This Is Your Invitation to Cultivate Holy Cravings

This Is Your Invitation to Cultivate Holy Cravings

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I blink back tears as I open a new package of gochujang to add to dinner.

I’m not crying because of the spicy scent that wafts up to my face as I pull open the plastic seal. I’m crying because of my dad. Two years gone. Nobody prepares you for the random moments that pull grief up, like a rope tugging on a lifebuoy caught down in the deep.

Grief surfaces in the most mundane moments, like opening this brand of gochujang, the red pepper paste dad liked best. Many of the things that bring me delight are those I’ve unintentionally learned to appreciate . . . from my dad.

A hot mug of corn silk tea. Spontaneous movie nights.

If you stopped to consider it, you might be surprised by how many of your favorite things are influenced by the people around you. The music you like, the way you relax, the dessert you crave. In nearly all things, we are influenced by the preferences of those around us. Often, what is deemed good by them becomes what is desirable to us, too.

This is good news that can work for our holy cravings, too. If cravings can be caught, we can be strategic about who and what we choose to expose ourselves to most. Just as there is danger for the person who stands in the path of sinners or sits in the seat of scoffers, there is also blessing for the one who follows those who thirst for righteousness.

And, if cravings can be caught, the most obvious person we want to be around is Jesus. The gospel accounts show us Jesus’ affection for the lost, His delight in little children, and His preference to be alone with the Father in the wee hours of the morning and late into the night. Observing what our Lord enjoys doing and deems worthwhile can stir up a love for good deeds within our hearts.

Yet, while Jesus is our ultimate influencer, Jesus isn’t our only influencer.

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ,” wrote Paul. We are sinners saved by grace, thrust into community. We’re not left to our own devices as we seek to follow Christ in loving what He loves and living out His ways.

Who in your life rejoices in God’s Word? Who loves to go before the throne of grace? Who delights in their family and the duty of caring for their household? Who makes you want to love what ought to be seen as lovely?

I know a woman who cherishes God’s Word so much she can barely speak about His truth without a glimmer in her eye and a lump in her throat. She studies it with such fervor and devotion that I’m convinced, every time, there must be another pearl of great price for me to discover within its pages. Her joy makes me want to bury my face in the Scriptures to see what wonderful things I might behold.

I know a group of women who have, for decades, gathered to pray for global missionary families. These steadfast sisters, who once brought their own babies along as they prayed to the Lord for those fulfilling the great commission, look back on hundreds of answered prayers and see the fruit of their labor. Their babies are my age now, and those women inspire me to be faithful in my years of motherhood, not neglecting my part in ministering to the lost overseas . . . and at home.

There are women in our churches, women online, women who write books, women who host podcasts, women in our libraries, women in our grocery stores, and women all throughout church history who have earnestly loved what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent. With so many examples of women who thirst for righteousness, we ought to surround ourselves with their influence.

Holy cravings are worthy of being caught and, for as much as our day and age presents a myriad of opportunities to develop unholy appetites, surely . . . we are abundantly surrounded by those who love and do good.

May we imitate them, as they imitate Christ. And, may we catch their holy cravings, loving what God loves — good deeds, global missions, gochujang, and all.

Gospel Truth for When You’re Pinching Pennies and Waiting on a Paycheck

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It was the last of my money. Coins, might I add.

I was six months pregnant and working in a bakery. One of the best dessert bakeries in Charlotte, North Carolina. I took custom cake and cookie orders. I slugged twenty-five-pound bags of granulated sugar over my shoulders and carried them from the basement to the kitchen. I stocked the bakery display with sprinkled sugar cookies, apple fritters, cream horns, guava pastelitos, and six-inch cakes with diplomat cream and strawberry filling.

Have I tickled your taste buds, yet?

At the end of each shift, I’d count my tip money and stuff it away. In time, these collected quarters and stray pennies would end up supplementing my grocery bill. Not many people knew, but I was on Medicaid at the time. Being a newlywed and in ministry with no money for insurance will do that to you. 

I’ll never forget that October, our third of the ten years we lived in Charlotte. It was my husband’s birthday and I wanted to celebrate how far he (and I) had come. It’d been a long few years of starting a new life in a new city and I wanted to mark the moment. We had friendships that were flourishing and a baby on the way. Despite all that was hard and heavy, there was much to give thanks for . . . and much to celebrate.

I remember dipping into my stash of tip money and using every last penny to buy food for the party I’d been planning for weeks. I’d stretched seventy-something dollars to buy custom birthday cookies (discounted from the bakery I worked at) and finger foods to feed about ten people.

But then the unimaginable happened: no one showed up.

Every RSVP of a Yes quickly turned into a No. This couple could no longer make it. That friend could come, but couldn’t stay for more than a minute. We grieved that night, my husband and I. We shot up questions into the long, dark night, wondering why it hurt so much and what to do with all our disappointment — and, also, what to do with all that food?

No one but my husband knew what it cost to set that table. No one knew just how precise I needed to be in my planning and purchases, or the sacrifice of time, or the earnest hours of work put in. No one but my husband knew about the exhausting effort spent in pinching pennies and balancing budgets, all while robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

Now, seven years later — after that heartbreak of a party — I feel like I’m looking for the gold thread in all of this. Because my husband and I still share one car. We’re still pinching pennies, still livin’ on a prayer, and staying with our parents to make ends meet.

In fact, being broke, short of cash, poor, in need, in debt, in the red, struggling, cash-strapped, and in lack is never easy, efficient, or encouraging. There are no pretty words or promising platitudes that are helpful or hope-filled enough for the ones living paycheck to paycheck to paycheck.

But there is this: never giving up on the gospel truth that God is good, whether we are in plenty or in want. No one may know what it costs you to set that table. But God knows. No one may know just how precise you need to be in your planning and purchases, or the sacrifice of your time, or the earnest hours of work you put in. But God knows.

No one may know how or why or for how long you’ve been pinching pennies, or gathering quarters, or balancing budgets, or robbing Peter to pay Paul. But God knows. God sees every sacrifice. He sees every swipe of the card. He sees every handwritten check, every cent saved, every coupon collected, every debt collector dialed.

I feel a little like Peter who, on the way to the temple with John, encountered a lame beggar at the temple gate. Peter, looking straight at the man, said to him, “Look at us!” And the man did, giving Peter and John his full attention. “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you,” said Peter. He spoke to the man, saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Then Peter took the man by the hand and helped him up. Instantly, the man’s feet and ankles became strong . . . and he went into the temple courts — walking, jumping, and praising God” (Acts 3:1-10 NIV).

Friends, silver or gold I have not . . . but what I do have I give you. Receive this encouragement, and let it strengthen, liberate, and enliven you with supernatural joy: God sees you standing at the gate, knocking and in need. He knows, and He alone can strengthen and sustain you, in the name of Jesus.

God is good, whether you are in plenty or in want. Pay attention to His goodness. May your praise empower you wherever your finances stand today.

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Friends — I’d love to hold space for any pressing financial or work situations you’re currently facing. Comment below and share a little bit about what you’re going through — I’d love to encourage you.

