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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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A Girl I Once Knew

Doesn’t really seem like it was that long ago…..

I once knew a girl who had a baby boy…a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed little one he was.  Her heartbeat, she called him.  Then two and a half years later, that girl I knew, she had another darling son.  This one, olive-skinned with the biggest eyes you’ve ever seen on a baby boy.

This girl – she loved the whole “baby thing”.  She was good at it too, I think.  Changing diapers didn’t bother her; she knew the best baby food to buy, and when the cute infant clothes were on sale at the mall.  And – rocking sleeping babies in her arms – she lived for those moments.

Four years later, this girl I knew was overjoyed to welcome a third little-one-in-blue into her world.  This one slightly plump with the most incredible smile.  Sometimes, when she would look at the baby pictures of her third-born and her first-born sons, she’d have to do a double-take.

That girl I knew, she adored every second of having little ones in her home.  Those boys of hers grew into toddlers and preschoolers, and she laughed and loved them through it all.

Mysterious how that girl walked so quietly out of my life.  She never said “Goodbye”, she never slammed the door closed behind her.  She was just gone.   There are days when I, so very much, miss that girl I once knew.

Today, I am getting to know another girl.  A woman she is.  A woman who is mother to teenaged treasures.  This woman I know, she can still look into the face of her nearly 20 year old son, and see a giggly, red-cheeked little boy playing peek-a-boo.  This woman–she’s also blessed to call another 17 year old precious soul her son.  That son, he still has those big, big eyes.  Those eyes that she always saw in her own reflection and never appreciated—she now sees them in her son and admires them—and the spirit behind the eyes ever so much more.  Oh, and this woman that I know…God smiled on her for a third time allowing her to be mom to yet another sweet cherub who is right on the heels of teendome.  He’s straight from heaven.  He’s all hers; he’s her baby and she adores him.  He’s turning 13, and she wonders—where, on earth, the years have gone?

This woman I know, she’s grateful—ever-grateful—for her three beautiful sons.  And yet, she can’t help but fondly remember – A girl she once knew.  flower

 

“How’d it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon,
December is here before it’s June,
My goodness how the time has flewn,
How did it get so late so soon?”
~ Dr. Seuss  flower

 

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Oh, friend, if you too have ever cried the prayer, Oh, friend, if you too have ever cried the prayer, “Lord, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You,” …

I hope you’ll join me on the Proverbs 31 Ministries, Encouragement For Today Podcast today for this short 5 minute encouragement.
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You can find the Encouragement For Today Podcast  in your podcast app, or at: encouragement-for-today-podcast.transistor.fm/
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How can I pray for you today as you wait in worship for the Lord’s victory in you life? 💕🙏🏻
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I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can grip so tightly to a thousand concerns.
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Long have I held my concerns close, because sometimes letting go feels like giving up, and often I confuse the restless management of life with perseverance.
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I ponder the familiar words of trust and hope and confidence…trying to remove them from my Sunday School vernacular; willing them to to become foreign to my vocabulary so they might become alive again to my understanding.
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…Oh, friend, if you have ever heard the familiar phrase, “Let go and let God,” and wondered…okay, but how?
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Me too.
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In today’s Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion, I share how the Lord met me in this struggle, and showed me how to trade constant concern for quiet relief.
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You can read the full devotion over at Proverbs31.org.
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How I pray that today dawns anew for you in this area, my friend, as you release the cares of your life to the God of your life.
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What cares are you gripping today? Praying for you, friend. 💕
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How did yesterday get so far away? . 35 years this How did yesterday get so far away?
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35 years this man and I have mini-golfed our way through Labor Day.
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We skipped “Selfie 101;” our photos are forever random. We’re fancy like that. 🙃
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I’d rather have a picture of a flower than a picture of my face every day of the week. 🌸
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Time, I don’t know how you do it. How you turn 1988 into 2023 with just a wink.
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But I do know that the best traditions are always the ones that choose you.
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Oh, for 35 more. 💕
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#firstdate #anniversary #yesteryear #yesterday #love #tradition #thankful #time #marriage #life #showup #makememories #onelife #liveyouronelife #choosehappy #makeeverymomentcount #grateful #blessed #anwriting #ministry #influence #christianwriter #serve #wifelife #family
Oh, friend, if you’re in a season of “trying” that’s making you just plain tired…
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Grab a copy of Tired of Trying, by @ashley.morgan.jackson . In this book, Ashley vulnerably shares her story of holding on to God when she felt forgotten by the world amidst a long season of hardship.
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So much goodness in these pages for understanding how to release the frustration of feeling tired and stuck.
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Plus layers of wisdom nestled chapter upon chapter, offering insight into the blessing that comes with the wrestle, as we hold on to the One who forever holds on to us.
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If you decide to read, I’d love to hear your thoughts! May the Lord meet you in its pages, my friend. 💕
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#tired #tiredoftrying #weary #tiredoftryingbook #wrestle #stuck #wrestlewithgod #blessing #trust #newrelease #bookrelease #rest #faithfulgod #bible #frustrated #faith #wait #purpose #identity #worth #beautyforashes #goodnessofgod #holdon #holdontogod #worthy transformation #amwriting #ministry #influence #christianwriter #worthygod
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