FRIEND FRIDAY | AMARILLYS HATTON

Dear friends, you have just got to meet my friend Amarillys! She is a fantastic godly woman that has a smile that can and does heal the world. She loves so well and encouragement is one of her fortes.

She and her husband are pastors at my home church and I am so very grateful for her friendship and leadership in my life. She is a deep well of wisdom and I hope and pray that you are encouraged by her words today.

So go and grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

In thinking of what to share I wrestled with the temptation of trying to come up with some profound and earth-shaking revelation... then the Lord stopped me in my self-designed rose gold tracks and challenged me to share something He had recently spoken to MY heart about.

So free life-lesson #1: Ask God first, He is way better than me at All. The. Things.

You’re welcome! :)

Back to my story. I have three amazing boys – Gabriel, 16 years old; Joel, 13 years old; and Liam, 8 years old. Being trusted with these precious lives is not something I take lightly. See, I understand that God chose me as their mom for a few reasons – here are just three. One, THEY will help shape MY life. Two, there is something contained in me specifically that needs to be imparted into them. And three, I am called to guide and train their hearts in the ways of the Lord so they can live the “abundant life” promised by the Lord.

My goodness, what a weighty responsibility! On top of that, I have the type of personality that does NOT like to lose or fail. (Yes, I know… I know! The Lord is working on this too!!)

Herein enters my struggle.

I have this tendency to feel that I have to work things out just right in their worlds to make sure they turn out to be wonderful, successful, and godly gentlemen – I will refrain from saying “perfect” because I’ve been told that is virtually impossible. But Lord, since you say all things are possible to them that believe, and I BELIEVE… make them perfect, ok?! Ok. Thanks!

I digress…

So I carry this incredibly heavy burden to make sure I do everything in MY power to make sure the results are what I think they should be… or even what I think God desires… or – I’ll go a little further – even to what I KNOW God has shown me prophetically about each of my boys.

This burden has been so heavy on me especially in the last few months as I face the reality of our oldest son entering his Senior year of High School, our second son diving deeper into his teenage years AND the thoughts of all the years to come for our third grader! So much so that I have been startled awake from my sleep in the middle of the night tormented with all the thoughts of what I SHOULD have done, NEED to do, HAVEN’T done, and have done WRONG!!

What a bunch of lies from the pit of hell!! See, this is NOT the way it’s meant to be. Not the way our loving Creator designed motherhood to be. It’s not meant to be THIS heavy. It’s not meant to be tormenting.

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden?

Then come to Me.

I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.

Simply join your life with Mine. Learn My ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please.

You will find refreshment and rest in Me.

For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (Passion Translation)

About a week and a half ago I was spending time in prayer and just being with the Lord and I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my family. My husband and my boys. I started thanking Him for each of them and declaring His blessing over each of them. THEN as clear as the words on this page, I heard His voice. He asked me to remember where each of them were right then. My oldest was on a dream trip at the largest air show in the world – a trip that even connects into his desired career! – and my middle son was on a sort of rite of passage trip that was very special to him (and to us).

I don’t have time or space to tell you all the details but both of these trips were a reality BECAUSE of the Lord. Without Him they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go. Without Him they wouldn’t have had the connections to go. Then He spoke to me so lovingly, “Don’t you know that I Am who I say I Am? I Am God. I have your life in the palm of My hand and I SURELY have Gabriel, Joel and Liam’s lives in the palm of my hand too. Just trust Me. You do your part as you obey Me in guiding them, but I NEVER asked you to bear the burden to have ALL their lives perfectly orchestrated in your own strength. Take that burden OFF! I LOVE MY boys more than you do and I know PERFECTLY what they need for their lives to glorify Me. Trust ME!”

Tears of joy flowed as I felt freedom. Freedom from a self-imposed burden that I was never meant to carry. We, beautiful mamas, are NOT meant to carry the lives of our babies on our backs. THE LORD DOES and He will show us our part if we simply ask Him! He knows ALL the details of their lives – as well as ours – and He knows how to orchestrate it all PERFECTLY for His glory! Let’s trust Him!

“Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in His eyes.

Fix your heart on the promises of God and you will be secure, feasting on His faithfulness.

Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life,

and He will provide for you what you desire the most.

Give God the right to direct your life (and your babies’ lives),

and as you trust Him along the way

you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly!”

Psalm 37:3-5 (Passion Translation)

May you and I be at peace fully trusting that the One who PERFECTLY CREATED us and PERFECTLY LOVES us will PERFECTLY ORCHESTRATES all of His kids’ futures for His glory!

XO

Amárillys

#friendfriday