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Sometimes in the midst of the chaos that is my life— playrooms littered with toys, tantrums, bickering, laundry, more chores than I can count— I am gifted with a little pause… when I really see my family. I let go of that chaos and see the truly awesome humans that I get to share my days with. I quiet the inner reminders to “get stuff done”… and just watch. And then I see them. I see the brothers that still play with their little sister, the silly dance moves, the playfulness, the genuine delight that lights their eyes, the little sarcastic side eye that they have picked up from me, or hear the way they sing when they get lost in an activity just like Brandon does.

I don’t think the four kiddos that I call my own are a different breed, but they are the ones I that I get to know and see most fully. I get to see the glimpses of the core of who they are and how they are already showing up in this world. When I really reflect on it, I am in awe.

I stumbled upon the words of a pastor by the name of Edmund McDonald a few years ago and they continue to captivate me from time to time. He says:

“When God wants an important thing done in this world or a wrong righted, he goes about it in a very singular way. He doesn’t release thunderbolts or stir up earthquakes. God simply has a tiny baby born, perhaps of a very humble home, perhaps of a very humble mother. And God puts an idea or purpose into the mother’s heart. And she puts it in the baby’s mind, and then—God waits. The great events of this world are not battles and elections and earthquakes and thunderbolts. The great events are babies, for each child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged with us, but is still expecting goodwill to become incarnate in each human life.”

That is what I see when I look at my children. I see a reminder to be brave, I see what forgiveness looks like, I see hope.

We are just getting started on a sermon series at First Light that is moving through the book of Exodus. This first week we read through chapters 1 and 2, and I was caught by how many times in those first two chapters corruption, oppression, and abuses of power were combatted and thwarted by everyday normal people, covertly standing against those who thought they wielded the power. These acts of courage and resistance make a way for Moses to survive into adult hood. As a person of faith, I know how his story ends, despite his flaws and mistakes he ends up leading an entire race of people out of slavery and helps them re-remember who they are and how they are called to exist in this life. All of it started a people midwives bravely helping women give birth, with a mother hiding her baby, with a sister watching and thinking quick on her feet, with a daughter having compassion.

Corruption, oppression, and abuses of power were combatted and thwarted by everyday normal people covertly standing against those who thought they wielded power.

Sometimes we look at the problems that are heavy in the world- loneliness, inequality, domestic violence, bullying, school shootings, and so many more- and we think those are problems that others are going to fix— people who are stronger or more capable than us. We believe that we can’t do anything to impact the outcome. Yet, in the moments when I pause long enough to truly see my children, I can begin to see the path forward. As McDonald suggests, they are God’s answers to the challenges of this world… and so am I… and so are you. We all have opportunities every single day to truly show up in this world in ways that impact how the future unfolds. We have a chance to help another realize they are not as alone as they may feel. We can stand with people who are being bullied and not turn our backs pretending we don’t see what is happening in front of us. We can join in conversations to come up with creative paths forward when what we have been doing doesn’t seem to be working.

If you find yourself feeling stuck or anxious or filled with despair— stop and look at the kiddos in your life. They will show us how to do it. Reminding us we don’t walk away from relationships when they get hard, we work through problems and grow together. Showing us that sometimes a hug makes all the difference. Demonstrating that if we just accept things the way the are, then nothing changes. We need to ask questions, try to fully understand, and suggest new ways forward. We need to laugh a lot more. These are just a few of the things I have learned from or been reminded of by my kids over the last few months and I am sure I missed a ton.

You are what the world needs right now.

You have already made such an impact on this world. People are different because they have been blessed by the gift of you. Thank you for showing up. You are what the world needs right now. We all are. May we believe it, embody it, and allow it to inspire our actions and intentions this week. Love to you all.