Faith & FamilyGetting to the Heart of Things June 10, 2020 These gorgeous photos of me and my babies were taken by my talented friend Emily Bolt Photography. 2020, what a year, right? I’ve spent a lot of time in quiet this last month trying to find the words. I’ve signed on to write posts both here and on Instagram so many times, but they never felt right. The whole world quarantined and that was hard. But then, deep-seeded, unthinkable things bubbled to the surface in our country. As a white woman from the south, I’ve seen it for a long time. I know not in the way my black brothers and sisters have…I can’t even imagine. I’ve seen a grain of sand when they’ve seen the wide, expansive beach stretched out before them. But I’ve heard the comments. I’ve seen evidence of the deeply rooted systemic racism that still rules. And I haven’t been okay with it. I know it’s bubbled there, resting just below the surface, sometimes pushing through for a long, long time. But in the last month, it’s roared to the forefront in a way most Americans can no longer ignore or deny. I don’t have the perfect words, but I’ve shared some of my thoughts on Instagram. I’ve always been a believer in standing up for justice and love. I’ve shared Jesus when I knew I’d lose followers. But this is one issue, I’ve never said much about because I knew I would butcher it. I had the thoughts, who am I to speak on this? I know nothing. But I finally realized that saying nothing is far worse than saying the wrong thing. I want to stand against this in any way I can and one of those ways is taking a stand on this platform God has given me. As I’ve tried to break down what this means for me, there are a lot of components to that. I want to learn and grow. I want to get involved in my real life with this fight in tangible ways. I want my heart to change. It feels complex and too big to tackle, but we have to start the climb. One of my favorite bands has a quote in one of their songs that I’ve gone back to over and over again. It applies so well here. I believe that with my whole heart. At His name, every giant…even this one that right now feels immovable, will fall. This isn’t our battle to fight, it’s His. But I’m thankful to get to be a part of this fight, one of His warriors on the ground. And I am thankful to get to do my imperfect best to raise these precious little ones to love all people as Jesus does. There are many people who have inspired me during this time, but one of my favorites is Oh Happy Dani. I absolutely love her heart. This idea has been transformative for me. Before all of this erupted in the media and became even more real to me, we were already feeling a shifting during this quarantine. A desire to get back to the heart of things, if you will. Our renovation seasons always do this. We love home design and renovation, but for us, it’s always been more about the heart and purpose behind it. This building season tired us out and showed us so many ways we need to get back to the heart of things. And now, God is making our mission clearer to us. Our prayer has been for God to first change our hearts, strengthen them, and make us warriors for the love and justice of Jesus. Then, our goal is to get back to the heart of things here in our home, for these two. As parents, we get the privilege of partnering with God to build world changers. It is a job I’ve downplayed or ignored at times, but now, I see with fresh eyes that it is of the greatest importance. I was excited to share some of these family photos taken during our kitchen shoot by my sweet friend Emily Bolt. And then with everything happening, it felt so frivolous. But as a mentor of mine said, it’s BOTH AND. It’s speaking for justice and love and it’s spreading positivity and light and purpose. Those are all my words for today, but y’all enjoy these photos of my precious ones, my little world changers who I pray God will guide us in shepherding so that they will not judge by the color of someone’s skin, the size of their bank account, the clothes on their back, but that they’d LOVE first and give GRACE always. They’ve grown so much. The years already are flying by, but we’re so thankful God has used the happenings so far in 2020 to realign our hearts, to reaffirm the mission. I pray we don’t waste a day, friends. Today is the day to love, to shepherd, to raise our hands and say, “Send me.” Even if it’s to your kitchen, to talk about love and Jesus and justice while you roll out cookie dough with tiny, flour-covered hands.
Kristina Atkins says August 23, 2020 at 5:03 pm I love these pics! And I can’t believe how big they’ve gotten. It’s crazy. Reply