The Flame Within

Great devotion…. Such a vitally important Biblical principal. Stand up for your fellow Christian brothers and sisters and stand up against evilness! Evil prevails when good men do nothing!

If we’re the ones in a battle against evil, we would want others in the battle with us. Yet, we easily become timid and move to the side of compliance… because let’s face it… it’s easier. Except in the long run compliance builds demons, regret, and guilt. Personally, I’ve learned it’s best to face things head on and get it over with. Then I have peace, joy, and contentment in my soul.

This devotion was convicting, but comforting as well!

Have you held up a weary friend’s arm in a battle lately? Most often, we’re not asked to go into battle, just to support those who find themselves in one, by holding up their arms… lifting them up and encouraging them! This is the gospel! I am so thankful that God is always in the battle with us and never leaves us alone. I’m also thankful that God always sends someone to be His hands and feet in the battles of life, often their strangers, or the most unlikely people.

“If God is for us, who can be against us!”
Blessings, Crystal

Exodus 17:8-15 “The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.””

When your heart has been hurt tremendously, it becomes guarded and uncertain! It seems easier to absorb the hurt and allow it to keep you from connecting with the people who hurt you or those you love, and “sadly” it makes it fearful to even connect with people in general.

As I was pondering this morning, as this was “sort of” the topic in my devotional, I was reminded of how Jesus handled hurt from people. He never moved into dysfunctional defense mechanisms and coping skills to protect himself; He simply set healthy boundaries, loved unconditionally, and focused on His purpose on Earth – To obey His Father and fulfill His destiny to save the world from eternal damnation and bring hope into the world! I’m so glad he didn’t revert to dysfunctional mannerisms and remained close to His Father! Because of His determination and faithfulness we have hope!

I’m often tempted to revert to dysfunctional mannerisms of protection and sadly I often do… Thinking about Jesus always helps to grab my attention, convict my spirit, and refocus my attention. Most importantly, it reminds me that my heart belongs to Jesus! The realization that people ARE going to hurt me! But… Jesus will comfort, protect, and provide security when my heart is hurt! He’s the mender, healer, and Almighty Counselor! I’m going to be okay and therefore, if God leads I can move into territory that seems uncertain and scary!

I’m going to be okay! And… so are you! With Jesus at the center, we’re going to be okay! We will be hurt, but we will be okay… Because Jesus is our guard, our healer, our security, our Counselor, our everything! God continually teaches me that he’s my wall and fortress. Therefore, I don’t have to erect unhealthy walls and guards around my heart for protection!

Blessings, Crystal

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Today, I took some space and time to get away from everyday living and escape to the lake for a few hours. It is so interesting, how God is present, I mean really present, All I have to do is just step away from the distractions that cause angst in my spirit. Why do I wait so long to escape into the solitude of God’s presence? Why must I endure night after night of restless sleep, to recognize I need to disconnect from the world, just long enough to regroup into finally resting in the arms of God. I need thee every hour! So easy to forget this and maintain the fleshly response of anxious and busyness!

One thing I am thankful for, is that when I do finally get to the end of myself, God is always waiting with open arms! ALWAYS! I can truly find rest in Him! The most amazing thing, is that it’s not only rest I find, but clarity, wisdom, understanding, peace, and a calm spirt. This is the primary reason I know there is a God, because when I come to Him with open arms; He does something miraculous in my heart! He heals it! Over and over again, He lovingly heals my heart! He never judges me or casts me away. My God is always there to receive me and speak to my heart; But only when my heart fully surrenders and I am ready to fully collapse into his presence.

Friends, God loves you! If you’re finding yourself stressed, filled with fear, angst, uncertainty and confusion. When the pressure of this world overwhelm your spirit; Run into His presence. Fully and completely! I promise: God will perform a miracle in your soul; There will be no confusion, because your spirit will know His presence and feel at home; truly at home with Him. Even in the midst of a world in turmoil, a country in strife, a family in chaos, a stressful work environment, financial or relationship stressors, we can find true rest in God’s presence.

Mathew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Blessings,

Crystal

Robert Ridlon my oldest son and I attended my Uncle Vincent’s burial yesterday. This took us to my city of birth. It was an emotional roller coaster to see how things have drastically changed over the years. The land, the closeness, and the people present are vastly different since I was a little girl. Visiting the family cemetery was especially sad! So many loved ones have been laid to rest in the cemetery over generations and I found myself flooded with grief from many different directions. My sister, uncles, aunts, and cousins laid to rest in this place. All this was a reminder of how quickly time flies and yet we live like we have forever! We don’t! The Bible says our life is life a breeze just passing through. Yet, we fail to make time to visit loved ones, attend reunions, we hold long grudges, and fail to cherish those we love. I am guilty of these things and struggle through life just like everyone else. Life is hard! Family can be joyful, but they also have the ability to hurt us at the deepest level. To protect our pocket books, time, and feelings we fail to show up. It’s a heavy and sad fact, but it’s the truth! Life is a vapor; Here today and gone tomorrow! This biblical truth hit me square in the heart over the past several days.

