• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

December 22, 2017

And the Soul Felt It’s Worth

We stood in the hallway outside the third grade classroom door afraid to speak to each other, waiting for what felt like an eternity. Behind that closed door, the future of our stage careers was being determined by a room full of 9 year olds and the enormity of the moment had rendered us all silent. Or perhaps we just hoped that if we didn’t talk, somehow we would manage to hear a snippet of what was happening inside.

Only 5 minutes earlier, I had been sitting at my desk when my teacher announced that our class would be putting on a production of ‘Mother Goose’. She asked that all those who would be interested in playing the lead part raise their hands. I can’t say what exactly possessed me at that moment, but before I realized what was happening my hand shot up along with those of three others around the room. All eyes turned in my direction and I instantly regretted my implusiveness. We were told to go wait out in the hallway so that the class could vote for the winner without us seeing who voted for whom and thereby avoiding any hurt feelings.


As I stood there waiting, I looked around me at the other girls and wondered how I had gotten myself into this situation. Who was I kidding? I was the new girl, the one without very many friends. The one who simply wanted to fit in and be liked. I was fully aware of how high the odds were stacked against me. Suddenly, we saw the door handle beginning to turn and we knew that this was a defining moment. Only, we would have to wait a bit longer. We were ushered back inside and instructed to take our seats before the big announcement was made. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, wishing I could turn back time and not raise my hand. My teacher began by saying that no matter who won the lead part there would be roles for everyone in the production and then I heard these words, “But the winner of the lead role in our class play this year as voted on by the majority of the class is….Vanessa!” What? Did she really just say my name? Did the class really vote for me? I couldn’t believe my ears and yet all of the faces turned my direction confirmed that it was true. They had voted for me. Me! The newest girl in the class. Not the most popular girl or the one with the best clothes. Me! They had deemed me worthy of the lead part. And as I sat there basking in that moment, I determined to do everything in my power to live up to their expectations.

Weeks later, the big day arrived and as my mom still tells the story to this day, she and my dad had absolutely no idea when they sat down in the auditorium for my big debut, the sheer volume of lines that I had memorized. And, not only had I memorized my own lines, but also those of every single part in the entire play. I was at the ready to help my classmates if they needed a cue and there had never been a Mother Goose so well prepared. What I wasn’t able to express at 9 years old but felt so deeply in my soul was that the class had taken a risk on me.

And I had made it worth it to them.

The need to feel of worth is one that is so deeply embedded in our souls, isn’t it? But it’s a need that we often don’t quite know how to express. We easily confuse our longing for love or our longing for happiness with the longing to know that we are worthy when they are, in fact, very different things. One of my favorite Christmas songs is ‘O Holy Night’ and while each word, each lyric is as familiar to me as the back of my hand, there is one line that somehow, until recently, I managed to never really pay much attention to. It says, “Long lay the world, in sin and error pining till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”

Think about that for a moment. Our souls are longing to feel their worth. Prior to the arrival of the infant King in Bethlehem, the world waited, pined, engulfed in their sin and their error. And it was only through His birth, death and resurrection that our souls would experience their true value, their full worth. Titus 3:4-7 says, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”


The world tells us that our worth is based entirely on the external, on what can be seen. We’re not measured simply by our existence but rather by what we can offer. But, thousands of years ago, when our Savior was born, we were told something very different. Before he walked among us. Before he performed miracles. Before he challenged the leaders of the day. Before he was betrayed. Before he was sacrificed. Before he rose from the dead. Before all else, he simply appeared. And it was through his lowly, humble, anything but royal appearance that our souls were given the opportunity to experience the fullness of their worth. It is only through being in his presence that we are able to feel the full magnitude of our value.

Who he is allows us to know, really know, just who we are.

We are beloved.

We are cherished.

We are worth it.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

My story today is an excerpt from our book ‘Life in Season‘ and if you enjoyed it, I hope you will consider purchasing a copy where you will find even more inspiration for your heart and ideas for your home!

 

Thank you so much dear friends for meeting me at the fence today and

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!! 

32 Comments Filed Under: Book, Christmas, Devotionals, Faith, Holidays Tagged With: devotional, God

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Your Turn to Shine!
Next Post: 10 Fabulous New Years Eve Appetizers »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peggy Lynch says

    December 22, 2017 at 3:13 AM

    Thank you for sharing the story of your third grade self. How accepted you must have felt! Oh, Holy Night has always been a favorite carol of mine. It will be in my head all day now! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

    Reply
  2. Melanie says

    December 22, 2017 at 3:39 AM

    Wonderful giveaway and blog post!

    Reply
  3. Debbie Goss says

    December 22, 2017 at 4:09 AM

    As a child, all my cousins, aunts and uncles would gather at my grandparents house Christmas Day. There were a lot of us, but we filled that little farmhouse with lots of love.

