Sally Clarkson's Blog, page 63

Don't Mom Alone with Heather MacFayden

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Not long ago, I was feeling quite alone and invisible in my life. I was carrying several serious burdens of my children and friends, was weary from loads of work, and felt so alone.

A very loyal and trustworthy friend texted me, “I am going to be gone for a month. I need some Sally time.”

As we sipped the strong black tea we both loved from England, I poured out my heart’s issues. Out of compassion, tears came to her eyes. “I don’t know if you realize it, but I am praying for you diligently almost every day. All the things that are piling up in your life are indeed heavy to carry, but my life is similarly burdened, and I want to tell you how I have been seeing God’s goodness amidst my own personal circumstances.”

When my friend left, nothing in my circumstances had changed, yet I felt hope in my heart because of her words. Our friendship carried me to peace because she helped to shoulder my burdens and sympathize.

God created us for companionship with real people. We were born for community, love, help, encouragement, and the blessing and intimacy that comes from close friendship with others. Consequently, fellowship with like-minded women and men is essential to our spiritual health, and to our well-being in the Christian life.

A woman alone in her home, giving and being emptied on a regular basis, and dealing with her limitations -- plus those of the sinful people who dwell in her home -- is a target for discouragement, feelings of inadequacy, confusion and a sense of failure.

Having support systems is essential to our spiritual life, growth, health and pleasure. God intended us to live in a greater sense of family—to have aunts, grandmas, sisters, cousins, and friends who would surround us and give help and instruction to us as we learn to live life as moms, wives, ministry leaders, and friends.

In an isolationist society, we have falsely accepted the premise that we can “do it alone.” That belief brings so much pressure on one person to be all and do all!

Cultivating fellowship, friendship, and community may require you to take initiative, since isolation is the norm in this culture at this time.

Keep looking until you find someone more mature than you who can draw you forward in your walk with God. Find someone who is right where you are to share similar issues, ideas, and help, and also find someone younger in the Lord or at a younger stage to whom you can bring encouragement.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their

labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one

who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

HEBREWS 3:13 (NIV) But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,”

so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

GALATIANS 6:10 (NLT) Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good

to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith.

In light of these verses, what action steps do you need to move on to create a less isolated life for you and for your family?

Today on my podcast, I am talking with Heather MacFayden who is launching her wonderful book, Don’t Mom Alone.

Books Referenced in this Podcast:  FOR MORE

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Some Things Are As Good As You Hoped They'd Be by Sarah Clarkson

Every Wednesday night since I have been home this summer, I have ground my fresh wheat berries, whipped up my pancake recipe, crisped some turkey bacon, (Clay’s preference), filled my cakes with roasted walnuts or pecans, and we have feasted out by our little fireplace on our deck. It truly couldn’t be any better. It is a perfected recipe and so wonderful, you feel at one with the world and life—at least for a few moments.

I read some thoughts from my Sarah and thought they were worthy of sharing again—because when we have a grid that says, “I will indeed look for the beauty, the good moments, the ways in which I see the faint hint of a perfect life created by God, and waiting for us to experience in eternity.

Some things are just as good as you hope they'll be.

I walked through an English village near our home yesterday, delighted by the medieval houses and the delicate opulence of the late summer gardens. We had tea and cake in a 16th century cottage, and picked blackberries from the hedge as we walked to a Saxon church whose silence is so rich with ancient hush I almost cry upon entering it.

I love these idyllic moments. England is many things and I know its foibles and failures well; but it's just as beautiful, just as steeped in story and tea and gardens as I always thought it would be. There are many things about England that are painfully foreign and I live in the suburbs, not a village, but the good things here are every bit as good as my idealist of a dreamy-eyed self imagined they'd be.

Things are sometimes, you know.

I was thinking as I walked yesterday that there's a jaded spirit abroad in our age that wants to belittle ideals, that meets excitement or exuberant dreams with reductive weariness. Nothing is really as good as you think, it says. There's always a catch. You can't expect to have your hopes met in a world like this. Don't be naive, whispers that knowing voice.

But you know what? Marriage is just as good as I hoped it would be. So was getting to study at Oxford. So is having sweet babies and living with them in a little house near the Sussex downs. The fact that these things are imperfect and also hellishly hard at times or disappointing or lonely in no way reduces the real, bone deep goodness I taste in their presence.

