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In September 2015 I began attending a MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers) group near my house. It was hosted by a local church, but not the church we called home. I attended for about a year (well, 2 semesters), but in May 2016 when the year ended, the leader stepped down and a new leader could not be found (and MOPS appeared to have taken several steps away from their roots as a gospel-centered ministry), and the ministry at that church disbanded. It was then that I began to realize I couldn’t possibly be the only mom at my church who felt the need for this vital ministry and fellowship.

Happy NEW Year! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

* / / b e h o l d / / * . . The old has PASSED AWAY. The NEW has come. Bye, 2017: good, bad, ugly, indifferent. Bye, old you: broken, shattered, torn. BEHOLD: newness. New you, a new creation in Christ. New year. New possibilities. New opportunities. Newness. Because of HIM. Praying as this year closes and the new one comes, that you learn His new mercies every morning. His great love for you. His fullness. His grace, upon grace, upon grace. New. Because of Him, newness comes. And soon, one day, eternity with Him. No crying, no tears, only joy. Until then, behold. . . #theoldhasgone #newhascome #newyear #newcreation #becauseofjesus #grace #mercy #believe #faith #happynewyear #2018 #behold #resolution #bibleverse #hny #nye #newyear #newyou

A post shared by cαιтℓιη ✿ wαℊηℯr (@caitielin34) on Dec 31, 2017 at 10:56am PST

What newness are you seeking this coming year? Are you a new creation?

Our toddler is in the throes of her threenager stage at 31 months, and I am drowning in tantrums, attempted independence, and the fact that her last nap is nearing the end of its tenure.

This month is BUSY — my husband will be away for work, I will be traveling across the country with 2 kids without him (my mom will be joining us though) to see my sister for the first time in almost 2 years, and then we’ll be driving up north for Thanksgiving with my in laws.

Thriving? What’s that? I am barely surviving right now. One thing, in the trenches of (attempted) parenting a strong-willed toddler, that still makes me feel like I’m capable of SOMETHING is being crafty.

My friend sent me this podcast episode last week from God Centered Mom. It came at just the right time, as I was recovering from weeks of guilt after traumatizing my toddler over a poop accident (that was mostly my fault to begin with).

“Grace never calls right wrong. If right were wrong there’d be no need for grace. The assumption of grace is that wrong is wrong and that’s why grace is needed.”

It helped me shift my perspective toward “responding” in situations verses “reacting.” Take a listen, and let me know what you think.