Fearing God, Not Man

It must be some answered prayers on behalf of my husband, who has often encouraged me to write. Together, we faced so much in the past almost two years that apart from tending to the needs of my home, I had very little mental energy left to sit down and write. I have struggled with being present here, as opposed to leading a quiet life as the Bible compels us as Christians to do. I have struggled with feeding you meaningful yet superficial topics, as opposed to bringing you along in our valleys and laying thoughts and emotions out there for you to pray along with us through. I struggled with writing, knowing that those who have preyed on our family could use it as ammo or access, as opposed to genuine love and support of it. God was doing a work in me, building me up in the quiet season. The Lord revealed to me that I cannot write and expect to please everyone. I must write with the intent to only glorify God. I must write, knowing that God is actively using my words to plant seeds in someone else’s life that is seeking Him. A major theme developed in my life throughout the past year, “All glory to God”. Trusting God meant trusting Him even when I felt weak and insecure. Surrendering meant trusting God with the outcome, not foraging outcomes in my own strength. All glory to God that He would use me, an amateur writer, to advance His kingdom and help those around me pursue a counter-cultural life!

After much prayer, I have felt the call to come back to Maverick Life and start to consistently write more. You see, the problem was never depletion, I was playing defense. I was feeding my own fears, rather than fearing the One who is able to carry them all. I do not think what Brett and I have experienced in life is unique to us alone. Having a platform like this allows us a humbling opportunity to be vulnerable, to share our wins, our struggles, our discoveries…in every season.

In an intimate moment with my daughter last evening, we talked about fearing only God, and not man. Proverbs 29:25 says: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” When we are more concerned with the opinions of others, we drown out the opinions of the Lord God. Fearing man will lead us to live a life contrary to what God desires for our life, whereas trusting in God leads to eternal blessings! My worth, my family’s worth, my relationship with others, is not defined by the ill opinions of others or how they see me. My worth is defined by God alone. I warn you, as I have had to repent myself, to not exchange the worship of the Creator with the worship of creation (Romans 1:25). Do not exchange the beauty of God’s design with the rags of man’s definition of love and acceptance. You will never feel full.

To God be the glory

Trials bring you closer to God and only make the marriage bond tighter when both parties are surrendered to the Lord. I can confidently say that God is continuing to do a mighty work in our lives as a couple, and watching the fruit unfold makes every season more and more beautiful.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to 2026, I want to outline a few topics that have been on my heart to write to you about. Whether you are a Christian or not, my prayer is that our “advice” and experiences would, first, draw you to the Lord, and second, offer you practical application to infuse into your home as well. We will never share on topics we are not confident in, we simply want to share what has felt revolutionary in our home. Whether they are big changes, or little ones, we want our followers here to have access to the same wisdom and tools that we have found to work for us. I look forward to sharing my heart with you in the near future. Below is a sneak peak on some topics I will be discussing:

• Let Me Reintroduce Myself.
• Drawing Healthy Boundaries.
• Respecting your Husband.
• Honoring your Home.
• Ministry as a Mother.
• Homeschooling for Beginners (because I am a newbie too!)
• You Are Your Family’s Best Advocate.
• Minimalism.Clear the Schedule.
• Unplugged and Unavailable.
• Proverbs 31 Applied to Life.