Sunny&80The Milestone Ornaments (#jammed daily devo, day 338)
Posted on December 4, 2018
December #jammed: Grace, gifted.
Day 338: The Real Meaning, Reeled in.
“My soul lifts up the Lord! My spirit celebrates my God, my Liberator!” Luke 1:46-47 (VOICE)
Moms start celebrating their babies as soon as they know a little seed has sprouted life 
inside of their womb. Sometimes, it happens even sooner than that! Nurseries are decorated and baby bump sizes are recorded. Plans are made and books are read, especially in anticipation of that first child. Every Christmas, another ornament is added to the tree in honor of that child.
The blessing of life is overwhelming for any mother …but can we imagine for a moment how Mary felt? Today’s verse is the beginning of a song that is sometimes referred to as the “Magnificat,” because the opening word, in Latin, means “glorified.” (NIV Notes) Mary’s heart overflowed in praise. I wonder how she marked the milestones of Jesus’ childhood!
Purposefully remembering the moments leading up to the manger lends new meaning to His life’s affect on ours.
The history of my little girls is evident everywhere I gaze. Tiny baby footprints and photos of little faces. Each Christmas, we choose to mark the memories of baby Jesus’ arrival, on our Advent tree. Each day leading up to Christmas, we traditionally read a verse and attach an ornament that represents a Biblical memory of the days leading up to Jesus’ birth.
His life surrounds us. Do we know it? Can we read this passage from Mary and feel her excitement? Not just as a mother, but as a child of God? A child who knew her Father was coming to set she and her people free …through a Son she would give birth to.
Being the mother of humans is an emotional ride …but Mary …oh, how her heart must have burst in humility and grace to feel the Son of God doing somersaults in her belly, and see His sweet face lying in the manger. The young boy who would grow to perform miracles and sacrifice to save us all.
Father, Praise You for Mary! The story You accomplished through her life, and the lessons that we are still gleaning from her humble obedience guide us and comfort us. Thank You for the special way that You minister to mothers’ hearts, and forgive us for failing to remember Your mark on every life. Bless us to guide all little feet to Yours, Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Tree-trimming!
Megs
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The Christmas Dolphins
Posted on December 1, 2018
Welcome to the #recall12 series, where we are memorizing a little bit of God’s great Word each month! This month’s verse is:
“God will take care of the hidden things …” Deuteronomy 29:29 MSG
“Mom!!!!” My seven-year-old screeched as she took off into the depths of the house, “I have the BEST idea for Christmas cookies this year!” 
The discomforting changes that we instinctively fight can yield a refreshing freedom to embrace new traditions.
My then-Kindergartener emerged from the basement with a play doh-cutter in her hand.
“CHRISTMAS DOLPHINS!!!!” she spat out with glee. “For Grammy and Papa.” Though we were all sad to see them relocate to warmer climate permanantly, my daughter reminded me to allow the possibility of what could be compared to what had always been.
Today’s verse expounds upon an Israelite people that would rely on descendants to carry on their commitment to the Lord. Even Moses would turn the reigns of leadership over to Joshua before they would set eyes on their promised land.
The wisdom gained over an ancestral lifetime wasn’t automatically transferred to the 
next generation back then, nor is it now. Try as we may to listen to those that have gone before us, history tends to repeat itself. Additionally, God doesn’t make all things available to learn in this lifetime.
hidden- being out of sight or not readily apparent. (Merriam-Webster)
In the second half of this month’s verse, I believe a shred of light is cast on the most popular question human-kind raises …why? “He does it so we can obey …” He’s omnipotently given us a unique purpose in this life that we are not always privy to.
Jesus is our glimpse.
When we are mangled from the latest mess of this falling landscape, He is there. As pieces of our hearts shatter irreparably, He holds onto the shards. It’s hard to imagine our Savior suffering, but Christ felt every hurt that we feel from the manger to the cross. He was mocked and shut out of social circles …beaten though innocent …judged yet perfect …tempted by the devil. And He is our bridge over the gaps we cannot fulfill within our minds upon this earth.
“The revealed things belong to us.” We can trust that through every hurtful change …misunderstood abandonment …heart wrenching suffering and unplanned diversion, He has given us what we need to survive. Faith in Christ allows us to loosen our grip on the injustice of “why,” in trade for the patience to wait on “Who.” The Israelites would fall and flounder over and over again, suffering at the hand of their own disobedience. But we have a hope that they did not. Jesus.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” John 15:9
Christmas is a celebration of our allowance into the presence of God, because of the life Jesus lived and the death He conquered to free us from the curse of sin.
” For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror…” 1Corinthians 13:12a NIV
Faith is being able to look into the face of unexplainable difficulty and see the goodness of God. When we look for Him, we will find Him. He is evident in creation, and waiting in His Word.
hēnnâ is an adverb meaning “here,” usually in the sense of “in this place, – Mounce Complete Expository Dictionary
He is in His Word. For Christians, He is in us. His creation reflects the beauty of His glory. He is here.
Though we fight unwelcome change, we want God’s will over our plan. When we allow our grasp on the concrete “why”to fade, faith in what He has hidden is overcome by what He’s revealed. We become content to abide in His secrets when we understand more about who He is. Faith is trusting our Father to hold onto the unknown answers. Christmas is honoring what we know with what we have …right now. Make the Christmas trees, wreaths, and angels …but leave room for the Christmas dolphins, too.
“…then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search tout, man cannot discover it’s meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.” Ecclesiastes 8:17
know- to perceive directly (Merriam-Webster)
comprehend- to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of (Merriam-Webster)
We don’t need to know when we comprehend “why’s” Author.
