Spring time means it’s calving season in our pasture! Honestly, it’s my favorite time of the year. The feeling of crisp air in the mornings, the budding of wildflowers, the sprouting of new growth in the hay fields, and gazing into the pasture to see newborn calves running around makes my heart skip a few beats.

If you’ve never been around a newborn calf and his momma, it’s a always a fun experience. A cow has that distinct “parent instinct” to defend and protect. She will fight tooth and nail to protect her child. She can sense trouble from across the pasture and dares any, and all trouble, to come between her and her new calf.

Likewise, a newborn calf leans on the protection of his mom to survive in this world. He hides under her belly for protection and relies on the herd to keep him safe.

This reminds me a lot of how our relationship with Jesus, and other believers, should be. Like a mother cow, Jesus stands ready and willing to take on our battles for us. He fights for us daily, even when we aren’t aware of it.

In his letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul tells us that we do not fight wars of flesh blood in this world, rather we fight spiritual wars (is (Ephesians 6:12). So, why would we try to fight our battles on our own and leave Jesus out of the equation?

Maybe we should learn to be more like a newborn calf, and let our Father stand in the gap and go to battle for us. We should drop the worry of the unknown, and place the future in His hands.

On the same note, if you don’t have a “herd” of believers to stand in your gap to pray with you, and for you, when you’re in the trenches of life, you’re missing out! I encourage you to find a Bible believing church, or group of friends, and learn to lean on one another as you venture into the pasture with Jesus as your guide.

Happy Trails Y’all!

– Rachel

  
It was finally here! The day I had planned for over a year. The countless hours spent picking out the perfect invitations, stuffing hundreds of envelopes, finding a beautiful gown with matching shoes, preparing our hand written vows, arranging bouquets with my mom, planning a perfect reception menu, booking a photographer, a band, and venue, were finally over. I was about to change my name from Ms. to Mrs., and my whole world would change for the better! 

The wedding day was everything I had dreamed of and more! My dress was gorgeous. My daddy teared up as he gave me away. And, the church was packed with our family and friends. But, the best part was the moment my adorable husband and I vowed to love each other unconditionally and to always put God first in our home. 

Upon the completion of our vows, I knew that my next step was to transform from a blushing bride to a wonderful wife. 6 years later, I realize that all of the stress, all of the worrying, and all of the planning to have a perfect day would only be a precious memory. You see, being a bride isn’t the important factor in getting married. Rather, living and experiencing life with the man you prayed for, the man you trust with your heart, and the man you believe God sent just for you, is what the transformation from bride to wife is all about. After all, it’s how you handle your  life beyond the bride that makes a marriage strong! 

Stayed tuned for tips to having a happy home with your spouse! 

 Happy Trails! 💙Rachel 

You don’t know my family or our story, and I don’t yours. Through our small conversation, we discovered we are both educators. But, your gentle smile and kind words revealed so much more about you than you realize. 

You see, the precious child you spoke to, hasn’t forgotten the 5 simple words you joyfully directed towards her. 

I LOVE your eyepatch! 

That’s it. Those 5 words made her eyes light up with glee and her swell with pride! She appears to be a happy go-lucky child on the outside. And, although my daughter in a pretty princess in our eyes, she often worries about her glasses and her eyepatch. She makes comments such as:

Mommy why do my eyes have to cross? 

Mommy the kids will laugh at my eye patch. 

Mommy, I want to be pretty like you without glasses. 

Oh my heart breaks when she says these things. No matter how many times I tell her that she is ALWAYS beautiful, her young heart is still brittle. So, thank you kind lady for being sweet to my child and letting her know that her eyepatch doesn’t define her! 

Thank you for reminding me that I am able to show the love of Jesus without ever speaking His name. The joy that lit up your face made it evident that Jesus is alive in you! 

Sincerely,

A grateful momma!  

Alone in the still and quiet, tears begin flowing, and your mind starts racing, yet no thought sticks except…

Where is God now? 

The God I learned about in Sunday School was a God of love, a God of miracles, a God who saves! Where is that God now? I’ve been told His Word is true through eternity.   If that is so, how did He let this happen to me?

Where is His love? Where is His miracle? Where is His salvation? 

 {Admit it} At some point in time, we have all sheltered these thoughts, these doubts, these fears in the back room of our hearts. Inevitably we all have faced a season in life where God didn’t seem to exist. It felt as if He were too busy elsewhere to comfort us or hear our needs!

For me, that time has come twice in recent years. The first was during the birth of Kynlee. How could a God who loved me let me endure this? Didn’t He understand my passion was to be a mother? I strongly desired to have more than one child. I wanted to be able to have the chance to give my husband a son and my father a grandson. I wanted to be able to fulfill their dreams and to have several children! Yet, I almost lost my first born child and now I’m told I cannot physically have anymore? Isn’t God a God of miracles? Couldn’t He perform a miracle and just give us another child? 

  
The 2nd time I felt these thoughts was much more recent. In July of this year our family lost a precious woman. My first cousin passed away in a terrible tragedy, leaving behind three grieving children, a torn mother, two heart broken sisters, and a family crushed by grief.  Our family was devastated! How could God allow this to happen? Couldn’t He have saved her? If He had just reached out, she would still be here! It isn’t fair for those kids to live their lives without their mother’s love and touch. It isn’t fair for a mom to have to plan the funeral of her first born. It isn’t fair for two sisters to have to learn to live without talking to their big sis each day. It isn’t fair for a family to be left with so many questions. Where’s God’s love now?