 

What Alleviates Your Loneliness

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I’m not a stranger to seasons of intense loneliness. I experienced it as a young girl who often felt like the odd duck in a beloved extended family of beautiful swans. I experienced it as a military spouse who often did the rinse-and-repeat routine of move, find new friends, and move again. And I’ve experienced it as a middle-aged woman who’s worried that a large portion of her identity has flown the coop right along with her adult kids.

Loneliness is especially hard because it compounds whatever struggle we’re enduring. Whether it’s a difficult move or a difficult marriage, loneliness makes your circumstances that much more difficult to walk through.

I know the frustration, too, of doing things to try and alleviate my loneliness only to be met with a lackluster response. Years ago, I cooked up a storm for a party and invited several folks over, but not one single person showed up. Later, when my husband deployed, I risked vulnerability by telling a group of new-to-me girls I was lonely only to hear nothing but chirpy insects. Sometimes, I’ve felt it after my family or I made a decision that few (if any) people understood.

As one now blessed to look back at a lot of life, I see obvious highlights where people alleviated my loneliness along the way. My magnificent Mema Rea and my other Mama Mary, always concerned that I was hungry, cooked pizza and baked homemade Reese’s bars because they knew I loved them. My high school best friend, Cathy, and her amazing mama, Dorothy, repeatedly welcomed me into their family like another daughter. When I had to leave my first teaching job for an across-country move, Patty and Susan threw me the best farewell party. Rebecca, after knowing me for only a month, threw my 27th birthday dinner party complete with a cake (the fastest way to my heart).

So, what did all those folks have in common? They noticed me. That’s the beginning and end of it, really. Through a kind word or small action, they noticed me. And as I passed by the mile markers of their loving kindness and friendship overtures, I felt less lonely.

Of course, it’s lovely when life works out that way. To be noticed is about the best feeling there is, I think. But what about the times you’re ignored, left out — not noticed? Perhaps you’re younger and so new to an area that no one knows to notice you. Or, perhaps you’re older and know the pain of people looking right past you.

To the degree it feels good to be noticed is the degree it feels awful to remain unseen.

The fact is, it takes time and opportunity to be noticed and to get to know people. In the waiting time between being unseen and seen, I’ve found this course of action the most helpful thing I can do to alleviate my loneliness:

Instead of waiting for someone to notice me, I notice someone else.

If we hopscotch through the Gospels, we see that Jesus was a pro at noticing people. He noticed when the bleeding woman touched His hem (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48). He noticed when Simon Peter and other disciples couldn’t catch any fish. (John 21:1-6). And He noticed when Mary Magdalene stood crying outside His empty tomb (John 20:11-18).

In all of these cases and many more still, Jesus’s first step to helping people was noticing them.

The same prescription is a good way to work through our own seasons of crushing loneliness. So, if I notice a new-to-me person in the neighborhood or at church, I’ll introduce myself and ask her a question or two. If I see someone at the grocery store wearing cute sandals or boots, I’ll tell her exactly what I think of her shoes. If I’ve made a too-big pot of soup at home, I’ll give the extra to someone. Or, I’ll simply double the recipe in the first place in order to double the blessing.

It’s certainly possible that in the Lord’s kindness, someone else may notice us without us having to reach out to them first. But we have 0% say in whether or not that happens. On the flip side, we have 100% say in how we choose to act in every season of our lives.

While there’s not a thing wrong with lamenting my lonely circumstances, I don’t want to turn inward to such a degree I give up my agency to see others. I want to notice others — and therefore create the opportunity for them to notice me in return.

To that end, may each of us notice someone else and in turn, notice that our loneliness is lessening, too, praise be to the good Lord above.

Are you, like so many others, in a season of loneliness? This 90-day devotional, Praying Through Loneliness, may be of help to you.

A Promise for When the Waves Just Keep on Coming

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“I can’t take my eyes off them,” I said, staring at the sea. The roar echoed off the nearby mountains, reverberated off the hotel walls, reached a crescendo, and then began again.

She followed my gaze, watched the crashing waves, and we stood still, silent, frozen, and amazed.

I’m no stranger to waves – literal or metaphorical. I spent the first 18 years of my life in Florida, and every summer we return to the same stretch of sand for our annual family reunion. Last year, in less than two minutes, the sky changed from baby blue to a deep gray as rain fell in sheets. The waves that gently splashed began to slam the shore, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I gathered beach chairs and turned to dash inside, only to walk straight into a wall of wind. Inch by literal inch, my cousins and I shuffled toward shelter, soaked through and shocked by the strength of the sudden storm.

After drying off inside, I stood on the balcony of the rented condo and noticed the small speck of a bird riding out the crashing waves. As if we switched places, I watched the bird from above and I told the One who walks on water, “That’s me right there and I’m exhausted.”

It was a tsunami of a year, and honestly, all these months later, the waves continue to rage.

Yet there I stood, on a different balcony on the opposite side of the country, another coastline before me and a friend beside me, shocked into silence by majesty.

Hours later, with sand squishing between our toes, we got as close as we dared and then we simply stared. Wonder. Awe. Beauty. A healthy fear, too, of what could be… and yet, as the water soared to heights above our heads and then crashed down before reaching our feet, what grew inside me was an unexpected peace.

I turned toward Tasha and said, “All year, it’s been one difficult thing after another. Every time I thought I saw a break in the waves, the storm picked up. But there’s just something about the strength of these waves. I think… maybe… God is inviting me to look at waves through another lens. Not to minimize the terror or the trauma or the terrible-ness of it all, but to remember that even the wild waves can be beautiful, too. They might keep on coming, but He’s greater than even THIS, so I’m going to be okay.”

Her eyes danced with delight as she exclaimed “We have to take a picture of you still standing, brave, and walking toward the water!” I slipped my phone into her hand, turned to face the roar, and walked forward, my words lost to the wind:

“God, You’ve heard every desperate prayer, but here’s one more. This storm, God… You know I never saw it coming. You know I’m weary and I’m heartbroken and I’m waiting for You to do what only You can do. Like the ocean in front of me, there’s no end in sight. But You’re mightier than even this, and I know You won’t let me drown. Teach me to dance in the deep. Help me see beauty, even here, before the storm stills.”

Sometimes, it seems like the waves will get the last word.

Sometimes, it feels like we’re gulping air — doggy-paddling and desperate and just trying not to drown.

Sometimes, years go by before the winds hush and the waters calm, their roar silenced in obedience to the One who says, “Peace, be still.”

My circumstances didn’t change as I stared at the sea, and watching the majesty there at the water’s edge didn’t make my own still-raging storm suddenly look beautiful. But I was reminded of a beautiful promise from the Maker of those mighty waves:

“The sound of the water is loud; the ocean waves are powerful, but the Lord above is much greater.” Psalm 93:4 NCV

His never-ending love is mightier than the waves of the sea, more powerful than the waters that crash, stronger than the fiercest storm, and greater than anything we face.

God is good and constant and constantly working all things for good. Love does not leave when waters rise, does not abandon us to the waves, or stand by wishing us well as we sink down deep. Oh no, Love Himself stays with us in the storm and says, “I’m mightier than even this, and so is My love for you.”