Happy Christmas,
Megs
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#recall 12 verse cards, DEcember PDF
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The Number Two (#jammed daily devo, day 332)
Posted on November 28, 2018
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 332: Thankful for Lauren.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Marveling at the sweetness of my first-born daughter, I couldn’t image being blessed 
with another child like her. When God says that He’ll bless us more than we can ask or imagine, He isn’t kidding. Lauren came into the world before she was supposed to, and that has typified her personality. She plays life by her own set of rules …ours being completely optional.
There is a frustration that attempts to surge through my disciplinary side as her mother. Impoliteness and lack of manners from either of my daughters simply isn’t tolerated under any circumstance. And boy, does my second child test the limit of my fore-head vein.
But there is something so pure and innocent about her, that makes it very easy to forgive her and hard to want to change anything about her. Though she is fiery, she wears this verse from Nehemiah on her shoulders. It’s truly who she is. The joy of the Lord is her strength. She has a gift to lift other’s spirits like I’ve never seen before. She’s funny and carefree, confident in who she is and Whose she is …imperfections and all.
To me, she’s a testament to the lack of control I have over who my daughters are. They 
are completely different! What works with my first hardly ever sticks to my second. And that draws me to Him even more. Just when I thought I had parenting figured out, He showed me that it’s been Him all along. Prayers and answers. Seeking and finding. Asking and waiting. Hoping and knowing …that they are His first.
Lauren reminds me that God created us each so differently, and with our own purpose according to His plan. It’s exciting to watch her grow, and even more exciting to dream about what His plans are for her life.
Our job as mothers is a pretty crucial one. We teach them manners, how to respect themselves, respect others, and how they should be treated with respect. We teach them how to be kind and how to be a good friend. Girls are sensitive and conversational, and weaving their faith into the very thread of who they are helps them to understand themselves. By pointing them to Him, we give them the greatest gift of comfort a girl can have: knowing they can count on a dependable God. A Joy that will never leave. A Love that will embrace them, always.
Father, Praise You for Lauren! Thank You so much for her joy! Forgive me for being too hard on her at times …and other times not hard enough. She is amazing, and I am blessed beyond belief to be her mom. God, You are so good. Help me to lead her to You, always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Second-child-ing,
Megs
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The First One (#jammed daily devo, day 331)
Posted on November 27, 2018
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 331: Thankful for Brianne.
“The Lord will hold you in His had- a splendid crown in the hand of God.” Isaiah 62:3
My first-born daughter will never know the gravity to which God grabbed my heart and 
threw it in another direction the minute I knew she was to be. It was as if He screamed at me, “THAT’S ENOUGH! STRAIGHTEN UP!”
I prayed with all of my heart when I was pregnant with her …to be a good mom, to lead her to Him, to be strong and wise and set a good example of how to honor Him. He is still answering those prayers, and growing me in the process. Past mistakes will attempt to trap us while the consequences play out throughout life if we don’t keep moving forward with Him.
This little girl, in every stage of her life, has blessed me beyond what I ever knew to be imaginable. In her graceful and quiet way, she walks through her days looking at me …and it’s a lot of pressure. So, we go to Him together. We pray together, read the Word together, go to church together, sing praise together, and talk about our faith together. In some ways, she’s helped me grow up more than I’ll ever be able to help her.
All of my motherly mistakes typically lie on her shoulders, being the first-born. And with every apology I owe her, she simply smiles and forgives. As she gets older, and life gets harder for her socially, it gets harder for me to guide her. I come running to God more than ever. There are things in this life that I still don’t handle with grace, and it makes me panic to think I will mess up my kid.
He reminds me that she is His. It’s nothing I’ve done to deserve or earn. Motherhood is a gift, a calling, and a journey that will bring us closer to our Creator than we ever thought possible.
Today’s verse in Isaiah reminds me of Brianne. He holds her in His hand …His little princess. Guiding her …and me along with her …step by step back home to Him. What a joy to journey in Christ with my girl.
Father, Praise You for Brianne. Thank You for choosing me to be her mom, and forgive me when I try to take too much control of her life. Forgive the mistakes I make and poor examples I set. Strengthen me to be a better mom, each day striving towards the person You created me to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy First-born-ing,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Mom (#jammed daily devo, day 354)
Posted on December 20, 2017
December #jammed: Grace, gifted.
Day 354: Aim for average.
Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Luke 2:29 NLT
Motherhood is ridiculous. It completely changes us from the inside out. The outside 
starts falling a part, and the inside grows more rapidly than our emotions can keep up with. Every concern about what society wants to squeeze the outside of us into disappears when the inside catches a glance of the reason(s) we’re able to claim motherhood to begin with.
Imagine the lessons Mary learned as the mother of the Son of God. She was still just a mom! A very special person, but just a mom. A faithful servant, chosen by God. She just said, “OK” to her God. Few of us know exactly how much children will change us until they get here. I can’t imagine Mary knew the grand scope of the way her heart would be moved by heaven from the manger to the cross.
The most important part of motherhood is being there, and she was. From His birth to His death on the cross …from one pendulum of pain to another, she was there. How was she there for Jesus? Just like we are there for our children. God purposely places our children in our care.
Do we, as mothers, know how much like Mary we are?
By simply saying, “OK” to God, each day of motherhood, we are honoring Him and guiding them to His feet.
Father, Praise You for Mary, and the wonderful example of Motherhood she gives us. Thank You for motherhood. Forgive us for allowing ourselves to drown in the sheer hardship of if, and embrace the purpose that You laid in us. Bless us to guide our children to Your feet, and to teach them to listen to Your voice over all others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Stepping,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
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