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In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we read that God makes everything beautiful in its time. It is comforting to know that nothing is wasted in God's economy, but all of it will be used for our good and His glory. You're invited to join us for poignant conversations and compelling interviews centered on believing for His beauty in every season.
Everything Made Beautiful (00:01.667)
Well, hello, hello, Jen Thompson. Thank you so much for being on the Everything Made Beautiful podcast today. I'm thrilled to have you.
Jen Thompson (00:09.842)
Hello, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited for our conversation and just am truly honored to be a guest.
Everything Made Beautiful (00:18.223)
well, I love talking to women about projects and books and albums and all those sorts of things because any time you pour yourself out onto the page, there is a cost and there is a lot that comes with that. think people might think people just, you know, write books like you clean your bathroom or vacuum your living room. And it's a very different
things. I just want to say I understand the cost of that and so part of the reward is getting to see what God does with it and that's what I'm excited about to talk about your book today because the title of it was the first thing that captured me which is Return to Jesus. So before we dive into all the things about the book what was
stirring in your soul in the season leading up to deciding to write it. Like what made you go, I have to write this? Was it a particular moment or season? What was the prompting for it?
Jen Thompson (01:23.118)
Yeah, thanks for asking. And I really just love what you said too about writing a book because it was more than I ever anticipated in my prayer.
Everything Made Beautiful (01:35.843)
Hmm.
Jen Thompson (01:37.492)
is that it will land in the hands of those who need the message. And I say it's my heart in a book. So the title, Return to Jesus, was actually kind of the launch pad for everything inside of the book. My idea started with the title. And I think sometimes when we think of returning to Jesus, maybe the first image is you've fallen really far away, or you've been gone for a long time.
That absolutely is one of the ways that we return. But the thing that has really struck me throughout the years is there is an invitation that the Lord is extending to us each and every day throughout every second of our life. An invitation to meet with him and abide with him and rest in his presence. And so the return isn't just about this grand return, but it's about learning how to return to him all throughout the day.
I really have a heart for the women who are in the really kind of busy seasons of life. I have four children and I feel like it's just been kind of busy for years.
Everything Made Beautiful (02:43.663)
Hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (02:50.999)
Yes, I was going to say you don't have many seasons that aren't busy, I would imagine.
Jen Thompson (02:58.936)
There's been so much joy and there have been moments of chaos. And so there have been times when in all transparency, there have been seasons when it's been a lot harder for me to meet with him and remember to return to him. And I really recognize so pre-pandemic, we were busy, busy, during the pandemic, just like most people. We are, we're in a place of privilege where we didn't have people that were sick. We weren't in the medical field.
we were able just to all be home together and everything just we went from 100 to zero and for our family it was really a sweet time and then when everything picked up again we're back at 100 miles per hour and then some because I think we were trying to make up maybe subconsciously for some lost time and so then we were saying yes to everything and that was really a season when I was like okay Lord I don't
Everything Made Beautiful (03:51.503)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (03:58.792)
want this. I want to take some of the things that I learned in those moments of stillness and silence and quiet when it was just us and things felt simple. How can I merge these things together? So all of that is kind of my heart behind the book.
Everything Made Beautiful (04:14.003)
That's so good. Yeah, the pandemic, you know, it's crazy to think that was five years ago. I was talking to someone the other day and thought, how was that five years ago? It feels like yesterday in so many ways. But the the the stillness that was visited on so many of us to your point, who did not have people directly in the medical field or on the front lines of it that the stillness
started initially as uncomfortable and overwhelming and then became something I wasn't sure I was ready to give up when it was time to kind of give that up. So I so resonate with that. I love the subtitle of the book as well. And it says, I'm reading it so I'll get it right, an invitation to abide with him in every beautiful, stressful or tedious moment, which
Jen Thompson (05:00.526)
Thank you.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:10.893)
That alone feels like a gift. what does it look like? How would you define abiding in real life? Because for women, I would imagine most of us share the feeling that more often than not, we're failing at the abiding part of being with Jesus. So what made you say we can abide even in tedious and stressful moments?
Jen Thompson (05:34.464)
Yeah, and you know what, am definitely one of the things I like to point out is I haven't written this book because I have it all figured out. This is not, I'm not writing from a place of expertise where every day I am just abiding with the Lord all throughout the day. This is the desire of my heart. So I understand what that feels like to go through a day, two days, a week, however long. like, Lord, have I, have I?
