“A few years ago God placed a passion within me. The primary longing is to know God; to catch a glimpse of His beauty, His love, and His humor. The next is to share Him with people like you.” —Paula Moldenhauer
Paula Moldenhauer is a homeschooling mom just like you , whose desire is to encourage us all to draw closer to Jesus Christ. Paula sends out a weekly email devotional and has a beautiful website called SoulScents. I asked Paula to tell us a little about her ministry and to share one of her devotionals with us.
TOS: Paula, can you tell us how the vision for SoulScents came about?
Paula: God has used life experiences, some of them difficult, to reveal His heart of love to me. I became hungry for Him and wanted to share the wonder of my discoveries with others. My husband convinced me that online devotionals were the answer to my heart cry.
The name SoulScents came out of financial hardship. During a very lean time, I craved some scented lotion we couldn’t afford. While praying, I realized that God wanted me to crave Him. Then my mind went to the passage in 2 Corinthians that says we are the fragrance of Christ. I want to be so close to Him that His fragrance rubs off on me and leaves a scent of Him trailing after me.
TOS: It’s a beautiful aroma! What do you hope to accomplish with your website and weekly devotionals?
Paula: I long to see other women discover the joy, beauty, and grace of our Lord Jesus. I want to be an instrument that causes hunger in the soul for more of Him. Having tasted of God’s grace, I am passionate about living in the freedom of the cross and want to partner with Christ in “setting the captives free.” We get so bound up in the lies of the enemy and the world that we sometimes miss the adventure of life with Christ.
TOS: Our life in Him is quite an adventure—is this where the inspiration for your devotionals comes from?
Paula: Yes. I’ve kept a journal since grade school, and as I’ve matured as a Christian, it has become a record of my relationship with God. Many of the devotionals come from those journal entries—touchstones of God’s faithfulness.
TOS: I have noticed that one of your main themes revolves around God’s unconditional and fervent love toward us. Why is knowing this kind of love so important?
Paula: As a child, I was very performance-driven. I worked hard, strove for perfection, and felt intensely guilty when I failed. Trying to be the prefect mother was especially crushing. One day the Lord showed me the problem while studying the book of Ephesians. “All your life you’ve tried to be good,” He whispered to my heart. “Discover My love and let ME make you good.”
I used to see God as Someone who was often disappointed in me. I now see Him as Someone who loves me and understands my weaknesses. He says, “Let’s try this again My way,” instead of shaking His finger in my face or turning from me in disgust. My intimacy with Him was constantly challenged by my own guilt. When I failed, I turned from Him in shame. Now, I run to Him, knowing He will hold me—that I was forgiving before I ever blew it, and that He will remake me to be like Jesus.
TOS: What advice/encouragement do you have for other homeschool mothers who may be struggling with insecurity?
Paula: I have shed uncountable tears worrying over my mothering and homeschooling. I am learning that this journey with my children isn’t about me. It’s about God. He loves my children even more than I do and will be faithful to us as we seek His heart. I may feel like I will NEVER be up to this task of homeschooling, but there is never a second when God isn’t up to it.
TOS: A great perspective to keep in mind throughout our journey here on earth. Thank you, Paula, for sharing your life with us. I, for one, have been brought closer to Jesus Christ through your ministry.
Paula Moldenhauer is a homeschooling mother of four. When she’s not teaching reading to her younger ones, multiplying fractions with the big kids, or sipping herb tea with her husband, she loves to write. Her website, www.soulscents.us, offers book reviews, homeschooling hints, and a free weekly devotional delivered to your email box.
Thanksgiving Community
By Paula Moldenhauer
“… as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us …” —John 17:21
November brought longings for community, piles of good food, and honey warmth. Despite my grieving heart, I determined to look away from the barren trees whose severed leaves symbolized our many losses. Within a few months my beloved father-in-law had died, my husband lost his job, we left our church home, and my mother and step-dad divorced.
I saw the dark circles under my husband’s eyes and prayed for patience as my oldest son expressed his grief through anger. I worried about my daughter, who hid her sorrow as she tried to cheer us up, and I held the little boys as they cried. Thanksgiving? How could I be thankful? All I could see were big, gaping holes where loved ones should be. My wavering faith vacillated between accusing God of abandoning me to clinging desperately to Him.
I questioned God as never before—and yet, the very act of questioning confirmed my faith. As I was honest about my pain, the Lord showed me that beneath each unmet desire, behind every empty hold, I could find Him. Surface desires were merely mirrors exposing my deepest desire—Christ Himself.
I longed for community: Jesus pointed me to the perfect community. He is one with His Father and the Holy Spirit. He invited me to commune with Them. His prayer, “Father, make them one, even as You and I are one,” encouraged me to drink deeply of the Perfect Relationship so that I could function in the reality of an imperfect world.
My mother-in-law came from out of town. Friends without family nearby graced our table. We came together broken and lonely, yet the Lord united us in the fellowship of His Spirit and together we spent the day in the sweetness of His grace in a true Thanksgiving community.
“Lord, enter our lonely places and fill them with Yourself. Make us one with You that we may be one with others.”
Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor, Chapel Editor, and Devotional Editor for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine. She resides in Roseville, California with her husband Richard and their seven gifts from heaven. She loves digging for buried treasure in the Word, reading, writing, homeschooling, and dark chocolate!
www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/DevDoorDeborah
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