Crucifixion was reserved for the vilest of criminals. Historically, Jesus (a Jewish teacher) should never have been crucified. But, He was.

The Tree That brought Death

The Tree That brought Life

“For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, Adam, how much more did God’s grace on the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” —Romans 5

The Resurrected Life

“Christ’s love compels us . . . that if we live, we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again . . . If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” —II Corinthians 5:14–17

He calls Us By Name

The post The Tree, A Choice And Being Called By Name appeared first on Matt Ham.

A lot of people don’t like where they are, or the position they find themselves in.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:7

Where Have you been Sent?

Welfare is Shalom

How to find shalom

The post Seek The Welfare Of the City appeared first on Matt Ham.

This morning, as I enjoyed my coffee and scribbled thoughts on the pages of my journal, I penned the sentence, “In the new year, I’m hoping for more.”

The words stared at me from the page. It was an honest request (who doesn’t want more), but it was shallow. As I sat with the words for a moment, I felt the Lord whisper:

“More starts with less”

The post I Want Less in 2026 appeared first on Matt Ham.

The Magi are among my favorite characters in the Christmas story. These men, likely Persian astrologers, were so convicted to meet “the king” that they travelled over 800 miles and emptied their purses to honor him.

Below is a short video, my Christmas message, to you this holiday season.

The post Provision for the Promise appeared first on Matt Ham.

In the book of Numbers, we learn the story about the Israelites during their wilderness season. This story provides the origin of the phrase and a great teaching moment for those of us who find ourselves in a difficult moment.

Lessons From The 12 Spies

In Numbers 13, we catch up with God’s people, the Israelites, after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. God has promised to deliver them into the “Promised Land” after giving them their instructions (The Law/10 Commandments). However, before bringing them into the Land, he asks Moses to appoint Twelve Spies, one from each tribe, to go into the Land and give a report of what they see.

If you know the story, they spend 40 days spying out the Promised Land and return with a mixed report. Ten of the twelve spies report that the land is full of provision (milk and honey and fruit) but that the land is inhabited by giants. Intimidated, they report to the people that it will be impossible to overcome the giants and that they would surely die if they moved forward with God’s instruction.

However, two of the twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb, attempt to encourage the masses by telling them that God will surely give them what He has promised.

Unfortunately, the masses listen to the majority report and they cry out that it would be better to return to slavery than to die trying to inherit the promise. As a result, the Lord allows a generation of Israelites to fall to their own declaration and they die in the wilderness.

Here are a few takeaways that I think we can benefit from the story.

“See What the Land Is”

I find it interesting that God would ask the people to give a report of the land if He had already promised to give it to them. It’s kind of like asking our kids to tell us what they think of their birthday present before they open it.

Often times, God wants us to provide an account of our perspective in order to see if we’re ready to receive what He’s promised. In essence, He’s checking our heart. That’s why we have to make sure that our perspective stays healthy. When time or circumstances or obstacles seem to delay us stepping into our future, it’s easy to become discouraged and therefore lose hope.

God’s invitation for us to “give a report” is a great way for us to make sure our perspective stays healthy and our hope remains high.

Who Are You Listening To?

When you analyze the story, ten of the twelve spies bring back a bad report. If you run the numbers, that’s 83% – a strong majority – who say, “It’s impossible.” By contrast, only one out of six remain hopeful that God will deliver.

In your life, you’ll find that the majority of people around you will give you a bad report. The truth is there are more people around you who will tell you, “It’s impossible”. This is especially true when it comes to the things God has placed on your heart.

Decide to surround yourselves with Joshuas and Calebs — those who stand for God’s promises in your life and those who will encourage you toward your good future.

You Will Have What You See

I always thought that God was punishing the Israelites by letting them die in the wilderness, but now, I understand that God was simply allowing them to have what they saw.

For those who saw the victory of God, they received victory and inherited the land. For those who saw the defeat of the enemy, they received defeat and died in the wilderness.

When we look at what God has promised, it’s easy to hear the negative report and become overwhelmed by anything that appears to conflict the promise. But one of the greatest principles we can learn is to choose to see beyond the impossible natural into the possible supernatural.

The beauty of God is that He allows us to have what we choose to see.

Don’t Waste Your Wilderness

By the end of the story, we see two types of people: those who waste their wilderness moment and die in the desert and those who persist and inherit what God has promised.