Everything Made Beautiful (05:42.595)
Mm.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:52.473)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (06:01.174)
have I accepted your invitation? Have I invited you? Have I met with you? Have I spent time with you? So I just really, it's important to me to say that, that I understand that feeling of wanting to abide with him and not always remembering to. But to abide, one of the definitions of abide is to dwell.
Everything Made Beautiful (06:04.441)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (06:15.011)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (06:24.118)
And I love that. So I think of like making your home. So when I think of abiding with the Lord, it's making him my home, making my home with him, meeting him where he is. And so I think that there are ways that we can abide with him throughout the day that don't take up a lot of time. It's not like you have to be sitting in silent prayer all day long. There are ways that we can meet with him.
in the middle of the grind. And so I think just adopting different rhythms and habits that work in the season you find yourself in, which is key because it is always changing. So what worked for me when I had really little kids doesn't work for me now that I have a house full of teenagers. What worked for me when I was at home with them doesn't work for me now that I'm working. You know, it's always shifting and changing. So I think it's just finding
Everything Made Beautiful (07:06.232)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (07:20.228)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (07:23.952)
what works for you in the season that you are. And also recognizing it's okay to let go of things too. I think sometimes we hold onto things past the point of expiration because they're good things. you know, there are so many good things that we are invited to do regularly. Bible studies, church groups, community groups, even book clubs, neighborhood things, volunteering at the school. I mean, there are so many.
Everything Made Beautiful (07:27.727)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (07:37.167)
Yeah, yeah.
Jen Thompson (07:53.676)
good things that we could do. But I think just one of the ways that I am abiding with the Lord is taking my day to him, taking my calendar to him before I commit to something, asking him, Lord, do you have this? Is this for me? Is this my yes? And then
just paying attention to, to me, one of the ways the Lord speaks to me is through a feeling of peace. And so if I ask him and then I have that feeling of peace, then I can proceed with confidence until maybe that door closes, you know, sometimes we proceed and then the door ends up closing. But it's just asking him at the start of the day, Lord, where are you? Where can I meet you? What do you have for me? So that's one of the ways.
Everything Made Beautiful (08:21.167)
Mm.
Everything Made Beautiful (08:29.411)
Yeah, yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (08:42.799)
I have, I would imagine there are people going, yes, that's my issue. It isn't that I'm choosing between bad things and good things. It's that I'm choosing between good things and better things all the time. And I say that a lot, you know, when you're in full-time ministry, everything is a Jesus thing. so, and so the concept of I need to say no to some things is I'm saying no.
Jen Thompson (09:01.388)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (09:08.655)
to some things that basically have Jesus name on them because they're all ministry related or fruit of that tree. And so it has been a journey for me personally to go me saying no to this. First of all, I had a pastor who would say, it's a no for now. It's not necessarily a no forever to a lot of things. It's a no for now. It's not necessarily a no forever, which that
Jen Thompson (09:29.823)
I love that.
Everything Made Beautiful (09:34.093)
That was so freeing to me. kind of know the no's forever. Like I'm never going to do that. That's always going to be a no. I struggle with all the things I could do, but now is just not the right season. So that has been freeing for me to know that it's a no for now, not necessarily a no forever, because to your point, seasons change, stage of life changes. But also just because it's a God thing doesn't mean it's the best thing for me in this season. And so
You, I love what you said about taking my calendar before the Lord. Almost any time there's an ask for my time, that question of God, do you have this for me? That's, ooh, that's good. I need to probably go upstairs and get my calendar and do some of that today. There's a, I think on the back of the book or on the explanation of the book, one of the.
women that you're speaking to is the one who feels overcommitted before her feet even hit the floor in the morning. What would you say to that woman if she were sitting across from you today based on the message of return to Jesus?
Jen Thompson (10:44.788)
say you are not alone. I would say
I think so many of us have felt that or are currently feeling that. are in a culture, we are a culture of doers. We have a lot of respect and we honor the productivity of the world. know, like it seems like when people list off all the things that they're doing, there's like, good job, you're doing a good job. But if it's like, well, I'm just in a season of rest,
You know, that feels weird. No, we're not sure what soap. think part of it, I just want to say it's something that's valued in our culture. to, to, to.
Everything Made Beautiful (11:21.325)
Yeah, we're not sure what to do with that. Yeah.
Jen Thompson (11:32.45)
be not over committed, it's kind of counter cultural. And the great thing is the Lord has asked us to live counter culturally. Sorry, that was hard to say. So I think just recognizing the value and rest, that's one of the things. And then the other thing I would like to say is just that
Everything Made Beautiful (11:44.462)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (11:55.992)
We don't have to say yes to everything. Just like you and I were talking about before, it's perfectly acceptable and okay to say no. And one of the things that's been really hard for me, but incredibly freeing is to also realize I don't have to give an explanation for my no. And that can be so hard. I am a people pleaser. That's something I'm working through. I am a perfectionist, which is also something that the Lord is working out in me. So
Everything Made Beautiful (12:00.011)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (12:23.961)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (12:25.936)
The thought of saying no to something when I actually have the space feels like I need to have I need to be able to give a very valid reason as to why I can't serve at the school next Saturday. Because if my calendar is open, I need to do it if I've been asked. Well, I realized for me, that's one of the things that's led to this over committed, overbooked calendar because just because there's space on the calendar doesn't mean I have to fill it. So
Everything Made Beautiful (12:48.697)
Yep. Yep.
Jen Thompson (12:55.906)
the other thing I would say is just that not only is it okay to say no, sometimes it's very necessary. And one of the things that I've done with my family, because I realized when I'm burnt out and overcommitted and overstressed, it just kind of seeps into, goes everywhere. I come out sideways. I'm screaming at people, I'm yelling at people, I'm hurry up, we're running late all the time. it's not pleasant to be around me when I'm
Everything Made Beautiful (13:14.873)
Yeah, yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (13:21.187)
Yes.
Jen Thompson (13:25.776)
that place. So I will schedule no plans days where I will look at the calendar and if we have nothing I'll just say okay we are not and we're not accepting invitations we're not making plans which is kind Sabbath it's a Sabbath. It's a Sabbath but
Everything Made Beautiful (13:40.567)
Yeah, yeah, it's a Sabbath. Yes.
Jen Thompson (13:45.088)
It's not always on a Sunday for us. I realize that can be flexible for our family too. Although the tradition of a Sunday Sabbath, I think is a beautiful tradition to honor and uphold. But for our family, this time it's worked better to schedule, kind of schedule the days. Which also seems maybe counter to like scheduling, no plans today, but it works for us.
Everything Made Beautiful (14:05.903)
But we live in a culture where almost the culture will plan for us if we don't plan. And so I think scheduling no plans matters. And the not giving an explanation for your no, I also am a people pleaser and a perfectionist. And as crazy as this may sound to admit out loud when I'm about to say,
I feel guilty if I just don't want to do the thing. And my husband has started asking me the clarifying questions of, you want to do this or do you feel like you should? Do you want to do this or do you feel like you're supposed to do this? And that has been clarifying for me.
the amount of things I do that I don't actually want to do. And I don't mean, we all have to do things we don't want to do. That's not what I'm saying. But when you're a people pleaser, you do a whole lot of things that you don't necessarily want to do. So I love that. Yeah.
Jen Thompson (15:12.462)
Yeah, I love those questions. Those are great questions to ask. Just the why, why, why are you agreeing to do this? You know, and I realized for myself too, that I also had put kind of my, my worth was tied to the things that I was doing, the ways I was showing up, the ways I was serving. I think I, I, had kind of attached some
Everything Made Beautiful (15:23.374)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (15:32.111)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (15:41.25)
maybe some pride to myself like, well, yeah, yes, I'm doing all of these different things and,
Everything Made Beautiful (15:43.599)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (15:50.006)
I feel like the Lord has really just had to has humbled me to where it's like, wait, no, no, no. I'm not asking you to do all of this. This you are doing this not because I'm asking you to, but because it's more like, well, if I don't do it, who's going to do it? Well, that's silly. If I don't do it, God will have somebody else could show up that do and they're they are the one that is meant to do it. So it's also this feeling of like.
Everything Made Beautiful (15:58.895)
Yeah. Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (16:09.497)
Mm-hmm
Jen Thompson (16:17.938)
I don't have to do all the things. God isn't calling me to do all the things. And maybe if I'm saying yes to everything and over committing to everything, then maybe somebody else isn't having the opportunity to say yes. And they need that yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (16:30.287)
Totally. Yeah, who's opportunity to say yes to God? Am I robbing because I'm so busy over committing to everything? Woo, that's good. One of the points that you make in this, which I think is so good, is that Jesus doesn't just meet us in holy moments, know, holy moments, but in ordinary ones and overwhelming ones as well.
I don't know if you'd agree, but I find, and I have worked a long time with women. And if we're not careful, I think we tend to compartmentalize Jesus and our walk with him into kind of the sacred or special parts of our lives. For instance, we all know we should spend time with Jesus in the morning, but we feel like we have to get ourselves together and clean our lives up and get, you know, get in the right.
you know, framework to be able to come before him, which is, which is not what we know to be true about Jesus, but I think as women, we still struggle with compartmentalization. Do you find that that is the case? And why do think that is?
Jen Thompson (17:40.034)
Yeah, absolutely. For some reason, when you just gave that description of getting ourselves ready before coming to Jesus, I had this image that popped into my mind. There's a show my husband and I really enjoyed called The Marvelous Miss Maisel and it's set in the 50s. And there's a scene at the beginning where she has her curlers in and before her husband wakes up, she sneaks out of bed, does her hair, puts on her makeup, like changes
Everything Made Beautiful (17:55.919)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (18:09.998)
her pajamas and lays there so when he wakes up and he looks at her he thinks that that's how she's just wakes up in the morning just this beautiful like all bright for some reason that's what popped into my mind this idea that we have to just have everything just put together and just so
Everything Made Beautiful (18:17.487)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (18:22.84)
Yes.
Jen Thompson (18:33.922)
But what I love so much about the Lord is that He loves every single part of us and He knows what we are like on inside, outside, those parts that we want to hide the very, very most. He has all access to those parts and He has for all of eternity. And it's never once changed His love for us or how He feels about us or the fact that Jesus died for us.
And so I think that's the thing that I try to remember when I am coming to him in the overwhelm and in the mundane and I feel like I have the furthest thing from put together. That is really...
I don't know if should say when I need him most because I always need him. But it's in those moments where I kind of want to turn from him or avoid him or figure it all out on my own or just get a little shinier before I enter into his presence. If any of that is going through my mind or I'm feeling in my spirit, that's probably a pretty good indicator that, I should meet with him right now. In this moment.
Everything Made Beautiful (19:29.646)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (19:35.364)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (19:46.916)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (19:50.446)
And, you know, one of the things I talk about is kind of off topic a little, guess, but in the book I talk about, I lived in a place of shame for a really long time. And in that place, it was really hard for me to accept that the Lord loved me. I could accept that he loved everybody else. And I understood what the scripture said about his love, but it wasn't connecting.
Everything Made Beautiful (20:19.427)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (20:20.84)
And as I have spent time with him and people have come alongside me to walk with me through this place of doubt and hurt and shame to I've had a lot of people speak truth and love to help me kind of, you know, remove that. And the Lord has been so kind. And one of the things that I realized that actually it just overwhelms my heart is that he was with me.
Even in that moment. Even in that moment when I just wanted.
Everything Made Beautiful (20:51.876)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (20:55.914)
so badly just to cover it. He now I see he was holding me in that moment. And so that's what I want to say is that even when we feel like we don't have it together, or we're just busy or stressed out or yelling at our kids or covered in shame or whatever it is, he's holding us and whether we feel it, just because we might not feel it doesn't mean he's not there. So
Everything Made Beautiful (21:19.373)
Yeah. Yeah, that's so good. And thank you for being vulnerable about sharing about shame. I think more of us struggle with shame, number one, than would want to admit that we do. I also think it's one of the sneakiest attacks of the enemy.
Shame is one of the things Jesus experienced on our behalf. And I think that it sneaks in so easily. we honestly don't always even realize that our responses or our behavior is from a place of shame versus from a place of belovedness and knowing our identity and who we are in Christ. So I appreciate you putting language around that because I think a lot
a lot a lot of people struggle with shame, because we're very susceptible to it, especially if we have an awareness of our own frailty and our own shortcomings, as so many of us do. Shame can be a close companion to that. So thank you for putting language around that. Because Jesus never deals with us in shame. Jesus is never dealing with us.
Jen Thompson (22:31.67)
You're welcome.
Everything Made Beautiful (22:39.819)
expecting shame on you. You should be ashamed of yourself. Some of those things we say that I wish were eradicated from the English language, but always from a place of love. And I will say, when I can grasp God's acceptance of me exactly as I am with all my faults and failures, I feel most loved by Him. When I think I have
gotten myself clean enough to come before him. That is not when I feel the most sense of his overwhelming love for me. It's when I realize he loves me in spite of all the gunk and junk that he already knows about. It's hilarious to me that I try to clean it up as though he didn't see me get out of bed and go get all my makeup on, you know.
Jen Thompson (23:22.113)
Yes!
Jen Thompson (23:27.852)
think for me too the difference is one of those things is more about me and the other is more about him. Like one is more about what do I need to do to make myself appear a certain way versus who is he and who am I to him. You know it's like a mentality shift.
Everything Made Beautiful (23:33.135)
Totally. Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (23:42.542)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (23:47.673)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (23:48.406)
It's not, I'm not saying that because I figured it out all the time, but that's my heart. It is also into silence, like those voices, like you were saying, just to realize how the Lord speaks to us and how he doesn't. And so to be able to recognize if there's this thought that keeps coming back and that's not how the Lord would speak to us. It's like, okay, I'm going to combat that with scripture and truth because that's not.
Everything Made Beautiful (24:14.583)
Yeah, it's good.
Jen Thompson (24:17.196)
That's not something I need to own. This isn't a label I'm gonna put on myself. That's not what God has for me.
Everything Made Beautiful (24:21.155)
Yeah. So good. You write also about disrupting, which I love the word disruption. You write about disrupting rhythms and patterns of life in order to embrace an eternal perspective. Can you give like a practical example from your life, from your day even, what does disruption in order to embrace an eternal perspective look like for you?
Jen Thompson (24:50.84)
Yeah, well, I think so. Like I said, every season is different. And so for me, I think part of it is recognizing that.
what has worked today won't always work tomorrow and what works tomorrow may not work the next day. And so for example, I have always been somebody that my heart is to wake up really early and have quiet time. I think that sounds amazing. And when I do it, it is amazing. Like my day starts off incredible when I wake up and the house is all quiet and I'm by myself with my journals and I know that.
Everything Made Beautiful (25:18.082)
You
Everything Made Beautiful (25:24.888)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (25:34.574)
But I tell you, there have been so many seasons where that's just not happening. And for a while, that made, I felt guilty. I would feel like I am not being a good Christian because this is how I'm supposed to start my day.
Everything Made Beautiful (25:39.439)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (25:49.923)
Yeah, so good.
Jen Thompson (25:51.006)
And I've realized like, no, that's not first off. It's not about being a good Christian. Like there there's nothing in the Bible that's like you must be a good Christian. No, that's just something I'm putting on myself. And so it's finding what rhythms and habits to disrupt that the mundane that focus me back on his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven now. And so things like sing the Lord's Prayer.
Everything Made Beautiful (26:01.711)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (26:17.135)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (26:20.88)
So like the other day I was on a run and I was just starting to kind of slap some labels on myself and then I just started to know I am loved the Lord loves me that the creator of the heavens in there he loves me you love me Lord and just like saying that over and over and over again to put my focus on
this is what the Lord thinks of me. This is how he feels about me in this moment. Asking him, like, what do I need to repent of in my day? Just different little rhythms and habits that we can incorporate. Praying for my family while I'm folding the laundry or, ugh, like even last night, this is kind of gross, but.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:01.101)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:09.903)
You
Jen Thompson (27:10.486)
My cat's having some issues and she threw up in the bed right next to me in the middle of the night. And it's been so long since I've been woken up because my kids are older now. It's just been a long time since that was how I woke up in the morning or in middle of the night. And I was like, so I woke up my husband. We changed the sheets and all of that. And then I laid back in bed and it was like three thirty.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:17.647)
my goodness.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:29.581)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:35.087)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (27:39.638)
and I knew the desire of my heart was to wake up early this morning. So instead I'm laying there and my mind is just blah blah blah. It just takes off just on all the things. And so I just shifted to prayer. I just shifted to prayer and I drifted off. And so I think it's even just moments like that when my mind starts to blah blah blah. Just go, okay, I'm just gonna pray. I'm just gonna, whatever is happening in my head, let's just pray.
And so I think that those are ways that work for me right now just to kind of disrupt my, just take me out of the mundane and focus me back on the Lord.
Everything Made Beautiful (28:21.859)
Yeah, yeah, that's so good. We talk a lot on this podcast about how God makes everything beautiful in its time. God is always in the process of restoration. He's a restorer, repairer. That's what he does. What is a season or stressful situation maybe in your life or your past? Where have you seen God restore?
and redeem kind of beauty from ashes and make everything beautiful and it's time for you.
Jen Thompson (28:59.47)
That's a really good question. And I have so many things going through my head right now. But what I'm going to say is the season that comes to mind, I guess, was
Everything Made Beautiful (29:07.929)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (29:20.406)
When the kids were really little, it was just such a busy time. Like our kids, they're all two years apart. We have four kids and I stayed home with them and...
There were so many times where I was convinced I was not getting it right. Like I just remember I just put so much pressure on myself. I felt guilty all of the time. I felt like I wasn't doing enough with them. I was constantly questioning, you know, was I teaching them enough about the Lord? I, I just everything. And then if I would mess up, if I go, I'm modeling this, this behavior for that. Just, I was so.
