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The Magnificat | A Christmas Meditation

12/21/2022

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I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary this Christmas.

Despite being a main character in THE Christmas story, I’ve never before given much thought to her predicament.

Mary was chosen by God to birth something big into the world: the long-awaited Son of David. One might think Yahweh would have or should have given the mother of the Messiah an easy road… after all, she would be the one who would deliver, nourish and raise THE Savior.
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Instead, Mary found herself in the middle of a social scandal. Young. Engaged to be married. Carrying a child that wasn’t her fiance’s.
Children’s plays and movies paint a pretty picture, but the truth is Mary was surely criticized, spurned, and likely threatened with death by her own loved ones. Very few people understood the magnitude of what Mary carried. In their shame and honor culture, Mary was doomed for a life of disgrace.

Though she had received God’s promise in humility, I wonder how many mornings she woke up, questioning His plan, in turmoil. Yet Luke, the physician, tells us that she praised God with this song:

“And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is his name.’”

(Luke 1:46-49, ESV)

In this beautiful, moving song of praise, my mind fixates on verse 48: “...from now on all generations will call me blessed…”

Blessed, Mary? How could any person in her situation utter such a bold statement? The Greek word used here is rich, meaning supremely blessed— beautified, esteemed, favored, fortunate, counted happy.

Mary had every reason to feel anything other than “favored” in that moment. The blessing that she carried surely felt more like a burden.

It is imperative that we stop and take time to contemplate her response because…

Like Mary, many of us have been asked to birth something big into the world.
Like Mary, others may not understand the magnitude of what we carry.
Like Mary, at times our blessing may feel more like a burden.

So then, how can we cry out, with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord…” while we are criticized by those who once walked with us? How can we declare, “I am blessed!” on the desolate road  to Bethlehem? How can we magnify the Lord when no one makes room for us? How can our life-breath rejoice even as pain threatens its very existence?

God’s presence, living in us. This is how. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do that which we cannot do in our own power.

The Holy Spirit helps us trust God’s character, even if we can’t understand His ways.
The Holy Spirit helps us remember God’s promises, and cling to what He has said.
The Holy Spirit helps us set our hearts on the harvest while we walk through the winter.

You see, there is no space for self-pity in God’s Kingdom. Every hard thing God has asked us to carry He gives abundant grace for… all He asks for is our surrender.

If what you have been asked to carry in this season seems too great to bear, it is because it is. Whether it’s parenting, marriage, ministry, a health or financial crisis. If you are fighting for joy right now, God is calling you to return to a posture of complete dependence.

Mary could not have endured the life she did without the empowering of the Holy Spirit. You and I can’t either.

Rejoice in your shortcomings today; rejoice in our all-sufficient Savior.
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God of Glory | A Christmas Reflection

12/6/2022

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Sunday, during worship at church, a family made their way down the aisle to seats in front of us. The husband was pushing a stroller. Inside was a tiny, precious newborn. 
 
“Joyful, joyful, we adore thee God of glory Lord of all…”
 
As I and many others pointed, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing with uncontrollable smiles plastered across our faces it struck me that this is how the God of glory came to us.
Not as an autonomous grown-up.
Not as a commanding military leader.
Not as an unapproachable deity.
 
But as a fragile baby. Utterly and completely dependent on human beings to care for Him.
 
Imagine being the God of glory, and going from being worshiped by angels 24/7 and supremely self-sufficient, to this.
 
Not only that but imagine learning how to walk and talk when you spoke the earth into existence.
 
Imagine submitting to sinful parents when you, yourself, are the embodiment of perfection.
 
Imagine being misunderstood, maligned, and mistreated by those who should have been the first to perceive and embrace you.
 
Imagine having the power to bypass not only the most excruciating death on earth, but the even-worse consequences of taking on the sin of the world: shame and separation.
 
Jesus did all of this.
 
This Christmas, I am struck by the beauty of the humility of Christ.
​He stooped low “…for the joy set before him…” (Heb. 12:2)
 
What joy?
 
The joy of “It is finished.”
The joy of complete restoration.
The joy of you and I, delighting in the infinite glory of His goodness.
 
As we transition into the throes of this holiday season, may we set our sights on this joy, and may our hearts overflow with praises to our God of glory.
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Camping in Compromise

8/30/2022

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I helped lower my friend to the bed, as she stammered in her drunken state. The party we were at had gotten out of hand. Things were said that couldn’t be unheard, and actions that couldn’t be undone. “It’s okay,” I said to her, stuffing my hurt down deeper.
 
I woke up with a physical and emotional hangover, as those hurt feelings rose back to the surface. Internally I lamented, How did things end up like this?
I wonder if Lot asked the same way as he walked away from smoldering Sodom. I wonder if he reflected on the events that had left him wife-less and homeless.

