Circle meeting

I am so thankful for the ladies of this church. I am part of a circle that meets monthly and we study a book and discuss it at each meeting, along with sharing and prayer requests. We had our meeting last week and are studying Stepping Heavenward this year--one of my favorites! (On a side note, the girltalk blog is reading the biography of Elizabeth Prentiss for their current book club and they always have good content. Get the book and join it!) We just did chapters 1 and 2 last week, and I was so encouraged by the depth of sharing and the openness to God's work. One of the topics discussed was our failings as mothers and the struggles with our children's sin. It was a heart-wrenching time as we started to feel overwhelmed by our insufficiency. The next night, I was reading Barbara Curtis's Lord, Meet Me in the Laundry Room (heartily recommended) and found this quote:
When Satan hounds you about your weaknesses, you feel tired, depressed, and full of despair. When God confronts you, you feel remorse, quickly followed by the desire to change and hope for the future. (pg. 80)

What a good reminder! Romans 8:15 tell us, 'For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."' God is our loving Father and convicts in order to bring repentance, not worry or fear.