Some days, life feels simple. Other days, it feels like chaos.
Feed the baby.
Change the toddler.
Drive to appointments.
Pay for said appointments.
Repeat. Rinse. Repeat.
Beneath the surface, parents are also navigating a shifting culture with scary unknowns. How can we cope?
One option is to dwell on the negative—to stew in the difficulties of life and vent our frustrations: Why don’t babies sleep through the night? Why do toddlers have so much energy? Why hasn’t someone found a cure for XYZ illness?
Ungratefulness, which comes all too easily to me, has serious consequences. When I focus on the hard and lose sight of the good, I do a disservice to myself and those around me.
But how do we embrace gratitude in the chaos of life? Even when we’re sleep-deprived, the babysitter is late, or when something more serious disrupts our days?
As I read through the New Testament, I see stories of men and women choosing joy in the midst of suffering—sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, cold, and more.1
How were they content?
Maybe they weren’t focused on what was happening around them, but on what was happening within.
Still, I often wrestle with contentment. Sure, I can be thankful for food and family—but what about when a loved one is sick? When life doesn’t go as planned? Isn’t it okay to be ungrateful then?
But Paul reminds us: even when our bodies are failing, we don’t have to lose heart, because “inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
The beauty of the Gospel is this simple truth: God will make all things new.2
Even my disgruntled heart can become grateful, because of Jesus’s sacrifice and gift of abundant & eternal life.3
I’m learning that contentment isn’t found in immediate resolution of hardships. Instead, I’ve found contentment in a relationship with my Maker. He may not remove all suffering, but He’ll walk with me, even when I grumble and complain.
So, on the days when life isn’t simple, we can remind our hearts of the simple promise that God is making all things new, even my discontent tendencies.
Here are 3 resources helping me adjust my perspective.
Daring to Hope: Katie Davis Majors
Katie’s first book explained her journey to Uganda and adopting thirteen children. This book chronicles hard stories, meeting her husband, and having biological children. Her story emphasizes God’s goodness amidst unfulfilled longings.
“When we cannot find joy in our circumstances, we can find joy in God who is unchanged and unchanging. We can rejoice, not in what is going on around or within us, but because God is our strength and He will continue to be” (Daring to Hope).
We Shall All Be Changed: with
Whitney chronicles her mother’s battle with breast cancer with vulnerability and Biblical truths. It’s, “a companion for those experiencing the lonely season of suffering and death. In this book, Whitney reaches across the pages to hold the hand of the caregiver. Walking through death with a loved one can be incredibly isolating and unsettling. This book reminds us that we can experience God’s very presence in life’s dark and deep valleys.”
“When the questions threaten to overwhelm me, I find my heart redirected to the feet of a Savior who faced death for me and faces all of its vestiges with me” (We Shall All Be Changed).
Practicing the Way: John Mark Comer
We are constantly being formed by the world around us. But are we being intentional about what’s shaping our minds? Comer challenges readers to be with Jesus, become like Him, & do as He did. It’s a simple framework, but requires daily sacrifice and surrender.
“For those of us who desire to follow Jesus, here is the reality we must turn and face: If we’re not being intentionally formed by Jesus himself, then it’s highly likely we are being unintentionally formed by someone or something else” (Practicing the Way).
So whether today feels simple or chaotic, we can choose to lean into the deeper work happening within us.
These books have helped reorient my heart when I’m prone to wander. May we be people who don’t lose heart—who pause, reflect, and remember that in the simple and the stressful, God is doing a renewing.
One ordinary, sacred season at a time.
This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Simple."
2Cor 11
Rev 21:5
John 10:10
Thank you for reading We Shall All Be Changed and sharing about it! May the Lord use it richly in your life.
Love this encouragement. And I love John Mark Comer's stuff!!