We need to be able to say that things are shockingly good precisely because we are fallen people living in a broken world who are fighting to believe that redemption is possible. Flattening everything doesn't make things better; it steals our capacity for hope, it bankrupts our ability to imagine something beyond our brokenness. We need to yearn and mourn. To dream wildly and find that some dreams really do come true is to taste the goodness that began us and the grace that aids us and the kindness that draws us on toward the healing of all things.

Because that really will be better than we could ever have hoped.

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A Romantic Heart Has Its Benefits

From The Mom Walk …

"I am a deeply romantic woman, always yearning for a picture-perfect home--fires on the hearth with feasts and laughter nearby, pleasant and gracious conversations, an ambience of beauty and peace. I write about my ideals. I breathe my ideals in the secret moments of my life. I want a picture-perfect marriage where I am adored and appreciated. I want my children to be healthy, happy, and harmonious. I want strong friendships and a stable community with friends. I want an extended family to be close to us and to provide my children with love and support and lots of godly input. I want there to be money for all the bills, a home that isn't always exploding with messes, and time to sit and read a good book and ponder life.

These longings are not wrong. Ideals and the desire for beauty are simply the echoes of God's design in our hearts. He was the one who designed the world to be a masterpiece of wonder and life. The yearning for peace, health, and comfort is natural to our souls and comes from the depths of our hearts where we can still feel and imagine what God created life to be before the fall."

I think God is the biggest Idealist of all. He created everything in a perfect state, and someday He will "restore all things." (Acts 3:21.) I think He understands my heart's longing for a beautiful life and fulfilling relationships.

I think He feels just the same way I do. When I long for life to line up with His ideals, I reflect His own heart. When I create pleasing settings, soothe ruffled feelings, play beautifully crafted music, offer grace to a tired and cranky child, or prepare a hearty meal that fills stomachs and enriches souls as we share ideas around the table, I remind those who share in the moments with me that we are, indeed, sons and daughters of a King, meant for more than workaday life in this broken world.

Though I still wish for an "Anne of Green Gables" neighborhood, where friends come by and sit on my porch over a cup of tea to talk, and my children have only a g-rated world in which to live, I can still craft my own home to be such a sanctuary. And when my children store these pictures of moments shared in the treasure chest of their hearts, they are more likely to always remember what they were made for and how to hold fast to His ideals their whole life.

How can you remind those around you, today?

Your Mom Walk with God: Staying Faithful on the Path of Motherhood By Clarkson, Sally

We Work With a Cooperative Spirit: Our 24 Family Ways #15

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Way #15We work with a cooperative spirit, freely giving and receiving help.

Memory verse:

"Two are better than one, because they have good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9

“We are a family. We stick together. We work together. We celebrate life together. We belong to one another and we will always help one another.”

These are some of the messages I gave to our children over and over again. To build a sense of belonging and a sense of community takes time and repition. Yet, we worked so hard to build this family loyalty because we knew that God had created family as the first community in Genesis and we knew we would be a stability for one another in the upheavals of life in a secular world. To understand you belong and have a calling as a family gives vision, extends a sense of purpose, and give camaraderie.

Self-actualization is a term  that has come up in conversation a lot this week. All of my children have talked about how they grew into believing they could bring light to their dark world because of the way we trained them and talked to them, over and over again. We spoke forward into their lives--into the adults they would become and that they would companion one another as they grew through life.

"I believe God has a special work for you to do in the world. You are my right hand helper and you have learned to work so responsibly. "

"I love seeing your heart of compassion. Bringing all your friends from your drama club was a gift. You are such a good influence in their lives. Thanks for helping me clean up all the dishes from their time here. I know you will be a leader of women."

"Maybe you will write great works like Lewis and Tolkien did. You have such a grasp of truth and beauty and such a great way of expressing it. I know it took a lot of hard work to write your essay. Great job. "

"There is no limit to what God might do with a heart that is completely His. He would love to bless your ideas and dreams if your heart is His. Your diligence will pave the way. "

This week's Way, number 15, is all about giving your child a sense of being a servant leader as a part of their self-image. Part of perceiving oneself as a leader is understanding that God has created them to serve, and that it is the glory of a person to serve well. But another aspect is building a strong family sense of community.

Each morning, after breakfast, I would put on lively music and have all of the kids do necessary chores to restore our house to order before we began the day. We would all rock out together while one put the dishes in the dishwasher, another swept, another straightened the room where we would be reading, etc.

