I Met Michelle Duggar!!!!!

Something VERY exciting happened Monday night - I met Michelle Duggar!!! Woohoo!!! I wanted to stand at my seat and cheer but I restrained myself hehe! Do you know the Duggars? They have a television show on TLC called "18 Kids and Counting." They have 18 beautiful children who sang, played violin, piano and recited Ephesians 6:10-20 (with hand motions) for the large audience. Their presence as a family 20 strong spoke volumes. What a powerful testimony of how God is faithful in blessing a family who is completely surrendered to God.

Michelle GLOWED! She really does - she literally overflows with a passion for Jesus. Jesus was the topic of the evening - NOT parenting, homeschooling, or homemaking. Now I must admit - I went hoping to get some parenting and homemaking tips. So, for a moment I was disappointed - but today I am not. Because she left me with something greater - a resolve to trust more in Jesus' grace for my daily tasks.

If you want to know - how in the world does Michelle do it all with 18 kids? The answer is Jesus' grace! Michelle shared her life verse - 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Michelle shared the story of one night long ago when she had the first 7 children - she was up past 1AM doing laundry and she began to cry. She was overwhelmed with the diapers, dishes, laundry, meals, cleanup, corrections, school lessons, baths, hugs, kisses, and the list went on. It was at that moment that she cried out to God "Lord, I need your help, I can't do it all!"

Do you feel like that somedays? I know I do and I only have 2 children - which is humbling! But I see her now, many years later standing with her sweet husband and 18 children - and through God's grace he has given her the strength to do the work He has given her to do. She said, "God will not call you to do, what he does not give you the grace to do."

That one sentence resonates in the depths of my soul. "God will not call you to do, what he does not give you the grace to do." God has not called me to the same tasks as Michelle - I do not have 18 children or a television show. But God has entrusted 2 little ones, a husband, a home, a ministry, and a few other things into my hands. Do you feel overwhelmed as Michelle once did? Take heart, I saw with my own eyes Monday night - It IS possible with God's grace to do marriage, motherhood and ministry well!

I must applaud the Duggars for their willingness to open their home for all of us to see on television. They do not claim to be perfect, as they humbly said, "We don't know all the answers but we know the One who does." I see the fear of the Lord in their lives and I want to follow in their footsteps - (not to have 18 children but) - see my children as a reward and blessing as they do, to speak gently to my husband and children, to spread the truth and love of Jesus with the world, and to trust in God's grace to help me do the work that God has called me to do.

George Washington Carver said, "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." The Duggars do just that! Let's follow in their footsteps as we live out Matthew 5:16 in our lives. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Tomorrow I will blog more on the Duggars and some of the things I learned from their new book titled: The Duggars: 20 and Counting.

Walk with the King!

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