During both of those times, I felt I had lost my joy! How can you be joyful when your world is falling apart? How do you cry out to a God who seems to have forgotten you? 

Yet, there in the stillness, this hymn came to mind….

Three simple words {Because He lives}! That’s it! My soul didn’t need a miracle, or a savior, or a new love! It already contained all I needed to restore my joy. Paul tells us in Phillipians that to live is Christ. I like to say loving Christ is to live. Not only because He lives can I face tomorrow, but because He lives in Me, all fear is gone! 

Although the tears still flow and my heart still breaks, I am able to go on living joyfully because my Hope is Anchored in Him. Jesus alone can heal, can restore, and can refresh! Although our plans don’t always match up with His, He promises to be with us every step of the way.  

I don’t think we ever get past tragedies and scarring memories in our lives. But, we have a choice! We can use each memory as a crutch to stay hidden in our own corner, pushing God and all others away, or we can use each memory as chance to glorify Him! Undoubtedly in every situation, He has a greater purpose! Are you willing to trust in Him and let Him use you? Are you willing to give your grief, your fear, your sadness to Jesus?

He simply asks ::: Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.  — Matthew 11:28

Jesus, I humbly and boldly ask you to bless those of us traveling through a scary and unknown place of grief or sadness.  It may seem as if all hope, all joy, and all comfort has forsaken us. Oh, how easy it is to hide from you and grieve alone. But, we know you are the Great Physician! Only you can heal us. I ask that you would give us courage and strength to face our trials head on and live victoriously through you. I know you have a purpose and plan for each of us and I am trusting you to restore our joy and reveal yourself to us. In Jesus’ precious name I call…..Amen! 

💛 Happy Trails! – Rachel 

“Mom, I would be gorgeous like you IF I didn’t wear glasses.”

— Wait? What? Surely those words aren’t coming from the mouth of my innocent 4 year old! Catch your breath. Regain your thoughts. Hold back your tears. —

All of those thoughts raced through my mind in the 2 seconds it took me to reply…

“You are gorgeous with or without your glasses. Your glasses don’t make you beautiful! Your smile, your sweetness, and your pretty blue eyes make you GORGEOUS in my book!” 

And, so, just as unexpectedly as it started, the conversation quickly ended and off the little toot went to enjoy her TV show. All the while, not knowing her momma’s heart was completely broken and shattered! 

How had I let this happen? How did the tiny baby who clung to life in NICU for 68 days grow into this worrisome 4 year old? What happened to having a care free spirit and only thinking about the next snack, the next play date, the next cartoon to watch? 

Had I failed to fulfill my duty as a mom? Had I voiced my own physical insecurities a little too much? 

 As these thoughts swirled like an unrelentless hurricane of sadness through my being, I rolled over in my bed and buried my head into my pillow! I began to cry out to God to restore her confidence, to restore my confidence! 

With tears streaming down my cheeks, He softly reminded that He had overcome this world! And though people would try to tear me down, to tear her down, He had the power to restore! 

             
With that, I began to praise Him for holding my hand through the unknown, for wiping my tears of sadness, and for creating a {JOY} in my heart that is indescribable.

Why does the media have such a grip on girls and women on what beauty looks like? Why do we, as women, constantly compare ourselves to one another? We want to be:

• skinnier
• smarter
• tanner
• and much more!

We are NEVER satisfied with what we have! However, we know that  

 
So, I challenge to look for your beauty within! If Christ lives in you, there’s nothing more beautiful! After all, true beauty is only {HEART} deep! 

Happy Trails! 💛Rachel

Hey y’all!

Every time I open my Social Media, I am bombarded by posts selling many items, ranging from makeup, to weight loss, to skin care, to jewelry.  Basically, if you name it, I probably know someone who sells it in a home based, direct sales business! Don’t get me wrong, I am all for moms to stay at home and earn money the honest way, or for working parents to start a new business to provide extra income for their families.  I see absolutely nothing wrong with starting your own business. In fact, I am an Advocare distributor.

However, it seems like the drive to build our businesses and our incomes have taken over lives in society.  We no longer seem to focus on building relationships with others and investing our time in the needs of others.  Instead, we focus on how we can “push” our business and make it more successful.

That being said, I have a little challenge for you! What if we told others about Jesus as much as we tell them how our products can change their lives?   Sure, whatever your business is promoting may make our earthly lives better.  But, what about our eternal lives?  Will that cute bracelet, or that wrap thing, or that 3D mascara guarantee happiness after this life is over? NO! I am all for some weight loss and some accessorizing, but the best accessory we can have is Jesus Christ! After all, He came to this Earth, died an unfair and cruel death, and rose again the third day to save YOUR soul! If that’s not a miracle worth sharing, I don’t know what is!

So my challenge is this:  Each time you are tempted to share a “life changing” product, follow up your pitch by talking about an eternal hope in Jesus!  It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out discussion. It can be as simple as saying, “Did you know Jesus loves you?”.  Maybe, you just add a bible verse to your business card or your receipts.  Whatever you choose, you are planting a seed to build up the Kingdom of God.  And, that by far, is the BEST bonus you can get at work!

Happy Trails!

Rachel