Before we had guests, each of us would have an area to manage: picking up, setting the table, writing a personal welcome sign on the ever-present chalkboard, or lighting candles. I would tell them how much I appreciated them making our home so beautiful.

At our ministry conferences, each had a task. Little ones would welcome moms with a basket of chocolate. Older kids would run the book tables. Each year, all of them had to give a short talk, greeting, song or prayer at the conferences. Truly, having our children serve together for many, many years is one of the key components of their current perception that God has called them to impact their worlds for God's kingdom.

As you learn the truth of this way, have a grid to encourage your children that family is always to help each other, and that they are so very precious to be willing to serve others. Giving your child a self-image of perceiving that God wants to use them in their world, will shape their work and service the rest of their lives. Giving them practice to serve each other will build strong relationships between siblings when they grow up.

Find Our 24 Family Ways here!

Our 24 Family Ways (2010) By Clay Clarkson

We Take Initiative: Our 24 Family Ways #14

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Way #14We take initiative to do all of our own work without needing to be told.

"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" Luke 14:28

A couple of years ago, our family tackled remodeling our kitchen. Cabinets were torn out, the old stained wood floors were sanded, the walls repainted. Before we could even begin, we had to take everything out of the kitchen--all of my dishes, pots and pans, and silverware were boxed up. Everything was a mess and there was sawdust, splotches of paint, plaster, and all sorts of refuse from the different projects everywhere.

At the end of a long day, we asked one of the builders helping us, a friend much more skillful that we were, to stay for dinner. He replied, "Construction is always such a messy process. If I can take a shower and wash off all of the plaster dust and paint under my nails, I will be more acceptable at the table!”

Little by little, we were amazed at the results and wondered why we had not remodeled our old kitchen long ago. The floors underneath were gorgeous in their natural state and had just faded and discolored over years of stomping feet walking over them. The new cabinets gave a whole new feel and openness to the room. An island gave me much more serving room and the tile and granite I found gave such interesting and beautiful touches to make it look like a gourmet kitchen. It took longer than we thought, created more mess than we could imagine, and cost us more than was expected.

But in the end, we were amazed at how beautiful and functional a room it became. I serve meals to literally hundreds of people every year from this little room, and the work was so worthwhile. The kitchen became so much more functional and beautiful that it makes me happy every day just to be in there!

Building our children into godly human beings is also so much messier and costlier than we ever expected, as well as taking longer than we anticipated. But the end result, like my kitchen remodeling, will be so worthwhile.

These are some lessons from soul building that I have learned.

1. To build something beautiful and functional, a plan is required. Specific plans of architectural design are required in order to build something great. Same with children. The plans determine the outcome. In the case of my children, I had specific plans for what I was building.

*Heart training— I wanted to teach, instruct, invest in the training of my children so their hearts would be captivated with a love for God and a dedication to serving Him. Heart work focuses on attitudes as opposed to behavior. Spiritual training was at the front of so many of my conversations, teaching, and traditions.

*Character training--I wanted my children to grow strong in integrity and virtue; to have the ability to tell the truth, to work hard, to give generously of themselves by learning to serve others. And so our plan (24 Family Ways) helped us to teach, train and instruct them to know how to have a godly character.

*Mental excellence--I wanted my children to be able to think well, to have a love for learning, to have foundations of a Biblical worldview, to know scripture, to read the best artists, writers, musicians, heroes and philosophers so that they would be sharpened to think and write and communicate ideas clearly and boldly.

*Work Ethic--Giving our children practice at working, taking initiative, helping, disciplining their spirits helped them to grow up to become self-motivated in their own arenas of work as adults.

2. Reconstruction requires tearing down of the old and building the new.  To create a soul that shines forth the character of Christ, to do the real construction of  building and shaping--his love, his integrity, his generous spirit, His righteousness, requires a lot of sanding. Sanding is a pressured process that scrubs the grime and stains off of a wood floor to restore it to its original beauty.

Our children were made in the very likeness of God and underneath, there is such potential beauty. But sanding is a pressuring process. Going against the grain of our children's selfish will, working out the rough places of selfishness, getting to the original design is a long term process. So many women I know think that if their children are resisting them, they must be doing something wrong. But to confront the strong selfish will of a child involves resistance, pressure, and sanding their little attitudes and self-centered willfulness. So if you find resistance, it is probably because you are helping shape a new heart, a polished soul. Training, instruction, correcting, disciplining are the forms of sanding the souls of our children so that they can become pure, beautiful, and lovely.