How did this nephew of Abram (who had been rescued once before, by the way) end up in this situation where he barely escaped utter destruction?

​If we look closely at Lot’s journey, we can see a progression:
He encamped near Sodom (Gen 13:10-13).
He lived in Sodom (Gen 14:12).
He became a leader of Sodom (Gen 19:1).
 
I would wager that Lot wished he could go back and reverse his choice to live near the infamously wicked city of Sodom. At the time Lot had reasoned his decision— anyone in their right mind would choose a lush, well-watered plain over one that is rocky and arid.
 
If I look closely at my own journey, I recognize a similar pattern.​..
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Read the full devotional at www.rootedmoms.com.
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Fight the Drift

8/7/2022

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I grew up vacationing on the East Coast, with its gray sands and cloudy waters. I know some of you might be freaked out by that, but in the infamous words of Elsa— they “never bothered me anyway.” All I knew was that I was there for a good time with my cousins.
 
Our parents had two rules: stick together, and keep our eyes on the shoreline. Our family “base” was easy to spot with its plethora of bright chairs and umbrellas. If we found ourselves drifting from home, our job was to dig our feet in the sand and fight our way back to where we entered.
​We had all the energy in the world in those days. We spent hours body surfing, floating, and fighting the current until we were completely spent and insatiably hungry.

After lunch, we’d beg our parents to take us to the community pool— that was where the real fun was to be had. The water was clear and current-less. We played games, performed jumping contests, and practiced our handstands. Oh, to be young again.
 
Here’s one thing I know to be true: life is more like an ocean and less like a pool— especially when it comes to our faith. This isn’t new news, though. It’s exactly what the author of Hebrews cautioned nearly 2,000 years ago...
Read the full devotional at www.rootedmoms.com.
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Plant Lady

7/24/2022

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​I’m a plant lady.

By that I mean I enjoy looking at plants.

​Despite the abundance of greenery in my house, I’m not actually very skilled at caring for them. Somehow I’ve kept three children living, breathing and growing for over a decade— but the only plant types I can manage are low-light and cactus, a.k.a. the hard-to-kill varieties.
I feel like Jesus was a plant person, also. Countless times he used vivid gardening illustrations in His parables to explain the Kingdom of God to His followers. With these teachings in mind, nature becomes a constant visual of the Gospel. Every time I look out the window or walk down the road, God’s creation reminds me of who He is, and Who I am in Him.

Jesus’ vegetation verbiage was passed down and perpetuated by the early church apostles. I love how Paul exhorts the church at Colossae. In his letter to them he says, “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7, CSB)

​When I read the words “rooted and built up... established,” my mind immediately goes to the forest behind my house. Unlike the succulents in my office that could easily be plucked from their soil, our Georgia pines can withstand the fiercest storms. They bend, but rarely break. Their roots go deep, and they draw nourishment from the soil. While my indoor plants need routine attention, I’ve never had to go out and water the towering trees in my yard.
 
Friend, this is what God desires of us...
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Read the full devotional at www.rootedmoms.com.
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No More Playing Princess

7/10/2022

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My children are growing up faster than I’d care to admit. The diaper days are long behind us; I now shop for my oldest in the men’s section. Gasp.
 
This past weekend, I deep cleaned my daughter’s room (in a way only moms can) while she was away. I worked my way through doll clothes, artwork and too-small clothes. I re-folded seemingly everything in her dresser... until I came to the bottom drawer.
There, in bright pinks, yellows, and purples were all her princess costumes, worn and tattered from years of love. At that moment I was faced with the reality that I hadn’t seen her wear one in a while... a long while. Another milestone had passed without me even recognizing it: my girl had exchanged her pretend dresses and jewelry for the real ones.

​​If I’m honest, I haven’t completely quit playing dress-up...

 
I put on a sheer covering of joy, in an attempt to hide the depression underneath.
I smear superficial admiration on my lips to hide my secret jealousy.
I don too-tight shoes I was never meant to fill to boast my capacity.
I try so hard to be the princess I feel like God wants me to be.
 
I don’t think I’m the only one who struggles in this area. Do you, too, feel like an imposter sometimes?
Read the full devotional at www.rootedmoms.com
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Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

6/23/2022

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My husband and I locked eyes, as our children’s arguing escalated in the backseat. They were at it again... Comparing. Contrasting. Complaining.
 
I’m not sure if your kids have reached this particular stage of childhood, where everything becomes a contest. There are a lot of delightful things about watching your babies become more self-aware and independent— but the perpetual rat race isn’t one of them. 
 
My children look at each others’ different personalities, gifts, and passions and see them as a threat. I look at my three children’s different personalities, strengths and passions and see them as an advantage. Oh, how I wish they could see themselves the way that I see them. Oh, how I wish they could yet grasp that they were each handcrafted by God (Ps. 139:14) to fulfill a specific purpose.