Everything Made Beautiful (29:40.527)
Mm.
Jen Thompson (30:05.8)
so hard on myself and it was hard for me to see the things that I was doing right in that season. I was just more seeing the things I thought I was doing wrong and
had a really sweet moment this weekend with my, our oldest is a, she's a freshman in the University of Tennessee. And we've had a, I don't know if a hard year is the right word, but we're learning what this is.
like now that she's on her own. She's independent. We're, but not independent. It's both. And so, yeah, so we were in, we're just in a season of transition and I'm learning that
Everything Made Beautiful (30:53.919)
Yes, I know it well.
Jen Thompson (31:06.156)
communication like my nobody in my family nobody's mind readers and I can't expect them to be and there have been times when I have expected them to be mind readers and to know what I would want and so I was really honest with my husband and my oldest the the day before Mother's Day I was like honestly because they're like what do you want what do you want to do I was like honestly I'm a words of affirmation person I was like the best gift that you could give me is really just to say something affirming like that seriously just just
And on Mother's Day, she was so sweet. And she talked about her younger years in such a
just a really loving way and said how she appreciated the things that we did together and she's appreciated the moments when I was tipping hard on her and just all of these things. I didn't even know that she noticed really. And so it was just this really eye-opening moment for me where I was like,
Everything Made Beautiful (32:06.489)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (32:15.094)
Gosh, I wish I wouldn't have been so hard on myself and thank you Lord that that's not like the kids they really
We're so grateful and we had such like a I don't know, like I don't even know. But I guess it's just that I just appreciated what she said so much. And the Lord took her words and it was just a gift. And lesson learned was just stop being so hard on myself all the time. It's just it's like we were talking about before. It's just this notion. Everything is supposed to look a certain way and we're supposed to perform a certain way and check off all these boxes all the time. And that's not that's
Everything Made Beautiful (32:52.591)
you
Jen Thompson (32:56.45)
not what the Lord asks of us and I think we just need that grace and yeah so her words I guess just made me feel more gracious and I needed them more than I knew.
Everything Made Beautiful (33:02.895)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (33:08.439)
Yeah. And God making something beautiful out of what you thought was poor parenting or, you know, missing the mark. And God is so kind to protect our kids from things that we're like, well, we messed that up. it I had.
Jen Thompson (33:25.642)
Yeah, well I just feel like there is like so much I felt like I needed to be doing. It was just kind of like the boxes like they didn't like maybe they didn't memorize scripture. I didn't get them to church enough or because there was a season when because three out of our four had asthma and other long issues and so like there was a season when we missed church.
Everything Made Beautiful (33:32.121)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (33:46.246)
all of the time. And so I felt so bad about that. And it's like, wait, no, like the Lord still has met with my children in all of these other ways. And yeah, it was just very much realizing like all of these things that I was beating myself up for, God filled in the gaps and he's still filling in the gaps and he's always filling in the gaps. We don't have to do it all.
Everything Made Beautiful (34:03.257)
Absolutely.
Well, thank goodness we can't actually perfectly parent our children. mean, that's if I'm not dependent on the Lord in my parenting and I have adults now that, yeah, we're up a creek if it's all dependent on me and I don't need the Lord to do it. But I had a similar situation with my oldest and it was at Mother's Day and her message to me
Jen Thompson (34:24.692)
Right?
Everything Made Beautiful (34:33.963)
was things that I didn't even realize she was grateful for. But you know, as they get older comes wisdom and they can look back and see things in a new way. That's that's so sweet. One of the things I'm grateful for about the book is that you give tools and reflections for the current season, whatever season the reader may be in. How do you personally discern your season and
how does it impact the way that you approach abiding in that season? Like, are you able to in any given, at any given season? And I'm asking this because I'm sure as women we're like, what do I do? Like, I love everything I'm hearing, what do I do? So how can we discern what season we're currently in with the Lord and are there tools for abiding given that season?
Jen Thompson (35:29.824)
Yeah, I love that. Well, I mean, all seasons, our seasons are changing constantly, too. So, I mean, I could think I'm in the season today and then something happens to surprise. It's a new one. So, so, I mean, I think it's just recognizing like looking at.
Everything Made Beautiful (35:35.481)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (35:39.309)
Yep. Yep.
Jen Thompson (35:50.338)
What are you working? Are you not working? Do you have a family? Do they live with you? Do you, where do you serve? Do you not serve? What's your, it just kind of like, think taking an inventory of your life is a good way to figure out what season you're in. And.
