10 Bible Verses About Enjoying Life and Embracing Your Journey
“God’s gifts are woven into every journey,” a friend once reminded me. “Embracing your journey happens when you learn to see the gifts, especially the ones hidden beneath challenges.” Today, we’ll talk about how to embrace our journeys. Then, we’ll explore ten Bible verses about enjoying life more fully. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace your journey.
I invite you to join me in a place that often inspires my writing—the tiny cabin where our family escapes for long weekends surrounded by rolling hills, beech trees, and open skies—and we’ll talk about learning to embrace our moments.
Bible Verses About Enjoying Life and Embracing Your Journey
The steady cadence of rain falling on a metal roof is broken by children’s squeals in the distance. A few minutes ago, my husband and sons took a walk up the valley.
For the first time in 24 hours, the little cabin quieted—enough that I could hear a pileated woodpecker calling from the hillside as I listened to the sound of the softly falling rain.
At last, stillness.
Space to sit on the porch and “just be.”
When the boys’ voices broke through my coveted moment of silence, my first reaction was a twinge of frustration.
Even in solitude, a mother of young ones is rarely alone with her thoughts.
Don’t wish this away, a quiet thought seemed to fall from the sky, whispered by some voice of wisdom unlikely to be my own.
As I sat with the thought, I counted the years.
I’ve been the mother of young children for more than 14 years. With our youngest approaching his sixth birthday, it would be wise to recognize that in a small handful of years, this season will end.
Less than 20 years of my life will be spent with little ones.
One day, I’ll look back, and perhaps I’ll miss the energy and noise of these years. It might be wise to embrace this dynamic of love and life without waiting for the days to pass.
5 Tips for Embracing Your Journey
Maybe you need the gentle reminder to keep embracing your journey, too.
Your journey might not involve parenting young children. Maybe your journey revolves around a career, a dream, or a goal you’ve been chasing.
Let’s talk about practical ways to embrace our journeys.
1. Embracing your journey begins by living mindfully and prayerfully.
We embrace our journeys when we slow down enough to be fully present to what is happening around us.
For me, this looks like refusing to rush through the tasks of my day. I try to give myself a margin between commitments so that I don’t need to rush. I aim to complete the daily routines slowly and thoughtfully, giving thanks to God in the process.
A few years ago, I decided to pick one daily task and aim to do it mindfully and prayerfully for 30 days.
I chose folding laundry.
Every evening, I went to the basement and quietly folded laundry while talking to God. Instead of rushing through the task, I gave thanks for each family member as I folded his or her clothing.
Over time, something shifted within me.
My basement laundry-folding time became a sweet time of connecting with God. I stepped back from the noise and activity of the day and enjoyed his presence.
It was a time to breathe deeply, quiet my mind, and give thanks.
Since that time, I’ve learned to find sanctuary through the simple task.
Today, I encourage you to find a simple daily task you could pair with prayer and complete mindfully. This shift can help you find peace to step back and reflect as you aim to embrace your journey.
2. Resist the urge to run from failure.
Cultivating quiet moments is an important part of embracing our journeys. Yet not all moments can be spent hiding in our basements while reflecting on life.
The second way I’ve learned to embrace my journey is by resisting the urge to avoid failure.
I tend to stay away from anything that feels like it might lead me to experience failure. Sadly, this mentality can keep me from following God into endeavors he has prepared for me.
Last spring, I took on a new job.
In the weeks leading up to it, the fear of failure gripped me. What if I did poorly? What if I disappointed someone?
I shared these concerns with a close friend who reminded me that the knot in my stomach was not an indication that God wasn’t in it. More accurately, God was inviting me to step into the unknown, risk failure, and grow with him.
When the job started, I did fail at times. Nevertheless, instead of freezing up, I bounced back. I accepted the fact that failure is a necessary part of growth. Every failure became an opportunity to grow and learn.
Part of embracing your journey is learning to move toward the possibility of failure when you sense God is leading you. When we understand our true identities as God’s deeply loved children, our failures will no longer define or devastate us.