As I began to study the story and allow God to speak, I heard Him say, “Don’t waste your wilderness.” I responded by asking, “How do you waste your wilderness?” And He said, “You waste your wilderness when you would rather go back to the past than step into the future.”

Many of the Israelites cry out that it would be better to return to Egypt than step into the promise. But Joshua and Caleb said that they would certainly move forward into the Promised Land because “if God said it, He will do it.”

The truth is, we all must go through our wilderness season — Jesus had to and so do we. The challenge is, HOW we live out our wilderness says everything about HOW we will move through our wilderness and into our future.

If you’d rather go back to “the way it was” you’ll surely miss out on “what could be”.

Below is a video from our monthly Faith in Business meeting where I teach on these principles.

The post Don’t Waste Your Wilderness | A Fresh Look at The 12 Spies appeared first on Matt Ham.

But by most definitions, this week was anything but triumphant. Ultimately, Jesus was betrayed, captured, beaten and crucified.

As we dive deeper into the historical context of the events and contrast them against the pressures and cultural challenges we face today, I think we get a deeper perspective.

Two Types of Kingdoms

Each year during Passover, 1 million Jews would flood the city of Jerusalem — an event that would have put the ruling authority on high alert. Besides, the purpose of this festival was to commemorate the Jews deliverance from slavery in Egypt, an event the Romans would have been very familiar with.

In order to communicate a clear message of authority, Rome would have increased security and governmental presence during the week of the festival.

Historians believe that Pontius Pilate, one of the governing rulers would have travelled from his usual palace in Caesarea to be present in Jerusalem to help convey a message of control and dominion to the Jewish people. During his march into the city from the west, he would have been accompanied by trumpets and armed guards and he would have likely been riding a white horse — a symbol of military conquest. This communicated a kingdom rooted in power and authority, one founded on economic superiority and brute strength.

Interestingly enough, there was a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus who was entering the city at the same time. But he wasn’t accompanied by military force, rather by a band of outcasts. Rather than a white stallion, he was riding on the back of a donkey. Just like Pilate, Jesus was communicating a certain type of kingdom. But unlike Pilate, Jesus’s kingdom is rooted in strength through humility, one founded on heavenly superiority and love.

In this moment, onlookers had a decision.

Which king do I follow?

Which kingdom do I desire?

The Humility of a Donkey

When Jesus mounted the donkey and rode down the Mount of Olives, entering Jerusalem from the East, this fulfilled the prophecy from Zachariah which said that Israel’s Messiah King would come “riding on a donkey” from the “Mount of Olives.”

As his followers put the pieces together, they thought this was their moment of triumph. So, they grabbed palm branches, a symbol of the zealot party, a symbol of rebellion, and lined the path ahead of him shouting “Hosanna in the highest.”

It’s important to note that their response indicated their belief that Jesus was going to overthrow Rome the way Moses overthrew Pharaoh. They were ready for a revolution, they wanted a fight. And this is why Jesus wept. After three years of public ministry and teaching, His followers still didn’t get it. He wasn’t there for political prowess and economic dominion, He was ushering in a new type of kingdom, a kingdom built on humility.

Sometimes, I think we want the right king, but we desire the wrong kingdom.

We want Jesus, but we want Him to do our bidding and solve our problems in the way we feel is best. As a result, we forget that true strength comes through humility. Only when we learn to yield to God, when we learn to surrender, when we learn to die, do we truly find victory.

A White Horse is Coming

As the week progressed, Jesus continued to challenge authority and up until he was arrested in Gethsemane, I think His disciples still thought a physical revolution was going to occur. That’s exactly why Peter raised the sword and cutoff Malchus’ ear. But in healing the severed ear, Jesus not only absolved Peter from a crime, He also confirmed that His Kingdom was coming in a way that no one expected.

The beauty of the Easter story isn’t limited to the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead. It also set into motion the promise that He will return. But if you read Revelation 19, He doesn’t come back on a donkey. When He comes again, He’ll be riding on a white horse — the true sign of His authority and power.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13

There may be some of you who feel relegated to a donkey. This season of life just doesn’t seem to be going the way you want. But the promise of the Resurrection is that a white horse is coming.

Which Kingdom Would You Choose?

This Easter, as you reflect on Jesus’s example and how it influences your own life, I would challenge you to consider, which kingdom are you choosing?

Are you choosing the path of humility and grace and love? Or are you pursing political, economic or physical victory?

