.
Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the king's privilege to discover them."
And sometimes, I think we are so concerned with other matters, we forget to recognize that He is literally with us every moment...a doting Father wanting to surprise and delight us.
Thank you for the lesson today my sweet girl! Your mommy and daddy love you, but your Father loves you even more.
"Lord, thank you for hiding away the sweetest gifts for me to discover. I ask you to help me be more aware of your presence and constant interaction in my life. I want to know what you are doing, and participate in whatever way you want me to. Speak, Lord, I'm listening!"
This is what they're like in photos...
and this is what they're like, actually.🤪
When I was pregnant with Alice, a big prayer on my heart was the she and her big brother would be best friends.
One day while driving in the car with 1.5 year old Calvin in the back and Alice in my belly, I felt the presence of God rush through.
As I opened my mouth to pray to respond to it, Calvin started talking instead.
"My baby, fun. My baby love. Play baby!"
He, a baby himself, was kicking his legs and smiling as he said it.
I started to cry because the Lord showed me that He was revealing to my toddler that his sister was a gift, a blessing and an honor.
God speaks to babies!!!
Two days after she was born, the midwife was leaving the appointment room but suddenly turned around, looked straight in my eyes very authoritatively and said, "Oh and THEY (pointing to them) are going to be best friends their whole lives. I see that on them" and then just left.
God has taught me so many things through raising my children, but one thing I hope you, mama, will walk away from with this one.
I believe with all my heart that siblings are intended to be blessings to each other.
They're on purpose.
Their personalities, giftings, preferences, and desires are chosen by God to work together with each other and fit like a puzzle. Each piece alone isn't enough to create the ideal landscape: but together they bring clarity and form beauty.
And I believe my job as a mother, isn't just teaching them conflict resolution and sharing.
I believe it's to teach them to honor, appreciate and ENJOY each other.
This is a cry from my heart that I believe any mother can pray and receive.
When I learned the power of asking God to speak to me regarding my children...when I learned He always says, "Okay....." and gives insight and wisdom....it changed everything.
Print it out, write it up, read it, say it, but don't go another day, Mama, without receiving His divine help!
"God, in Jesus name I thank you for creating my family perfectly in your divine wisdom. Help me to see the unique purpose in my childrens' similarities AND differences. Reveal those things to me AND to my children. Give me wisdom in guiding their interactions so they honor you and each other. Show me what you are doing and what you are saying to my children, so that I may cooperate with you. Speak, Lord! Your servant is listening. I trust you!"