Sitting here this evening after a heavy week of loss; Losing our family dog, another uncle, and visiting the city where I was born and spent much of my childhood. I’m reminded of how much more I’ve lost over the years. Sadly, we don’t have a close knit family. I wish we did! Some are closer than others. My aunts and uncles, my mom’s brothers and sisters, there were 14 in total and 9 lived into adulthood, they all had a deep bond. Years of listening to their stories helped me feel like I have a solid understanding of my roots.

Perhaps this is the way it is with many families. The reality makes me sad, but I’m reminded in these places and times of how much we have in common. Not only do we share blood lines & DNA, but we share memories that no one else in the world shares. We share love for loved ones! We share a genuine affection for a plot of land in Arkansas that means so much to each one of us, where we all grew up playing and because it is the land of our heritage. We share the same God who created us, although our faith and life circumstances are may be vastly different.

There are many things I still don’t understand about family; but there are a few things I know without a doubt. Distance, age difference, life experiences have a huge impact on family relationships. When we grow distant; we fail to grow together. This is a fact of life! This doesn’t mean failure, it is just a part of life! I was never meant to remain in my birth town for life, it wasn’t God’s plan for me. I am thankful for God’s hand over my life. I am thankful for the wonderful memories, and will cherish my extended family forever! Although, this trip brought cherished moments with loved ones, it also brought a heavy dose of sadness and what feels like an unwelcome sense of “finality” in many ways. I don’t know what the future holds for any of us; I do know the memories from the past and I am grateful to have been born in such an amazing family heritage.

I’m not even sure any of this makes sense, just trying to somehow write out the overwhelming feelings that seem to be flooding my heart this evening!

Blessings, Crystal

I’ll end with the lyrics of one of my favorite songs… It’s not a Christian song; but it’s a song I can relate to; maybe you can too.

Family is Family by Kacey Musgraves

“They’re there for your first year, they give you your first beer
When you get your heart broke, they’re there for your worst year
Don’t get you at all, but your apple don’t fall too far from ’em
They own too much wicker and drink too much liquor
You’d wash your hands of them, but blood’s always thicker
You might look just like ’em, that don’t mean you’re like ’em
But you love ’em
Family is family, in church or in prison
You get what you get, and you don’t get to pick ’em
They might smoke like chimneys, but give you their kidneys
Yeah, friends come in handy, but family is family
They’re there when you’re married, divorced, and remarried
You fall out of touch, but then someone gets buried
And you’re right back together like no time has ever gone by
Can’t live with or without ’em, you might talk about ’em
But if someone else does, well, then you’ll knock ’em out ’cause
When it’s all said and done, they’re the only ones that you got
Family is family, in church or in prison
You get what you get, and you don’t get to pick ’em
They might smoke like chimneys, but give you their kidneys
Yeah, friends come in handy, but family is family
Yeah, family is funny, they’ll ask you for money
Even though they know you ain’t got no money
They show up at Christmas, get up in your business
They might not be fancy, but family is family
You might look just like ’em, that don’t mean you’re like ’em
But you love ’em”

It’s truly a shame how people in the church turn their faces to misuse of power and mishandling of sexual abuse in the church. Sadly, I’ve witnessed it and the evilness is occurring right under their noses. They try their hardest to keep their distance from victims, all because it upsets their happy little sense of community. Even when it happens to their own children, they’ve swept it under the rug and allowed the abusive clergy to mishandle their abused child. Sadly, many congregants refuse to take a stand for other members facing this type of abuse in the church and even parents refuse to take a stand for their own children against abuse from perpetrators and against the clergy who mishandle abuse in the church. It’s evilness at its core. If it happens to one person in the church, it will happen to more and more until the congregation takes a stand!

Taking a stand “sadly” means a potential loss of community, so they tolerate and end up losing peace, joy, and their very own souls. When will more of God’s people arise to this issue of abuse in the church and take a stand like Jesus, David, Moses, Esther, and Ruth. Christianity was never meant to be easy, it’s always been about standing up for God’s righteousness with love, truth, and justice!

I am thankful for Dr. Diane Langberg who followed God and not the clergy and people in leadership attempting to lead her astray. These are the individuals of faith who positively impact God’s kingdom and who are most respected in the community of true believers! I’ve heard her speak many times and she reports that clergy are the least in attendance at all her speeches. Hmmm???

