A week ago, our family went on a getaway. We took a few days off and drove about two hours north to Lancaster, PA for a vacation. We spent time playing in the pool at the hotel, going out to eat, visiting some of our favorite stores, building legos, and of course drinking lots of coffee.
I always forget how even just a few days away can make such a big difference. There’s just something about a change of pace and a change of place that helps to bring some much needed peace.
When the pressures of every day life grow to be too heavy to handle, and it seems like the stress is just too much, sometimes all it takes is a few days away to get some peace and perspective. I feel like we were able to get just that.
Matt and I started our morning each morning in the hotel with a coffee from Starbucks and extra time doing our morning time routine. The kids just played or watched something while we did this. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We didn’t have to hurry out the door to go somewhere, we didn’t have to get school started, we didn’t have to get busy working…we just took our time and enjoyed our morning.
Matt and Malachi building legos
Finding Time Alone
I love this verse from the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is one of those unassuming books in the Bible that is chock full of great verses.
Finding time alone is one of the best things we can do when we are discouraged and disheartened or feel like we can’t hold up beneath the weight of our burdens. I think it works best if it’s somewhere other then your home. There’s something about a new location that seems to help us be more sensitive to God’s voice. Maybe it’s a cabin in the woods, next to a creek, in the mountains, at the beach, a hotel, or a coffee shop. Wherever it is, find time to be quiet and alone. Let God be the One to restore your hope.
Planning a Getaway
If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just lost your creativity or passion, maybe it’s time to plan a getaway. It doesn’t have to be long or expensive. Nor does it have to be something awesome like Disney Land; it can simply be an overnight stay an hour away. Don’t underestimate the peace that even just twenty-four hours away can bring.
Mary stood at the foot of the cross watching her beloved Master suffer in agony. His pain was suffocating her. She wished she were the one up there suffering instead of him. She deserved to be there because of her shameful past; her Master did not. He hadn’t done anything wrong.
He had entered her life and turned her world upside down. Before him, she only knew darkness. Her life only existed in a loveless, colorless life. Yet, when Jesus entered her life, he changed everything. He cast out the darkness inside of her, giving her new life and freedom. She began to see life in color for the very first time. He gave her a purpose worth living for. He changed everything for her. She chose to follow him everywhere that he went. Those had been the best days of her life. A sob built in her chest as she watched the one who had changed her suffering and in so much pain.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had done so much good. Jesus spoke life into everyone around him. He had healed so many people. Mary tightened her arm around her friend, Mary, Jesus’ mother. As much as she herself was hurting, she couldn’t begin to imagine the grief Mary was enduring. Yet, Mary stood stoically, gazing upon her firstborn son. Mary looked around her friend Mary to see Salome, James’ and John’s mother standing on Mary’s other side. As Mary’s two friends, it was their job to stand on either side of her, ready to hold her up if need be.
Mary’s Pain
Hours later, Mary stood in the same position, her heart numb. She tightened her hold on Mary as they stood watching the men roll a huge stone in front of the tomb, cutting off their last view of Jesus’ body. It was then that Mary’s stoic composure finally crumbled. Mary and Salome both knelt beside their friend as her grief consumed her.
Mary had no words to say to her friend. She simply held her as she fell apart. All she felt was emptiness. Her heart felt cold and empty. Why? That was the only word that kept running through her mind over and over on an endless loop.
Jesus’ Choice
Have you ever been there? Have you had your world comes crashing down and the only word that comes to mind is why? All you feel is emptiness. This is where Mary Magdalene found herself. This was the same Mary in whom Jesus cast out seven demons. After that, she became a devout follower of Jesus. That’s what led her to the foot of the cross that day. Even when Jesus’ most devout followers forsook him and fled, Mary followed Jesus. She stood with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Salome, the mother of James and John—two of Jesus’ disciples.
What makes Mary’s story truly incredible is that Mary is the first person that Jesus appears to after his resurrection. Of all the people he could have chosen to appear to first, he chose Mary.
