ALL Y'ALL

 Joy of the Lord ~ Rend Collective

 

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

~ Psalm 126:2 NIV

 

Do you ever think that sometimes Jesus tickles us, just to enjoy the sound of our laughter?

 

Our family devotional, yesterday, was on James 1:2, to count it all joy when we’re enduring trials. The devotional made the distinction between happiness (based on circumstances), and joy. Because joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it’s a gift from Holy Spirit that’s available to all believers, all the time.

 

Yesterday, I said that our family is walking through fire. Some days haven’t been happy. Several moments have been frustrating and overwhelming. But I asked the Lord to help me keep my eyes on Jesus, so that I can serve my family with love, compassion, and joy. Not only has the Lord been faithful, but there have been times when He tickles me, just to enjoy the sound of my laughter.

 

Yesterday, God had me giggling, and just about out-right laughing! After living in Florida for almost two decades, y’all flows out of my mouth just as easily as bubbler. In our Bible study yesterday, Jen Wilkin shared that when Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” He meant a collective you: y’all. That’s when I started giggling. Each time she said, “y’all”, I giggled more. The best part was when she emphasized that “you” meant all believers and was really “all y’all”. I could barely contain myself. It was great!

 

In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus said that if your son asks for bread, you won’t give him a stone, instead. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Regardless of the events that happen today, remember we have a good Father in heaven who loves us, always walks with us, and sometimes tickles us, just so He can enjoy the sound of our laughter.

©Heather Potts 2024

You're a Good Mom

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. ~ Proverbs 12:25 NLT

For over a year now, I’ve been attending Wednesday Morning Prayer at one of our church campuses. One morning, several months ago, a man I didn’t really know walked up and said, “While I was praying, God spoke to me and said to tell you ‘you’re a good mom.’ When I heard that I said, ‘Oh Lord,’ but He said to tell you. You’re a good mom.” Those words really rocked me at my core. Honestly, I haven’t really felt like a “good mom.” I always felt like I was trying to play “catch-up” with all those “other good moms.” I felt like I was on the bottom of the bell-curve. Somehow, the hurtful words of people and the lies of the enemy were easier to believe…

But my Daddy, He says I find my truth, my strength, and my identity in Him. If I believe that He is a good and perfect Father, then I must also believe that what He says about me is true.

Maybe you’ve been like me and you’ve believed the lie that you’re not good enough. Just as a man at a prayer meeting told me, you need to know: You’re a good mom. I can say that because we are made in our Father’s likeness and image and He promises, “I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you,” (Isaiah 46:4 NLT). Though we’re often given more than we can handle in our humanness, God doesn’t give us more than His strength in us can carry…because He’s carrying us.

If someone you know—or even you—has been struggling to believe the truth, remind them that their identity is found not in a lie or some hurtful words, but in their good and perfect Daddy who is madly in love with them.

©Heather Potts 2016