3. Understanding the process. A master-builder, someone who has a lot of experience at building, knows that the process of building something new requires a lot of destruction before the patterns of beauty begin to emerge. My kids drove me crazy at times. The fussing, messes, phases of whining, arguing, being lazy, needy--there seemed at times to be no end to the work of working on their hearts, minds and souls. But as long as I recalled the importance of pacing, working steadily, and keeping my focus on the goal at the end of the process, I was able to keep going because little by little I saw them shaping up to becoming stronger, more mature, more loving, and more engaged in life.

I learned that correcting is a long process of "No, not this, THIS. No, not this, THIS." It is working through the problems, training out the old, destructive, shaping something new where the work of beautifying a heart, mind, and soul takes place. The debris must be dealt with for the beautiful to emerge.

4. Everyone I know who has put up with building a home or remodeling gets sick of it eventually. This is taking so long! It doesn't seem like it will ever be finished! It is such a mess! This is driving me crazy!

We can feel so guilty if we feel this way as mothers--wanting an escape, not enjoying the process, getting sick of the constant work, wondering if we are making progress at all. But this is a part of the building process, too. It is not wrong to "feel" these things. It is kind of like hitting the wall in a marathon.

So many times, I just wanted a break. Sometimes, though I was always committed to loving my children, I did not like them or feel that motherly feeling of delight--far from it. And so, knowing that feelings don't determine whether the work gets finished or not is important. Sometimes my workers would not show up for a couple of days or take a break from the work for a holiday, rain, or just rest.

We need to have a break from all the work at times. Go out with a friend! Go out alone! Go out somewhere fun with your husband, or even do something fun with your children. Too much work without a break makes Jack a dull boy--and so it is with you. This child-shaping takes so much more time and emotional work than can all be tackled at once. Resting from stress and difficulty gives new perspective. But living in false guilt for feeling something that is perfectly normal only destroys and drains.

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide By Clarkson, Clay FOR MORE

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Little Moments That Build an Eternal Legacy

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We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. Brother Lawrence

Patience is not my favorite word. I have become a woman of great capacity over the years. I work fast. I get a lot of things done in a short amount of time. Then hip surgery hit. I can’t get anything done, except sleep some more (pain meds wipe me out), lay around and repeat the next day. I opened my Bible and the devotion was about patience. Argghhhh Maybe I need to stretch once again in the direction of biding my time and learning to practice patience.

The World is brimming over with philosophies and values that proclaim the importance of  self-fulfillment, self-promotion, accomplishment, status. Yet, our Jesus came as a man who had no stately form or majesty, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He purposely chose to humble Himself, to become the ultimate servant king. "I am humble and meek," He said. He came not proclaiming His rights, but bowing his knee. He washed feet, touched lepers, embraced and caressed the least of these, precious children, who He deemed worthy of honor.

When we accept with open arms and heart a precious little baby and wash their little hands and feet with love in our hearts, we are worshipping. When we hold and rock and sing comfort into the heart of a screaming babe in the middle of the night during an ear infection, we become the voice of Jesus.

When we stay up late to listen to the forlorn heart of a teen who is growing and stretching toward adulthood and the injustices of the world, and the imperfection of our own families, and extending grace, patience and soothing, hopeful words, we become the patience, hope, compassion of Jesus.

Our multitudinous little tasks, washing one more dish, correcting one more attitude, kissing one more forehead, when given from a heart full of love for Him,  please Him far more than if we made millions and had a title of strategic importance.

He sees in secret, He cherishes our hidden worship more than anything else we could give Him-the worship of serving His own children our of a servant heart, filled with love and gratitude for Him. In this is our treasure we lay up in heaven for His glory.

Nathan gave me the little figurine above on a mother's day many years ago.--(the boy holding out his heart) He said, "Mom, you held my heart in your hands and shaped it with your love every day, every task, every minute of serving us kids. And Mom, for that reason, you will always be there in my heart, speaking to me of all the treasures you poured in one day at a time."

What is accomplished in the little moments that require waiting or acting in patience is where the real legacy of relationships and passing on truth takes place.

Love Him today, love those He has given you to serve today.

Printable: Love Christ PDF PrintableBooks Referenced in this Podcast: FOR MORE

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Working on Being a Happy Mama

A joyful heart is good medicine!