Follow God or follow the system? I will choose to follow God and not the system. Because God sacrificed his very own son for me and gives me earthly and eternal hope. The system sacrifices their own members to selfishly protect themselves. God is unconditionally loving, stands up for the abused, refuses to tolerate evil, and will never fail. The “system” protects the system and the leadership at the top of the system. It’s a sad situation, that breaks the heart of God!

Protecting ministries, destroying souls! Ouch!

What an truth bomb this is… Let it sink in! Who are you “really” serving? A system or God of Heaven and Earth? One day we will stand before our amazing and loving Heavenly Father, and we will give an account. He’s not only loving and full of mercy, but he is also a God of justice. Never forget this! We will face our maker one day… “How will you respond?”

Although, it feels I walk this path alone…. I am not alone! God is on the side of the righteous! Thankful there are amazing and truly God-fearing people, like Dr. Langberg, who are taking a stand against this atrocious evilness so deeply rooted in too many of our churches. There are truly God-fearing people in our churches, I pray they listen to the “still small voice” of God and take a stand against this evilness and support those impacted by the system. The system they follow who is acting in evilness and sadly destroying souls, all in the name of “ministry”. This is NOT God’s plan for ”The Bride of Christ”

• The Church belongs to God.

There is no greater pain on Earth, than being victimized in the church and the church denying, abusing, harassing, ignoring, assaulting, stonewalling, and allowing the perpetrator to walk free and placing the victim in the place of the perpetrator.

In a world filled with “false news” there is truth coming through about the mishandling of sexual abuse in the church, and those in the church are turning their heads. All while the church dwindles away and we wonder why people of all ages are leaving the church. Because “sadly” the church all too often doesn’t look or act like Jesus! I can’t blame them, I refuse to follow hypocrites too. Too many pharisees in the church, make it extremely hard to find the true love, acceptance, righteousness, and love of God. It’s there, but in the face of this kind of evilness, the victims have an extremely difficult time finding the true Christ-followers. The people they thought were true Christ-followers disappear in the face of their greatest pain.

All the while, church attendance world-wide continues to drop. The church is too busy scratching their heads in shock, to seek God’s face to show us “why” and to humbly fall on our knees in repentance and ask God to show us how to remedy the situation. Instead, we are dumb sheep wandering around, following anything and everything but the shepherd “Lord, Jesus” himself. “We like sheep have gone astray!” Yet, our Savior lived and died for us! He left the 99 in search of the 1 lost sheep. I am truly grateful!

I’m reminded of a young girl who was being lead astray to a very evil and abusive group. I asked her “What does this group have to offer, that your church doesn’t?” She quickly responded with tears in her eyes “They accept me! I feel like I belong! My church rejects me, judges me, and I feel like an outcast!”
I sat with tears in my eyes; The lost girl spoke profound truth and I couldn’t dispute her words, because I too have felt judged, rejected, abandoned, unwanted, and unprotected by the church. I sat there and responded “I know! It’s so hard! I’m sorry, it’s not the way God intended it to be!”

This evilness that has taken root in our church’s breaks God’s heart and “It’s not the way God intended!”

Will we take a stand against the mishandling of abuse in our churches? Or will we turn our heads to the pain and evilness and pay for it later, by God himself?

We are not here for ourselves! We are not on this earth for ourself! We are not in our churches for ourselves. We are here for God and to do His will and to be His vessels. Will we live for Jesus? I will!

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Joshua 24:14 & 15 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Friends, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

Blessings, Crystal Ridlon, LMHC, LPC

The pastor in church this morning challenged us with a question… “What is your confession?” Who do you think God is? Who do you love for? What do we really believe about who God is, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus,. What do we really believe about the baby born in a manger? Do we love out what we believe in our lives through obedience to God? Loving and pointing people to Him? I was challenged and touched by the reflective question. I’m praying about this and plan to journal about “My Confession”
In my morning devotions tomorrow.

He stated he starts everyday off with his confessions in prayer to God! Before picking up our phones or even grabbing our coffee. Starting off the day focused on God! Confession about who God is! That Jesus is the son of God! How we will choose to live our lives because of what we know and believe about the Lord our Savior?

I was challenged to put God first in my day, before anything! And reminded of the meaning of Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus… Our one true hope!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings, Crystal Ridlon, LMHC, LPC

Friends, let’s talk about “control”. I know, it’s a sore topic for many reasons. Anyone know someone who you’ve called a “control freak”? I sure do! If I’m not careful, I can quickly move into a place of being controlling. In fact, when I fail to put God first in my life, I tend to be more moved to control. Why is this?