Maker of the waters, we ask You to speak peace over the chaos that is raging. In the Name of Jesus, the One who walks upon the storms that threaten to overtake, we declare that we aren’t going to drown. Instead, You’re teaching us to dance upon the waters, holding us up and holding true to Your word: You are greater than anything we face. You see the other side, and You will see us through. Help us hear Your voice above the roar, Your never-failing promise behind every wave: mightier than this, and this, and yes, even this, is Your love. Amen

If it feels like the waves just keep on coming and you’d like extra encouragement as you ride out the storm, Kaitlyn’s book Even If Not: Living, Loving, and Learning in the in Between will help you choose hope for tomorrow when today feels like a question mark.

 

Look for the Evidence of God’s Love

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I sat in my counselor’s office. I had many things I wanted to talk about, but before I could bring up any of the topics I wanted to discuss, I heard myself saying, “I am afraid to date. I’m afraid I won’t be safe. And I’m afraid I’ll make bad decisions. I don’t know how to look for someone good.”

My counselor took out a piece of paper, scrawling a word in capital letters near the top. In large letters I saw the word EVIDENCE. She drew a line down the middle of the paper and held it up to me. “See this?”

I nodded.

She told me to look for evidence in a guy’s life: how he talked to his friends, the music he listened to, how he spoke to a barista. She told me to pay attention to everything: “Be alert and look for the evidence. The evidence doesn’t lie.”

I took her wisdom to heart. And I’ve realized that looking for evidence isn’t only wisdom for dating relationships — it’s also a way to see God.

I think of her words: be alert and look for the evidence.

Am I alert when it comes to seeking God? Am I looking for evidence of His love? When I truly think about it, get my trusty notebook out, and jot down the signs of God’s fingerprints, I am astounded by all the ways He shows me He loves me.

I see the love of God in the eyes of my nephew and niece. I see the love of God in the friendships He has given me. I see the love of God in the way He’s redeeming some hard parts from my past.

Be alert and look for evidence of God’s love. I think you’ll be surprised by what you find. God’s love is as close to you as the air you breathe. He delights in you and sings over you. Sometimes we just need a reminder to wake up and look.

“The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV 

By Aliza Latta as published in 100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle

 

You can’t do this life on your own . . . and you’re tired of trying. You need evidence that God is still present and good when everything around you tries to convince you otherwise. You need help and encouragement to keep going when the one next step is simply too much. We get it.

What if you don’t have to muster up more grit, determination, and wisdom on your own but could tap into the source of true, unfailing strength? Here’s the good news: You can.

You are stronger than you think because God is closer than you know.

100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle will take you on a journey of learning to see God clearer and to know Him deeper in the middle of your struggles. As you experience pain, move through daily challenges, or get bogged down by anxieties big or small, you’ll learn to find Him right in the middle of it, ready to strengthen you and give you rest.

In a Dark World, Notice the Glimmers

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I’m a full-steam-ahead kind of person. This can have its perks — I’m always planning and never stuck in the past. But there’s a shadow side, too — I can be so caught up in what will be (or might be) that I lose track of what is.

I often find myself so distracted, caught up in all my daily to-dos, that I miss the gifts of grace right in front of me. The first inhale of fresh air as I step outside. The perfect song on the radio as I turn the key in the ignition. The maple leaf’s satisfying crunch under my feet as I venture down the doorsteps to check the mail. 

Life is made up of a million little glimmers — small, seemingly ordinary glimpses of goodness that bring light into our everyday lives.

These glimmers of hope are all around us, but it’s easy to be too distracted to notice them. 

Deb Dana, a therapist who specializes in complex trauma, first shared the term “glimmers” in her book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy. She describes glimmers as “micro-moments” that foster feelings of well-being. “Glimmers routinely appear in everyday life, yet frequently go unnoticed,” she writes.

What would it take for you to stop thinking about the future, even just for a moment, to glimpse the holy hiding in the mess of the everyday? Noticing these small, sacred moments — the steam hovering over your morning coffee, the flame of a candle dancing on your bedside table — can restore our bodies and even rewire our brains.

God made us to notice. Because when we notice, we restore and renew our weary minds, bodies, and souls.

Research shows that our nervous systems, often in survival mode, benefit from noticing glimpses of goodness. Paying attention to even the briefest positive emotion can help nurture our nervous systems and build resilience. 

How often are you in survival mode, moving from one thing to the next, shoulders tight and heart heavy, just trying to make it through another day? Maybe you’re caught in an unending cycle of work and worry, with little room for joy. But glimmers are always there, like the sunlight filtering through your window just so, illuminating tiny particles of dust that seem to dance in midair.

These moments, small as they may seem, can help us feel safer and more grounded. Psalm 34:8 invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” – because when we do, we find refuge in the One who loves us and will never leave us. God is present in it all, beckoning us to experience goodness in everyday glimpses of grace.

Maybe it seems flippant to look for small glimmers. After all, our world is spinning at hyperspeed. Division, discord, and distraction shout for our attention. Our world, our countries, our neighborhoods, and even our own families sometimes struggle to find common ground. We can get so caught up in what-ifs and worries that we lose sight of the beauty nestled into the here and now. Even in life’s chaos, Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

Glimmers in our fantastic, dirty, messy, holy lives remind us that over and over again, we are offered a chance to receive restoration. Each sunrise brings new mercy, and every glimmer of hope hidden in the corners of our lives reminds us of God’s faithful presence in the present moment.

Noticing small signs of hope doesn’t mean denying the shadows or ignoring the realities of a weary world; instead, it keeps us going, giving us the strength to keep showing up. When we stay awake to the glimmers in front of us, we reorient our hearts to the Everlasting Light.

Glimmers remind us that though the world may grow dark, we are safe and held in the loving arms of Christ.

In Strong Like Water, my friend Aundi Kolber, a licensed professional counselor, contrasts glimmers as a delightful counterweight to the triggers we have in our lives. “If a trigger is anything (smell, taste, experience, person, etc.) that activates an embodied memory of a past threat or trauma, a glimmer is something that helps us connect with a sense of our felt safety.”

The briefest glimmer — like a crumpled $5 bill you find in last year’s coat pocket or the flow of your favorite pen as you write a grocery list — can act as nudges to the depth of your soul that you are safe. That you are seen. And that you are loved – right here, right now.

What would it look like to open yourself to noticing the glimmers in your life today? Maybe it’s slowing down to breathe in the earthy smell of new beginnings after an afternoon downpour or taking a minute to delight in the simple satisfaction of finishing a good book (or starting a new one). 

Take a minute. What glimmer might be hiding in plain sight?

Can you smell that freshly cut grass? Do you see how your loved one’s eyes crinkle when you walk through the door? Can you hear the birds singing in the distance? Do you feel the way that ice-cold sparkling water tickles your tongue?

God is with you now, offering grace to light your way through the darkness.

Will you notice?

A Breath Prayer for Noticing Glimmers
From the “Noticing” chapter in the fall section of Every Season Sacred, you can use this simple breath prayer to help you notice the glimmers of grace all around:

Inhale: Help me see You
Exhale: In and around me

May glimmers light your path, helping you notice and name even the tiniest reflections of God’s goodness in the days ahead.

