Emilee Kurt

But either way, Mary nervously makes her way and finds what Elizabeth so beautifully embodies: life, the Holy Spirit, joy, humility, and affirmation. ” to her younger cousin had to take incredible humility and devotion to 1) what God had individually called her to do and 2) an excitement over God’s plan for all eternity. There was a miracle in Elizabeth’s life and a miracle in Mary’s, and their baby boys would grow up to both herald the Kingdom of God. Her words to Mary did not spark self-centered thoughts of worry or distrust or comparison, but pointed her to the God who called her in the first place.

The moment was one where you feel completely alive in your own skin, comfortable, and you are ultra aware of what’s going on around you: my sweet new husband was on his phone in the beach chair beside me, there was a maternity shoot closing up after finding some golden light, kids were building a sand castle and giggling with abandon. I spent so much time worried about how I can keep things from changing, when the actual goal is holy change in both of our hearts. The goal of trips oriented in mission, the goal of marriage, the goal of families, the goal of every iota in love May we be women that don’t need the world’s applause, but the gentle whisper of our Father: I love you.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that is has created the most beautiful shift in my life, and through these practices and more that I’m sure we’ll come as seasons change, it will continue to shape our family culture. Here is my current working list of how I am cutting out the clutter so that God’s voice is louder in my life: Jesus Himself withdrew from His activity to regularly pray. Instead of feeling like I’m exploring God’s creation through my own creating, I began to feel weighed down from the expectations of my peers and my professor who would put a letter grade on something I had poured hours into. that don’t fit or that I don’t use, as many Americans, and I want to declutter my home regularly.

We will get *somewhere*, a place where we are walking in what makes us come alive and makes the world a better place, by walking in steady obedience to the Father. If that were true, everyone wouldn’t know what The Great Gatsby was or have seen a Starry Night through a sad artist’s eyes. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. He multiplies our good work, if we would just show up with humble hearts to the toilet that needs to be cleaned, the homework that needs to be done, the dream that needs to be tended.