I took my Bible to church for the first time in 4 years on Sunday. I feel like that’s a terrible reflection, but let me expound on this. The past few years our hands have been full on Sunday mornings carrying diaper bags, snack bags, double car seats, coffee mugs, and a tiny bit of patience that we have left after getting all three kids ready on Sundays, out the door, in the car, managing the tantrums, picking the shoes, finding the right color sippy cup, etc. IYKYK.

We’ve gone through newborn twin stage, toddler stage, and now 3 kids 3 and under. And for these past few years I’ve used the pew Bible at church because it was just one less thing we had to get out the door. Some may have figured out how to manage that, but this is my vulnerability and authenticity. I. Missed. It. Every. Sunday. But I kept telling myself one day the load would be a little lighter, the kids would be a little bigger, and the Bible would come with me.

The Bible Jacob gave me for my 16th birthday. The one that God has spoken to me through so many seasons in life – high school, lonely seasons of no friends, college study days, newlywed days, transition of being a new nurse, losing grandparents, health issues, COVID, house buying, financial journeys, miscarriage, pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood journey. It’s worn and tattered, highlighted, and written in with important dates.

This week I realized we’ve found our new season. We’ve found our rhythm as a family of 5. Getting out the door goes a tad smoother, getting everything ready is a little easier. Keeping track of what to do when comes a teeny bit like second nature now. But it took time. It took trial and error. It took patience with ourselves and each other. It required apologies. Many of the lessons we learn on the pages of this very book. Life is ever changing, seasons come and go, but the lessons in this book DO NOT CHANGE. And neither does the Author ❤️

To the young mom and dad. To the grandparent raising their grandchildren, praying for their children. To the foster parents trying to balance it all. To the single mom or dad in survival mode. To the children’s director burning at both ends.

You’ll find your rhythm. You’ll feel the lighter weight one day. You’ll find you’re normal again. The sun will shine on you and you will find peace. So Borrow the pew Bible, draw strength from those around you, and keep worshipping. But whatever you do- don’t give up ❤️❤️

“One in Heaven, Two in our arms,

One more in mommy’s womb.

How amazing to watch God grow a garden

Where once was just a tomb.

One day we will ALL be together,

Praising our Blessed Savior forever.

But until then, we will raise these three,

Knowing one will be watching, waiting in Glory.”

By Anna Cintron

I’m going to start a series of expressions that are said throughout the day in our household that not only pass wisdom down to our kids, but also end up teaching/refining mom and dad as well! I’ve shared a few before, and I’m excited to find the avenue for this!

My twin 3 year old girls were jumping on our bed yesterday morning, and randomly started saying “we’re still little. We’re not growin up yet.” And after a few different responses, the one that finally satisfied their concerned little minds was “you are growing a little bit every day, but it takes time.”

Oh man. As always, with the Holy Spirit, that answer spoke to me just as much as it did to my kids. Our society wants answers, money, quick fixes, solutions, and the pay off to our hard work RIGHT HERE AND NOW. But that is NOT God’s deign. When I look back even a few years ago, I see how much my husband and I have grown and changed. After graduating high school, we changed. After getting married, we changed. After kids, we changed. Our full time jobs have molded and shaped us. Hard seasons have transformed us. Loss has reshaped us. Having children has refined sin areas of us both. Work dynamics has brought to light our weak spots and opportunities to improve and self-reflect. IT. TAKES. TIME.

Even as I sit here and type, one thing that amazes me is how I’ve had a desire to share my writing and life experiences since a YOUNG age. But it wasn’t until 2026 that God decided we were ready for a platform and an avenue to share it. Because before, we simply weren’t ready. He’s been molding, shaping, pruning, casting, rendering, editing us so that we would be ready to share what we have to say, and give to the world to make it just a bit brighter, a little less hard for someone else, and a whole lot more encouraging to others who are struggling. Because we had to go through some fire to get here.

If you are struggling feeling like you’re just not there yet, that your goal is too far away, or what you’re waiting for isn’t anywhere in reach, let me give you some unorthodox advice. It might be true at this moment. It may not be tomorrow, or next week, next month, or even next year that you end up where you’re trying to be. Maybe every little experience is small growth that adds up. Maybe there’s a process, a learning curve, or some sanctification that still needs to happen in your life and your soul.