 

A Five Dollar Kindness Miracle

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I stood in my kitchen riffling through a small accordion file where we kept money for our monthly budget. It was the end of the month, so the file was mostly empty. My sister was coming over soon, and I was scrambling to find some cash to give her. I checked my wallet. the jar where we stash dollars to save for vacation. My bottom desk drawer. All the places I might have hidden a few extra bucks.

My search was semi-successful. I thumbed through the wad of cash. Somehow I had found a hundred dollars. Strangely, though, they were all five-dollar bills. Suddenly, 20 five-dollar bills felt like both too much and painfully not enough. I wasn’t sure what to do.

My sister was going through a hard time — a really hard time. Life had imploded, and the gap between what she had and what she needed seemed impossible to bridge. I wanted to support her, to let her know that she wasn’t alone. In some ways, a hundred dollars felt embarrassingly inadequate, as I knew it would hardly make a dent in her needs. On the other hand, I felt a little guilty that I had the resources to scrounge up that sum of money and the sacrifice didn’t hurt too much.

I stared at the stack of five-dollar bills. I didn’t want to make my sister feel insulted or ashamed by my gift. I just wanted her to know that she was seen and that I would walk through the fire with her. “Lord, help me to know what to do,” I prayed.

I felt a stirring in my spirit. Ihe whisper of God that said, I know your heart and will honor it. Give joyfully — exactly what you have.

Later that afternoon, while cousins played together in the backyard and my sister and I cleaned up from lunch, I handed her a white envelope with my gift. She stuck it in her purse without opening it.

That night my phone binged with a new text: “Sister, I couldn’t believe it when I opened your envelope. This morning at church I put my last five dollars in the offering plate. I knew God was asking me to trust Him, but it was hard. Your generous gift was God reminding me that He sees me and will be faithful to provide for me.”

With tears in my eyes and a smile spread across my face, I stood once again in my kitchen, just shaking my head. Only God. His kindness to use and bless exactly what we have is abundant.

-By Becky Keife as published in Courageous Kindness

Have you ever looked at the world’s limitless problems in comparison with your limited resources and wondered if it’s even possible for one person to make a meaningful difference? Or maybe you think about today’s culture and feel disheartened by all the critical voices and division. Maybe kindness seems like a long-lost virtue without enough power to impact a single life let alone change the world.

Through the pages of Scripture and stories from women just like you, the Courageous Kindness Bible Study will show you how God’s kindness is an unrelenting pursuit of human hearts and an invitation to partner with Him.

God is absolutely wild about people — including you! His kindness is the catalyst for our salvation; His work in our lives is like a love letter inviting others to repentance and relationship. God goes to unimaginable lengths to wow and woo and call His children to Himself. Does this mean life is easy, peachy, and pain-free? We all know the answer to that is a resounding no. Yet when we learn to live with eyes wide open to the evidence of God’s kindness, it will not only change our view and understanding of God but will transform the way we see and relate to others.

Courageous Kindness by Becky Keife, with stories from other (in)courage writers, is on sale now at DaySpring.com for only $10! Plus, you can find more (in)courage Bible studies for $10 here through the end of Septmember!

God wants to use your ordinary days to accomplish more than you could ever expect.

I Am a Writer with Dyslexia and I Bear Witness to God’s Grace

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I am a writer with dyslexia.

Even typing those eight words feels like a paradox. It’s taken me years since the diagnosis to claim both titles — writer and dyslexic — without feeling a pressing need to spout off a list of achievements faster than the words “a writer with dyslexia” landed on a hearer.

I had hoped my accomplishments could outrun the words that sometimes elude me.

It was during my first year working as a digital managing editor at a publishing house, helping to shape the words of some of the most gifted writers, when I learned I had dyslexia. This reality stirred a well of insecurities, adding another layer of vulnerability to my already overflowing desire to prove that I was enough.

I often doubted how the very tool of words could, on the one hand, be instruments gifted by God to create sentences that sing of His grace and truth and yet, on the other hand, be the source of my greatest struggles. It’s a paradox that I still wrestle with. But it has become a sacred wrestling, one where my weakness collides with God’s immense strength. It’s in the quiet spaces between the stumbles with words that His truth whispers most profoundly. Here, in this very tension, lies an encounter, a holy ground where my limitations bow to God’s boundless power and glory.

For many of us, we have spent years seeing inadequacies and limitations as only weakness adjacent. And we’re not the first to know this struggle. During His day, Jesus’ disciples (despite witnessing His many miracles firsthand) didn’t always see how God’s power and glory could and would work through, not apart from, their imperfections and limitations.

In John 9:1-3, Jesus encounters a man who was born blind. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Just as it was with Jesus’ disciples, this story of the blind man challenges our conventional understanding and approach to limitations. Jesus’ intention? That, through this encounter, we might gain better sight.

Take a brief moment to consider the areas where you are experiencing lack or limitation. Could it be that what you see as a perceived lack is leading you toward greater dependence on God? Is this lack or limitation posturing you to receive His provision and not your own?

There’s no denying that our limitations are hard, and our lack is inconvenient. Surely, this fallen world is not the way God originally intended it to be (Genesis 3:16-19). Still, He’s not left us without hope nor without the ability to still give Him glory.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

It’s now been four years of working in publishing, and I can bear witness to God’s grace being sufficient, as He uses my weaknesses to qualify His call on my life. I am a writer who wrestles with dyslexia but, more than anything, I am a child of God whose identity is found in Christ — the Word who became flesh.

Could it be that God permitted this paradoxical path for me that I may, all the more, embody the power of His grace? If so, it’s a paradox I am willing to live out until He heals me . . . or calls me home.

Do You Want to Get Well?

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Curled up on the sofa, I sat in silence as my friend sobbed. We’d been here once before as she tried to unearth personal layers that had held her hostage for too long. When she was in financial debt and depressed, I’d text, talk, feed, and pray with her when she isolated — but now we were paused at a crossroads.

Loneliness darkened her soul. Hope felt hard and her couch felt too comfortable. Complacency lingered. She didn’t want to get up and all my attempts to help halted.

I’ve always been a “pull myself up by the bootstraps” kind of gal, so I was stumped. Life often felt challenging, but I was always willing to put in the work. Give me a wise rule and I’d follow it. Offer me a hard job, I’d do my best. Tell me how to get better, I’d try it. Until years later, when I didn’t want to try anymore either. I was tired, discouraged, and, for the first time, understood my friend’s painful crossroads.

I burrowed at home and isolated. Betrayal stung and going to church hurt, so I withdrew. As an extrovert who was historically busy with others, my friends never guessed because I hid behind the kids’ schedules. That hurt more. Emotional anguish rolled into physical weakness and the longer I stayed hidden, the more alone I felt.

One lonely evening I heard Jesus’s gentle prodding. “Jen, do you want to get well?”

This is the same question Jesus asked the man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. The man who waited, wallowed, and wondered what was next for him — who laid by the pool of Bethesda alongside a host of other sick people who pined for a miraculous healing of their own. The Greek word used here for sick (astheneō) doesn’t focus solely on the physically weak. It extends to any of us who lack strength, feel powerless, or struggle with weakness of faith.

Can you imagine the environment? The desperation and hopelessness as a multitude of those with diseases and disabilities waited? I wonder if despair and discouragement had become part of their identity. If we’re honest, sometimes it’s easier to define ourselves by weakness and wounds instead of the wonder of who God made us to be.

When I first read that passage, I thought Jesus’s question was a bit ridiculous to ask anyone desperate for healing. Rejected by those closest to them and cast out by society, doesn’t everyone in anguish want to get well?

While we’d expect a bold declaration of “Absolutely!” to Jesus’ seemingly simple question, the ailing man didn’t reply with a yes or no. Instead, he answered with an excuse.

One man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and realized he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the disabled man answered, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
John 5:5-7 CSB

This interaction not only shows his physical struggle, but his spiritual one as well. The sick man doesn’t recognize the Savior who offers unconditional hope and compassion. Instead, he’s blinded by doubt and lists all the reasons why healing is too difficult:

I am all alone. No one will help me. Someone is always ahead of me – they have it easier.

Right then, I saw myself in his excuses. I’m lonely and invisible. I’ve been betrayed. Why didn’t they pick me? Instead of pursuing spiritual wholeness, my heart posture focused inward. It was all about me. My Savior extended a lifeline, but I didn’t recognize it because bitterness bristled.

It’s normal to feel sad and weary. But we can learn to welcome the tension of heartache and hope by trusting Jesus is Jehovah Rafa — the One who heals. The hardest things do not last forever. When we allow our suffering to create a longing for eternity, hope prevails.

Jesus gently asks each of us, “Do you want to be made whole?” Questions like this simmer in the quiet of our souls, yet we’re given a choice.

“Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.”
John 5:8 

Christ wants to heal and set us free, but it requires action. Hope and healing don’t come amidst indifference.

With newfound compassion, I sat again with my friend and asked the uncomfortable question of Jesus.

“Do you want to get well?”

“Of course I do, but…” She listed her excuses, but this time I was able to listen and acknowledge how painfully hard healing and transformation can be. I learned you can’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps when they’ve seemingly disappeared, but we know the One who will pull us out of the pit.

It’s a vulnerable question, but do you want to get well? What does it look like for you to live whole?

Lord, soften our hearts. Convict us where we need it and give us a willingness to change. Strengthen us with Your courage so we can pick up our filthy mat filled with past choices, problems, hurt, dysfunction, bitterness — whatever it holds  — and run it to You, our Healer. Amen.


Listen to Jen’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts.

 

What Are Your Key Pillars?

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There’s a brand-new digital course from our friend Melissa Horvath, and we’ve got a teaser of it and a deal for you today! Embark on your personal journey with God to find direction and meaning for your next steps; sign up today for the 21-Day Unlock: Discovering Your God-Given Purposes!

This 21-day journey is designed to help you discover your divine purposes, find passion in your every day, and develop a personal mission statement. It includes 10 insightful video lessons, 21 thought-provoking devotions, and PDF workbook downloads.

Through September 30th, you can enjoy this course for only $29.99! Here’s an excerpt to give you an idea of the content: 

Imagine you’ve purchased a new dining room table — a gorgeous oak table large enough for your whole family to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together. Only, when the truck arrives and the delivery guys set up the table in your dining room, there’s a problem. Only three of the four legs have arrived.

Now what? You can’t trust a lopsided table to safely hold all of your dishes, can you?

Sometimes our faith walk is a little like that wonky table. When we don’t have solid footing, we’ll topple over. Consider the words found in Matthew 7:24, where Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (ESV).

That’s the goal of this course — to build on the Rock of Christ Jesus, to develop the best possible foundation.

With that in mind, think through four truths that have stabilized you throughout your life. When life gets shaky, which of God’s promises do you rely on the most to make you steady again? Take some time to consider what your four key pillars are.

Having trouble? Here are four key pillars you can stand on today and forever.

  1. God is in control at all times.
    Because He’s the supreme authority, above any earthly king or kingdom, we can trust that He’s all-powerful and all-knowing.
  2. God’s Word is true.
    By applying the Scriptures to your life, no matter what you’re walking through, you can find guidance, strength, and wisdom to navigate any challenge or circumstance.
  3. God’s plans for us are good.
    Even when we don’t understand what God is up to, we can trust that God sees the bigger picture. It’s important to know that He’s working not only in our lives but in everyone else’s too. When we start to align our desires with His, we’ll see that He’s not out to get us (or to punish us for some sin we committed in the past). We can rest easy, knowing that He has a purpose and a season for everything.
  4. God can move mountains through our faith.
    “‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matthew 17:20 NIV). You see, it doesn’t take much faith, just a tiny mustard seed (about the size of a pinpoint) to be unstoppable. But here’s the deal: you must be aligned with God and His will in order to see the miracles happen before your very eyes.

These four pillars of the faith will keep that table — and everything on it — in perfect condition. You can gather safely around that very solid table and trust that it will hold all that you have going on in life for a lifetime.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the mundane routine of life? Do you feel like your spark is fading? You’re not alone. Many women find themselves feeling lost and unsure of their purposes. It’s time to shake off those feelings and start stepping into your calling.

Introducing the 21-Day Unlock: Discovering Your God-Given Purposes. This transformative course, designed by celebrated writer and entrepreneur Melissa Horvath, will help you unearth your unique purposes and empower you to live a life of profound meaning and fulfillment. The course is tailored specifically for women who want to lean into their God-given purposes.

You’ll be guided through a journey of self-discovery, enabling you to assert your calling with conviction and confidence. With Melissa’s inspiring words and practical applications, you’ll also be encouraged to create a personal mission statement that truly resonates with your life’s purposes. It’s never too late or too early to start anew and live the life you’ve always dreamed of. God has so many wonderful purposes for you throughout your life. Take the first step towards your new journey today. Don’t just exist, live your purpose! Now through September 30th, enjoy this course for only $29.99!

Grab your course today, and listen to the (in)courage podcast this weekend for a special conversation with Becky Keife and Melissa Horvath!

We know this course will be a blessing and we can’t wait to hear how it impacts your life!

 

Celebrating the Sacred Silly

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Yesterday my youngest turned four. He is a constant joy to our whole family, full of mischief and love and big feelings and silliness. We all pile onto his bed at night to read him stories, he tags along to his siblings’ sporting events and is a pro sideliner, and he melts our hearts regularly.

My kids love their birthdays, and I love celebrating them (well, and really I love celebrating just about anything)! For the nearly thirteen years I’ve been a parent, I have thrown amazing birthday parties. I’m not shy about saying it’s a gift I have – the gift of planning a party that walks a thin line between over-the-top and casual fun. Themes in the past have included a Bob the Tomato VeggieTales party and a hamburger party (yep, hamburgers were the theme). I’ve made a from-scratch standing doll cake for a princess party, wiggly blue jello ‘ice blocks’ for a Frozen theme, and a three-foot sub sandwich waiting inside for the ‘players’ after they ran football drills in the snow. I’ve created an entire party themed around hairbows, one for the color pink, and one all about horses (complete with horsey snacks like carrot sticks and apple slices). One year a unicorn party involved a ring toss game with an inflatable unicorn horn that one bold uncle donned.

