\u00a0<\/sup>7\u00a0<\/sup>Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>He sent them to Bethlehem and said, \u201cGo and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nMATTHEW 2:13-16<\/strong><\/h2>\n13\u00a0<\/sup>When they had gone, an angel\u00a0of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.\u00a0\u201cGet up,\u201d he said, \u201ctake the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n14\u00a0<\/sup>So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,15\u00a0<\/sup>where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled\u00a0what the Lord had said through the prophet: \u201cOut of Egypt I called my son.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n16\u00a0<\/sup>When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.<\/strong><\/h2>\nIntelligence, looks, talent, motherhood, wifedom, cooking, relaxation, achievement\u2014pick a category and I can get worked up about it. Here\u2019s what I notice about myself when I am feeling insecure about any manner of things: I start to look around. On Facebook, at the kids\u2019 play gym, at the carpool line, during the singing at church. I\u2019m eyeing up the competition. The world is a giant grocery store and I\u2019m craning my neck to get a look in other people\u2019s carts. This serves a purpose it has taken me years to pin down. It keeps me outward-thinking after the inward eye has seen something it doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s coping.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t work. It just shows me the rest of the world\u2019s shopping list and makes me ignore mine. You can\u2019t ever get a secure hold on the wheel when your eyes veer off the road.<\/p>\n
It took years for Jesus to get out of Egypt and back to his birthplace. Years. Because Herod was so busy looking in everybody\u2019s cradles and bending an ear to every rumor about the \u201cKing of the Jews\u201d that he slaughtered generations of little ones to satiate his ego. His insecurity made him a liar, a weak leader, a sham adult, and a killer.<\/p>\n
Insecurity will eat you alive. But more than that, it will corrode the others around you, like a mold creeping along the tiles in your shower.<\/p>\n
And the holidays are prime time for neuroses. They pit you against all the versions of you that your family and friends hold and they say: \u201cNow go get \u2018em. Show them who you really are!\u201d<\/p>\n
No, I\u2019m not that whiny teenager anymore. Yes, I do know how to manage my finances. No, I haven\u2019t worn my hair like that or fit in to those pants for years. No, I don\u2019t want to talk politics. Yes, this is how we discipline in our household. No, that\u2019s not the same recipe you gave me last year. It\u2019s exhausting.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/christmas-party-1106187_1920.jpg?resize=782%2C469\")
<\/p>\n
The easy and obvious answer to all this is to find your security in Jesus. He loves you. He always will.<\/p>\n
But\u2026it\u2019s hard to feel this in the miasma of other feelings. You can\u2019t crawl into Jesus\u2019 lap for a bear hug. He\u2019s not actually able to tell you your hair looks fine.<\/p>\n
To keep myself from turning into a Herod, someone who makes the world suffer for my own self-doubt, I need something more concrete than a fuzzy thought bubble of Jesus. I need something to do. So, I read my Bible like it\u2019s due back to the library in three days. I fill my head with its subtitles. I also talk to my husband, a lot, about all the things the holidays bring up in me and let him reassure me I\u2019m a-okay. I focus outward in a good way\u2014on helping my kids make the good memories, on asking those relatives about themselves and really listening, on being nice to the lady in the kid\u2019s section at Kohl\u2019s who is about to burst into because she can\u2019t find her child\u2019s size in the red jeggings.<\/p>\n
Herod bowled down his kingdom, the land he was meant to protect, because he was too worried about himself. I know there are some sharp edges to everyone\u2019s holiday\u2014memories and situations that do turn you into the whiny teenager or the overreactive parent or the stressed out spouse. But ultimately, you can choose not to play Herod. Be the Magi instead\u2014join the party.<\/p>\n
Sunday Thoughts Link Up!<\/strong><\/h1>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mom-gene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Sunday-Thoughts-Button.jpeg?w=1170\" "\\"The")
<\/div>\n
13\u00a0<\/sup>When they had gone, an angel\u00a0of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.\u00a0\u201cGet up,\u201d he said, \u201ctake the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n14\u00a0<\/sup>So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,15\u00a0<\/sup>where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled\u00a0what the Lord had said through the prophet: \u201cOut of Egypt I called my son.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n16\u00a0<\/sup>When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.<\/strong><\/h2>\nIntelligence, looks, talent, motherhood, wifedom, cooking, relaxation, achievement\u2014pick a category and I can get worked up about it. Here\u2019s what I notice about myself when I am feeling insecure about any manner of things: I start to look around. On Facebook, at the kids\u2019 play gym, at the carpool line, during the singing at church. I\u2019m eyeing up the competition. The world is a giant grocery store and I\u2019m craning my neck to get a look in other people\u2019s carts. This serves a purpose it has taken me years to pin down. It keeps me outward-thinking after the inward eye has seen something it doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s coping.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t work. It just shows me the rest of the world\u2019s shopping list and makes me ignore mine. You can\u2019t ever get a secure hold on the wheel when your eyes veer off the road.<\/p>\n
It took years for Jesus to get out of Egypt and back to his birthplace. Years. Because Herod was so busy looking in everybody\u2019s cradles and bending an ear to every rumor about the \u201cKing of the Jews\u201d that he slaughtered generations of little ones to satiate his ego. His insecurity made him a liar, a weak leader, a sham adult, and a killer.<\/p>\n
