The one thing every mom needs (we all do actually.)

Our culture tells us there is so much we need. So much more we have to have, so much we have to be.

We need this car. That watch. Their couch. The perfect school. That latest gadget. To eat perfectly clean healthy food. To maximize our to do list. To be perfectly fit. To never look old.

With mother’s day approaching, have you noticed how much mothers in particular expect of themselves? Don’t most often feel they’ve failed their children irreparably if they’re not completely perfect all the time, providing the very best of what the world has to offer?

But guess what… there’s actually only one thing we truly need.

It doesn’t require money or hard work or your perfect record as a mother, (or a father or aunt or uncle or grandparent or friend, for that matter).

In fact, the more broken you are the more chance there is for it to show up in your life.

There is no limit to it. It won’t run out. The more you give away the more you get.

It’s often the last thing we give ourselves—or others. In our culture of reward and earning and striving, it is utterly alien to us.

You can’t earn it. It’s free.

The free gift that cost God everything.

Grace.

Grace for the imperfect. For the broken. For the ruined. For the mess. For the not good enough. For the down in the mud pig stye wanderers. For hopeless.

Grace for mothers. Grace for each other. Grace for yourself.

Happy mother’s day! Where would be without them?

(And PS whether you have children or not—happy mother’s day to you too because we can all parent a child whether or not they are biologically ours. Just think about that teacher who made all the difference. That aunt. That friend.)

GOLDFISH ON VACATION

Like the eagle fountain that one man restored to it’s true beauty, God comes to us in our brokenness, however overgrown, or ruined, or filled with garbage we may be—he sees who we really are. And he loves us. That is Grace. See more.

THOUGHTS TO MAKE YOUR HEART SING

The follow-up to THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE is just that– a collection of small bits of encouragement and grace to help you start or end your day. I love love LOVE hearing from moms who share this time with their kids; my hope is for the book to lift up your whole family. See more.

THE HOUSE THAT’S YOUR HOME

This book would make such a beautiful and sweet Mother’s Day gift, celebrating the little things that a mother does to make a house a home. And the gift of belonging. You are safe. You are loved. You are home. See more.