    Reply
  4. Karen Varney says

    December 22, 2017 at 5:20 AM

    The message today was beautiful, enjoyed your childhood story too!

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    December 22, 2017 at 5:22 AM

    This is a beautiful post. One of my favorite Christmas memories was a family trip away from the Ohio winter to sunny Florida when I was 16. And then there is the Christmas I got a puppy, but not just any puppy, a Boston Terrier puppy just exactly what I asked for when I was 5. Then all of the Christmases for many years, outside in the cold with my favorite cousin sledding down the big hill (read: road covered in snow and ice) at my Nanny’s. Christmas is definitely the time to show others their value. After all, we were ransomed for a great price one we could not pay ourselves. Blessings to you all. May the beauty of His season be with you all year.

    Reply
  6. becky jones says

    December 22, 2017 at 5:42 AM

    My sweetest Christmas memory involves all of the extended family being packed into my parents’ livingroom to hear the reading from Luke 2- I have been blessed to hear my daddy reading those words for many decades now xoxo

    Reply
  7. Alison S says

    December 22, 2017 at 5:43 AM

    I loved getting together with family.

    Reply
  8. Teresa Nankervis says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:03 AM

    Beautiful

    Reply
  9. margaret says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:24 AM

    Thank you for that story and your thoughts today. You expressed it beautifully.
    One of my favorite memories is of my first Christmas with my husband. We were
    married 2 weeks before Christmas 53 years ago. It was very special and
    all those thereafter also.

    Reply
  10. Toni says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:26 AM

    My fondest memories are going to my Grandmother’s house on Christmas Day to spend time with all my other cousins and eating wonderful food mostly prepared by my grandmother. As my grandmothers table would only seat 6, we ate in “shifts”…. youngest children first and ending with the women, I guess because they were so busy helping serve everyone else.

    Reply
  11. Deb Wostmann says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:29 AM

    Very touching post. Thank you.

    Reply
  12. Barbara H says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:35 AM

    What a beautiful reminder to my heart and soul – thank you! It was just what I needed. And thank you , too, for this giveaway! It sounds amazing!! May the Lord bless you and your family this Christmas…

    Reply
  13. Norma Rolader says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:36 AM

    Thank you for your beautiful message and wow!!! what a give away!!! The inspiration was needed today and could not of come at a more perfect time … a couple of weeks ago they put my husband of 40+ yrs in home hospice , please keep us in your prayers God bless

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      December 22, 2017 at 6:52 AM

      Oh Norma I am just so sorry to hear about your husband! Praying for you and your family to feel the comfort and peace from God during this time.

      Reply
  14. Jan says

    December 22, 2017 at 6:38 AM

    I loved the small sweet surprises in my stocking on Christmas morning!

    Reply
  15. Joni says

    December 22, 2017 at 7:12 AM

    Thank you for this encouragement during this time of such busyness. A very welcome, refreshing message!

    Reply
  16. Sharon Warren says

    December 22, 2017 at 7:28 AM

    Wow Vaness! What beautiful insight, and Truth shared in a timely way. In this busy holiday season many of us succumb to the notion we have to make everything perfect for Christmas to be enjoyable and memorable. When in fact our Savior has made us perfect in Him, and all the striving for perfectness is not only unnecessary but counterproductive to the Peace He has given us.
    Thank you for posting this, and may your readers experience the completeness of belonging to Jesus who does indeed cause our souls to know their worth.

    Reply
  17. Sherry Stevens says

    December 22, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    Thank you for sharing this story. My husband sings O Holy Night with our daughter at our Christmas Eve service. Christmas Eve with our candlelight service and the evening spent with our children and grandchildren is always the most memorable part of Christmas for me. We have a simple time but it is always so fun.

    Reply
  18. robyn says

    December 22, 2017 at 9:17 AM

    O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song because of exactly what you wrote. The words are so moving and fill my heart every time I hear it. Thank you for your thoughts and the words of hope from all you.

    Reply
  19. Helen Cox says

    December 22, 2017 at 10:40 AM

    Thank you for your post! I was that same little girl, having been the “new girl” many, many times.

    Reply
  20. Susan says

    December 22, 2017 at 11:07 AM

    I adore this story in your book ‘Life in Season’! Such a wonderful reminder of how worthy we are to our Lord Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  21. ROSE says

    December 22, 2017 at 11:50 AM

    Each of us is a blessing on our own unique way

    Reply
  22. Julie Briones says

    December 22, 2017 at 1:25 PM

    by His words, your posts always encourage me. Thanks, Vanessa.

    Reply
  23. Bonnie says

    December 22, 2017 at 2:29 PM

    Thank you Vanessa for sharing such a sweet and poignant memory of your childhood and tying it in with how very much we are loved by our Heavenly Father just as we are.