Insecurity will eat you alive. But more than that, it will corrode the others around you, like a mold creeping along the tiles in your shower.<\/p>\n
And the holidays are prime time for neuroses. They pit you against all the versions of you that your family and friends hold and they say: \u201cNow go get \u2018em. Show them who you really are!\u201d<\/p>\n
No, I\u2019m not that whiny teenager anymore. Yes, I do know how to manage my finances. No, I haven\u2019t worn my hair like that or fit in to those pants for years. No, I don\u2019t want to talk politics. Yes, this is how we discipline in our household. No, that\u2019s not the same recipe you gave me last year. It\u2019s exhausting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The easy and obvious answer to all this is to find your security in Jesus. He loves you. He always will.<\/p>\n
But\u2026it\u2019s hard to feel this in the miasma of other feelings. You can\u2019t crawl into Jesus\u2019 lap for a bear hug. He\u2019s not actually able to tell you your hair looks fine.<\/p>\n
To keep myself from turning into a Herod, someone who makes the world suffer for my own self-doubt, I need something more concrete than a fuzzy thought bubble of Jesus. I need something to do. So, I read my Bible like it\u2019s due back to the library in three days. I fill my head with its subtitles. I also talk to my husband, a lot, about all the things the holidays bring up in me and let him reassure me I\u2019m a-okay. I focus outward in a good way\u2014on helping my kids make the good memories, on asking those relatives about themselves and really listening, on being nice to the lady in the kid\u2019s section at Kohl\u2019s who is about to burst into because she can\u2019t find her child\u2019s size in the red jeggings.<\/p>\n
Herod bowled down his kingdom, the land he was meant to protect, because he was too worried about himself. I know there are some sharp edges to everyone\u2019s holiday\u2014memories and situations that do turn you into the whiny teenager or the overreactive parent or the stressed out spouse. But ultimately, you can choose not to play Herod. Be the Magi instead\u2014join the party.<\/p>\n
Sunday Thoughts Link Up!<\/strong><\/h1>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
16\u00a0<\/sup>When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.<\/strong><\/h2>\nIntelligence, looks, talent, motherhood, wifedom, cooking, relaxation, achievement\u2014pick a category and I can get worked up about it. Here\u2019s what I notice about myself when I am feeling insecure about any manner of things: I start to look around. On Facebook, at the kids\u2019 play gym, at the carpool line, during the singing at church. I\u2019m eyeing up the competition. The world is a giant grocery store and I\u2019m craning my neck to get a look in other people\u2019s carts. This serves a purpose it has taken me years to pin down. It keeps me outward-thinking after the inward eye has seen something it doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s coping.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t work. It just shows me the rest of the world\u2019s shopping list and makes me ignore mine. You can\u2019t ever get a secure hold on the wheel when your eyes veer off the road.<\/p>\n
It took years for Jesus to get out of Egypt and back to his birthplace. Years. Because Herod was so busy looking in everybody\u2019s cradles and bending an ear to every rumor about the \u201cKing of the Jews\u201d that he slaughtered generations of little ones to satiate his ego. His insecurity made him a liar, a weak leader, a sham adult, and a killer.<\/p>\n
Insecurity will eat you alive. But more than that, it will corrode the others around you, like a mold creeping along the tiles in your shower.<\/p>\n
And the holidays are prime time for neuroses. They pit you against all the versions of you that your family and friends hold and they say: \u201cNow go get \u2018em. Show them who you really are!\u201d<\/p>\n
No, I\u2019m not that whiny teenager anymore. Yes, I do know how to manage my finances. No, I haven\u2019t worn my hair like that or fit in to those pants for years. No, I don\u2019t want to talk politics. Yes, this is how we discipline in our household. No, that\u2019s not the same recipe you gave me last year. It\u2019s exhausting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The easy and obvious answer to all this is to find your security in Jesus. He loves you. He always will.<\/p>\n
But\u2026it\u2019s hard to feel this in the miasma of other feelings. You can\u2019t crawl into Jesus\u2019 lap for a bear hug. He\u2019s not actually able to tell you your hair looks fine.<\/p>\n
To keep myself from turning into a Herod, someone who makes the world suffer for my own self-doubt, I need something more concrete than a fuzzy thought bubble of Jesus. I need something to do. So, I read my Bible like it\u2019s due back to the library in three days. I fill my head with its subtitles. I also talk to my husband, a lot, about all the things the holidays bring up in me and let him reassure me I\u2019m a-okay. I focus outward in a good way\u2014on helping my kids make the good memories, on asking those relatives about themselves and really listening, on being nice to the lady in the kid\u2019s section at Kohl\u2019s who is about to burst into because she can\u2019t find her child\u2019s size in the red jeggings.<\/p>\n
Herod bowled down his kingdom, the land he was meant to protect, because he was too worried about himself. I know there are some sharp edges to everyone\u2019s holiday\u2014memories and situations that do turn you into the whiny teenager or the overreactive parent or the stressed out spouse. But ultimately, you can choose not to play Herod. Be the Magi instead\u2014join the party.<\/p>\n
Sunday Thoughts Link Up!<\/strong><\/h1>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\nIt’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many out there with wisdom that could encourage all of us. As long as it’s faith-based, I’d love for you to join up and then read and comment on what others have shared. Please also leave a comment here. Think of this as a Sunday morning community group that comes to you. And grab the button if you like…<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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