When we understand our true identities as God's deeply loved children, our failures will no longer define or devastate us. #failure #identity Share on X
3. Give thanks often.
Embracing your journey will become easier when you learn to cultivate gratitude.
Gratitude opens our hearts to experience deeper joy and even changes the neuropathways in our brains when practiced regularly.
Here are a few ways to cultivate gratefulness:
Begin your day by thanking God for at least one blessing every morning.
Start a gratitude list or journal.
In stressful moments, step back and mentally imagine you are in a place that fills you with joy and appreciation. This practice can help you return to peace.
End your days by thanking God for every good gift from your day.
As we become more grateful, we learn to give thanks for the good and the hard parts of our lives.
4. Learn to let go of the small stuff.
It’s easy to come unglued when life doesn’t go according to our plans.
One of the greatest secrets to embracing our journeys is learning to let go of the small stuff.
For me, this includes worrying about the messiness of our home, stressing out over interruptions to my schedule, taking offense when loved ones have bad days, and succumbing to self-pity. Resisting these mindsets always leads me to greater peace and joy.
I encourage you to talk to God. Ask him to show you where he is calling you to let go of the “small stuff.”
5. Play hard and laugh often.
Most of our lives could use more space for fun.
Part of embracing your journey includes making space for fun diversions. If you don’t have any hobbies, try some fun activities until you find one you enjoy.
Last summer, our family picked up a new hobby: Tubing down the creek behind our house.
The joy we found through the activity was life-giving and deeply replenishing. By carving out time for fun, we were better able to undertake the parts of life that felt like work.
We needed this space, and you need it too. What activity would bring hilarity and joy to your life? What’s stopping you from pursuing it?
Let’s now explore seven Bible verses about enjoying life.
Bible Verses About Enjoying Life
1.Psalm 97:11-12, NIV
Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.
Take a moment and imagine the warm light of God’s love shining on you. Imagine this light permeating every part of your body—mind, soul, and spirit.
God wants to fill you with his love and light. When you feel stressed or worn out, step back and imagine his replenishing light filling you. You will find yourself refreshed by his love and tender care.
2. Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
God will never leave your side. Find joy in knowing that wherever you go, he is with you to uphold you and comfort you. You are never alone, and you are never beyond God’s grip.
3. Job 23:12
I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
When we learn to treasure God’s Word, he replenishes us and sustains us with it.
As you seek God’s refreshment, continue spending time in his Word. He wants to renew you with his Truth. If you’re not sure where to begin, the Psalms can be a good place to start.
4. Proverbs 11:25
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
This Proverb gently reminds us that those who refresh others will be refreshed in the process. It is truly more blessed to give than to receive. When we take the time to pour into others, God provides for our needs and fills us with his joy.
5. Psalm 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Are you facing an uncertain situation?
God wants to lead you to a peaceful place in which you trust in him fully. He wants to help you as you fight this battle. What would it look like to create space to rest in his love today?
6. Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
Repentance is the act of turning away from sinful behaviors and turning toward God instead. It is more than feeling sorry or regretting our poor decisions.
Is God calling you to repentance in any areas today?
7. Psalm 34:6-8, ESV
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
God is our refuge and a shelter from the storms of life. His angels surround you, and he invites you to find deep rest in him.
The next time you feel shaken by a storm in life, imagine yourself resting in the shelter of God’s wings. Imagine him wrapping his protective arms around you and declaring that nothing will reach you without passing through him first.
8. Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Have you ever noticed that rushing and anxiety often go hand-in-hand? Instead of hurrying through our days, what if we prayed through our days?
9. Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
How do we find peace?
We keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. As we focus on him, he directs us, enabling us to embrace our days.
10. John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus offers us the gift of peace. We claim it by following his example.
Not one time in Scripture do we see Jesus in a hurry. He doesn’t get himself worked up over getting to the next ministry site on time. He doesn’t stress over the darkness falling over the hungry crowds. The Sermon on the Mount never mentions fitting as much as possible into our days.
May we learn to stay in step with a Savior who was present, embracing his journey at all times.
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Peace in God’s Presence
I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