It takes YEARS to raise children and watch them grow up. Maybe it also takes us years to become all that God is shaping us for as well. No algorithm, viral video, or daily posting can prove that. Our souls are WORTH the time, the journey, the experiences, and the waiting.

Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

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It’s broken, but it’s better 

I took my three year old twins to the dentist the other day, and the technician was entertaining my toddlers with a spring-loaded jumpjng toy. I’m sure all of the moms and dads of youngsters understand how much that was appreciated while we were waiting for the dentist to come in for the final sign off. At one point, my more inquisitive daughter got a hold of the toy and somehow, and very quickly, changed the mechanism of the toy’s spring. The next time the technician used it the jumping toy completely came off the spring and went flying across the room, and as you can imagine that was amazing for three-year-old toddlers to see – they got a good laugh out of it- I think we all did actually! 

But, unbeknownst to me , God spoke to me in that moment on a way deeper level than I ever expected to experience in the side chair of the exam room. Our technician leap across the room to find it, and when she did, she said these exact words “it’s broken now, but it’s better.” I remember because I immediately opened my notes app and jotted it down (life story of a writer). 

Usually, I don’t think a statement about a broken toy would even make it past the next moment in my mind, but that moment in particular stood out. For me, it was a reminder that sometimes God brings us to places where we’re broken so that He can put the pieces together and keep on using us. This world is full of pain, loss, addiction, struggle, strife, and the list goes on. Not one human that walks this planet is immune to it because the fact is we live in a broken world. We are broken people, and we all experience those times in life that bring us to our end, and seemingly breaks us emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically, or maybe even financially. 

But what if broken place isn’t the end? And what if our purpose after that isn’t done? 

Maybe. Just maybe, it’s the beginning of God’s work in us to bring about something good, and to bring glory to His name because only He can restore what I’ve seen in my life. From physically broken bones in my body to a shattered heart and broken relationships, if God can redeem and restore what I’ve seen, I know you’ll be able to say the same thing about your life too if you surrender it to Him! 

I’ve been broken time and time again, but I can honestly see through each trial, I’ve come out a little better because it makes me more like Christ. More patient. More kind. LOTS of humbling. And LOTS more work to be done, BUT maybe we just CAN’T be better until we’re broken of our selves and our sin at times? 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise,” Psalm 51:17

I bet we have all seen, heard, felt, or had an experience that left us with the phrase, “I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT.” I know I’ve said it many times in my life. While I was driving home from work, I was listening to a sermon and the pastor was telling a story about newborn giraffes, and their birthing experience. How the mom kicks the newborn down after it learns to stand so it doesn’t forget how to get back up. He compared it to the way sometimes God gives us a life experience that makes us fall, so that we learn to get back up. While the metaphor was neat, the last sentence he said is what really stuck out to me. “I like that comparison, I’ll never forget that.” 

Truth is, we all have experiences in life that impact us deeply and seemingly etch a permanent mark on our soul and deepen our understanding of life. We think we will have these memories and thoughts forever, and as long as we live. 

BUT WHAT IF WE DID FORGET them? In my experience as a rehabilitation nurse and CNA before that, I’ve seen what happens when people DO in fact forget what they’ve learned and experienced in life. I’ve seen brain injury patients forget how to eat, stroke patients forget how to use the bathroom, dementia patients forget who they are and where they are, Alzheimer’s patients forget their most dearly loved ones.  

And in the midst of forgetting the basic activities in life, they’ve also lost all recollection of the moments in life that filled their lives with passion, meaning, and depth. 

And we wonder why our patients are flat, withdrawn, depressed and angry. Next time someone requires more grace, more understanding, and more empathy from you than you think you have to give, remember this. Remember what they’ve lost. Remember why you started in the first place. Remember why you were called to this. Remember while you still can, because I bet your patients are sitting there wishing they did. 

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I’m excited to delve into this passage that’s constantly at the forefront of my heart and mind for this year. I asked God to give me a clear direction heading into 2026 with three young children, knowing I needed HIS help in prioritizing and managing my time. His answer was to TEND to them. At first I thought it was the obvious- to feed them, bathe them, dress them, care for our home, and give them a clean and safe place to live, learn, and grow. And while that IS part of what I’m called to do as a mom and wife who loves the Lord, as I’ve done a deep digging into Gods word and the translation of this passage, God revealed how much deeper this call actually goes! Hopefully I can break it down clearly so that it impacts you as much as it did for me!

