Grace
A Secret of Suffering That Provides Hope Amid the Hardship
Sometimes the pain of this life becomes stifling. We wonder if we’ll ever rise above it. But there’s a secret of suffering that provides us hope amid the hardship. The stories kept coming. One after the other, people shared anguished words of hard circumstances. A continued fight to survive after a multiyear-long battle with a…
Lean Into Suffering (find meaning in the brokenness)
We can find meaning in the brokenness of life when we lean into suffering, not always understanding God’s plan but trusting in His goodness anyway. Dealing With Brokenness When it comes to dealing with brokenness, we have basically three options. We can deny the pain, be paralyzed by it, or learn and grow from it.…
Let Yourself Grieve (begin the process of healing)
Pain is real. None of us will get out of here without experiencing it. It can be paralyzing, but when we allow ourselves to grieve, we open our hearts to healing. The Ache In this life we will ache. Sometimes more acutely than others. I felt it this week. As the caregiver for our 22-year-old…
Shattered Dreams: How to Find Joy and Contentment There
Successfully navigating through our shattered dreams with contentment and joy means trusting the Lord and looking for His goodness in our current reality. It means we mine the gems we can’t readily see.
God Is Faithful Each and Every Day
Don’t be so quick to rush past yesterday that you miss the good in it … that you miss the God in it. God is faithful! Reflecting Back The year 2020 presented itself difficult in multiple ways. Many of us had lofty expectations of what 2021 should look like, myself included. So far, though, circumstances…
The Secret to Finding Enough
It’s easy to think the next big thing will be enough to make us happy. In the Western world, we often set our hopes on retirement, the big promotion, or a new house for satisfaction. Yet doing so only leads to further disappointment. Hold the Gifts Loosely Those of you that have followed me on…
Find Calm in Unsettling Times
Many seasons in our lives usher in a level of anxiety. But when we stay connected to the Lord during those times, we will find calm. The excitement’s real, as is some anxiety. After years of weighing and praying about it, my husband and I have started building a house as he looks toward retirement.…
Trust God’s Refining Grace (What We Need; Maybe Not What We Want)
God provides what we need, not necessarily what we want, and that’s a good thing. Trust Him to work for your good in and through the pain. Trust His refining grace. God’s Refining Grace If you would have asked me what I needed 30 years ago as a young wife, my answer would have been…
When You Have Nothing Left To Give
When you have nothing left to give, God provides. One morning not long ago I felt compelled to underline the word “again” several times, specifically in the Gospel of Mark. The instances referenced Jesus stopping to minister to people … again and again. “Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they…
Learning to Let Go of What If and Embrace What Is
Circumstances can sure throw a wrench in the plans we make for our future. How we react when reality doesn’t match or expectations matters. Will we embrace it or wish it away? One = promise and hope, one = bitterness and hopelessness. On our wedding day, my husband and I didn’t give allot of thought…
Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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