One thing I’ve learned in this life, is that none of us really have control. We actually don’t have control over anything. This is today’s heavy dose of truth. We can be helicopter parents and never let our kids out of our sight, but this doesn’t promise us healthy and well behaved kids. We can constantly check our spouses phones and harass them about “Who their talking to and where they’re at every moment?”, but this doesn’t promise a faithful spouse. We can buy people wonderful presents in the hopes that they stick around and love us, but it doesn’t promise true friendship. We can have fire alarms in every room and constantly check our outlets, but it doesn’t promise a fire won’t break out in our home. We can wear masks and get every vaccine in the world, but it doesn’t promise us we won’t get sick.

We can worry, worry, worry in this life; But it will not alter any outcomes. Sadly, many believe the “worrying” protects us from danger… But, all this does is make us anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, and actually reveals that inside we feel completely out of control regarding our life circumstances. Do you know that “worrying” is simply us attempting to take control over what we feel is out of our control?

What are we to do in a world where we have limited control over what happens around us? I have the answers. Actually, God has the answers and I’ve borrowed these truths for this post.

1. We can trust God! We can rest knowing that He loves us, died for us, and our eternity is in His hands. We can rest knowing that… “We will face trials and pain on this Earth, but we will never endure a trial alone!” This is absolute fact! Even when we feel alone, we’re never alone! God is always with us! “God with us!”

The Bible says “In this world, you WILL face trials. But, take heart I have overcome the world!” God is always with us and he has already overcome sin and death on our behalf. We have this promise, no matter what we endure on this Earth.

2. We can trust thay God is watching over us and He cares about every detail of our life; our health, our marriages, our children, our relationships, our careers, our life choices and decisions, our needs, and even our desires. So often I’ve witnessed close calls in my life, my family’s lives, and that of my friends. God is watching over us! He really is! Pay attention to the everyday little miracles and protections. Write them down. In no time, we will begin to see clearly that God is present among us!
3. We can be wise stewards of our own life, our marriage, our children’s lives, our resources, and all that God has blessed us with. We can take care of our body’s and take care of the temple God has given us. We can put boundaries up in our marriage for an extra guard against temptation. We can be involved and present in our Children’s lives and put into place healthy boundaries in love. We can be loving, supportive, and encouraging friends. Who doesn’t want this? We can put into place a level of security by simply being wise over the blessings and resources we’ve been given.

These are the 3 things we can control! Praise God!

At the end of the day, even if we try to control our world’s, we have little control. The best way to ensure the best life… and it will never be an easy life, is to remain focused on God and remain close to Him. This is the recipe for a victorious life in Christ!

1 John 5:4 “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

God provides an entire chapter that informs us how to overcome and face the lack of control in our lives. I am thankful for His word and the way it provides hope, assurance, and gives us the answers to every question and concern in our lives.

Ephesians 6:8-10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

We do have control over our lives… But it’s not the kind of control we usually implement into our lives. The control we have is to actively obey and love God and to do His will! We aren’t promised a pain free life, but we are absolutely promised a victorious life! A victorious life is a life lived in obedience, love, and admiration of our Lord and Savior!

Who doesn’t want a victorious life?

Friends, I pray this message was encouraging and uplifting to you! It’s a lesson I’m continually learning over and over and over again. When God is at the center of our lives, we are victorious, we are conquerers through Him! Let’s switch our need to control, to a need to love and serve God! There’s nothing better than the blessing of moving away from “controlling” to “conquerer”, through Christ! This is where true joy, peace, and contentment is found.

Blessings, Crystal Ridlon, LMHC, LPC

I so fear we’ve missed the mark as a society. Christmas is precious, a time of joy and remembrance of our Savior, the hope we have because of Jesus’s life and sacrifice. Now, we’re moving to selling evil and dark at Christmas? I’ve never seen evil in this manner marketed for Christmas… Maybe I just haven’t noticed. Sadly, I’m sure there’s a market for this… I choose to keep Jesus at the center of my heart and focus around the holidays! Jesus is the reason for the season!

Praying for our culture, that seems to have, to a large degree, lost the ability to see beauty, hope, and joy… Because, God has been removed from our school’s, homes, public institutions, and even from many of our “so-called” churches. This is the result…

Join me in bringing the hope of Jesus to the culture around you! My prayer is to be the light, the something different in a world that’s grown much darker and dim.

“Jesus, be with us and shine upon us! Thank you for the life you lived and the sacrifices you made for us, even those who’ve lost their way and have turned their faces away from you. I especially thank you for the ultimate sacrifice you made, dying on a painful cross to save a soul like me! Forgive us when we go astray and lead us back to you!

