3 minute read
Reheated Coffee
Beautiful in Time
by Amanda Jackman
It was mid-afternoon, and I grabbed my half-full coffee cup out of the microwave. The remnants of the morning coffee were cold after sitting in the microwave for who knows how long. It was an incredible spring break with my kids. We mostly stayed home. I caught up on some cleaning, and we spent some much-needed quality time together.
My heart has been heavy, weighing on a decision that would change everything we have done for years. The weight of the decision has left me praying daily for wisdom but doubting God when He tells me that I am capable. I have known what I needed to do. I have known what God was calling me to do, but I was too stubborn to believe in myself for this big life change.
I’m a big fan of coffee cups with Scripture on them (shameless plug for feeding my love language of gifts). We have Scripture hanging up on the walls all over our home. I’ve seen all of these scriptures hundreds, thousands of times, but today, I really understood what this particular coffee cup scripture meant for me. He has made everything beautiful in its time…. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV).
Part of my issue with decision-making and starting new things is that I’m a control freak and perfectionist. I want it done right. So, starting out as a novice is excruciating to me. Today, on the front of my coffee cup, I am reminded that He has made EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL in its TIME. If God is calling me to it, He will make it beautiful in my time, too.
For the majority of this school year, I have felt like I’m getting the worst of my children, exhausted from school and extracurricular activities. We drive 25 minutes one way to a private school that we pay for every month. We sacrifice a lot for our children to have a Christian education. For the entirety of this school year, I have felt like God wanted me to take the reins on our family life and bring the kids home and homeschool. I have many friends and resources to help, but I have lacked the confidence to really feel like Ican do it. It is a limiting belief that has crippled me and robbed me of time that I’m desperately craving with my children. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5 NIV).
I need to trust the Lord with ALL of my heart, not just some of it. Maybe the Lord is nudging on your heart to follow Him to a place He will make beautiful just for you. I cannot wait to see where this next path takes us. While it might not be as perfect immediately as I would like it to be, I know that God will make it beautiful just for me.
Amanda Jackman is from the small town of Imlay City, Michigan. She and her husband, Brad, have five children ages 7 and under (Bradley 7, Juliet 6, Walter 5, Arthur 3, and Arlington, 1). S he has a Paralegal Studies Degree and enjoys reading and writing. She loves the busy life of being a wife and mother of five.