For me, the Triumphal Entry is a reminder that God’s Kingdom doesn’t operate in the ways of the world. His success isn’t culturally appropriate. And as I manage my own life and business, I am aware that every moment of every day I have the opportunity to choose which kingdom I want and which kingdom I worship.

I invite you to do the same.

Happy Easter, friends.

The post A Donkey or a White Horse? | The Significance of the Triumphal Entry and Which Kingdom We Desire appeared first on Matt Ham.

For those of you who may be wondering what a soft skill is, a soft skill may be better known as “people skills” or “interpersonal skills”. Their counterpart, hard skills, are more concrete. While hard skills are knowledge based — graphic design, plumbing, accounting, etc. — soft skills are more experientially based — things like communication, problem-solving, and time management.

As the corporate environment continues to evolve, organizations are becoming more and more focused on soft skills as an asset that can help an employee stand apart from their peers and advance in their career.

However, with the rise of digital technology, artificial intelligence and remote work, soft skills seem to be in decline. Not only have people not had to develop soft skills, they haven’t been forced to use them.

At one of our recent Faith In Business meetings, I pulled a list of the top seven soft skills and made an interesting discovery. What the business world calls soft skills, I would call spiritual skills. I’m not referring to religious behaviors, or even spiritual knowledge, but rather the application of spiritual concepts that we see throughout Jesus’s life and Biblical teaching.

Unfortunately, I would say one of the greatest errors or failures of the modern Christian experience is when those who profess the faith don’t have a lifestyle that bears its fruit.

For years, Christians have spent time and resources to better understand “spiritual gifts”. But shouldn’t we also be focused on developing the skills that help us harness our gifts and use them effectively? If we’re not careful, these spiritual skills could become a lost art — a disappearing element of our daily practices that help us shape the culture that surrounds us.

As a way to help Christian entrepreneurs and faith-minded business professionals, I’ve listed the top seven spiritual skills below and some corresponding teaching. Regardless of where you find yourself in your faith journey, I would challenge you to consider these, not simply as best practices, but as a sort-of spiritual skill that you can learn, cultivate and grow.

1. Teamwork

The willingness to be a part of a larger whole is most notably found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church when he writes “one body, many parts” (1 Cor. 12:12)

Even Jesus himself had a variety of different groups that he was surrounded with. He had an inner circle of 3, a close circle of 12 to 15 and a larger circle of 72 that ultimately helped him carry out his mission.

In a world of cancel culture and polarized opinions, we have to ask ourselves how well we play with others. Now, I’m fully aware of differing concepts about not being unequally yoked, and there are certainly nuances, but we have to ask ourselves, are we people that value the team over our own agenda?

2. Problem Solving

With the onset of digital resources, our ability to solve problems has been resolved to a quick Google search or the latest self-help book. However, in the book of James, he writes “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” (James 1:5)

If there is a certain problem that needs to be solved, how likely are you to pause and ask the Holy Spirit for direction?

How powerful would it be if we began to give testimony to the Lord as the chief problem solver in our organizations?

3. Communication

There’s an old adage that says, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

It’s very interesting when you study the life of Jesus you see that He was an excellent communicator. As business people, we must not only value what we say, but how we say it, and how intentional we are about our communication practices.

Do we do what we say? Do we follow up in a concise and timely fashion? Are we clear in our delivery? Do we consider our audience when delivering our messages?

There is a certain intentionality that is demanded of us as followers of Jesus, and how we communicate says everything about who we truly hope to glorify.

4. Adaptability

I think a lot of people would say that they are adaptable until things don’t go the way they had planned. That’s because being adaptable requires a certain element of letting go — a loss of control.

This can be challenging for those who are planners or those who like to micromanage, and I think a lot of us struggle because we don’t trust people. But ultimately, isn’t it our responsibility to trust the Lord?

Being adaptable has a lot to do with being willing to compromise. We don’t ever want to compromise our faith or our convictions, but we must be willing to compromise our agenda and see a higher perspective.

If you want to find out how adaptable you are, how do you respond when you don’t get your way or when things don’t go how you had planned?

5. Critical Thinking

In one of his New Testament letters, the Apostle Paul writes “test everything”. Elsewhere he encourages his followers to engage in the process of “discernment”.

Critical thinking, much like problem-solving, requires an element of being willing to slow down and think before taking action. In a world that demands quick results, it’s easy to overlook how those results are actually obtained — the fastest solution is rarely the best solution. In addition, in a world shrouded in deception, we have to be willing to “test” the information we’re given.

