Tag Archives: encouragement

How Nature Helps Me Combat Discouragement

One of the things I have found over the years that helps me combat discouragement is getting outside in nature. Because we homeschool, one of the things we try to do is to take nature walks. The kids look for as many things as they can find while we’re out and then write it down in their notebooks. Sometimes we draw or paint, sometimes we listen to a podcast about nature, sometimes we read a book, and sometimes we simply just write down everything we saw.

Our Walk Yesterday

white flowers on our nature walk — some of the flowers from our nature walk

Yesterday, we took a nature walk. We were so happy just to be outside. The sun was out, and it was finally warm after a long, dreary winter. One of the first things we saw was a furry and rather large ground hog wiggling his way across the grass. After that, the kids were off. We saw tadpoles, bees, fish, flowers, a spider, ducks, water, and more. We took pictures of some of the things we saw. I love flowers, especially bright spring ones. So we took pictures of those.

By the time we were finished, everybody was worn out and hungry, but refreshed and heartened after being out in nature.

When I find myself getting depressed or discouraged, sometimes a simple walk outside can make all the difference in the world. I’m not saying go crazy and pack a backpack and hike a mountain. I’m simply talking about grabbing a water bottle and a granola bar and a phone for pictures. Pick a place that has some beauty to enjoy and just get outside for a little while.

Here are a few ideas for getting out in nature.

10 Ideas for Getting Out into Nature

Pack a lunch and eat by a creek or pond or lake.
Go for a nature walk and write down or take pictures of as many “nature-y” things as you can see.
Go for a walk and listen to good music or preaching.
Listen to a nature podcast as you walk. We love the No Sweat Nature Study Podcast with Miss Cindy. She’s the best; my kids love her podcast.
Sign up for a nature study or hike with your local library or a local park.
Explore a new trail.
Take a picnic lunch and eat in a field with nature all around you.
Plan a visit to a garden or an arboretum. We score free passes for these things from our library.
Find something beautiful on your walk or at a park and sketch it or paint it.
Find a beautiful setting and write—journal your thoughts, write some poetry, write down a prayer to God.

There are so many ways to enjoy nature that don’t have to be crazy or a lot of work. It just takes a few minutes of planning.

The next time you are feeling discouraged, try one of the ideas above and see if that helps to encourage your heart!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, 10 Things You Can do to Combat Burnout.

Easter Can be a Time for Healing

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New Beginnings

Easter is our reminder of hope and new beginnings. It comes at such the perfect time of year for me. Where we live, Easter comes when Spring has just started to descend. The sun has just started to come out again. New buds begin to form on trees and early plants begin to shoot up. It feels fresh and alive and so good after a long, dreary winter.

Jesus’ resurrection had to have felt the same way all those years ago. The disciples and Jesus’ followers had been through so much before Jesus even died. Then their beloved leader dies a gruesome death. They feel such sorrow and loss of hope. Those three days were the longest days they’d ever experienced.

So imagine their surprise and even disbelief when they hear Jesus is no longer in the tomb. John and Peter run to the tomb and find it empty. Then Jesus begins appearing to some and then all of them. It was amazing and exciting all at the same time.

Fresh Hope

Easter is our reminder that fresh hope is still available. Maybe you’ve been in a season of grief or sickness. Maybe financial stress has crippled you, or maybe somebody has done something to cause you incredible grief.

This weekend is a chance to celebrate new life, new beginnings and to let the past go. I don’t know if you need this, but I do. Sometimes, I just need to be able to set the reset button. I need to be able to let go of some things and put some things behind me. I am giving myself permission to do that this Easter, and I’m giving you permission to do the same.

A Sunday of Healing

When you celebrate Easter this Sunday, let your heart open up and really feel God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and renewal. When you sing the worship songs, release the frustrations and worry and fear. When you hear the message, open your heart to God’s message of new life and new beginnings. When you fellowship, love on other people and feel their love in return as the body of Christ is meant to be. Let this Easter Sunday minister to your heart and heal you; then let it propel you towards what God has for you.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Matt’s book, 6 Days to Sunday: Turn Setbacks into Comebacks or check out my post, When Everything Changed for Mary.

3 Ways to Turn Discouragement into Hope

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We all go through times of discouragement. It can happen any time, but one of the times people get most discouraged is in the months of January and February. The sun isn’t out as much; it’s generally colder, depending on where you live. Especially for those of us in the North, it’s sort of a depressing time of year.

What do you do to combat that discouragement? How do you find hope? What do you when you feel defeated? Matt and I were having a discussion about this topic this week. The next few days in my morning time, God brought these verses and thoughts to mind that can help turn our discouragement into hope.

1. Believe.

My word for this year is believe. It sounds cliche or simple, but there is nothing cliche about believing, about taking God at his word. When life feels like it’s falling apart, and you don’t know what to do, turn to God. Choose once again to believe, to have faith that he can make good come from the bad and the ugly. Trust him to bring you through this time. Understand that he’s still at work.

You can read my full post about my word for the year, about believing, HERE.

2. Be Still.

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is from Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God!” There’s something about that verse, about those words. It brings a sense of peace and calm to our hearts, even in the midst of chaos and confusion.

When the Israelites stood on the opposite side of the Red Sea after crossing all night on dry ground, they turned back to see the Egyptian army coming after them in full force. Chariots riding hard, generals shouting commands, soldiers in gleaming armor, piercing weapons…it made quite a picture, a terrifying one. Yet, Moses tells the people to stand and watch.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would have been able to stand and watch. I would have turned and ran in fear. But Moses tells them to stand still; see his words from Exodus 14.

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.”
Exodus 14:13

Those were powerful words coming from their leader. The Israelites obey; they stand still and watch. They watch as God releases the hold on the walls of water on either side of the Egyptian army, and those waters crash down, drowning the entire army. I can’t imagine the shock and silence that followed in those first few moments before they erupted in cheers and praise to God for saving them.

It seems so counterintuitive when you’re in danger, in a trial, in trouble, to be still. Yet, that’s what God wants from us sometimes. Sometimes, when we’ve done all we can do, we have to be silent and wait and watch God work.

3. Be Thankful.

The third thing to do is to find something to be thankful for. Sometimes, we have to just look at our day and find something to be thankful for. Then find something else. Maybe it’s simply to look at the sunrise and be thankful for another day. Maybe it’s to look at those closest to you and be thankful that you don’t have to go through life alone. Whether it’s one thing, or ten, choose to find something to be thankful for.

Jon Gordon says this, “It’s actually physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time.”

The Psalmist wrote this in Psalm 50:

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Psalm 50:14

But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
Psalm 50:23

There’s something that happens when we choose to be thankful. Our minds are changed when we choose to be thankful, choose to find something to be grateful for. Why? Because at least for that little bit, our mind focuses on something that brings us joy. We focus on something that makes us content, and that draws our attention away from our problems. Gratitude has a way of lightening our load. It often helps us to remember that we don’t really have it that bad; there are others who have it so much worse.

If you find yourself struggling with discouragement today, with being hurt, feeling like God’s not pleased with you, then try one or all three of these things this week and see if it doesn’t turn your discouragement into hope.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life or check out my post, The Key to Unlocking Hope.

The One Guarantee if You Quit

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Wanting to Quit

Have you ever wanted to quit on something, but you didn’t? You pushed through and were rewarded when you did?

We were walking this week as a family on some trails. We’re past the peak of fall, and there’s not much color left. We’d been walking down this one path for a while and just not seeing anything worth seeing. Honestly, I was about ready to tell the kids to head back when all of a sudden, we turned a corner and this beautiful scene opened up before our eyes. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. We almost missed it. If we hadn’t kept going, we would have missed it completely.

One Thing’s For Sure

What do you have in your life right now that you want to give up on? What’s just not working? What are you ready to say enough to? You’ve tried and tried, and it’s just not working. You’re exhausted from trying so hard. You’re ready to be done. You feel overlooked, underappreciated, undervalued. Everybody else is making it work, but you just can’t! What are you so close to giving up on?

Here’s the next question: What will happen if you quit? One of my favorite quotes about not giving up comes from Steve Harvey.

“Everybody has a turn-back moment. You have a moment where you can go forward or you can give up. … [But] if you give up, the guarantee is it will never happen. … The only way the possibility remains that it can happen is if you never give up, no matter what.”
Steve Harvey

If you quit now, you can know for sure that you will never know what would have happened if you hung in there, if you waited it out.

So I’m coming alongside you today saying, “Don’t quit. Not yet. Hold on just a little bit longer. Keep at it just a little longer.” What might be on the other side if you just don’t quit?

Exercise to Try

Here’s a great exercise to try. Write down what could happen if you don’t quit.
Now write down what will for sure happen if you do decide to walk away? Now compare the two lists. Which one could you live with? Which one could change your life? Why?

The writer of the book of Hebrews understood a little something about wanting to give up, about growing weary and losing heart.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:3

The writer tells us to consider Jesus. Why? So that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. How does that work?

When we stop and consider or think about Jesus and all that he went through for us, it helps us to remember what’s really important.

Turning our Focus to Jesus

Why does that work? Why does focusing on Jesus help us to keep going? That’s because focusing on Jesus does four things for us.

Focusing on Jesus…

Gets the focus off of ourselves.
Makes our problems not seem as big.
Reminds us what’s important and what’s at stake.
Reminds us that Jesus knows and understands.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15

So if you’re feeling tired today, if you feel like you just want to quit, like you can’t do this anymore…turn your focus to Jesus. Consider what he did for you. He gave everything for you, so that you could in turn live for him. Remember his amazing gift of love and let that challenge and encourage you to serve him today and not give up.

He knows what you’re going through, and he will get you through. Only God knows what’s on the other side if you don’t quit! But you’ll never know if you choose to give it all up.

More encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Matt’s book Breakthrough or check out my post It’s Too Soon to Quit.

Peace in the Midst of Life’s Hard

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Finding Peace

Sometimes, peace seems so elusive, especially when you’re going through a difficult time. David, the expressive Psalmist, teaches us how we can have peace even during hard moments in life.

Like an Olive Tree

I read a verse this week during my morning time routine about an olive tree that made me do some further Bible study and discover some great truths.

Why would David compare himself to an olive tree?

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
Psalm 52:8 NLT

About the Olive Tree

Why an olive tree? What is it about an olive tree makes David compare himself to it? I know almost nothing about olive trees, so I did some study.

Olive trees are pretty low maintenance. They don’t need a lot of water; they just need direct sunlight. They flourish in dry, hot summers; which is why they do well in the Middle East. They’re obviously very valuable because of the oil they produce.

So what makes them special? Olive trees are first mentioned in the account of Noah and the flood. The dove brings back an olive branch, indicating to Noah that it was safe to leave the ark. An olive branch often represents peace because of this first instance of an olive branch.

Olive trees grow slow but are fruitful and sturdy trees. In the Bible, they’re represent beauty and abundance. People recognize olive trees today for their beauty and for what they represent—oil. Olive trees are beautiful, resilient, fruitful, and represent peace. Sounds like something pretty great to compare ourselves.

Peace in the Midst of Hard Times

What’s more interesting to note, is that David penned these words right after he was outed by Doeg to Saul. So now Saul knows where David is, and David has to run for his life. So when David says, “I am like an olive tree, thriving in God’s house; I always trust in God’s unfailing love,” we can understand what he’s saying. David is saying, “I am at peace, even in the midst of bad circumstances, because I trust in God’s love.”

David is one of the most expressive writers of the Bible; he gives us so much emotion throughout the Psalms. In this verse, David gives us a picture of how he saw himself, how we can see ourselves, when we trust in God’s unfailing love and believe in his goodness even in the midst of life’s hard.

Peace for Today

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but God does. He sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you, and He will get you through today. His unfailing love surrounds you today, so live in that knowledge. Find your peace in that today and thrive.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Finding Peace in Non-peaceful Times. A great read is The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts.

Sunrise at the Beach in Ocean City

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Sunrise at the Beach

Last week, we spent a few days at the beach. Of course, we woke up early every day to catch the sunrise. That’s our favorite thing to do! Pretty much every morning we’re at the beach, we are out the door before sunrise so we can see the sun come up over the water. It’s the most amazing thing in the world to watch, especially if you can get there when it’s still dark and get to watch the entire progression.

There’s a spot on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey that is the most popular spot to watch the sunrise. It always surprises me how many people gather in that spot each morning to watch the sun come up. Every single day, the sun rises. It’s not an uncommon occurrence. Yet, every day, people gather at that spot and stop whatever it was they were doing. For just a few moments of time, we all stop and stare in silence in the direction of the sun.

That Magical Moment Right before Sunrise

There’s this magical moment right before the sun rises. Everybody gathers around and stares into the horizon, waiting and hoping to be the first to catch a glimpse of the sun as it rises. It’s a moment of breathless anticipation. A stillness fills the air, and everybody waits in silence.

As we watch, the sun crests along the horizon. It begins its rise, magnificent in its ascension. The whole thing only lasts a few minutes; if you’re not paying close attention, you will miss it altogether. Then after the sun has risen, people begin to dissipate. Some people begin pedaling on their bikes once again; others turn to their walking partner and begin a conversation as they walk on the boardwalk once again. Others leave the boardwalk altogether, having accomplished what they came to accomplish.

The Consistency of Sunrise

It always amazes me how the sunrise can be so incredibly different each and every morning. I never grow tired of seeing the sunrise. If I lived by the ocean, I think I would wake up every morning and make my way over to the beach every single morning. Every time I see a sunrise, it reminds me of God’s faithfulness. The sunrise is so consistent; we literally set our clocks by it. So it is with God’s faithfulness; it is something we can count on every single day, no matter the circumstances.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Sunrises are More Uncommon than Sunsets

Andy Andrews, in his book, The Bottom of the Pool, says that sunrises are more uncommon than sunsets. At first that doesn’t really make sense; sunsets and sunrises both take place every single day. It doesn’t make sense until you continue reading and he explains that even though sunrises and sunsets happen daily, most people won’t catch the sunrise. Most people have a better chance of seeing the sunset than the sunrise. That’s because most people are busy in the morning. Either they’re still sleeping, or they’re getting ready for work or for school.

Sunrises are for the few that brave getting up early, so they don’t miss out on the spectacular. That moment right before the sun rises is a special moment that most people miss out on. I think it’s the same way with God working in our lives. Some people just miss out on what God was trying to do in their lives. They’re so busy rushing through life that they never stop and look up and wait and watch and try to figure out what God is doing in their life.

Don’t Forget to Pause and Look Up

Watching the sunrise each morning last week reminded me that I don’t want that to be the story of my life. I don’t want to miss what God is doing in my life and in the lives around me simply because I was too busy to stop and ponder what he was doing.

So this is my reminder to you and to myself. Spend some time in this month of October before we go careening into the holiday season to simply stop and spend time with God. Look up. Spend some extra time reading your Bible and journaling. See what he’s trying to do in your life and in the lives of those around you. Don’t miss out on the beauty that he is creating in your life every single day.

My morning time with my Faithfully Stepping Journal

The fact of the matter is God sees you; he knows what you are going through today. He has you right where he wants you. Don’t miss out on what he has in store.

sunrise and verse — Sunrise at Ocean City, NJ

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Getting Stuck in the Dark and Waiting for Dawn to Break, and a book recommendation is Sandra Stanley’s Devotional, Breathing Room.

You Are Not Alone, New Devotional

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You Are Not Alone Devotional

Today is the release day for You Are Not Alone: Promises from Psalms, our newest 30-Day Devotional. As we started the new year, Matt and I made a plan for the projects we wanted to roll out this year. On our list were several devotionals, so we got to work on those. We actually didn’t have this one on the schedule for the year. We had a few others planned instead.

As we sat together on our date day one morning and talked about everything going on around us, we decided we needed a devotional that would comfort people’s hearts. So many people are hurting; our world is so charged right now. We wanted something that could minister to people who needed to be reminded that God was for them and they weren’t alone in their struggle.

Enter the You Are Not Alone Devotional. We really enjoyed creating this devotional. It’s our most favorite yet! We love it in that it can encourage anybody! It also makes a great gift to give to people when you don’t know what to say to help them. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say to someone when they’re in the hospital, or when they’ve lost a loved one or heard bad news from the doctor. This devotional is the perfect thing to fill in the gaps when you don’t know what to say.

About This Devotional

Matt wrote this for the back of the book:

For the one who feels so lonely, abandoned even, God is ever and always near. For the one whose heart breaks and feels hopeless, find hope in God’s presence and promises. God is ever and always by your side. You are not alone.

In this 30-day devotional, you will discover some of the greatest promises in all of the Bible in the collection of songs called Psalms. Learn about the six times in life we can know we are not alone. From the seasons of stess to family struggles, you will learn the promises for times of uncertainty even the promises for facing your final days on this earth.

Live Training

We did a live training recently where we discussed how to use this new devotional. You can watch that training on our YouTube page for Manney Resources here. As a part of that training, Matt created a free guide. You can download that guide here if you are interested. One of the pages Matt created was this page of where to find hope in the book of Psalms. I think it’s a great resource and wanted to share it with you.

Sometimes we want to encourage ourselves or encourage a friend, but we’re not sure which Psalm would be best to do that. This little cheat sheet helps with that.

Understanding the Psalms

The Psalms are such a rich book because they were written as songs. There are many times that just speaking doesn’t articulate what we’re trying to say or think. Yet, a song can do just that. How many times has a song caught your attention and hit home for you? Maybe it made you cry, or maybe it made you smile and remember something special. That’s the power of a song. That’s why when you read the Psalms, they just bring so much comfort and peace to our hearts.

My life verse comes from Psalms.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psalm 18:30 KJV

Something to Look Forward To

We will be doing an online Bible study this summer using this devotional and the accompanying study guide, which will release this summer. We’d love for you to join us! So stay tuned! If you’re not signed up to be on my email list, be sure to sign up here so you don’t miss the announcement or anything else from Faithfully Stepping.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post 10 Things to Try When Today is Too Hard to Face. A great book to read is A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23.

Perspective Changes Everything

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Our Walk

I learned a thing or two about perspective the other day from my six-year-old. I took a walk a few days ago with my two youngest, Maggie and Macey. We were walking along the sidewalks looking at different houses when Macey stopped suddenly.

“Look at that!” she said loudly. I stopped to see what she was looking at and saw a yard that was in desperate need of a mow. The grass was getting long, and there were ugly white dandelions everywhere. But I stopped to see what she had to say. What she said next surprised me. “That’s not fair! Look at all those wishes they have!” My girls love picking dandelions and blowing them as they make wishes.

She took me by surprise, but I laughed to myself a moment later. Here, we had just walked past this yard that was immaculate. The lawn was neatly trimmed and treated; it looked like you could sleep on it and be totally comfortable. Macey walked right past that lawn and didn’t even notice it or pay any attention to it. Instead, she picked the lawn that looked like a hot mess and liked that one because it had so many dandelions.

Perspective Changes Everything

It’s so funny to me how our minds work, but this is a perfect example of how perspective changes everything. We both looked at the same yard, but our perspectives changed how we viewed the yard. I saw it as a yard full of weeds that needed to be mowed; Macey saw it as a field full of magical wishes.

So often, how we see life and how we react to it is simply a matter of perspective. We see one thing, and somebody else looking at the same thing sees something completely different. That’s one of the reasons we have to be so careful when we’re talking with other people about our opinions, views, preferences, and more.

A New Friend

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective and how it shapes so much of how we act, what we think, and what we say. On Sunday, I talked with a lady I had met for the first time. We were at a baby shower and ended up talking with a group of people for a few hours. She was so easy to talk with and had such a great spirit. She was just one of those people you want to hang around with a little while longer.

Towards the end of our conversation, we got to talking about shingles. I don’t even remember how. Matt told her I had a bad case of shingles after Madison was born. So she asked me about it, and I told her about the pain and how it was hard to do anything for the pain because it was nerve pain. She then proceeded to tell me that she understood all about nerve pain because she has Fibromyalgia.

Chronic Pain

She could have blown me away. I had no idea she dealt with chronic pain; she was so happy and fun and easy to talk to. As soon as she told me that, my respect for her increased even more. When we got home from the shower that night, Malachi told me that he thought she was a really nice person. She even made an impact on my kids.

The fact of the matter is, she has every right to be miserable and cranky. She lives with chronic pain and all the problems that go along with her disease. Yet, she’s chosen to make the most of it. She laughs and carries on and enjoys life; she doesn’t let it get her down.

Some of My Favorite Verses

It makes me think of some of my favorite verses in a very obscure book of the Bible.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Habakkuk 3:17,18

It’s Always a Choice

Even though absolutely everything is falling apart around us, we still have a choice. We can choose to rejoice in God. It’s a choice, just like anything else.

If we can choose to rejoice no matter what; our perspective will change. We will begin to look at the circumstances around us through a different lens. That lens will help us to refocus and shift our perspective so that we can begin to see and understand life the way God sees it. We can begin to see a field of weeds in our lives as so much more. We can see the mess in our lives turn into a field of wishes. It’s all in our perspective.

For More Encouragement

One of the books I think of when I think of changing our perspective is Kisses from Katie but Katie Davis Majors. This book will stay with you a long time and change your perspective about life and how good we really have it.

10 Things to Try When Today is Too Hard to Face

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When All You Want To Do Is Stay in Bed Today

Some days are just too overwhelming. The pressures, frustrations, hardships, and struggles make it feel like making it through today is impossible. It’s on those days, that it feels like the only thing you can do is crawl back into bed and throw the covers over your head instead of facing the day.

I had one of those days recently. Well, I’ve had more than a few of those days lately. Part of it is some life struggles and trials we’ve been going through, but part of it has been the weather. We’ve had lots of cold, rainy days. Whenever we have lots of rainy days, I struggle with being depressed. It was on one of those rainy, depressing days that I honestly wanted to crawl back into bed and just pull the covers over my head instead of facing the day.

I slept in past when I usually get up and finally made myself do my morning time routine, then take a shower. While I was taking a shower, I thought about this post. What would I say to someone else if they were having a day like I’m having today?

You’re Not Alone

So know that you are not alone. I have days like this. I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t make it through the day. Those days are so incredibly long. So here’s my encouragement to you. While I can’t take the pain away, and I can’t fix whatever’s going on in your life, I can come alongside and say, I get it. And I can share a few things that I do to help me make it through a day like that.

10 Things to Try Today

I made a list of ten things to try on a day when you don’t feel like you can make it through. You don’t need to all of them; maybe try one or two on a hard day.

Get out of bed. It feels like the only thing you can do is stay in bed or go back to bed, but choose to climb out of bed. That’s the first step to making it through today.
Take a shower and get dressed for the day. Even if you’re not going to leave your house for the day, still get dressed for the day. This will help you to feel a little more human and will keep you from going right back to bed.
Put on worship music that will direct your thoughts towards God. If you need a list of good worship songs to listen to, try our playlist: 40 Days of Faith. We created that playlist for our spiritual growth campaign at church.
Spend a few minutes doing your morning time routine. Even just a few minutes of reading your Bible or a devotional, praying, and journaling will help your spirit and help you to be able to make it through today.
Eat something. Sometimes getting some good food in us really can help change our spirit. The food can give us energy and the strength to be able to face the day.
Try to get out of the house for even just a few minutes. There’s something about being inside all day that feeds our depression and discouragement. Choose to do one thing that will get you out of the house today. It may be as simple as going for a walk, dropping off a letter at the post office, picking up a prescription. Just do something that gets you out of the house for a few minutes.
Write down at least five things you are thankful for. I’ve heard it said that you can’t be grateful and depressed at the same time. Try it and see! Spend just a few minutes writing down your blessings.
Do something you enjoy. On a day that you’re struggling to make it through the day, do one small thing that brings you joy. Go get a cup of your favorite coffee, read a few chapters of a book you really enjoy, watch an episode of your favorite tv series, go buy a donut from your favorite bakery, take a walk, etc.
Spend time with somebody. When I’m struggling, I want to be by myself. When my husband is discouraged, he needs to be around people. If this is you, call a friend to meet for lunch or for coffee. Call a family member or friend just to talk for a little bit.
Read an encouraging book. There’s been many times in my life when I’ve gone through hard times that a book has been like a balm to my soul. Here’s just a few recommendations: Kisses from Katie, Uninvited, The Hardest Peace, Undone, and The Hidden Pain.

