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How to Surrender to God When Life Is Hard and Your Calling Feels Hidden
A subtle clacking sound echoes from the black clock on the wall, and I stare into the ashen hues of winter outside. I sit by the window awaiting the roaring engine of the school bus. My calling feels humble, quiet, and hidden in this season, and I’m wondering just how to surrender to God in these hard days of mothering little ones. Opening my Bible in search of encouragement, I find Jesus talking to a wealthy young man. Jesus says to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me”(Matthew 19:21).…
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Encouragement for Tired Moms: 5 Ways to Add Joy to Your Life
I discovered a meatball under the china cabinet this morning. Suffice it to say, this wouldn’t be a huge deal if we’d dated meatballs in the past few days; however, we haven’t had meatballs for at least two weeks. We haven’t had meatballs for two weeks. As I scrubbed the floor, I felt compelled to offer a few words of encouragement for tired moms everywhere. Ten years ago, I spent my days teaching students with disabilities inside the walls of a respected high school. Each new day brought new challenges and changes in my schedule. During those years, my husband and I traveled overseas often. For fun, we regularly took…
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Four Ways to Decrease Stress by Slowing Down
It’s autumn in Pennsylvania. Autumn in this part of the world means cornfields that rustle beige in the evening thermals. It means pumpkins on stoops and hay mazes towering in muddy alfalfa fields. It means russet leaves applauding the sky and geese heading south with their human-like voices echoing overhead. For our family, it also means settling into a different routine, one that currently includes soccer games, hunting trips, and longer hours within the walls of our living room. Darkness comes earlier, and we find ourselves racing to fit more into days that seem shorter. It’s the time of the harvest, a time for filling the freezers and picking squash and baking countless loaves…
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How to Focus on Jesus Instead of Focusing on Your Problems
The seasons are changing in our part of the world. I watch from my window, where I’m lost in stacks of first-grade homework, bills, and messy reminders about the reality of my actual life. I want to focus on Jesus this morning, but I can’t clear my head in the middle of the mess. You probably know a thing or two about messes. You want to live by faith and focus on Jesus throughout your days, but the chaos of your life pulls you away. How to Focus on Jesus I want to learn to keep my eyes on Jesus, but sometimes, it doesn’t feel practical. Here’s what I’m learning:…
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How to Glorify God in Your Body: 5 Practical Ways
Have you ever wondered how to glorify God in your body? Perhaps you’ve read Romans 12:1 and want to apply it to your life: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (NIV). Today, we’ll talk about how to glorify God in your body with five practical steps. I invite you to join me on a clear winter morning, and we’ll explore the idea of bringing God glory in all we do. How to Glorify God in Your Body Birdsong tangled in the spruce boughs the morning…
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How to Change the World Through Kindness
Julio Diaz gets off the train like it’s any other day. His mind is fixed on grabbing a bite to eat at his favorite café. It’s an ordinary day in an ordinary place. Nothing about the day leads Julio to believe he might change someone’s life. He’s not thinking about how to change the world. As Julio gets off the train, a young teenager approaches with a knife. The teen wants Julio’s wallet. After giving up the wallet, Julio turns to the young man and hands him his coat, saying, “If you’re gonna be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to…
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7 Encouraging Bible Verses for Struggling Moms
As I sit to write these words to you, there’s a pile of luggage at the bottom of our stairwell. It’s an array of minion-decorated backpacks, colorful duffel bags, and pink handbags adorned with flowers and fairies. Looking at it makes me feel overwhelmed. I share this with you before I share today’s Bible verses for struggling moms because I want you to know that I have walked in your shoes, friend. I have endured months of sleeplessness with infants who refused to sleep. The demands of motherhood have worn me thin, and I’ve locked myself in the bathroom while little fingers wiggled under the door. Bible Verses for Struggling…
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How to Rejoice in the Lord in Every Season
The tulip poplar leaves are just beginning to emerge like tiny hands waving at the cobalt sky. For six fleeting months, they will greet the dawn with their flapping waves as if they’re living to the full. As I gaze at them, they’re a reminder of how to rejoice in the Lord no matter what the season of life looks like. How to Rejoice in the Lord in Every Season A red-winged blackbird glides over the field behind the house, and our caged quail calls for a mate. I turn the pages for words about how to live this day to its fullest, and I find them: This is…
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7 Powerful Bible Verses About Stress and Hard Times
The awakening of spring feels like a rebirth of sorts. The pungent scent wafting from the once-frozen creek bed stirs life in my soul. Today, I’m in the woods with my Bible in search of Bible verses about stress and hard times. Bible Verses About Stress and Hard Times If you need encouragement today, I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll see what God’s Word says about stress and trouble. Bible Verses About Stress and Hard Times 1. Psalm 135:1-2 Praise the name of the LORD. Give praise, O servants of the LORD who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of…
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How Do We Glorify God in Our Daily Lives?
How do we glorify God in our daily lives? The Bible offers plenty of examples to help us give God honor and glory in our everyday moments. Today, we’ll unpack a few of these insights as we aim to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll take a closer look at honoring God in even our most ordinary moments. How Do We Glorify God in Our Daily Lives? I’m on my knees with my camera lens inches from a dwarf ginseng. As I watch its tiny snowflake head bob in the breeze, I suddenly realize we’re not alone.…