To engage our capacity for critical thinking, we must learn to be objective and take our emotions out of the situation. This requires a great deal of self-control, which is, as you know, a fruit of the Spirit.

6. Time Management

Of all the people that I have discussed this concept with, time management seems to be the most difficult for business professionals to grasp. But if you break it down, time is a gift that we are given each day. The question is, how well do we steward that which we have been given?

Time management and efficiency flow out of our priorities. If our priorities are not firmly established, we end up allowing less important things to dictate how we spend our time.

Interestingly enough, God is the creator of time and even promises to redeem time. So, how we use and view our time says everything about how we view Him and how He wants to use us.

The apostle Paul encourages us to, “make the most of your time”.

Do you?

7. Interpersonal

The last soft skill is a general grouping of interpersonal skills that determine how we connect to, relate to, and engage with those around us. 

Quite honestly, this may be the area where most “Christians” fail. I don’t say that as condemnation, but rather as a challenge for us to give consideration to how those around us experience us.

If you look at the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians, you see that “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” are listed as tangible proof that someone is engaging the Spirit-led life.

Do your coworkers think of you as a joyful person? Are you the employee that is known for kindness to others? This isn’t simply about being a nice guy or gal, it’s about whose image you bear.

If you profess a Christian faith but don’t actually bear the fruit in your relationships, perhaps there’s an opportunity for growth. Again, this isn’t about correct behavior, it’s about being honest with the application of our faith — not just merely our church attendance, or even our profession of faith.

Does your life truly reflect what you say you believe?

——-

In closing, rather than evangelize the office by quoting scripture, leaving tracks, or even inviting coworkers to a religious event, consider how cultivating these soft skills might give you the opportunity to be more excellent at what you do.

In the book of Daniel, we see a man who was placed in exile in Babylon. He is a Hebrew man living in a foreign culture. However, he climbs to positions of authority because the scripture says “an excellent spirit was found in him”. 

As I read the about the life of Daniel, the phrase “excellence in exile” comes to mind.

In a postmodern Christian world, perhaps we should take Daniel’s approach and become excellent in exile.

Let us allow our excellence be the thing that God uses to influence the culture around us instead of constantly being burdened by it.

MH

The post “Excellence in Exile”: The Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace (and why they’re really spiritual skills) appeared first on Matt Ham.

From $0 to $10,000

After my initial eye roll and a little research, I felt like this endeavor was something I was supposed to do. Over the past few years, I’ve learned to follow these spiritual nudges as they’ve always been the greatest source of growth – like when I wrote my book or left my career to start a business.

My son told me that he wanted to go from nothing to $10,000 in sports collectibles. It seemed like a lofty goal, but I was more than willing to indulge his efforts. Besides, I could see him coming to life every time we talked about it and his passion was contagious. So, he cut some grass for a neighbor, walked a few dogs and sold off some old gaming consoles to get his first $200. Then, I organized my old collection from childhood and began selling it on Facebook Marketplace.

I remember when one of our first cards sold on eBay for $35. I was shocked that someone would pay for it. But then when it happened again, and again, and again, I started to recognize a pattern. Once I saw that it was a viable transaction, my wheels began spinning. We didn’t want to put any new capital into the business, so I told Matthew to think about things we could sell out of the closet and the garage to help raise money to buy more cards.

Interestingly enough, I was navigating some health challenges at the time and the bourbon collection I had stashed in the closet wasn’t going to help the gout I was battling. It’s funny how the Lord uses pain to encourage us in the right direction.

The more Matthew and I stepped in, the more we learned and the more it grew. By Thanksgiving, we had roughly $6,000 in total profit. Along the way, we began sharing our journey on social media. As a result, people started reaching out for help and even asking us if we would help them sell their cards. One friend in particular had a sizable collection. The unexpected consignment opportunity allowed to learn and make money without our own personal exposure. It also accelerated our goal. We doubled by Christmas.

In roughly four months, we had gone from $0 to more than $10,000 and started the year with a new business and tons of energy.

5 Things I’ve Learned

Since the beginning of 2023, we have grown by nearly 7x and have sold more than $160,000 of sports cards, making close to $70,000 total profit in our first year. In addition, Matthew’s personality has blossomed and our social media content has helped us connect with a number of key people in the Sports Card Hobby. Now when we go to shows, people inevitably call out “Hey, Little Matt” across the show floor and I joke that I’m simply his camera man. Matthew even got to interview entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk at The National Sports Card Show (and he crushed the interview).