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

-Audrey Hepburn

The grid through which we see life will determine how we behave in life. A long time ago, I realized that my children needed a happy mama. Since then, there have been many times when I've truly struggled to find joy in my days, but it has become a position of my heart to search for it.

Happiness is a choice that comes from a heart that desires to please God. Happiness is an attitude that, in the will, says, "This is the day the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

How to develop this attitude little by little is another thing all together. Here are some things I have done to cultivate happiness in my home. The more you practice and choose these heart expressions of happiness, the more happy your home will become.

Cultivating Happiness In Your Home

Before you even step out of bed, put your eyes on Jesus and talk to Him.

"Jesus, this is your day. I can only have enough strength for all that I carry if you carry it for me, and if you give your spirit's life into the moments of my days. Please help me to worship you today by choosing to be thankful for the gifts of my children. This is your day, Lord, and I want it to be a day when you are present every moment. I love you, Jesus and am thankful for you being with me."

When you first see your children or husband, greet them with a blessing.

Kiss your husband in front of your children---this makes them feel happy and secure. Choose to take time to tell him goodbye and kiss him before he goes to work.

"I am the most blessed mama in the world to have you as my little boy."

"Good morning sunshine. I am happy to see you this morning. Did you have any dreams?'“

"Mama needs a kiss from you today because you are so very special to me."

"I am so happy to be your mama! God must have loved me to give me you."

When a child grows up with a blessing most every morning when he awakens, he feels wanted and affirmed deep inside.

Put on music at different points all day.

Turn something on when you do the dishes or chores with your children (I prefer something upbeat!)

At the dinner table play something instrumental so everyone can talk without interruption.

Put it on when you are in the car, and when you have a sick child, and when you are alive, and … !

Certain music, scientists have said, lowers blood pressure, soothes the nerves, gives people a sense of contentment, helps some children do better at math problems, and takes the focus off work so time goes by more quickly and pleasantly.

Place fun things in your day that you as well as your family will enjoy.

I light candles a lot just because it makes me feel civilized.

I instituted afternoon tea times because I wanted a civilized moment, and it made me happy. A cuppa and a small treat, like a piece of dark chocolate.

I love to walk, sing, dance, have fun, and live with beauty and harmony, so I place things every day in my life that give me happiness or a sense of fun. Flowers, walks at sunset, back rubs, sitting out on the deck and watching the pines bend in the wind… these small joys have helped me to calm the raging life storms I've faced.

The practice of being thankful and cultivating joy is not one that is perfected overnight, and there will undoubtedly be stormier days that challenge us more than others, but the more we take time to look at the day the Lord has made and make the choice to rejoice, we will find that joyfulness becomes a more natural state.

May your days be happy and bright.

Lots of Fun with Sarah

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I’ve so loved continuing to look through all your messages about Help, I’m Drowning. I must say I’m incredibly relieved to finally have gotten this launch out of the way, but I’m even more relieved that my words have helped, encouraged, and inspired you.

The past few weeks, even without my book launch, have been full. My oven has been broken, and so we’ve been having to adjust our cooking to only using a stovetop. Then, Darcy, my sidekick golden retriever, suddenly had to get surgery and has been limping around the house while she dons the cone of shame. Along with all of that, my hip has been having issues for awhile, and I’ve just gotten surgery done on it — for the next few weeks, poor Clay will be taking care of two limping ladies!

I’d hoped to spend these months in England, helping Sarah take care of her three children. But life does not always go how we envision it.

As a young woman becoming a mother for the first time, I had all these visions of how wonderful, meaningful, and purposeful I would feel raising my children. I thought of motherhood as a gift, and it was, of course. It still is, and now grandmother-hood is another gift I am blessed enough to enjoy.

Yet, with my idealistic image of motherhood, the picture I had in my mind of my family peacefully gathered round the dinner table as we shared a tasty meal by the candlelight, I had forgotten something important: life will never be perfectly in order, especially when you’re a mother.

So many times, I wondered how I’d possibly make it through another day of homeschooling, cooking meals, cleaning up countless messes — even though I loved my four children endlessly, there were days when this thing I knew was a gift, felt impossible to control, let alone enjoy.

I found myself using “when” whenever I’d dream about what my life could look like… when the kids are older, I’ll do this… when the house is in better shape, I can finally do that… when we have more money, we’ll be able to have this… when, when when.

