HGTV Star Continues to See God Moving All Around Her
By Movieguide® Contributor
A recent day on the farm reminded HGTV star Jenny Marrs that God is always leading us.
“Yesterday, it was time. We needed to move the animals to our berry fields in order to let their normal pasture rest and recover,” she wrote in a Substack post.
Marrs explained that she and her family first moved their horse, donkey, and alpaca to the other field with no problem. The sheep, however, were another story, wandering all over the place, or getting scared and bolting in the opposite direction.
“It took hours of patiently guiding the herd, allowing them to rest when needed, and calming assuring them of their safety, to finally get them corralled in the sheep barn,” she wrote, adding that this experience was “pretty typical.”
“As I tried desperately to assure these gentle creatures that this move was for their benefit and they had nothing to be afraid of, I was convicted of my own ability to panic and run off course when God is leading me toward something new,” Marrs shared. “I was also reminded of the importance of recounting the stories of God’s faithfulness in my life to my kids…Yes, I pray my children find their own faith, not a copycat version of my own. Yet, if the foundation of trustworthiness is built now, it will be much easier for them to seek His voice amidst the chaos of the world later.
Marrs then cited W. Phillip Keller’s “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”:
“With my limited understanding as a finite human being I could not always comprehend His management executed in infinite wisdom. With my natural tendencies to fear, worry, and ask “why,” it was not always simple to assume that He really did know what He was doing with me. There were times I was tempted to panic, to bolt, and to leave His care. Somehow I had the strange, stupid notion I could survive better on my own. Most men and women do.”
“This morning, my sheep are next door, grazing contentedly on the abundant grass there. They feared the move, they fought against the move…Yet, as their shepherd(ess), I knew better,” she wrote. “I knew there were green pastures awaiting them just on the other side of the struggle. I knew they were headed toward something better than this place with meager offerings where they would’ve stayed simply because it was known and comfortable.”
She explained that, while the path might get “rocky and scary,” she “would never leave them. I would be right there, guiding them, assuring them. When they veered off-course, I wouldn’t get angry with them. I knew they were afraid. I would gently, lovingly, patiently, remind them that I was right there. They could trust me. I wouldn’t let them down.”
“And, this morning, on the other side of that move, I can understand a little better why God often calls us His sheep,” Marrs concluded. “And, why He can be trusted as my Good Shepherd.”
Marrs often draws parallels between her life on the farm and her faith.
“After moving the sheep back to our front pasture (we regularly rotate pastures to keep the ground and the sheep healthy), I thought about how many spiritual lessons I’ve learned from caring for my little flock,” she wrote in a May Instagram post.
Marrs continued, “Watching my four-legged babies flourish in a well-cared for pasture brings me such joy. I get the smallest glimpse in these moments of how deeply loved and cared for I truly am, even when I get distracted or I take my eyes of Him or if I’m out in front like Teddy, listening and obeying. In all times, He is patiently there, guiding me along to the abundantly green pastures He has prepared for me.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Marrs’ recently-launched Substack:
HGTV star Jenny Marrs has started blogging again in an effort to “process the world and the ways [she sees] God working in it.”
“Over the past eighteen months, I’ve been quietly working on a memoir,” she wrote in a Substack post. “The process has made me realize how much I miss long-form writing. Journaling is how I process the world around me and name the ways God is actively working in my life.”
“Moses gives us an antidote for fear = remember,” Marrs explained. “He instructs us to fight fear, to stand against anxiety, to remain steadfast in our faith simply by remembering God’s faithfulness in our past. When we look back at God’s faithfulness in the past, we can trust Him to be faithful in our present situation. The act of recording His faithfulness helps us to remember.”
She shared that, in times of fear or struggle, she often writes down favorite Bible verses to remind her of God’s love and faithfulness.
“Which brings me to this platform, I’ll take up the act of online journaling once again,” Marrs concluded. “I’ll use this space to record and remember. I hope you’ll join me here as I process the world and the ways I see God working in it.”