First, there are three commands with three different meanings. I use Blue letter Bible to dissect God’s word and meanings with the original Greek/Hebrew.

1- verse 15, Jesus’ first command to Peter is “ Feed My lambs”
Meaning of “feed” – “providing spiritual oversight and nourishment.”

2- verse 16, Jesus’ second command to Peter is “Tend my Sheep”
Definition of tend- “to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep, to rule, govern, to furnish pasture for food, to nourish, to cherish one’s body, to serve the body, to supply the requisites for the soul’s need.”

3- verse 17, Jesus’ final command to Peter is “Feed My Sheep”
The definition of this form of “feed” is different than the first. It is to “portray the duty of a Christian teacher to promote in every way the spiritual welfare of the members of the church.”

I am still in awe of God’s goodness in working through this passage to reveal these truths. I am called to nourish my kids with healthy food. To serve their bodies with my own. To supply comfort, encouragement, correction, and discipline to their souls. To care for them emotionally, mentally, and physically.

BUT MAY I NOT forget, that in the midst of caring for their physical needs, I am called to care for their spiritual needs as well. To TEACH them about God’s word and to DISPLAY His character in life’s every day moments (of which I fail time and time again).

As I’ve mentioned before, this calling and perspective is one that requires self-sacrifice, daily dying to my own desires, calling out to the Lord for HIS strength, HIS patience. It is not necessarily glamorous or self-satisfying, like most of what the world is in pursuit of. It is a call to be selfless. Humble. Patient. Kind. Gentle. It does not come naturally. It is a refining call of our own as we in turn display this transformed life to the upcoming generation that lives and breathes in our own home day in and day out.

In a world where children are seen as inconveniences, hard to handle, and draining, I pray this brings a mindset shift that they are BLESSINGS. Lambs at our feet yearning to be led and cared for. To be POURED into as if life depends on it-because it actually does. They are the future, and they are our arrows we will one day release into the world. Of all the things we pursue in life, if you are blessed to be a parent, I pray this encourages you to TEND the flock that God has entrusted to you !

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For those who think/process the way I do, I think you might appreciate the process of choosing a word, verse, or phrase of the year. For 2026 mine is….drumroll please…..

TEND.

Seems a little anticlimactic. It isn’t epic, pushy, driven, or even inspiring. In fact, it is the opposite.

It is lowly, humble, selfless, and honestly, a LOT of hard work. Here’s my story so far :

I was reading my new morning mercies devotional one day during the kids’ nap time, and it was about Jesus talking to Peter and telling him to tend his sheep. He asked him if he loved him with agape love, and Peter kept answering with a different kind of love, but Jesus’ answer was to tend his sheep if he loves him. A few days later at church, my Pastor preached on the exact same message!!! and it was my first time back after my son’s birth so it was a big day anyway! And the way God brought it full circle was definitely not coincidence.

That’s when I realized maybe my word for 2026 needs to be TEND- to remind me my priority is to care for our sheep; our three precious young lambs, that we’ve been gifted, which is our children.

So naturally, I looked up the specific definition of TEND -“be liable to possess or display (a particular characteristic)”

My job as a mom is to encourage my children to display God’s characteristics. WOAH. What a high calling, and something I don’t take lightly. I’ll expound how this word reaches far beyond just my own children in future entries, but for now, I just want to soak up this HUGE, holy, hard calling that could have ONLY come from the Holy Spirit.

Just like Peter had denied Jesus three times, he was restored to Jesus’ ministry with three commands in John 21:15-17… “Tend My sheep….Feed my lambs….Feed my Sheep.”

What is God calling you to do to be more obedient to this command? Who in your life needs to see God’s characteristics on display like a shining light in the dead of night? If you are called into the fold, you’ve been called to “lead, guide, and provide spiritual nourishment” to those around you who are more vulnerable, younger, and impressionable. And may we seize EVERY opportunity that comes our way to do so!

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#anspiration #textartapp #photography #reflectiveliving #grizzlyfilmco #tend2026