Love, You Daughter… Crystal”

I’m not an artist by any means… Art isn’t only for artists. 😉

Art is beneficial for many aspects of life; Such as building creativity into one’s life and exercising the brain chemicals to help with long term memory and agility. Art is an amazing “healing” technique and that’s why art therapy is an actual psychology field. I’ve never learned much about art therapy, but it is a technique I use with clients occasionally. Especially, the clients who are naturally artistic.

Art is a wonderful coping skills for feelings of stress, trauma, anxiety, and depression. The act of creating actually shuts down the “amygdala – the flight or fight region of our brain, which when triggered sends adrenaline and epinephrine through the brain ensuring we remain stressed, tense, flooded, and anxious”. Art therapy shuts down the amygdala’s adrenaline rush and allows the prefrontal cortex to take back control, which calms naturally calms the nervous system. The process of art therapy allows participants to begin the process of healing, as it calms down the stress response in the brain. Art therapy is a wonderful way to help clients communicate when the words are too painful and their story is trapped beneath layers of brokenness and hurt. I’ve had clients create dances to help
process pain and trauma and to write songs. Many different types of art can be healing for the soul.

Art was created by God and taught extensively throughout scripture.

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 ESV —-

God is the creator of us, His children. We are the clay and He is the potter, he so beautifully and wonderfully created each one of us.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1 NIV

He creates a beautiful sunrise and sunset every single day! God knew art and beauty would be healing and thus, He created the beauty of the sky.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 ESV

God tells us to think and ponder about things that are beautiful and good. It’s like he knew “beauty and goodness” would be an tremendous Avenue for healing? Hint of Sarcasm 😉

Our family has endured a difficult and heart breaking situation and my Sweet Caroline still struggles and is having a hard time communicating her hurt in words. She’s 11 and this is quite normal for little ones. Therefore, God placed it on my heart to begin doing art with her and we’re going to begin painting as a way to achieve further healing. This is the first of many painting sessions to come. I am thankful for the gift of God and my sweet family. This little one is my best friend and I’m grateful for the special mother/daughter bond we share. She told me this evening as we painted and looking into my eyes, “Mom, I really like painting with you!” #bestillmyheart

*After completing my first painting, I observed my less than stellar art work and looked for meaning; I noticed the darkness of the tree / bush and the pops of color popping up behind and some have broken through. This painting is a fairly good depiction of my spirit – A difficult situation has created brokenness and pain in my spirit, but the joy is coming back and there is tremendous hope ahead in our future.

Trauma threatens our ability to see beauty and makes the world and everything in it feel dark and scary ~ But through Christ we have the promise of healing and that all will be made new. For this I am grateful!

Friends, if you’re struggling to overcome hardship, trauma, or finding yourself anxious and overwhelmed. Try taking up some form of art ~ painting, knitting, drawing, coloring, dance, writing, etc. I can almost guarantee it will help you feel better!

Blessings,

Crystal Ridlon, LMHC, LPC

Sitting here at the pediatrician with my 17 year old son, who will be 18 in less than 2 months. The sound of an infant crying from down the hall, reminds me that 18 years has literally flown by. It brings tears to my eyes and I want to run down the hall and tell these new parents to “cherish” every single moment. I want to tell them how wonderful it is to be a parent and what an amazing blessing it is to walk with these little ones through the lifespan.

I want to tell them
“The days are long, but the years are terribly short!” There will be some extremely difficult and scary moments along the way, there will be conflict and tension, there will be days they do not like you! But, it is so worth it! Every single minute is precious and is teaching them what it means to be human. To always love them, guide them, teach them about love and respect, listen to them, laugh with them, and that the seemingly small moments are the moments they will miss and cherish the most. Most importantly, teach your child about God! His love for them! They are precious, beloved, and have a special purpose on this Earth! They are a gift! You’re most precious gift!”

Because, it would be highly inappropriate for me to barge into the room with the infant… I will post my thoughts here!

Parents, cherish these moments! Raise your kids with intentionality, love, grace, and healthy boundaries! It’s hard work, the hardest job I’ve ever had, but it is so worth it! Seek wisdom from God, his word, pastors, counselors, books, mental health resources, it is worth it! “Seek and you will find! Knock and the door will be opened.” “Raise them up in the way they should go and when they are old they will never depart from it.”

“Anyone who seeks finds.” Parenting can be challenging, but seek seek seek and you will find the answers you need. Being a good parent requires continuous prayer and seeking! And… loving well! Love and boundaries set out of love! Love them the way God loves us! Enjoy the process! Time flies! 😢

Blessings, Crystal