What Do You Do

Those are some of the things that help me when I’m having a really bad day. Try a few of them the next time you’re struggling. Maybe share the list with a friend who’s going through a hard time.

What do you do when you’re having a hard day? What helps you get through? Let me know in the comments below!

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my post, Getting Through This Season of Rainy Days.

You Can’t Wait Until Life isn’t Hard to be Happy

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you can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy quote

Deciding to Be Happy

Matt tagged me in a post a few days ago. He told me to read the last line, that it was golden. It was a post about a girl who had passed away in February of this year. The last line of the article, written in her own words, was this line: “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

That’s a powerful line, especially when it comes from someone whose life backs it up. I’ve been thinking a lot about that phrase lately, especially after I saw that a girl I follow on social media passed away on March 1.

Brooklyn’s Faith

Brooklyn wasn’t someone I ever had the privilege of meeting, but I followed her online when I heard about her story. She was upfront and direct about the fact that she she was dying, and there was nothing anything could do about it. Brooklyn had chronic illness and all sorts of health problems, and she was very open about them. She had every reason to be miserable. Yet, if you followed her online and read any of her posts, she always had the biggest smile and was upbeat in her posts. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking to watch at the same time. These were some of the words of the last post she wrote before going to be with Jesus.

As I wait for my last breaths, I’ve been reading through the gospels. The Apostle’s description of Jesus’ crucifixion are a gut punch for anyone. Now dying myself, the description of how my Savior died is so much more potent. It leaves me in awe of a God who was born into flesh, willing to die in brutality and rise agin for the sin of humanity.
Brooklyn Salisbury

The Brokenness All Around Us

The world around us is broken. From the war in Ukraine, to the suffering of persecuted Christians, to kids dying from cancer, it can feel utterly and completely hopeless. Yet, somehow we’re supposed to reconcile all this with the life that Jesus wants us to—one of hope, faith, and love.

I read this verse in Proverbs this week, and it made me stop and consider.

For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:16 NLT

We can’t control what happens around us, but we can control how we respond to it. Have you ever noticed, some of the people that have the most horrible things happen to them are the most joyful people? How is that? They’ve chosen to have a happy heart.

I struggle with Having a Happy Heart

I am not a super emotional person, but I can be a super pessimistic person. Because I am a realist and see life in black and white, I can often see life on the cup-is-half-full side of life. That helps me be a little more even-keeled in life, but the downside is that I have a hard time choosing happiness.

I need to remind myself often that how much joy I get out of life is determined by me. God has blessed me with so much good. His faithfulness and unfailing love surround me.

But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry andfilled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15 NLT

So then choosing happiness becomes like all other hard things in life. It becomes a discipline. The more we do it, the better we get at it.

So for today, I choose to be happy. I choose to see life as a continual feast. I choose to find the good. And the more I do that, the easier it will become.

For More Encouragment

learning to be happy in the midst of life's hard

One of the hardest but best books I have ever read along these lines is The Hardest Peace: Expecting God’s Grace in the Midst of Hard by Kara Tippetts. I will warn you, you need to have a box of tissues handy when you read it, but it’s an amazing book that I think every Christian should read.

Another resource is my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life. I wrote this during a very dark time in my life, when I had to come to grips with my faith and what I knew of God when that clashed with my circumstances.

You can also read my post, Our Week in the ICU and God’s Grace for Every Moment.