The themes have evolved and grown up as my kids have done the same, and this year with a couple of tweens and an official teen they will be the most mature yet (we’re looking at a Vikings football party, a Taylor Swift party, and a spa party). But my newly turned four-year-old continues to keep us all in the moment in the way only a toddler can do.

Because his birthday party theme this year?

Pickles.

That’s right. My guy had a million options he shared during the three months he realized his birthday was coming up (awareness of time isn’t exactly the skill set of a toddler). He considered characters like Paw Patrol, orange – his favorite color, dinosaurs, and other things he currently loves. But when he landed on the idea of a pickle party, we were all so tickled that it stuck!

During his party, we will be enjoying pickle pizza, dilly lemonade, giant pickles on a stick, popcorn with optional dill seasoning, and a big green pickle-shaped cake. I’m also thinking of some kind of beanbag game, or maybe pin the pickle to the jar. It will be silly and fun and perfect for him!

Celebrating the silly is something that I love to do. Like, let me in on the obscure thing you adore, and we’ll make it a whole thing. One line in a movie? Let’s say it whenever possible. A favorite 90’s era sitcom? I’ll binge it with you and bring the popcorn. Quilting, a favorite pop star, beloved dog breed? I’m here to recognize the joy it brings you and celebrate it. Why?

Because experiencing pure delight in the things we’re hardwired to love is worth leaning into – whether or not it makes sense to anyone else.

For instance, nothing makes sense about my deep love of our Minnesota State Fair. I hate crowds. (and between 150,000-250,000 people attend each day. Over 1.9 million people this year!). I hate hot weather (and it takes place over the twelve days before Labor Day – likely our hottest days of the year). I do not prefer operating on whims and without a plan (and we twist and turn our way through hundreds of acres of fairgrounds, being led fully by whims). My stomach hurts if I look at a new food (and we sample ev.ery.thing at the fair, from mini-donuts to milkshakes, corndogs to walleye bites).

Yet our annual State Fair day brings Christmas-morning-level excitement and joy to my heart. Each year, it’s just us and a couple hundred thousand others gathered at the Great Minnesota Get-together, testing out tractors and each other’s patience.

This year we spent 13 hours walking over 18,000 steps and 7+ miles. We tried new foods and savored old favorites. We pushed the stroller through crowds and celebrated our beloved state, beaming every time I felt camaraderie and group bonding over the DNR building and Miracle of Birth Center and the intricate handcrafts on display and buckets of cookies and old church dining halls and gigantic pumpkins and big Minnesota love. We had such a great day at the fair that, for the first time, we surprised our kids with a second day and had just as much fun doing entirely different things!

Between the fair and my youngest’s pickle birthday theme, it occurred to me that maybe the things we love most don’t have to make sense. Maybe the silly things we adore are actually sacred.

Maybe the things we love can just make us really happy. Period. And maybe it’s by design that they do.

Would the leaves have to change color in the fall? Probably not, but it absolutely delights my soul that they do. Would zebras have to be striped? I don’t think so, and they are one of my kids’ favorite animals. Would delicious, complex, and beautiful fictional worlds have to exist? No, and yet the way in which our favorite characters and series impact our lives is wonderful.

What about music? Choral arrangements and marching bands and jazz ensembles? All interpreting the same notes in wildly differing ways to the sheer delight of audiences.

Cool water on a hot summer day. Best friends, sharing lives and hearts. The fact that no snowflake is exactly like another. A perfect strawberry, bursting with ripe flavor.

There are just-for-joy creations, designed by the Creator for the pleasure of His favorite of all — you. And you know what? He takes even deeper delight in who you are.

“The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

As you go about your day, I hope you seek and find glory in the everyday, the small, the just-for-you treasures. I hope you tuck away in your heart and know in your bones that the One who created constellations of twinkling stars and coral expanses under sparkling oceans loves and delights in you, just as you are. And may this be the lens through which we view one another — beloved, delighted in, adored.

 

Listen to Anna’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts.

Set Down Your Expectations

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We live in a time and culture where you can get just about anything you want right when you want it. The other day, I didn’t have time to run to the store for filters for my air purifier but, with a few clicks, it was at my doorstep the next morning. When it comes to social media, my algorithm is completely different from my neighbors’ which is completely different than their own spouses’. Everything seems to be tailored to us and provides instant gratification.

But when it comes to church participation and building friendships? We sometimes expect things to be just as instant. But the truth is that this outlook is transactional and even objectifying.

Our culture has taught us to see one another as objects. In dating, maybe you have a list in your head of what would make the perfect spouse. What qualities do they have? What are your preferences? And that’s all good and well – we should have standards for a healthy partner. But have you considered that you don’t actually want what’s just on a list but a human being to be in partnership with? 

Have you considered that this person will have flaws and they’ll change over time? 

Or maybe those things that you think you can change aren’t going anywhere?

I know a whole lot of people who say that if they’d met their spouse in another context, they might have passed right by because they weren’t the “idea” of the person that was in their head.

Do we have an idea of what the perfect church or friend is? Do we long for an ideal place full of people who always do exactly what we want them to do? Or do we deeply love the church for what it actually is – flaws and all? 

I have to admit that I often want relationships with people who reach out to me first. I hope that I’ll never have to be the one to initiate getting together. But I have to ask: am I willing to reach out more than once or twice to connect with someone? Do I long for the good of others so much that I can get out of my own way and love them without needing something from them?

A.A. Milne, the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, writes, “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

As a single woman who lives alone, I am learning to treat my church like a true home and the people inside it like a true family.  And part of that is recognizing the fact that I’m going to let them down and they’re going to let me down. There are going to be moments when we disagree and there are certainly going to be moments when our calendars do not line up and one or both of us will believe that the other just doesn’t care. When we remember that we are committed to one another, it allows us to start seeing our friendships in the church like we see our family — commitment that transcends seasons and schedules. 

But just like a family, a church is made up of people who carry sin and all kinds of baggage. So as much as I believe the church is a home for us, I also carry that in tension with the fact that there is hurt and nuance to relationships because we’re all broken in some way. Jesus is making us new, yes, but we’re not going to be perfect on this side of eternity.

This thing that we’re doing? Coming to church and choosing to be with one another? It’s not always easy because home is not always an easy place to exist.

Luckily, we have many examples in Scripture of how to relate to one another.

Jesus does not call us only friends. Or only followers. Or only co-laborers. No, He also calls us family.

On the Cross, when Jesus is dying, He sees His mother, Mary. As the eldest son he knows that she needs to be cared for, so He turns to John. John 19:26-27 (ESV) records, “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your Mother!’”

Jesus is always reminding us that we belong to one another.

By the grace of God, we are given the gift of imperfect friendships. When we set down our desires for perfection, we find people who are actually present in daily life. When we set aside our assumptions and demands, we can encounter — in the most unexpected ways — people who are trying to figure out how to live like Jesus. 

When we fix our eyes on Him, we can be planted on steady ground. 

Our hope is not in the relationships we find in the church, but our shared hope gives us everything in common, even if we would otherwise be strangers.

So we have to start with the start. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by making friends at church, begin by asking someone to lunch or inviting them to meet you for ice cream. Listen to their story. You might be surprised at how fun people are when you see them for who they are and not just who you expect them to be.

 

Listen to Melissa’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts.