There will be more stories about our journey and all that we’ve experienced along the way, but today, I wanted to share 5 things I’ve learned over the past year that will be helpful for anyone who is already in business or is looking to step into something new.

1. There is No Business Without Risk

When my son first came to me, I was shocked that sports card sold for hundreds and thousands of dollars. It didn’t make sense to my logical mind and it seemed like an irresponsible risk to buy a collectible for that amount of money. In addition, there were a lot of people in my life who didn’t understand it either. But every business begins with someone who’s willing to take a risk.

Most people never start their business because they’re afraid of risk. The ones who do often don’t succeed because they take risk with improper motives. Risk for the sake of risk isn’t the wisest choice. And, risk that is solely based on a big payout as the motive isn’t sustainable. But when risk is tied to inspiration and you can see a pathway for adding value to others, it’s a recipe for success.

If you have a business idea or a passion project, make sure your motives are pure. Then, figure out how it genuinely adds value to others and take the leap.

2. Business Should Be Fun

I’ve had the privilege of being involved in a number of different businesses in my 41 years, but I can honestly say that starting this sports card business with my son has been some of the most rewarding of my life. And while it has had immeasurable value in teaching him life lessons and business acumen, it reminded me that business doesn’t have to be so serious.

There’s a sweet spot in business between doing what you love and being able to make a profit. For many, the tension of that sweet spot is burdensome. We sacrifice what we love to make money and we feel like a sellout. Or, we stick with what we love and don’t know how to actually run a sustainable business. With Matthew and I, profit wasn’t the main focus. There was a goal of getting to $10,000, but that goal was measured by experiences, not revenue. Whether it was going to card shows or the boys trading for Pokemon cards at school and selling them on Facebook Marketplace, each transaction was celebrated.

If you’ve lost the “fun” in your business, get back to your roots. What got you started? What is it about the business that you love? And sometimes it helps to expose yourself to others who are having fun because, quite honestly, having fun is contagious.

3. Business Isn’t Always Fun

On the flipside, business has it’s challenges. For Matthew and I, we had to deal with being scammed, losing money, putting up with unruly card dealers and even withstanding criticism for our efforts. The truth is, every deal doesn’t make money and quite honestly, not every person you deal with is easy. Each time one of those situations came up, I encouraged Matthew to keep moving and not get burdened by the details.

There was one time we lost $2,000 on one individual card. It was devastating. However, we took the loss and reinvested our principal into another card that we sold for $6,000. The point is, we turned a $2,000 loss into a net $2,000 gain by simply moving forward and not getting bogged down in the mistake.

The bottom line is, business isn’t always fun. But in those moments, you have to pause, take it in stride and get back to the things you love. If you learn from a difficult moment, you can apply that wisdom to future experiences. It’s less about avoiding mistakes and more about letting mistakes propel you forward.

4. Businesses Without Passion Don’t Work

When you’re dealing with a 13-year-old it can be tough to find sustainable passion. But I’ve learned that whether you’re 13 or 41, it doesn’t work without passion. Too often we tether our passion to an outcome instead of the process. If we make the sale, we get excited. If we don’t close the sale, our passion fades. With our sports card business, I’ve had to consistently find new ways to engage passion.

Initially, there was a honeymoon phase where everything was exciting. But then, as we grew, it always took more and more to keep the passion alive. I saw this as dangerous because bigger cards meant bigger risk. So, to alleviate the need for more, we shifted gears. We introduced grading cards, we added interviews and we started a Q&A segment.

Businesses often become stagnant because they do the same thing ad nauseam. One way to spark passion is to inject creativity and variety. Think about adding a new element to your business. That newness and challenge can spark passion that helps get you over the hurdle of monotony.

5. Your Next Thing is Closer Than You Think

A year ago, I had no idea that this business idea would be what it has become. But I learned that you have to follow the feeling rather than a calculated strategy. Too often, our next thing is right in front of us but we’re unwilling to recognize it for a variety of reasons. We have to become adaptable and let go of certain things in order to embrace new things.

I love seeing people pursue their passion and step into their purpose. I also see too many people who are in it for the wrong reason or they’re terrified to step out. The truth is, the next thing is right in front of you, but you’re likely missing it because you’re looking for something else.