Everything Made Beautiful (35:59.554)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (36:09.098)
You know, you can be in a quote unquote season, an empty nest season, but then it looks different for everybody. So, or you could be in a season where you're raising preschoolers, but that's going to maybe look different than somebody else. So it's kind of like looking at the big picture of your life, wherever you are today and recognizing today is always changing. And in the book, I actually at the end of every chapter have broken down suggestions, rhythms of return.
Everything Made Beautiful (36:30.99)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (36:39.042)
invitations to return and I broke those down into one minute, one hour, and one day because I recognized that in different seasons we have different time constraints, things that work and don't work. Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (36:40.772)
good.
Everything Made Beautiful (36:51.205)
Love that.
Jen Thompson (36:53.774)
So I think when you recognize your season, some seasons I know of my life, like when the kids were little, it was so hands on and I was so exhausted that meeting with the Lord was nursing my baby in the middle of the night or singing Veggie Tales in the car while we're driving or serving them.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:11.853)
Yes.
Jen Thompson (37:16.662)
chicken nuggets for the 10th time that day versus now like it's just me and my husband are at home. It's a quiet house until they come home. So there are different ways I can meet with him now than I could then but they're all good. I think that's the thing is it's all good. There is grace for all of it. There is no perfect way. There's no one way. There's no right answer. We are unique. God created us with unique gifts and talents.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:18.978)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:23.321)
Yeah. Yeah.
Jen Thompson (37:45.652)
He knows us intimately and our relationship with him is gonna be as unique as we are. So I think a big thing too is not comparing ourselves to other people.
And one of the things that I am so guilty of is there have been times in my life when my faith has become like a to-do list because I'm living in the to-do season. So it's like, OK, quiet time, check. Church, check, check, check, check. And then I realized I was like, well, yeah, I'm doing all of these things, which are good. Like the Lord is still feeding me through it. But.
Everything Made Beautiful (38:10.212)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (38:15.214)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (38:23.616)
It wasn't because I was just like really longing to be with him too. So it's kind of this moment of like just figuring out what works and then not feeling guilty if it doesn't work. Because it's not about boxes. It's not, we're a box culture but this isn't about checking off the boxes. So it's okay. It's okay. That's what I want to say.
Everything Made Beautiful (38:35.331)
Yeah. So good.
Everything Made Beautiful (38:42.383)
Yeah.
Yeah, so good. well, I have one question that I ask all of my guests before we wrap up. But before I ask you that with the spirit of return to Jesus and its message in mind for the woman who is listening or watching right now, and she's literally hanging by a thread, like drowning in expectations or numb with busyness.
What is your invitation to her and what do you hope she's able to take away from this today?
Jen Thompson (39:23.234)
You are seen. You are loved. It's not about what you do. It's not about your performance. He is with you in all of that that you're feeling and the overwhelm and the numb and that I don't know how I can keep all of these balls up in the air. Something's going to give.
the feeling of which I know I have felt many times in my life is I've signed up to do all of these things and I don't feel like I'm doing anything well. Like I have said that so many, like I've, there was so much on my plate that it felt like I could just give a small portion of myself to all of the things.
Everything Made Beautiful (39:59.087)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (40:09.102)
and just that the Lord is with you in all those places and spaces and even when we forget to return to Him, even when we forget to look, He's still with you. He loves you. And I think just recognizing that His love isn't based on
what we're doing. It's just based on the fact that we're his child and he loves us. And I think it's just, yeah, that he's with you. I think that's what I want to say. He's with you in every moment of every day. And don't be hard on yourself.
Everything Made Beautiful (40:49.102)
Mm-hmm.
Jen Thompson (40:49.838)
Like give yourself the grace that you know one of the things that I think too like I feel like as women we can be so quick to offer grace to so many other people. Yeah, just like I'm going to give you all the grace. I'm going to step in and help you. I want you to take care of yourself. I'm going to encourage you take care of yourself. I want you to rest. I want you to eat well. I want you to like we want that for everybody else.
Everything Made Beautiful (40:59.311)
Everyone else.
Jen Thompson (41:18.114)
But it's okay to want that for ourselves. it's okay to love yourself, value yourself, care for yourself. It's not selfish. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:20.9)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:27.265)
and prioritize yourself. don't have to be the last in line for sure. That's so good.
Jen Thompson (41:34.102)
And I think of like how we love our children. That's been one of the most eye-opening things for me. It's just the love that I have for my children. How much more does God love me and the things I desire for my children? How much more? Just how much more? You know, so even just think of how if if you happen to have children, just think of how you want to care and love them and then just magnify that by all of eternity and that and like just to rest
Everything Made Beautiful (42:02.423)
Yes.