God’s Word Is Infinitely Better Than the GPS in My Car

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The night was dark and rainy. I was working in an unfamiliar city, depending on Google Maps to tell me how to get back to my hotel. As I looked for a landmark I recognized, an arrow on my dashboard directed me to turn left, and the oh-so-familiar voice of Google’s assistant confirmed the command.

I turned into oncoming traffic on a four-lane divided highway that had businesses obscuring the median. When I saw headlights coming straight toward me at 55 miles per hour, I thought, “That’s a crazy driver.” When a second person laid on their horn and swerved out of my path, it dawned on me: I was that crazy driver.

Oftentimes, the loudest voice is the one in my head. But, that voice isn’t always telling me the truth. Though the words are never spoken, I hear them clearly. The voice of comparison whispers things like You’re not as pretty as that girl. You’re not as talented as that woman. You’re not as good as that lady. You’re not as loved as she is. You’re not as smart or as strong as her.

This voice misdirects me, and I crash into a pileup of jealousy, insecurity, strife, sadness, and fear. That’s when I most need to hear the voice of my Father, telling me that I am His marvelous workmanship, knit together in my mother’s womb. I most need to hear my Father telling me that I am delicately formed and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).

Yet, even knowing this, when I look in the mirror, I can still doubt myself. I see my flaws as if they’re under a spotlight and then I falter. I want to see myself as my Creator sees me, to hear His voice above my own inner voice. I want to believe everything that my Heavenly Father says I am and can become. I want to fulfill my purpose and live abundantly fulfilled (John 10:10). But more times than I’d like to admit, I listen to the lies instead and turn away from His love and His truth.

Recently, I used Google Maps again when driving to a friend’s house for the first time. She lived on a lake, so the roads were narrow and twisted as they wound around the water. In no time at all, I was lost — and, yet, the voice of Google Maps told me, “You have arrived.” The home in front of me looked nothing like the picture my friend had sent me of her home. Now I was lost and running late and wanted to yell, “What? This isn’t where I need to be!?”

If I’m honest, this also happens to me spiritually — a discrepancy between what others see and what I see. Especially during times when I feel disconnected from God, I look critically at myself, my family, and my house. On the outside it might appear that “I’ve arrived” at a measure of success or happiness . . . yet I feel discontent.

My current location doesn’t look like I envisioned. I want to be further ahead with my goals and feel more confident. I want to look different or, at least, look at myself differently. That’s when I most need a Savior because I need to be saved from myself. I need His Spirit — my Comforter, my Counselor, my Helper, and my Friend.

God’s Word is infinitely better than the GPS in my car. In fact, I think of it as the best kind of GPS: God’s Powerful Spirit. As Christians, when we need direction, you and I can be assured and pray Psalm 119:105-107 (MSG): “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God;  put me together again with your Word.”

While Google Maps and technology are forever changing with system errors and imperfect updates, God is unchanging — and His ways are perfect. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I’m so grateful for God’s Word that directs me, and the Holy Spirit who grants me discernment and peace concerning my path.

When we don’t know which way to turn, we know we can turn to God by opening our Bible, praying, and listening for His perfect voice. His Spirit is always available to direct you and me.

If You’re Worried About Being Too Needy for God

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“Mom, can I connect to your hotspot?”

“Mom, do we have any snacks left?”

“Mom, can you please add this game to my iPad?”

“Mom, can you get granola and bagel chips when you order groceries?”

“But why can’t I have a phone if everyone else has one?”

“But why can’t you just trust me? I said I wouldn’t mess up again!”

“Mom, I need to connect to the wifi!”

“Mom, my math teacher said I need this really fancy calculator.”

“Mom, did you sign the permission slip?”

All summer long, my kids have pushed on every single boundary I’ve created for them. They’ve also pushed on every single nerve I have left, asking and demanding and requesting and begging for all the many things they want and think they need.

As a human, I grew exhausted by all this real fast. And it wasn’t long before my weariness turned to irritation, and my ability to respond gently deteriorated with every new question. I even resorted to saying out loud, “Can you just give me ONE DAY without asking me for something?”

One day. It’s all I asked for – and it never happened. They had questions and requests and arguments and needs-that-aren’t-really-needs Every. Single. Day. The whole summer.

Like a rookie, I thought perhaps it would get better when they went back to school. As if I’d never had kids in school before! Because as any seasoned parent knows, the demands of the school year might be different than those of summer . . . but they are still there. They are still demanding.

In an unfortunate bit of bad timing, my family traveled out of town right after my girls’ school year began. We made it through school supply shopping, back-to-school night, and the return of early morning alarms – and then we packed our suitcases and climbed into a rental car for five days of forced family fun.

At one point, after many hours in a minivan and one request for wifi too many, I put in my earbuds and pretended to be asleep.

I’m not proud of this mom move (and don’t worry, I wasn’t the only adult in the car!). But in that blessed break from being bombarded by my kids and their road trip needs, I felt God nudge me.

While I didn’t hear an audible voice, I imagined God bemused, saying in that moment, “You’re refusing all requests now? You’re telling your children to stop coming to you with their needs? I would never!”

It also occurred to me that while it’s legitimately annoying to be asked for something in such a nonstop manner, I am also grateful my kids feel safe asking me for what they want and need, whenever they want and need it. I’m grateful they trust that I will provide for them and that, even if I get grumpy, I want to hear from them about big and little things, about their thoughts and feelings, desires and needs. I don’t really want them to give me even one day of silence. (Though I would take an hour!)

God is the same – but not quite, because He’s so much better.

I am a fallible human parent, while God is a perfect heavenly Father. I am tired all the time; He is tireless and timeless. I am easily irritated and quick to snap, while He is endlessly patient and quick to listen and to care.

The Old Testament is full of conversations between a listening God and His children, full of stories that show how deeply God cares for His people. In the New Testament, Jesus calls people to Himself again and again. And He continually reminds us that God is a good, good father who has good, good gifts for us.

“You parents — if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
(Matthew 7:9-11 NLT)

As the past couple of years have been long and difficult to endure, I’ve grown reluctant to pray, wondering if God is tired of hearing the same questions, the same demands, the same laments. In my desperate attempts to cling to hope and joy, I’ve counted every small and smaller gift – and then wondered if maybe that’s all I can expect, all He has for me.

But God says no! He promises to work all things together for good and to be with us, no matter how obnoxious we get. (That last part, of course, is a paraphrase but I don’t think it’s wrong.)

So if you’re worried that you’ve worn out God’s patience with your requests, let me put your mind at ease. He is the best Father we could ever imagine (better, even!) and will never roll His eyes or pretend to be asleep when we need Him. He’ll never tire of our needs or our neediness. He loves us more than we love even our own children. His love is greater than our mess and confusion and desperation, and beyond comprehension.

Take your needs to God, big or small, old or new, first time or millionth time. Ask and ask again. He will listen, and He will provide.

 

Listen to Mary’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast app. 

How to Simply Receive the Rest of Jesus

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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.
 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1-4 NIV

I sit on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the dresser—no, through the dresser. My eyes are glazed over; I’m not really looking at anything. My shoulders sag, and my whole body feels as though I’m a wilting plant in need of sun and water.  

I’m exhausted.  