I was living in anticipation of a simpler season, smoother sailing, uncomplicated days, forgetting that in the process, I was still living out my life.

What I’ve learned with my near seven decades is that life is just going to be a lot of trouble, despite the blessing of being alive. Marriage won’t be all roses, we might lose out on a job we really needed, and raising our children will leave us feeling drained, unappreciated, or lonely. It’s worth it to ask ourselves, how can we survive the difficult parts of living?

With the countless stormy seasons I’ve faced over the years, I’ve found that pushing past these uncertain times makes us into fierce women. I like to think that I’ve become a fierce woman, and Sarah is, too. I see her jumping into her calling of being a lifegiver, a mother who cultivates beauty and joy not just for her children, but for herself.

On today’s podcast with Sarah, she shares with me some of her “survival techniques” that have kept her going in the midst of an incredibly challenging, exhausting season. I hope you will be reminded that you aren’t alone as we share our struggles, and encouraged that you, too, can bring beauty into ordinary days.

Books Referenced in this Podcast: Help, I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope By Clarkson, Sally  FOR MORE

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Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

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Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

Support & Community, Just For You

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Thank you, friends, for the countless messages I have received from you in the past few days. So many have been encouraged by the message of Help, I'm Drowning, and I’ve so enjoyed hearing all about the ways you’re being encouraged. It is always my greatest hope to inspire hope and encouragement for fellow weary mamas. I am so glad to have been able to do that.

Ever since I became a Christian as a young woman, I have been captivated by the concept of mentoring other women through loving, close relationships. Where did I learn all about it? From pondering, studying and understanding the life of Christ. His way of reaching the world was by developing personal relationships, serving, and teaching the truths that came straight from the heart of God. That, to me, seemed the most wonderful and inspiring way to reach others.

After the release of Help, I’m Drowning, and seeing all of your messages, I was praying about how to further encourage young women, new mamas, and seasoned sailors in this space. I was reminded that I always forget to tell you about the community of women who gather together in community each month for encouragement.

My team and I developed a community called Life with Sally to be a further resource, encouragement, provide countless ideas and to build a place where women all over the world can feel inspired and encouraged. I would be so honored if you’d consider joining our community.

Members of Life with Sally have access to legacy talks, recipes, Bible studies, book recommendations, Awaking Wonder units, and of course, a wonderful, one-of-a-kind community of kindred spirits, along with so much more. There are years of content for you to discover!

You can find out more about my membership at Life with Sally — I do hope you’ll join in on all the fun.

And if you haven’t already, be sure to order your own copy of Help, I’m Drowning below.

Help, I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon

Authentic Faith, Not Perfection: Help, I'm Drowning

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

As I look back on the years of my life, I remember many times when I pondered if my kids would be ok. It didn’t seem like they could be with all the difficulty and issues we had struggled with—and how imperfect Clay and I were. Yet, as I look back now, it was not perfection that was needed, but an authentic faith, a humility, a choice to trust when the feelings weren’t there. This week, Sarah surprised me with sharing about my book—she said she learned how to walk through her own darkness—that is the key, faithfulness in the midst. Thanks, sweet Sarah!

“This is my lovely mom last year just after Samuel was born. She arrived in the middle of winter and walked my fussy baby around the house for hours and bought us good food and rode the train with Lilian and me to Brighton just to get us all some fresh air and find some gorgeous flowers at the market.

My mom is a trooper, a bringer of courage, a mighty maker of beauty, and she has a book coming out today all about how to make it, how to get your hands round faith and hope and God's love in the midst of dark times.

I so want you to read it because my mom is a woman who knows what it means to walk through the valley, to bear the darkness, and somehow, be radiant. She keeps showing up in my own dark seasons, laughing and loving, helping me to remember that I am capable of bravery, of beauty, of hope.

I've watched my mom navigate achingly awful seasons many times in my life. I've watched her endure loneliness and grief, illness and difficulty not just with gritted teeth, but a heart as tender and hopeful as a child's because she chose every day to hope, to choose, to try, to love.

I'm so proud of her, and I have learned how to be a woman of courage because of her. She's offering a beautiful thing in this book, and I recommend it to you as someone who has been daily heartened and comforted by her wisdom and presence through all the dark seasons of my life.Love you, mama (Sarah)

Happy book release day, wonderful Mom!

Help, I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon