As I have been doing the hard work of dealing with my baggage and becoming a safe and loving person for my children, I am slowly (emphasis on slowly) learning to draw my children close in times of misbehavior and dysregulation rather than push them away.
Author Archives: lstoyko
Foster Care and Adoption–In Her Shoes
It is difficult to be hopeful for the bio families if we cannot put ourselves in their shoes. If we never see their hearts but only see the wrong actions they took. If we never acknowledge their grief but only focus on ours. If we forget God’s plan for the family and only live in the broken reality of sin.
Moms in the Bible–Mary, part 2
In the weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter, it is right that we begin to prepare our hearts in remembrance of the incredible acts of love, mercy and power that Jesus did in those three days. In this episode, as part of our Moms in the Bible series, we are going to look at those three days through the eyes of Mary, Jesus’ mother.
Kneeling with Jesus in the Garden
I have been reflecting on the hours leading up to Jesus’ arrest. In the dark of night, he knelt before God, pleading for a different way, a new plan of redemption. It is perhaps the most powerful example to all of us of the humanity and humility of Christ.
Hemmed in by God
A word of encouragement for moms from Psalm 139. God has hemmed us into the present and into his presence. Let us find our rest, our strength and our daily grace right where he has us.
The Struggle Against Complacency
The enemy delights in our complacency, God delights in our contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” God invites us to be content when we are in the season of calm and when we are stepping into the hard.
Moms in the Bible–The Shunammite Woman
What I see in the Shunammite’s story, and in scripture, is that hospitality is as much a heart attitude as an action.
We Need Each Other
Let’s work on building that community. Let us recognize the importance and value of having others in our lives who can build us up, and who we can build up in return, and then let us be willing to put in the effort required to make that happen.
Moms in the Bible–Bathsheba
Our children can be such an encouragement to us in our struggles. They are our life’s work, after all. When we are journeying through difficult moments, sometimes all it takes is to look at them to find hope, to find joy, to find laughter.
Flipping the Switch
Do you ever feel like a switch gets flipped in your body that turns something off? That’s how I have felt the past few months. Something got flipped off. My body is tired, my thoughts are slower, and my creativity is dried up.
Lyssa Stoyko 