POST 🤍ONE

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

Last night, my patience was so short that all of Liam’s “wants” got on my nerves. He has so many wants from one second to the next.

“Let’s go here. Let’s go there. I want to see this. I want to do that. Mama, you never let me do this. Blah… blah… blah….”

When I asked him to do something, he had a hundred reasons why his answer was “not right now” instead of “yes ma’am.”

While we were putting up the laundry, it spilled out of me before I could catch it. The hurtful words.

“Shut up, Liam!”

His little face fell. Then, the tears came.

If you know me at all—especially if I ever taught you in school—you know shut up is my no-no phrase. I hate it. I rarely say it. As a child, nothing devastated me more than being told to “SHUT UP.” Unfortunately, there I was, using the very words that once wounded me—aimed at the precious boy God entrusted to me.

My heart broke, but more importantly, his did too.

Sophia, our middle daughter, ran into my room, wearing her strawberry pajamas, to defend her brother and said, “Mama, are you going to traumatize this one too?”

I sat in silence.

Had I?
Had I traumatized my children?
Had I damaged the people God so graciously gifted me to love and to nurture?

I pivoted quickly—apologized, hugged Liam, and he whispered, “Mama, I forgive you.” Ultimately, in that moment, I knew I had a bigger problem than seeking forgiveness from my nine-year-old.

I had a heart problem. A BIG one.

That night, as I listened to my Bible reading plan and fought heavy eyelids, I kept asking the Lord, “What is wrong with me today—and any day—that I would hurt my precious children just because I can? What is wrong with me exactly?“

I fell asleep thinking of that very question.

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The Clap at 5 A.M.

Just like Jesus often does, He woke me at 5 a.m. I heard a loud clap in our bedroom—clear and sharp—yet Rudy, my little chiweenie, didn’t even stir beneath the covers. That clap was meant for me, Jesus got my attention, and He answered my question:

“You’ve let your heart go sour.”

I began praying and repenting right there in the bed—asking the Father to forgive my sour heart, my unforgiveness, my offenses, my impatience. After several minutes, the Father’s answer came:

“Meet Me at the Mercy Seat.”

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The Mercy Seat & the Atonement

The Mercy Seat was the place where the blood of the sacrifice was applied so that God could dwell with His people.

“There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat… I will speak with you.” — Exodus 25:22 (ESV)

The Mercy Seat was never a place of shame—it was a place of meeting.

Jesus Became Our Mercy Seat

What was once a location in the tabernacle is now a PERSON. He is Son of God and of Man. JESUS…

“Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” — Romans 3:25 (ESV)
“He is the propitiation for our sins.” — 1 John 2:2 (ESV)

When my heart turned sour and my words wounded my child, the Father did not say, “Hide from Me.” He said, “Meet Me at the Mercy Seat.”

The Throne Is Open Right Now

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Mercy is for the moment I fail. Grace is for the strength to change.

A New Heart Instead of a Sour One

“I will remove the heart of stone… and give you a heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)

The Mercy Seat is not only about forgiveness; it is about becoming new.

What This Means for Us

• My sin meets His blood—and mercy wins.
• Repentance is invitation, not punishment.
• I am corrected, not rejected.
• Jesus stands between me and every accusation.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1 (ESV)

For the believer, the Mercy Seat means:

• My failures are not final.
• Repentance opens the door to restoration.
• Shame does not define me—Jesus does.
• I can return again and again to the presence of God.

The Lamb of God paid for the moment I yelled.
The Lamb paid for the impatience.
The Lamb paid for the mother I used to be—and the one I am becoming.

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Shepherd Truths from John

Thank You, Jesus!

Jesus atoned for all my mistakes and all my sin—past, present, and future. When I am discipled by the Holy Spirit and seek repentance, Jesus intercedes for me. He allows me to see the face of God and interact with His presence because He has already propitiated my sin.

I asked Him to soften my sour heart back into a heart of flesh—one that seeks Him and speaks with the Father from the Mercy Seat, where my Lord Jesus sits at His right hand.

All morning I have searched the Word for answers, for guidance, for identity. When guilt and shame rise up, the sacrifice of Jesus reminds and restores who I am in Christ.

I don’t stay who I used to be—wretched, lost, filthy.
I am who the I AM says I am.

Before work, I sought Jesus, and I prayed one simple prayer:

“Lord, I ask that only the Lamb of God surround me today and every day.”

When I finished, Rudy, my silly little chiweenie, began barking—looking straight ahead, sensitive as always to the spirit realm. That’s when I noticed a shadow.

I took a picture and sent it to my friend who sees in the Spirit. She wrote back:

“I see the shadow of a shepherd holding a shepherd’s hook.”

She didn’t know what I had prayed. She only saw what Jesus allowed her to see.

My Redeemer—the Good Shepherd—literally, spiritually, and figuratively surrounds me day and night. There is no mistake. There is no sin. There is no failure that can separate me from the love of God because of Jesus’ sacrifice for me.

Not when I feel defeated.
Not when I feel shame.
Not when guilt screams louder than grace.
Not when my past tries to creep back up.

I know the Shepherd, and He knows me.

Jesus reminded me who He is.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” — John 10:14 (ESV)

🌿Declarations for understanding my identity in Christ🌿

• I am known by the Shepherd.
• Jesus speaks my name, not my shame. — John 10:3
• I will follow His voice above guilt. — John 10:4
• My worth is measured by the cross. — John 10:11
• No one can snatch me from His hand. — John 10:28
• He surrounds me with pasture and peace. — John 10:9

I am not the mother who yelled.
I am the daughter who repented.
I am the sheep who knows her Shepherd.

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A Challenge for Mothers Raising Kingdom Builders

Today I choose to live between two truths:

• The Mercy Seat where my sin is atoned by the Lamb
• The Shepherd’s arms where my life is guided by love

If you are a mother reading this, so much of the future Kingdom is being shaped in your ordinary days—in laundry rooms and car lines, at kitchen tables and during bedside prayers. The enemy would love for one harsh moment, one tired outburst, one overwhelmed evening to convince you that you are disqualified. However, the Gospel says otherwise.

Your children are not being raised by a perfect mother. They are being raised by a repentant one, and repentance is one of the greatest gifts a child can witness.

When we return to the Mercy Seat, we teach them that failure is not final.
When we follow the Shepherd, we show them how to follow Him too.
When we apologize, we model the very grace we want them to extend to others.

So here is my challenge to you, precious mama:

• Do not build your identity on your worst moment.
• Do not let shame parent your children.
• Run quickly to the Mercy Seat and just as quickly back into your children’s arms.
• Let them see a mother who needs Jesus—and is not afraid to say so.

Your home is holy ground.
Your motherhood is discipleship.
Your repentance is a sermon they will never forget.

Today I declare over myself—and over you:

I am not the mother who sinned.
I am the daughter who repented.
I am the sheep who knows her Shepherd.

By His mercy and His grace, I will raise children who know Him too.

Prayer

Jesus, Mercy Seat, and Good Shepherd, forgive me where I have failed. Soften my sour heart. Lead me with Your staff. Let Your voice be louder than my shame. Surround me with the Lamb of God today and every day.
Amen.

Post 🤍Two…LOADING…

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The Mercy Seat & the Atonement — A Study for Blood-Bought Children

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