He could have chosen:
Mary- his mother
Peter- the disciple who had betrayed him
John- his close friend and disciple, “the one whom Jesus loved”
Joseph of Arimathea- the man who gave his tomb so that Jesus could be buried in it
Any of his brothers or sisters
The religious leaders who had requested his crucifixion
Pilate- the Roman governor who gave the order for Jesus’ crucifixion
Instead, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. Mary had no way of knowing on Friday that the greatest miracle this world has ever known would take place in just three days. Her loss and pain paved the way for Jesus to perform an amazing miracle, one that forever changed the course of history.
Paving the Way for a Miracle
I don’t know what you’re going through right now. You may be experiencing the death of a dream, the loss of a job, a heartbreak, a setback, a relationship that has been destroyed, incredible financial strain, physical pain, bad health, a divorce, a desire that just won’t come to fruition… I don’t know what it is, but I do know this. It’s part of your story. God’s allowed this chapter to be written into your story.
You may not want it as a part of your story. You may be begging God to change your story. I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve been in a place where I knew God could change the story, and I believed with everything inside of me that He would. And when he chose not to, I felt my hope dissipate.
My story didn’t turn around in three days. It took much longer than that, but I finally began to see God working in my life again. And when I finally did, I was so glad I hadn’t given up on Him and walked away.
What if your miracle is just days away? What if your loss is paving the way for a miracle in your life and in the life of your family? Could it be that you just need to hold on to hope a few more minutes, a few more hours, a few more days, a few more months or years?
It could be that God is preparing even now to step in and to give you that miracle. So don’t give up. Keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping. Because when God does step in, He could rewrite your story and change the course of history.
Have you felt like you want to quit lately? Do you ever feel like what you’re doing is just not working, like you’re not cut out for what God has for you?
There’s usually a time (or two) when we come to a point in our lives and wonder if what we are doing with our lives is a mistake. Often, we call it a mid-life crisis. It’s a point where we realize that life is quickly flying past, and we wonder if what we are doing with our life really matters.
Maybe it’s the business you felt for sure God led you to start or the non-profit you were convinced He wanted you to spear-head. Possibly it’s the career you’ve given your life to that suddenly doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Or maybe you chose to stay home with your kids, but now you just feel exhausted and discouraged and unfulfilled. Whatever it is, you felt so sure that this is what God had for you at one point in your life…now, you’re not so sure.
A Few Bad Reviews
I know exactly how you feel. For those of you who are new to Faithfully Stepping, along with this blog and the books, journals, and devotionals I create with my husband under Manney Resources, I also write fantasy fiction under my pen name A. J. Manney. I wrote in last week’s blog how I’ve been struggling with comparing myself to other authors. Well, this week, I was slammed with a few bad reviews on Amazon for one of my books.
One reviewer said that they felt like they were reading a book written by a preteen in a frenzy. Ouch! I’m not even really sure what that means. I do know this—it’s not good. I read the reviews and felt sick to my stomach. They bothered me all week. I finally sat down and talked to my husband about it and told him everything I was feeling. After a long talk that grew heated at times, he finally said this. “I’m not going to let you give up on your dream, the dream God gave you, just because some people don’t like your writing. You’re not doing it for them.”
Finding Hope
I heard his words but didn’t let them sink in. Then I read a verse during my morning time routine that really encouraged me.
While I wait for God as long as he remains in hiding, while I wait and hope for him. I stand my ground and hope…
Isaiah 8:16,17 MSG
As I read those words, “I stand my ground and hope,” God brought back to mind the words Matt had spoken to me. God reminded me in the quietness of the morning that it wasn’t time to quit. I need to stand my ground and not give up.
Don’t Quit
I don’t know what you are considering walking away from or giving up on, but I want to encourage you today to stand your ground and hope. It’s too soon to give up. It’s too soon to quit on what God has called you to do. It’s too soon to give up on your marriage or your child who’s walked away from God. Don’t quit praying for your miracle. Don’t stop praying for that job or opportunity. It’s always too soon to give up.
Whatever God has led you to do, don’t give up now that it’s difficult, now that’s it’s not what you thought it would be, not when it’s harder than it was supposed to be.
“God never promised success; He simply promised His presence.”
From my book The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life
When Women Pray
I read today in my new favorite book by T. D. Jakes, When Women Pray, the quote below.
God’s extraordinary power will flow through the prayers of ordinary people when we have the faith to pray—and when we are willing to take action to open the door and take hold of what God has set before us.
When Women Pray: 10 Women of the Bible Who Changed the World Through Prayer by T. D. Jakes
I love those words! They are the encouragement I need to not give up and to keep going with what God has for me! I hope they do the same for you today.
More Encouragement
For more encouragement on this topic, check out Jess Connolly’s book,You Are the Girl for the Job. I love this book. It will encourage you to step into what God has for you and not give up. And check out this song by Mandissa—”It’s Not Over.”
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure HERE.
When Everybody Else is Succeeding Except for You
Do you ever feel like everybody else is succeeding in life except for you? Sometimes it feels like everybody has their act together except for us. Of course, the way this most often manifests itself is on social media. Everybody on social media is succeeding; at least, that’s how it feels
I’m not usually one of those people that has to take a break from social media. I am on social media often because of trying to build a platform for my books and for Manney Resources. Usually, I can hop on, scroll around, and hop off and it doesn’t bother me. Lately though, it’s been a source of continual frustration.
My Own Personal Struggle
Let me peel back the curtains and give you a glimpse into my personal life. I write books and blog posts for Faithfully Stepping, but I also write fantasy fiction books under my pen name, A. J. Manney.
Well, there is a young mom on Instagram that started writing this past year. She’s an independent author like myself and published her first book on Amazon in November of 2020. She had very little social media presence prior to her book launch.
Her book has done exceptionally well. She has over four hundred reviews already for it. She’s written three more books since then, and they’re all doing really well. Meanwhile, my book hasn’t even hit twenty reviews yet, and it’s been out for a year longer than hers. Watching her book take off has been incredibly hard for me. I’ve really struggled with wondering whether I should even continue down this path.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out why it is I’m not succeeding, trying to figure out what to change. I’ve cried, stressed, worked harder, tried more things, only to come up empty time and time again. I’ve been so frustrated with it lately, and I feel like every time I jump on social media I see somebody else who is killing it. It’s really been defeating for me.
Then God gave me a simple reminder a few days ago that came in the form of a simple flower.
Two Different Flowers
When you look at the two pictures below, what do you notice? How are they different? Which one do you want in your home?
I think we would all say that we love the first flower. It’s beautiful. It’s in full bloom and doing what it was created to do. The second flower, not so much. It’s not beautiful yet. It’s actually kind of ugly at the moment. It doesn’t draw our attention like the first flower does.
I saw these two flowers the other day and snapped a picture. God brought this thought to mind, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since: There is only one difference between the first flower and the second…time. Both flowers receive the same amount of sunlight and water. The same caretaker cares for them. They are similar in every way except one bloomed sooner than the other.
When it’s the right time, that second flower is going to bloom. It will be beautiful. It will catch people’s eye. No one will remember when it was ugly; they will only remember it in full bloom
A Time for Succeeding
Solomon reminds us in the book of Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 KJV
If you’re in a season of life right now like I am where you feel like everyone around you is succeeding, but you’re not and no matter how hard you work, you just can’t seem to get ahead…maybe it’s simply a timing thing.
Remember that God took Moses to the backside of a desert for 80 years before God led him to free the children of Israel. It took fifteen years for David to become King after Samuel anointed him. Joseph was around seventeen when he had his dreams, but it wasn’t until he turned thirty that God brought his dreams to pass and he became second in command of all of Egypt. Jesus waited thirty years before beginning his public ministry that only lasted three years. Yet, those three years of ministry make Him the most well-known person in history.
I think we could agree that each of these people led amazing lives of faith that still inspire us today. Yet each one of them had this in common—they led lives of obscurity until God brought them into the light.
God’s Timing
God’s timing is so much better than ours because he thinks so differently than we do. Why? Because we think only in terms of the here and now. God thinks in view of eternity.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8,9 MEV
If you are feeling right now that you just aren’t where you thought you’d be by now, that you just aren’t succeeding as you should be, let me give you two thoughts to encourage you.
1. It’s a Timing Thing
It’s just not the right time. You just aren’t in full bloom yet. Right now, you’re still growing, still finding your way. When it’s the right time, you are going to bloom…and it’s going to be beautiful.
But don’t stop working hard, pushing, striving, creating, and becoming the best you can be at what you are doing. So when the time is right, you will be ready to succeed.
2. God Is Using the Tension to Push You to Greatness
Do you realize that God often intentionally brings rivals into your life to provoke you? Not to provoke you to anger or jealousy, but to provoke you to greatness. To poke you and prod you toward the potential He sees in you.
When Women Pray
Go back and read that again. It’s so good, isn’t it? I decided that this author has been brought into my life to provoke me. Not to make me mad or jealous, but simply to push me towards the potential God sees in me. What an amazing way to turn things around. What a great way to think about it!
Who in your life right now is God using to push you towards your potential, towards the greatness He knows is inside of you because He placed it there Himself?
I don’t know where you’re at right now. Maybe this doesn’t even apply to you. But if you are someone who needed to hear this today, I hope these words encourage your heart.
Encouragement for Today
If God has placed someone in your life who is always one step ahead of you. She has more social media followers, she makes more sales or income, has a nicer house, dresses better, and on and on the list goes…realize that she might be in your life simply to push you towards your potential. So don’t get mad. Don’t give up. Use it to push you towards the greatness God has for you.
If it’s a timing issue, there is absolutely not one thing you can do. It’s in God’s hands. Read this verse and let these words encourage your heart.
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time.
I Peter 5:6 MSG
You be you, and let God do the work of promoting you in due time. When it’s the right time, you will bloom and it will be the most beautiful thing to see.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure HERE.
Welcome to Faithfully Stepping
Thanks so much for entering my favorite things giveaway and welcome to Faithfully Stepping! If you are new around here, you can find out more about me and why I started Faithfully Stepping HERE.
This is a place of encouragement for the person whose life doesn’t look anything like they thought it would. Life has fallen apart around them, and they have been left to pick up the pieces. My passion is to help that person. I send out a weekly email every Friday with encouragement to help you keep faithfully stepping into what God has for you.
Our Family
Popular Posts
Here are some of my most popular posts to get you started:
I hope you will find my emails each week encouraging, uplifting, and just what you need to keep going. I’m happy to have you along for the journey, a journey of Faithfully Stepping!
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure HERE.
30-to-THRIVE System
Our Passion
Matt and I have a passion to help people develop a morning time routine. Having a consistent morning time routine of Bible reading, prayer, and journaling has been the number one grounding factor in our lives that has kept us from giving up and sticking with what God has for us and in turn has helped us to thrive.
So many times over the years, we have gotten discouraged and wanted to quit our church plant. When people got upset with us, when we didn’t get paid for months on end, when we felt like God had forgotten us, when we had to sell our house…during all of those times, having a consistent morning time kept us from quitting and walking away.
Manney Resources
Because it’s made such an impact on our lives, we have a burden and desire to help others learn to develop a morning time routine of their own. So, we created Manney Resources where we sell books, journals, and Bible studies to help Christians grow their faith one day at a time. Because we believe if you change your morning, you can grow your faith, and change your life.
If you check out Manney Resources, you will see you can download a free Morning Time Routine Guide. I highly recommend doing that. The Morning Time Routine Guide is a 6-page personal guide to kick-start your mornings, transform how you study the Bible, help you get consistent with your prayer-time, turn Bible reading into a reflection that you will take through your day, and read more books to improve your career, build your relationships, and grow your faith in just 30 minutes a day.
The 30-to-THRIVE System
Matt and I have turned our morning time routine into an easy 30-minute system that we call thirty-to-thrive. There are three steps to the system. Each step takes ten minutes, resulting in thirty minutes.
10 minutes reading a devotional or Bible passage⠀⠀
The first step is to spend ten minutes reading a devotional, such as our He Still Calms Storms Devotional, or reading the Bible. You Version has tons of Bible reading plans to choose from and is a great resource.
10 minutes writing in a journal
Faithfully Stepping Journals
The second step is to journal. I recommend using my Faithfully Stepping Journal. I created these journals specifically for women using the system I’ve used for years. Whether you use my journal or another journal, the process is simple. There are two sections—a section for prayer and a section for journaling about what you’ve read.
Prayer
Gratitude. Write down at least three things you are grateful for.
Confession. Write down what you need to confess from yesterday.
Requests. Write down what you are praying for today.
Journaling
Write down anything that encouraged you from what you read. It may be a thought or an actual verse. Writing down what impacted you will help it stay with you for the rest of the day.
*Just a note: The Faithfully Stepping Journal has a third section. This section is for writing down thoughts, reminders, or tasks for the day that come to mind while you are writing in your journal.
10 minutes reading a book⠀⠀⠀
A huge part of growing as a Christian and staying encouraged comes from reading good Christian inspirational books. If you read just ten minutes a day, you could easily read ten books a year. You can find a list of some of my favorite books HERE, or you can check out the books I’m currently reading.
I believe God can use books in a powerful way in our lives. I believe that because I’ve seen it happen. When Matt and I get discouraged, we will often go to Barnes and Noble and buy a book or two. Books have played a huge role in who we are, what we believe about God and life around us, the work we do, and our overall spiritual health and encouragement.
It’s Time to THRIVE
Developing a morning time routine is the most important thing you can do to develop your faith and grow in your relationship with Jesus. Try it for just one week and see if if doesn’t make a huge difference in your life and you begin to thrive!
I’ve thought a lot about those words. It’s made me stop and think in my own life, What am I looking at? What is catching my attention? Is it all the negativity around me? Is it the fighting of my children? Maybe the frustrations of daily life?
If I am actively looking for beauty all around me, I am going to find beauty. If I’m looking for good all around me, I’m going to find it. However, if I’m looking for faults, I’m going to find them easily both in myself and in other people. If I am focused on fear, I’m going to see life through that lens.
We Need to Focus On God’s Goodness
Our focus should be on God and His goodness. It’s impossible to focus on God’s goodness and negativity at the same time.
Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
Philippians 4:8 TLB
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works.Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.
Psalm 145:5-7 NKJV
So how can we practically look for goodness and beauty in our lives?
Actively looking for good
1. Practice gratitude every day.
I do this each morning in my Faithfully Stepping Journal. There’s a section for gratitude where I write down at least three things I am grateful for today. It’s the very first thing I do when I start my morning time routine. It puts my heart and mind in a right framework to begin my day.
2. Spend time in God’s Word each day.
It doesn’t have to be a long time. Even just five to ten minutes can make a huge impact on your day. Choose a good devotional, a Bible-reading plan, or pick a plan on YouVersion, an app that has literally thousands of Bible plans to choose from.
3. Read inspirational books.
I try to always read an encouraging and uplifting book for at least a few minutes each day after I’ve read my Bible. Why? Because reading makes us apathetic to whatever we are reading. So if I’m reading about a woman who learned to pray more and it made a huge difference in her life, then I’m probably going to start praying more. If I read about how a mom learned to be a better mom, I can learn those principles and become a better mom too. Reading other people’s stories gives us hope, encourages our hearts to stay faithful, and pushes us to become better Christians.
4. Listen to uplifting music that gets your focus off of yourself and onto God.
Music was created by God and has an incredibly powerful impact on our lives. Have you ever found yourself singing and dancing in a store simply because you heard a song you really like come on? That’s the power of music. So when you turn on a song that praises God, you can’t keep your bad attitude. The music will bring peace, remind you of God’s faithfulness, and act as a soothing balm to your soul. That’s the power of music.
5. Get out in the sun and into nature.
I am not a nature person. Most of the time, I would rather stay home and read than go for a hike. I will say, though, that I love getting out in the sun for some fresh air and exercise. We have a park that we try to go to several days a week when the weather is nice. It’s the most perfect park for our family because there is a playground set that the kids can play on, and there’s a trail that loops around the playground that isn’t huge. I can walk or jog on the path and still watch my kids.
The great thing about this path is that it runs alongside a patch of woods. So, I can walk the path, and get a small dose of nature. We’ve seen a fox there a few times and several deer on multiple occasions. It’s our little piece of nature in the city. So many times I have been upset, frustrated, discouraged, and after just twenty or thirty minutes of peace and calm and some sunshine, quiet, and exercise, I feel like a new person.
6. Actively look for the good in others.
I’m not going to lie. This is the hardest one for me. I have wired my brain to find the faults in myself and others all the time. My kids bear the brunt of this. It’s something I really have to work on. Finding the faults in others is so easy, but finding the good in others? Not so much. If I want to find more beauty in my life and less negativity, I am going to have to start looking for the good.
7. Go for a trip to someplace that quiets your heart and helps you focus on God.
This is obviously not something you can do every day. But it is so worthwhile to take a break from the pressures of life and just get away, especially if you can get away to a place that has some aspect of nature you can enjoy. Maybe it’s a trip up into the mountains. Perhaps it’s a few days at the beach. Maybe it’s packing a lunch and taking it to a park that has a lake nearby that you can sit and enjoy. For us, sometimes it’s simply a trip upstate to Amish country where the houses are spread out, the grass is green and lush, and the pace is slower. Whatever it is, find a place you can escape to and focus on God’s creation and let its beauty soothe your soul.
Looking for the Good and the Beautiful.
I am convinced we miss so much good and beauty in our lives because we simply don’t know how to look for it. We haven’t made it an active part of our lives. It’s time for us to stop focusing so much on the negative and start looking for the beauty and the good all around us. Pick just one of the ways to actively look for the good in your life each day and see if that doesn’t make an impact on how you see the world around you.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure HERE.
My Love of Books
As an author myself, books are one of my favorite things in the world. So I love reading and sharing book recommendations.
I woke up this morning dragging. Ever have one of those days? You get up early because you know you have a lot to accomplish, but you just can’t seem to get yourself moving. I felt that way this morning.
After making a cup of coffee, I sat down at the table, lit my candle, and started my morning time routine. As a part of my morning time routine each day, I read a chapter or a few pages of whatever book I am currently reading. Right now, it’s Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen. I read more than I usually do because I am trying to finish the book before March starts. By the time I finished reading, I had a smile on my face and encouragement in my heart. Why? Because reading puts us in somebody else’s shoes for a little bit. We get to sit back and hear somebody else’s story or struggles and witness their victory and then feel encouraged in our own lives without having to do anything.
I am a huge advocate of getting up each morning and spending time reading God’s Word and praying. I write often about developing a morning time routine because I believe it is so important. Right behind that is the importance of reading uplifting Christian books. There have been so many times in my life that God has used a book from a woman I have never met and will probably never meet to encourage my heart and help keep me from giving up.
The Encouragement Books Bring
So many women have encouraged my heart, strengthened my faith, made me laugh, made me cry, caused me to see life differently, challenged me to take the next step, and more. I wrote in my book, The Hidden Pain, that some of the authors I was reading became mentors for me. They were the reason I started blogging and writing my own books.
I believe God can use books in a powerful way in our lives. I believe that because I’ve seen it happen. When Matt and I get discouraged, we will often go to Barnes and Noble and buy a book or two. In fact, we just went there last night for our date night, and we each bought a book. Books have played a huge role in who we are, what we believe about God and life around us, the work we do, and our overall spiritual health and encouragement.
So what are some good books to read? I have a list of some of my favorite books on my site. You can find that list here. Below are seven books I have recently read, am reading, or planning on reading soon.
This book is by Maria Goff, wife of popular author Bob Goff. Side note— if you haven’t read any of his books, you should. They are some of my favorite books, especially Love Does. This book tells a little more behind the scenes into their family life. It was an encouraging, uplifting book that reminded me that in the end, it’s family that you come back to time and time again.
Mandy Arioto is the President and CEO of Mops International. I really enjoyed this book. It’s lighthearted and fun, just as you would expect it to be from the cover. It’s a quick read and one that just makes you smile or even laugh out loud, like I did several times.
This book was not what I expected at all, having read some of Jennie’s other books. She did a lot of research for this book, and you can tell. The first few chapters pulled me in quickly. I am really loving this book. So much so, I am considering doing it for a ladies online book study for our church. I feel like the truths she is uncovering are so prevalent for women today. Each woman needs to read this book and learn that we can find victory in our thoughts and don’t have to live a life of spiraling defeat.
This book is such an encouragement for any woman who feels like God is calling her to step out and do something. I loved this book. As a person with an entrepreneurial heart, this book was inspiring and just what I needed.
I just picked this book up last night at Barnes and Noble and can’t wait to start it next week. I love T. D. Jakes. His book, Soar: Build Your Vision from the Ground Up is one of my favorites. When I saw that he just released this book last year and it’s for women, I snatched it off the shelf. I am so excited to read it.
Matt got me this book for Christmas. I’ve heard of Kat Armstrong but haven’t read any of her books yet, so I’m excited to try this one. From the back of the book… Kat debunks five common myths about women and invites us to discover the joy and freedom in being all in for Jesus.
Matt also got me this book for Christmas. I haven’t ever read anything by this author before, but I love trying new authors. I also like the topic of this book. As someone who struggles to build good friendships, I know this book will be good for me.
If you feel discouraged right now or just need some new life breathed into you, I encourage you to try one or more of these books.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure HERE.
I had a painful reminder this week about holding your loved ones close because you never know how long you will have them. A friend of mine from high school passed away this week after a long fight with heart problems he was born with.
Gordon and His wife Charlotte
I remember in high school, Gordon always tried to be as involved in sports as he could be, even though he couldn’t do a lot because of his condition. Even with health problems, Gordon had the best zest for life. He always had a big smile and a hearty laugh. He went on to to get married and have four children. His health started declining, and he ended up being hospitalized several times, almost dying before he was finally able to get a heart transplant. Everybody thought he would finally be okay, but God had a different plan. He fought long and hard, but in the end, God took him home to Heaven.
Their sweet family
Why is it that some people just seem to breeze through life, and other people suffer so much? I don’t think I’ll ever know the answer to that question until I get to Heaven. Have you ever noticed that usually, those people who endure so much in this life are the ones with the biggest smile and the biggest heart for people? It’s like God gave them extra grace and extra fullness of life because He knew they wouldn’t have as long on this earth. That’s how Gordon was, and that’s how my friend Rachel, who passed away two years ago, was.
Gaining Perspective
Sometimes it takes losses like these to remember how blessed I truly am. When we lose someone far too soon, it causes each of us to sit back and reflect on life. It gives us perspective. Perspective is an amazing thing. It helps bring clarity into our lives and shows us what’s really important.
Perspective reminds us that this life is temporary. For some, it’s over way too fast. That’s a sobering reality. We can live our lives in fear of the unknown or we can celebrate each and every day as a gift.
That’s what I’m trying to do this week. I can’t take away the heartbreak from this young mama and her precious children, nor for the rest of Gordon’s dear family- his parents, his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews
Hold Your Loved Ones Close
What I can do is hold my loved ones close today. I can choose to be present with the people I do life with. I can spend each day that I have soaking in life and being so grateful for all that God has given me.