I’ve been saying yes to all the things that I can’t say no to — family obligations, mommy duties, household upkeep, and work deadlines. And then there are the yeses I say for my own well-being — therapy, life-giving friendships, time alone, church, mentoring. Throw in a celebration for someone’s birthday, a coffee date with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, or a visiting family member, and the calendar seems to explode at the seams, with no wiggle room even to breathe.  

And running in the back of my mind is the low-humming anxiety that I’ll drop the ball somewhere and won’t realize it until it’s too late. I can almost sense failure lurking around the corner, waiting for that ball to drop.  

I close my eyes and take some deep breaths. The slow, deliberate breathing wills my body and mind to settle down. I want to curl up like a baby and be carried away to somewhere quiet so I can rest, and closing my eyes, I imagine God doing this for me. I don’t have to hold or control everything so tightly when I’m held in His arms. I can relax. I can truly rest.  

I lie on my bed, where I hold my palms open to my sides and close my eyes again. By habit, these verses come to mind — the words embedded into the deepest parts of me since my childhood days of memorizing Bible verses for Sunday school: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:2–3). 

Imagining the water, the green, it feels like the space I’m in expands. I don’t have to be controlled by my to-do list. I don’t have to do all the things or meet with all the people, even if all those things would have been good or beneficial for me.  

I still need to do the things I need to do, but I look at the calendar with fresh eyes. I cancel meetings where I can. I choose only the absolutely necessary things to get done for the week. I talk with my husband about all the responsibilities I carry, and we hash out how we can better share the mental and physical loads.  

In small but decisive ways, I simplify my life. And more than that, I find rest for my soul in the sliver of the day where I pause to breathe, to imagine, and to say yes to God’s invitation to come and receive His rest.  

Devotion by Grace P. Cho as published in Courageous Simplicity: Abide in the Simple Abundance of Jesus

By trusting the Good Shepherd, we can experience the radical simplicity of peace, contentment, and courage. As the apostle Peter encourages us, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).

This is the kind of encouragement you’ll find in our (in)courage Bible Study, Courageous Simplicity. It’s on sale for only $10 for the month of September only on DaySpring.com. Check out all the monthly markdowns and grab more (in)courage Bible Studies at this amazing price!

 

A Prayer for Teachers + a Recipe for Crumb Coffee Cake

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“I thank my God every time I remember you.”
Philippians 1:3 NIV

As far back as I can remember, teachers have played a significant role in my life.

In second grade, Mrs. Barber invited me to an after-school poetry club, instilling a love of alliteration and rhyme in my eight-year-old soul. In fifth grade, Mrs. Ball could tell something was wrong when I normally got straight A’s but flunked a history test. She kept me in at recess and hugged me as the stress of my parent’s divorce leaked out in weighty tears.

In middle school, Mrs. Lunsford encouraged my imagination and said yes every time I proposed a new way of doing an assignment, like making up a song about the thirteen colonies. In high school, Mr. Allison modeled a true passion for literature and deep care for his students. He wrote in my yearbook that I could be the next Hemingway or Fitzgerald or whoever I wanted to be. And in graduate school, Dr. Bentz came alongside me on my journey as an aspiring author, generously sharing both knowledge and encouragement as I began my publishing journey.

Each of these teachers saw me. And I thank God for each one.

Now, as a mom of three kids, my gratitude for kind, enthusiastic, passionate, and skilled teachers has continued to grow. I’m grateful for Mrs. Halbert who saw my son’s reading challenges and provided the extra support we needed. I think of Mr. Vigil who celebrated my other son’s out-of-the-box thinking — making space for his wiggles and quirks instead of trying to stuff them in a hard chair. I’m thankful for Mrs. Cliffe who loved each student as if they were her own, and was intentional to call out the strengths in my other son — strengths I hadn’t yet seen.

Those are just a few highlights of my life in the classroom as both a student and parent. Highlights that don’t begin to acknowledge the long hours and endless creativity teachers pour out. Highlights that don’t speak to the lows of discipline issues and budget cuts, hard mornings and grueling afternoons and nights spent grading papers and planning lessons at the cost of time with their own families.

Teachers are amazing, imperfect, profoundly important people — who need our prayers.

Whether you send your kids to public school or private school, or you choose to educate them at home in an organized schoolroom or messy living room, make a commitment to pray for your child’s teacher…even if that’s you! And if you don’t have kids, your prayers are still needed! Think back to the teacher who made an impact on your life, or perhaps the kind of teacher you needed but never had. Join me in praying for them:

Dear God,

Thank you for teachers. Thank you for the individuals who spend their lives nurturing and investing in the next generation. As teachers’ days begin again to be marked by bell schedules and lesson plans, would you mark their hearts with love, patience, and enthusiasm for their students?

Bless each teacher with the ability to see the good — the best — in each child. Enable them to encourage and equip every student to reach their full potential. Help teachers inspire a love for learning and instill confidence in each child in their capacity to grow.

Prepare each teacher for the challenges they will face. Lord, empower them to be emotional counselors, conflict diffusers, hope givers, and prayer warriors.

As teachers pour themselves out each day over essays and equations, ABCs and 123s, pour Yourself into them. Give them an abundance of hope, courage, wisdom, and joy. Gift them with parents and helpers, colleagues and administrators who champion their efforts and encourage their calling.

As teachers go back to school, Lord, grant them lavish grace for the tasks at hand. Beyond district benchmarks or state standards, help our teachers to work diligently and love their students well as unto You.

Bless this school year and bless each person who wears the beautiful and noble badge of Teacher.

Amen.

by Becky Keife, as published in 2022.

We’re whispering ‘welcome’ to fall, and all things autumn are sneaking into our days as a chill sneaks into the evening air. This coffee cake is perfect to make for a hardworking teacher! Add a thank you card or note to let them know you appreciate them, and share this delicious treat with a deserving teacher to tell them that they make a difference and you’re praying for them.

Scroll down for the recipe (courtesy of our friend Nancy) and download a FREE printable recipe card!

Crumb Coffee Cake

Download the FREE recipe card here!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Makes 10 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ½ cups baking mix
  • 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 large egg

CRUMB TOPPING:

  • 1/3 cup baking mix
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 ̊F. Grease or line a 9” round pan with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. In small bowl, combine the ingredients for the Crumb Topping: baking mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans. Then pour in the melted butter and mix everything with a fork until crumbly; set aside.
  3. In medium-size bowl, add the baking mix, cinnamon, milk, sour cream, sugar, and egg, mixing well.
  4. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and sprinkle evenly with the Crumb Topping.
  5. Bake at 350 ̊F for 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan completely.

OPTIONAL: To add a simple glaze on top, mix together ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 to 1½ Tbsp. milk. Drizzle over the top of the cake after it has cooled and let set. Then slice and serve.

To enjoy a look similar to what Nancy created here, use the Constant Love Coffee Table Tray, the Grace & Gratitude Cream and Sugar Set, and Bless This Mess Paper Towel Holder. You’ll be ready for a lovely little brunch in no time! Find these brand new pieces and more in the full Mary & Martha collection — now available at DaySpring.com!

And we would love to know about a teacher who is important to you! Tell us in the comments about a teacher who impacted you!