I loved cards when I was a kid, but I grew up and forgot. My kid taught me how to become a kid again.

Fathers and Sons

My experience with Matthew has opened up a world of creativity about helping parents connect with their kids and helping entrepreneurs thrive in their ideas. It has also made me painfully aware of how much this next generation of kids needs to come alive, develop great habits and live life beyond the confines of a screen.

There will be more of that in the future as we continue to develop this site and our business. For now, I hope you recognize that something amazing is just around the corner if you’re willing to take on the perspective of a child.

MH

The post 5 Things I Learned From Starting a Business With My Son appeared first on Matt Ham.

So, moms, this is for us.

I believe that a mother’s nurturing, strong, protective spirit enables children to feel loved. It is this love that helps our children flourish, even from an early age. However, I believe that this love has caused us to grasp our children so tightly that we forget who we were made to be. This is the joyous yet extremely hard journey of mistaken identity called motherhood.

My Weakest Point as a Mom

I reached my weakest point during my nine years of mothering just after my babies became toddlers. It was very subtle and deceptive, but I found myself in a weak place both physically and spiritually.

Quick context, our twins suffer from asthma and our oldest son, croup. My husband had a scare with cancer and I found out that I had a pericardial effusion. Couple that with the fact that I lost my father to cancer when I was fourteen. My past and my circumstances constantly overwhelmed me.

Over a two-year period, the ambulance came to our home three times and I made countless late-night trips to the emergency room for their breathing. Then, there was an awful choking episode. I used to sit in the parking lot of the ER debating whether or not to go in. After an hour of waiting and my child falling asleep in the backseat, I’d drive back home. These scary episodes just caused me to grasp them tighter.

The problem is, my children had become my #1 priority. When their safety was threatened, I realized that my roots weren’t deep enough to keep me at peace. I convinced myself that it was noble to care for their every need and I felt justified in worrying about them. But instead of grasping the Lord tightly, I was grasping onto them tightly. So tightly that it was suffocating all of us.

As a result, my walk with God and my relationships with my husband took a back seat. I was sure that my strength would be enough to hold me up at the end of those really long days, but it wasn’t.

When my kids behaved, I felt like a great mom. When they all fell apart, I was a train wreck. And when they were sick, it all went out the window.

This constant cycle opened the door to a world of anxiety that I had never known.

But the truth is, I was being shaken. My roots were being tested. The more I clothed myself in the false identity of motherhood, the more I realized that this wasn’t who God wanted me to be.

False Identity and False Security

During this difficult season, we were going to church and I was attending a weekly small group. But we’re at a place in our culture where no one likes to rock the boat and challenge a mom that they’re ‘momming’ too hard. In fact, we praise it. The #MomSoHard hashtag is a badge of honor instead of something to surrender.

It wasn’t until my husband started to challenge me to loosen the grip on my kids, and tighten my grip on the One. who created me. At first, I was defensive—incredibly defensive. In fact, it caused quite a few distant nights between us. But in time, the Holy Spirit began to convict me in my heart.

And then, a childhood friend lost their two-year-old son. I honestly could not fathom her pain but here is what she wrote:  

“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I see clearly how I’ve spent too long praising the Lord with my left arm raised high while using my right arm to wrap a wall of protection around my family and friends. I thought I desired God, what I really craved was safety.”

Her words shook me to my core and confirmed everything I was feeling. At first I really didn’t understand the depth of my grip on my children, but as God peeled back the layers,  I realized that they were my identity.

God had so graciously blessed us with the gift of children but somehow the devil had used it—just like he uses so many other good things like money and careers—to distract us from our heavenly identity and our source of Life. 

Letting Go

There is something scary about letting go, but we can not know freedom until we do. God cannot free us from the things we’re unwilling to let go of. 

Moms, I still struggle with this. But now, when I recognize my tendencies to grasp my kids too tightly, I have a battle plan on how to armor myself. The road to freedom will look different for everyone and some of you may not be ready to hear this, but I want you to know that it’s possible. I’m not there yet, but I long to be. 

Besides my husband, I have a few women who encourage me to sit at the feet of Jesus instead of staying busy with the demands of motherhood. I also pause and rest in my favorite praise music instead of my fear. Both of these things are practical ways that I get my heart back in line with the Father.

