The Shunammite woman desired a child, but when given the opportunity to tell the prophet Elisha what she desired, she did not ask for it. While her response demonstrates contentment, she may have been dealing with fractured faith. There is a fine line between being content in your faith and being convinced that your faith can produce more.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a place of apathy or discontent where we take lukewarm actions. Instead of following God's instructions, we stop short. Often, this is a result of having unmet expectations. When we don't believe we're winning in a specific area of our lives, we lose our zeal and let our hearts withdraw, leaving room for apathy to grow.

Hunger is influencing our lives for better or for worse. There is a hunger hormone in our body called ghrelin. This hormone will grow or shrink based on whether we eat healthy food or unhealthy food. But for many of us, rather than letting hunger drive us to physical food, we should let our hunger drive us to God. 

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that involves doing without food for a period of time for a spiritual purpose. Fasting is about replacing a natural thing (time spent preparing food, thinking about food, etc.) with a spiritual thing (spending time with the Lord in prayer). Fasting produces spiritual fitness and crucifies the flesh. God’s people fast throughout Scripture. Fasting produces supernatural results.

According to Galatians 4:4, Jesus was born at the fullness of time, meaning He was born at the right time. Still, it didn’t feel like the right time for Mary and Joseph. Mary wasn’t ready, and Joseph was unprepared. They were traveling to their hometown for an important census. To them, the timing of Jesus’ birth felt crazy. But it’s not up for discussion if God wants to birth something in our lives. When God says it’s time, then it’s time.

We don't have to spend money. We don't have to go on vacation. We don't need more friends, a new outfit, or a reservation at the most exclusive restaurant in town. Joy has already appeared among us. It's a supernatural gift that's currently available. 

Have you ever shown up to an event uninvited and unwelcome by the host? If the woman weeping and cleaning Jesus' feet were asked this question, she would say "yes." This woman showed up at the home of a Pharisee who was hosting a lavish meal for Jesus.

Home is God’s design, no matter where you are in your parenting journey. We need to establish a home built on God’s word, God’s ways, and God’s work. We need homes that are steeped in the things of God.