    Reply
  24. MARTHAIA says

    December 22, 2017 at 7:26 PM

    Spending time with family & friends !!!!

    Reply
  25. Jana says

    December 23, 2017 at 5:04 AM

    My favorite memory is of me, my sister’s, and my cousins, making up a play for our parents on Christmas eve. My grandkids now do the same for us.

    Reply
  26. jan says

    December 23, 2017 at 4:21 PM

    christmas caroling every Christmas eve. Old fashioned but forever a favorite.

    Reply
  27. Morgan Tyree says

    December 24, 2017 at 6:53 AM

    What a beautiful excerpt from your book! So encouraging. Merry Christmas! xo

    Reply
  28. Carol Imler says

    December 24, 2017 at 8:48 AM

    Beautifully written story … and wonderful example of how we long for worth! Thank you, Jesus, for true worth! My favorite Christmas memory is when our kids were having a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s house … we were “tucking them in” when my brothers had snuck outside and tapped a garden tool on the roof above them! They were certain that Santa was arriving and they must quickly go to sleep! Ahh … precious family times! Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  29. Renate says

    December 26, 2017 at 6:26 AM

    A timely reminder. Thank you for sharing your story.

    Reply
  30. Susan Pittman says

    December 26, 2017 at 7:25 PM

    Merry Christmas! And have a blessed New Year!

    Reply
  31. Davina says

    January 10, 2018 at 9:36 AM

    Thank you for the honor of choosing Me as your giveaway winner!! I am super excited to share these with my family & friends!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • Lessons From Growing Out My Bangs March 12, 2021
  • Painted Staircase Handrail Makeover March 4, 2021
  • A New French Country Dining Table February 3, 2021
  • Open Now December 17, 2020
  • Tradition and a Christmas Home Tour December 9, 2020

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
.
…It was just the beginning!
Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house Raise your hand if there’s a table in your house that’s become the landing zone for ALL THE THINGS! 🙋🏻‍♀️🤪 I’ve never been more thankful for our rarely used dining room table as it’s become command central for school books and laptops and games.

Where are things collecting in your house right now?
“Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every si “Sighing, tears, frustration, anger.” Every single one of these emotions has made their way through our home in recent days and, my guess is, they have in your home too.

I SO needed this reminder today from the new book ‘Adore’ by @sarahagertywrites.

Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

But, in the evening, I cook dinner like I’ve always done and we gather around the table like we’ve always done and we laugh and tell stories and then clean up and play games or go on a walk or watch a show. And that feels SO gloriously normal.

So now I love evenings even more than I ever did before and I’m so grateful for this little chunk of time where the rhythms we established years ago are helping to sustain us now when so much of life feels outside of our control.

What feels ‘normal’ to you right now? Whatever it is, keep doing it. 🌿
When I was in college I would frequently call home When I was in college I would frequently call home and pour my heart out to my mom, sharing with her all that was happening in my life in that completely unfiltered way that you can talk with the person who potty trained you. These phone calls usually took place at night and my mom would patiently listen as I vented frustrations about professors, roommates, boyfriends and the food in the cafeteria. And, inevitably, they would end with my mom saying, “Everything seems worse when you’re tired. Try not to overthink things or make any major decisions tonight, especially when you are feeling emotional.” Dear friends, may I pass along this advice to you today?

If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

If you are tempted to quit a job, start a business, start homeschooling permanently, stop homeschooling permanently, move to a new city, buy a farm, quit pursuing your dream, join a commune or make any other major life decision just…wait. Because, if it is in fact the right decision, it will be made even clearer once our lives return to their ‘regularly scheduled programming’. Instead, in this strange season, let’s all just take a deep, collective breath and let it out slowly, releasing the anxiety that threatens to overtake us. Let’s help each other maintain some perspective and not slip into a posture of over-thinking every little thing in our lives. Let’s remember that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to use this time when things feel dark to manipulate us into thinking that aspects of our lives are worse than they actually are.

My prayer for you in these days is that you will have the clarity to know what is true and that you will be filled with peace even while we live in this season of so many unknowns.
Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking thes Raise your hand if you’re doing more baking these days! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m trying to avoid gaining the #corona15 but my daughter and I LOVE baking together and it does help to pass the time plus it counts as a science lesson right?

If you’re able to find flour in the stores (for the love people please stop overbuying!) and you’re doing more baking at your house too you need to add this apricot bread to your list of new recipes to try!

Normally I’d point you to my blog for the directions but I’m going to do you a solid and leave the full recipe in the comments.

What have you baked so far during this time of social distancing? I’d love some new ideas!
There are a LOT of people out walking in our neigh There are a LOT of people out walking in our neighborhood right now (but still social distancing!) and she decided that she wanted to bring them some joy and put a smile on their face when they pass by our house. Also, the square with ‘say no to coronavirus’ is priceless. 😂 I just love her so much!
Follow
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 At The Picket Fence