I imagine the Apostle Paul shared the same sentiment, as he wrote to the Corinthian church. Still (spiritually) young and immature, the believers struggled with comparison. To paint a mental picture for them, Paul likens the church to a body where Christ is the head and each believer a part: head, shoulders, knees, and toes...

Read the full devotional at www.rootedmoms.com
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Her Season is Not Your Season

5/11/2022

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​There are principles in God’s Kingdom. They are rules that dictate how life in the Kingdom operates.

Think of a mathematical rule: 
a2 + b2 = c2

It works. Every single time.

Not all that into math? Me either. Here’s a life rule for example:
If we eat more calories than we burn, we gain weight.
Vice versa, if we eat less calories than we burn, we lose weight.

Make sense?

One Kingdom principle Jesus taught is this:
When we put the Kingdom of God first, He takes care of all our needs (Matt. 6:31-33). Like the pythagorean theorem, I don’t have to understand how it works to know that it just works. (Praise Jesus for that!)

There’s another Kingdom principle I’ve been mulling over for quite some time now:
When we are rooted in trust in the Lord (not in ourselves), our lives will never fail to bear fruit.

Fruit is what others "taste" and experience God’s goodness. Jesus made it very clear: the Father is looking for fruit. In fact, it was for this very reason that He chose us (Jn. 15). But the fruit production is not our part— it's His. Our job is to stay rooted in Him.

Jeremiah 17 (one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible) says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:7-8, emphasis added).

I used to read that last line of Jeremiah 17 and take it to mean that if I’m truly rooted in Christ, I should always be producing. Maybe you’ve felt that way too. We (people) are really good at adding demands on ourselves that God never really asked for. (Just take the Pharisees for example.)

One day, on a walk to the nearby lake, I was lamenting to God about how fruitless I felt during that time, and the guilt I carried because of it. As I walked and prayed, I gazed at the towering trees. It was winter; they were barren. Or at least they looked barren. Inside I knew there was life getting ready to burst forth in due time.

It was then I realized, with the Holy Spirit’s help, the error of my mindset. He connected a natural principle with a Kingdom principle to reveal a truth I almost missed: Trees don’t bear fruit in every season. But they do bear fruit in their season.


"Trees don't bear fruit in every season.
​But they do bear fruit in their season."



I’m recognizing a huge downside to social media is the tendency to compare (whether we are aware of it or not). I recently taught at a girls camp, and we tackled this big temptation. I shared with them that when we compare, it has one of two outcomes: either we end up on top (filled with pride), or we end up on the bottom (feeling less-than). Neither is life-giving.


The problem with comparison is that we are all different “trees” that bear fruit in different seasons. Your season is not my season. My season is not your season. God is sovereign over our seasons, and our part is to simply stay rooted and entrust the timing to Him.

​It is May and, in my yard, there are bushes that are just now budding while other flowers have already bloomed and gone away! However, I don’t see the daffodils out there striving to keep up with the magnolias. Neither, friend, should we.


What area of your life are you feeling the pressure to perform, when God is calling you to rest in trust?

The ministry that I lead, Rooted Moms, experienced an extremely fruitful season earlier this year; now, we’re in a season of rest. If I’m not careful, I can look at all the other ministries' fruit and get busy striving to keep up. If I pressure myself and my team to perform from our own ability, we miss the preparation work God wants to do in us. Striving saps the nutrients and strength we need for when our season comes.
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"Striving saps the nutrients and strength we need for when our season comes."



​Oh, how I wish I understood this truth earlier in life. Friend, whatever fruit you are waiting on, make the decision today to rest in God’s work and timing.

If you need to borrow some faith today, go read the story of Joseph starting in Genesis 37. Though it doesn’t say so, I’m certain Joseph struggled to stay hands-off and trust what God was doing. Joseph, however, stayed rooted… and the fruit came. Big fruit. Fruit that preserved a nation and set the world up for an unprecedented display of God’s glory.

We can take God’s Kingdom principles to the bank. When we do what only we can do (rest in trust and obedience), God does what only He can do— make the fruit come in due time.
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Everyday Ordinary Miracles

4/22/2022

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As a mom, I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt like I have nothing else to give.

How many times have you been so exhausted that you’ve said, “I just can’t take one more thing!”
 
But, also, how many times have you said that only to have “one more thing” come up?
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  • Your child gets sick during the frantic weeks leading up to Christmas
  • You’re facing a marital crisis, but your friend needs advice and encouragement
  • Your family faces loss, after loss, after loss in a matter of weeks
  • Your HVAC goes out... then your car breaks down... then a tree falls on your fence
 
Indeed, we all know how it feels to be exhausted and need a break.

This is the proverbial "boat" the disciples were in, when we read their story in Mark 6. For weeks upon weeks the apostles had been traveling with nothing to their name but an extra shirt and a staff (Mark 5:8). They visited nearby villages, driving out demons, healing the sick, and preaching that people should repent. When they gathered together again, they each gave a report, then Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest...”
 
