I recently read an article called “The Parents are not Alright,” highlighting the many different hats parents everywhere are trying to wear during this unprecedented time, and the impossibility of attempting to do it all. Yet we try anyway, don’t we? Worrying and second guessing ourselves in the process—should there be more structure, more play?… Continue reading
Author: bentley.vicki
As Sure as the Sunrise
The sun sets and rises, marking our days with its welcome predictability. The clocks move forward at the appointed time, joyfully inviting spring’s arrival—when the barren branches begin to bud and flower with signs of new life. The long-anticipated weekend is over; Sunday rolls into Monday and another week begins once more. Amidst the trials,… Continue reading
Rainbows in the Storm
Today, I am thankful. The sun shone all day and there was evidence of tiny yellow flowers budding on the barren branches of our tree. My daughters painted spring flowers this morning (thank you, Pinterest!) and delivered them to a neighbor’s mailbox, chatting to various people we met on the way (from a safe distance!).… Continue reading
Hold on to Hope
As we prepare ourselves to walk into the challenges and uncertainties of a new week, into a world that is very different from the only one we have ever known, there is much more I wish I could say about this beautiful verse. But since it’s already late, and this exhausted mama needs to get… Continue reading
It’s All About Attitude
I’ve always said that homeschooling is not for me. I guess tomorrow we’ll find out how true that is… As the majority of us wake up tomorrow to a week at home with unprecedented levels of disruption, inconvenience, and social distancing measures, we a stark choice. Will we embrace the quieter, gentler rhythms of the… Continue reading
You are Still God
You can feel the panic rising; the tension building. The fear is palpable, and it’s spreading. As I gazed upon the half-empty shelves in Target yesterday afternoon, I could feel anxiety setting in—and the urge to load up my cart in a similar fashion was a very real temptation. Why? One word: Control. Or the… Continue reading
Where does your help come from?
“My help comes from the Lord; the maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). Where my help comes from: The Lord. Where my help does not come from: Social media. Pinterest. Self help books. Parenting books. Coffee. Sugar. Google. “Experts.” A good workout. Self care. Netflix. Christian celebrities/personalities—yes, even the really “popular” ones. Well meaning… Continue reading
We Endure
It’s hard not to despair of the world we are living in. Some days the weight of it almost crushes me. The darkness of it so overwhelming, the needs so relentless, so vast. So much pain, so much suffering, so much loss—how are we mere mortals to endure it? The answer is found in Hebrews… Continue reading
Present over Perfect
“Present over perfect living is real over image, connecting over comparing, meaning over mania, depth over artifice. Present over perfect living is the risky and revolutionary belief that the world God has created is beautiful and valuable on its own terms, and that it doesn’t need to be zhuzzed up and fancy in order to… Continue reading
Knowing who (and whose) you are!
It had been a morning—battling a defiant 2-year-old, brokering peace between two stubborn, warring sisters, and exerting some serious discipline in relation to truth-telling. Wrung out and exhausted from a challenging parenting week, it was a pretty intense start to a Sunday morning. And then I heard it: “You’re not good at this.” Where it… Continue reading