I’ve spent my life as a mom building traditions into our family. Even wrote a Christmas devotion to help families do the same.
So you can imagine why it shocked me to my core when I heard one of my children answer the question, “What Christmas traditions does your family have?” with “We don’t really have any traditions.”
Seriously?
We have so many traditions I actually have a notebook dedicated to all things Christmas. It holds Christmas traditions, recipes, menus, etc.
I slept on that comment and woke with it still front and center. It was bothering me because I’ve worked so hard to create in our family memories, experiences, and traditions.
As casually as I could muster, I asked my son why he answered that way. He didn’t remember giving the answer he gave. I tried jarring his memory.
“Remember, they said this. You said that.”
He looked at me quizzically. After a moment he responded, “Well, we don’t really have any do we?”
“What? Are you serious? Let me remind you and see if you recall them.”
I continued to list them all.
“Mom, why are you so upset? Those aren’t really traditions are they? I thought traditions were big things?”
“No, it’s a repeated experience. It can be something small like we have Pioneer Woman Blueberry French Toast Casserole every Christmas morning.”
“Oh, well, I wasn’t thinking that way.”
“Well, how about these? We have a gingerbread house competition every year. Or we make Rolo cookies every year. We have a competition before the baking begins to see who can unroll and stack their Rolos the fastest.”
His response, “We didn’t do it last year.”
I felt myself get defensive all over again. “Yes we did!! I even have it on video.”
I spent the next 5 minutes searching for the videos and made him watch them with me. It all came back. He remembered it clearly.
Yet, until I forced him to recall, he’d forgotten.
If we don’t practice the art of remembering, we forget.
We forget easier than we remember. And we don’t all remember the same way or the same things. We must practice how to remember well.
The Bible is full of this call to remember.
“Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected? Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many large baskets you collected?’”
Matthew 16:8-10
Simply Remember
In 2017 the word God continued to speak to me was Remember. In 2018 the word was Simple.
And today I continue to hear these words together. Simply remember.
Remember Me. Remember My works. Remember My faithfulness. Simply practice the art of remembering.
It was the days leading up to Christmas I felt called, inspired, and driven by God to write Illuminate. The inspiration came after a time away at a writer’s retreat and after months of Him stirring a theme in my heart. One of remembrance.
This year has been a challenge for me in many ways as I’ve attempted to homeschool a high schooler, middle schooler, and a delayed learner in elementary school. All while writing and launching 2 businesses at the same time. I’ve cried many tears over all of it and the overwhelm.
Do you know when I’ve hit my wall or felt completely overwhelmed, the Lord has asked me to remember. Every. Single. Time.
It’s like He whispered, “My child, you are forgetting again. Remember. Simply remember.”
I have personally gone through Illuminate multiple times over this last year. God has used it to minister to my soul. He’s used it to restore my hope and put the tools in my hands to defeat the discouragement the enemy attempted to bury me in.
You, my precious and faithful readers, are always on my mind. When the Lord shows me something, you are the first to come to my mind. I begin to think, “I have to share this with my readers. I know they will be as encouraged as I’ve been.”
Illuminate released as a 14 day audio devotion. Meaning it arrives one day at a time for 14 days as an audio file.
I realized some people simply aren’t audio. And some people get stuck at the 14 day piece thinking they need to carve out 14 days (you don’t).
So I packaged Illuminate in 1 complete eBook.
You can now purchase the eBook and get the entire 14 day collection as one book. You can view it on any device or computer. Or print it off. I’m a paper kind of gal and printing at an office supply store is super inexpensive.
While the audio version comes with the transcript as well, there’s something about getting it all at once that some people really want.
Now you can have it both ways!
What God does flows out of who He is.
When we begin to practice the art of remembering and establish this habit, everything changes. Suddenly fear fades, anxiety shrinks, and worries wither.
Illuminate will provide the light your soul is longing for to see the path toward a deeper intimacy with God. For 14 days you will practice seeing the character of God like never before.
What will Illuminate do for you?
Illuminate will teach you how to truly rest and be still like never before.
No more living overwhelmed by life.
At the end of 14 days you will have a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Creator of your soul. It’s exactly what your soul is longing for.
Who is Illuminate for?
For the one ready to:
- live free of fear
- release anxiety and worry once and for all
- learn to rest even in chaos
- grow in knowledge and love of God
Looking for a last minute gift?
Give Illuminate. No shipping. No runs to the store. No lines. And best of all, no more adding to the gift clutter. It’s a simple gift that will appeal to all.
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