We don’t know how long we have in this life. Each day is a gift. So, choose to celebrate it. Thank God for it. This is my challenge: I want to choose to live every day as if it were my last, to love my family today as if it were the last day I had with them.
Malachi with just a few of the books he’s read recently.
Teaching Reading
When I first started homeschooling, my oldest was in kindergarten. I thought it would be a breeze. After all, it’s kindergarten. How hard can it be? Well, in two words. Very hard. I didn’t realize how crazy I would become trying to teach him to read. I was so discouraged with it. No matter how many things I tried, he just didn’t get it.
The only thing that kept me from switching curriculums a hundred times was the constant advice I heard from Sarah Mackenzie from Read-Aloud Revival. She kept saying, just let the process work. Give your kids a love for books, and the reading will come in time.
So, I did that. Fast forward a few years. Now Malachi is in fifth grade, and we can hardly keep him stocked with books. Now, I’m working with our third daughter who is learning to read and is still struggling. But I’m not worried, because I know that if I just let the process work, she will be fine. It may not be this year or next year, but at some point, everything will come together for her and she will be able to read fluently.
God’s Process to Develop Us
God is a God of systems and structure and order, so it shouldn’t surprise us that He has a process He takes each of us through. That process is found in Romans 5.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 4:3-5 KJV
The New Living Bible puts it this way…
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 5:3-5 TLB
Let’s look at the process in greater detail.
1. Tribulation
First, the problem or trial comes. It may be the loss of a job, a sickness, the loss of a loved one, financial stress, the betrayal of a friend. We all have problems and trials come into our lives. It shouldn’t surprise us. This is the first step of God’s plan to get us to a point where we are completely confident in Him. Certainly, enduring hardships helps us to develop patience.
2. Patience
Without the trial, we wouldn’t mature and grow; we wouldn’t develop the patience required to get to the next step. Learning to endure the trial, to not give up and quit, to not lose faith in the midst of life’s hardest moments develops grit in us and gives us experience.
3. Experience
Learning to endure helps us to grow in our experience. It’s been often said, “A faith not tested is a faith not trusted.” All of us want to be mature, experienced Christians. We want to help others endure their trials and give others encouragement, yet most of us don’t want to have to go through the process of gaining that experience. However, gaining that experience is what gives us hope.
4. Hope
Gaining hope means we’ve been tested, we developed patience and stuck it out, gained experience along the way, and that fills us with the hope that we can do that with the next trial God sends our way. Moreover, we can also be a light of hope to others still in this process. This hope that we have deep inside of us helps us to not be ashamed.
5. Not Ashamed
Once we’ve made it through this process, we can hold our head high in confidence in God’s absolute goodness and working in our lives. We revel in His love for us, that He has worked on our behalf. We begin to understand just how much He loves us. That confidence we take with us into the next problem or trial God sends into our life, and subsequently, the process starts all over once again.
Where are You at in the Process?
We have the “cheat sheet” to understanding how God works in our lives. Instead of just being in the dark, confused, and hurt by God’s allowing something to happen in our lives, we can see exactly where we are at in the process and see what it is God is trying to work in us right now.
Where are you at in the process right now? Has a huge problem come crashing into your life? Did something happen that you just didn’t see coming? Or are you just trying to endure right now? Are you in the developing patience part of the process? Have you entered the experience stage? Are you learning what God wants you to learn and growing in your faith? Have you reached the stage where hope begins to finally bloom? Do you finally see God at work and feel His love? Have you just come out of a trial and better understand God’s goodness and love towards you?
Wherever you are at in the process, take hope in the fact that it’s all part of God’s plan. Know there is an end in sight. Above all, don’t give up. Stick with the process. As a result, you will gain patience, experience, and hope. Subsequently, that hope will make you step confidently into what God has for you because you better understand His incredible love for you.