Jen Thompson (42:04.066)
in that, you know?
Everything Made Beautiful (42:05.881)
So good, so good. Well, the question that I ask all my guests as we end the podcast, which I hope this is a fun question. If you could design, like you are the architect and there are no limits on your perfect, beautiful day, what would it look like from start to finish?
Jen Thompson (42:28.212)
Hey, so I love this question so much. I knew you were going to ask me this question. And I thought about it for so long because I was like, there are so many things I would want to do. It was like it was the best thing to think about. Really, really, it was. I was like, I need I need this. Like I need to make these days like happen in my life more often. But the thing that made me really happy that I landed on so.
Everything Made Beautiful (42:39.479)
Right?
Jen Thompson (42:55.648)
My family, have a Lake Cottage in Northern Michigan. It's about 12 hours from where we live now outside of Nashville and it's 12 hours north and my children are the eighth generation of our family to be there. This cottage has been in our family forever. think it is one of the consistent things in my life where things are always changing. This cottage has not changed. I mean it is...
It's a beaut. so when I thought about it, I thought to wake up in that cottage and just have the day stretch before me with my family all there in the beds and eating dinner on the needlepoint chairs that my grandmother made so many years ago and just spending the entire day there going out in the water.
Everything Made Beautiful (43:26.692)
Yeah.
Jen Thompson (43:55.054)
Just spending time with the people I love and a day that stretches with nothing that we have to do and swimming and the sun shining and Who wants ice cream? I want it, you know, like just an open day honestly, like just a day with nothing but the Sun and my loved ones and water Yeah, I think that's kind of a generic answer, but
Everything Made Beautiful (44:06.936)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (44:20.021)
No, it's not. That sounds delightful.
Jen Thompson (44:22.83)
back to it. I like I wanted to come up with something more like this is what I will do but maybe it's because I'm in the season of trying to let go so it's not very it's just it's just an open day that's it. It will in like my favorite place in world.
Everything Made Beautiful (44:30.883)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (44:34.221)
Yeah, no, that sounds delightful. What a special legacy to have that place. You got to defend that with your life for sure.
Jen Thompson (44:43.552)
Ugh!
tell you it is such a gift and yeah it's Walnut Lake Michigan and it's just a beautiful beautiful place and yeah it's a legacy that I hope will continue for generations and generations to come and thankfully my children have the same love for it that my husband I do and that my dad like that all the other generations have so they would probably answer the question the same if I had to imagine so hopefully because that's like buried in the heart it will continue it will
Everything Made Beautiful (45:13.939)
Yes, yes. Oh, that's so good. Well, thank you for sharing your perfect, beautiful day. We we will all join you at the cottage.
Jen Thompson (45:14.33)
continue I hope.
Jen Thompson (45:19.575)
Thank you.
come along! Come along! It's great! I mean, the more the merrier.
Everything Made Beautiful (45:29.135)
Yeah, that's so good. You strike me as an Enneagram 7, are you?
Jen Thompson (45:34.346)
No, but I appreciate you. Yeah, I am actually a two, but yeah, I'm actually a two, but I definitely have the enthusiast within me. I get very excited about things if you can't tell.
Everything Made Beautiful (45:39.841)
Okay, that makes sense.
Everything Made Beautiful (45:48.099)
Yes, yes. That's so good. Well, it's contagious joy, so I love it. Well, Jen, thank you so much for, first of all, for writing Return to Jesus, but secondly, for just being willing to talk with us and for stewarding that message so well. I'm excited for people to read and to be encouraged and uplifted and affirmed in their relationship with Jesus.
Jen Thompson (45:55.17)
Thank you!
Everything Made Beautiful (46:17.131)
I hope that you feel the same and that you will hear messages of transformation in the way that God is meeting people through your work. And to all of you listening and watching, I will put all of Jen's information and the link to the book and everything in the show notes for you. And I highly recommend that you get it, read it, and that you...
At the end of it all, find yourself really aware of returning to Jesus and knowing that he's always safe and he is always there and he's always ready to receive us no matter what state we find ourselves in. So Jen, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for sharing with us today.
Jen Thompson (46:58.892)
Well, thank you for having me. It has been a joy. It's been an honor and I have just thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. So thank you for your ministry and your heart and all that you do. It's such a gift.
Everything Made Beautiful (47:07.823)
Mm.
well, it's my joy. And for all of you, don't forget to be on the lookout for the way that God is making everything beautiful around you, but including you. And we will see you next time.