As I sit here, weeks away from welcoming our fifth child, I am overwhelmed at how faithful God has been. I’m also painfully aware of my tendency to cling to everything He’s given me instead of clinging to Him. I am learning that the fruit of my womb is a blessing, but it cannot keep me from the fruit of the Spirit. My kids are His kids first, His temporary gift that I need to trust Him with.

So, it is with open arms and a grateful heart that I say, it is great to be a mom, but greater to be His daughter.

Liz Ham

You can email us at matt@mattham.com or schedule a call by clicking here.

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Over the last decade, Uber has revolutionized the transportation industry, proving that a lot can happen in ten years. But the problem is, so many of us fail to believe that our future could be so bright. In short, we don’t take the time to dream. Instead, we get buried in our circumstances and believe that these “success stories” just happen to everyone else.

But what if we could learn to dream again?

More importantly, what if we could learn how to take inspired action toward realizing those dreams?

The Decade Challenge

I recently sat down to consider the last ten years of my life. What had I accomplished? How had I grown as a person? How had I grown in my faith? Better yet, what will the next ten years look like?

While I write and reflect often, I hadn’t specifically focused on documenting my accomplishments and struggles in the same sitting. Some might question the significance of an exercise like this, but I found it to be both profound and empowering.

We call this The Decade Challenge.

The task is simple: reflect on the last ten years of your life and write down everything that comes to mind.

It may feel vulnerable to share what you discover, but in doing so, it challenges you to dream again. More importantly, it challenges others as well. That’s the beauty of vulnerability, it has the power to break things and create a healthy foundation to build upon.

I’ll go first to show you how to get started.

My Personal Findings

Ten years ago, my life was in a much different place than it is today.

My wife and I were laden with $500,000 in debt, doctors had told us that we couldn’t have children and we lived with my parents. I had just started a new job in insurance sales after failing miserably in real estate development. On the weekends, I played music as a way to make extra money and my wife worked at a hotel to help us pay the bills.

But here is what has happened in ten years:

• My wife has gotten pregnant four times
• We have an 8-year-old son, 7-year-old identical twin sons, a 3-year-old daughter and our fifth child is due in August
• I earned more than $1.7m dollars during this ten-year period
• I grew an insurance business from $500,000 to more than $3.5m in annual revenue
• We payed off more than $350,000 of debt
• We put more than $250,000 towards long-term savings
• I traveled to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Disney, Boston, Chicago, and Scotland just to name a few
• We built our dream home
• I ran 2 half ironman and more than 20 triathlons
• I wrote a book
• I was diagnosed with spreading malignant melanoma
• I was able to speak more than 60 times
• We started a faith and personal development organization called YouPrint
• We created The LIFE Center, a non-profit that helps remove obstacles so people can uncover and live out their God-given purpose

The list could continue, but you get the picture.

Reflecting on The Past

For me, the first half of the decade was inwardly focused. As our family and my business grew, it was easy to try and take credit for the success. As the decade progressed, I grew spiritually and my focus shifted outward.

When I look back, I see forces at work in my life—in both the blessings and the struggles—that are well beyond my explanation and control. As I grew spiritually, I began to attribute credit to God. The more I understood that God’s grace and provision had sustained us, the more willing I was to loosen my grip.

As I learned to yield to His grace and provision, the more I experienced it.

At the beginning of the 2010’s none of the things on this list looked possible. In fact, if I had laid this out ten years ago as a list of goals, I would have convinced myself that I was crazy. While my list seems to be mostly positive, I understand that the adverse can be true. Life can also seem to spiral out of control. Regardless of where you find yourself in the journey, this exercise is powerful in both instances.

On one hand, it creates a deep sense of accomplishment in all that you have been able to achieve. But on the other hand, it is humbling to see what you have been able to endure. Either way, it creates hope for what the next ten years might look like.

Finish Well

As we move through the next six months of the 2010’s, my desire is to finish the decade well and pave the way for all that God has prepared for the 2020’s. I hope the same for you.

The question is, “Where will you be ten years from now?”

That question doesn’t have to be as ominous as it seems. We have created The Decade Challenge as a way to spark the genius inside of you and create a foundation to help you begin moving in the direction of your God-given dreams.

If you’re wondering where to begin, take The Decade Challenge. Then, connect with us to share what you’ve learned. From there, we can help create a trajectory and help you take inspired action toward your dreams.

Ten years ago, the guys who created Uber had no idea what was ahead.

Why can’t it be the same for you?

MH

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