Imagine how good that must have sounded. Mark tells us they were so bombarded with needy people, they “did not even have time to eat.” (Gosh, that sounds all too familiar.)
 
Yes, Jesus. I deserve this! The disciples were probably thinking. Then Mark tells us “they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place.”
 
There was just one problem, to which I think we all can relate: “Many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.” (6:33)
 
“CAN’T I HAVE JUST ONE MINUTE TO MYSELF?!” I can imagine Peter lamenting. And all the Mamas say, “Amen” as a tiny hand slips under the bathroom door, again.
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Did Jesus have mercy on them? Did He send the crowds away? No. He does something outrageous: He began to teach them. THEN, when dinner time came, He told the disciples to feed them.

Feed them? There were 5,000 men alone, let alone woman and children!
 
I can sense the tension in the disciples’ sassy response: “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread?"
 
Jesus patiently endures their sarcasm, then He simply asks, “How many loaves do you have?” The disciples report, as they hand the meager snack to Jesus... Their total inventory? Five loaves and two fish.

Jesus isn’t alarmed. He simply blesses the food and breaks it, then hands pieces to each disciple to give to pass on to the people.
 
Now, I imagine you’ve heard this story before, so you’re not surprised to hear everyone ate until they were full. Well, apparently the disciples weren’t surprised either. Not because they’d seen Jesus raise a dead girl and open the eyes of the blind. Mark reveals that they didn't even perceive the miracle that happened through their very own hands "because their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52) 
 
Hardened by what? Most likely disappointment and sheer exhaustion. They were zeroed in on the escape they thought they needed.
 
In the following verses we read what happened after the world's largest picnic. Jesus sends the disciples away to stall the people and give them a break. Later that night, Jesus is up on a mountain praying. He looks out and sees the disciples in their physical boat, straining. The wind blew so hard they were unable to continue crossing. Yet, here comes Jesus— out on the water, walking. Now, at THIS miracle, the disciples were “completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:51-52)
 
The disciples had played a part in feeding probably 15,000 men, women, and children from 5 loaves and 2 fish! Yet not Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John share in their accounts that the disciples were ever “astonished.”
 
Maybe they were bitter that it seemed Jesus showed more compassion for the crowds than He did for them that day. But He wasn’t being heartless, instead He was trying to teach them an important lesson:
Jesus didn’t expect the disciples to muster up the miracle on their own. Their job was simply to posture themselves to receive, then pass the provision onto others.

The disciples wanted Jesus to take away the crowds so they could rest. Jesus wanted to show them how to find rest IN Him, in every season.

 
Friends, Jesus isn’t asking us to be the perfect Christian, the perfect friend, the perfect spouse, or the perfect mom. He doesn’t expect us to be everything to everyone. In the midst of our exhaustion and disappointment, God is simply asking that we position ourselves to receive from Him. He wants to work ordinary, everyday bread miracles through us.
 
As a mom, I often feel depleted. It gives me hope to know that I don't have to leave the crowds (husband, kids, and pets) to find rest— I can have rest in every season by simply trusting in Him.
 
We serve a God whose power is perfected in our weakness. Instead of asking God for an escape, let’s position ourselves to receive the strength, the patience, the wisdom, and the peace that He freely gives. And when He multiplies what we have in our hands, may we be astounded and give Him the glory and praise.

​Walking on water may be entertaining, but it’s the everyday Bread of Life that sustains.
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Behold Your God

3/7/2022

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​​As a veteran mom, I’m a natural beholder. I imagine you are too.
 
We behold the kitchen sink, overflowing with dirty dishes.
We behold the baby, ripe for a diaper change.
We behold the school forms, awaiting our initials.
 
We behold all the people, projects, and problems demanding our attention— then get busy, working to fix them.
In the first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah, the prophet points out a lot of problems with the chosen nation of Israel. His words, straight from God’s mouth, exude judgement, destruction and woe, and draw attention to the nation’s unfaithful and downright rebellious behavior.

Suddenly, in chapter 40, the tone changes drastically from chastisement to comfort. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins,” God tells Isaiah (vs. 2).
 
While these prophecies had not been fulfilled just yet, God was letting them know even their great wickedness could not deter His greater compassion— a Savior was coming for them.
 
After His declaration of hope, God tells the prophet, “Say unto the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Is 40:9 NKJV)
 
It’s such a short and simple declaration, it’s easy to miss all together. God is telling His people to shift their focus from themselves, back onto Him...
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    A little about me...


    ​Hi, I'm Katie! 

    Wife to Craig, mom of three, author, writer, Rooted Moms founder, Jesus-follower, Bible teacher, and coffee enthusiast.

    Follow me as I follow Christ and share my heart throughout the journey.

    ​

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