What’s Currently in My Morning Basket?

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I try to do this post once or twice a year simply because my basket is always changing. I like to keep it fresh and new and something I look forward to. Then I like sharing what’s in my basket to hopefully give you some ideas for great new books, resources, pens, etc. And because it’s January…we all need the extra inspiration. So here are the items currently in my morning time basket.

Pens

I have a few different pens I love. I love colorful pens that write well, and those are increasingly hard to find. But these Pilot G-2 pens–the purple pack and the pink pack–are really good. I also still love these paper mate pens and these other paper mate pens.

My Bible

I currently use the inCourge devotional Bible. The women from inCourage put this out, and I really love it. There are lots of devotional readings interspersed. I don’t always read them, but when I do, they are great. They also do small breakouts of different characters in the Bible, and I love those. I started this Bible at the beginning of the last school year, so I haven’t gotten all the way through it yet, but I really am enjoying it. It’s not my most favorite translation, as it’s CSB, but I’m enjoying reading the same verses put a little differently.

Devotionals

I’m currently still working my way through the Jesus is Better (Hebrews) study from Daily Grace Co. These are my favorite devotionals. I received a few more for Christmas that I can’t wait to work through. This Hebrews one is a lot longer, and I usually only get to it on my day off when I have more time to sit at the table and do a longer morning time routine. But any of the Daily Grace Co devotionals are great. I received Waiting for Hope (Malachi) for Christmas and can’t wait to work through that one.

Thank You Cards

I always keep thank-you cards in my basket. During my morning time routine is usually when God brings to mind somebody I need to write a thank you too. Hobby Lobby has the best assortment of thank you cards that are super inexpensive. I currently have these thank you cards in my basket. There are fifteen notecards, and they were only $1.99.

Gratitude Journal

Check out my post on making gratitude journals. We make these as a family each year, and everybody writes in theirs all year long.

Bookmarks

I always keep bookmarks in my basket for underlining in my Bible or whatever book I’m currently reading. I order my bookmarks from SJ Wonderlandz.

Books

I like to incorporate a book into my morning time routine. Right now, I’m alternating between With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Sky Jethani and Leap Over a Wall by Eugene Peterson.

Journal

I use my Faithfully Stepping Journals every day. I’m currently using the Morning by Morning journal.

To-Do Notebook

I also keep my daily to-do notebook in my basket where I write down everything I need to accomplish for the day. I use a simple spiral bound notebook for this. You can read about how I use notebooks here.

Coffee and Candles

Not in my basket but included in my morning time routine are candles and coffee. I love Bath and Body Candles, particularly when they’re on sale and I pair it with a coupon. Coffee changes for me. Currently, I love any kind of Dunkin’ Donuts flavored ground coffee for hot coffee, and I just started using Nescafe Gold Espresso for iced coffee and am loving that as well.

I hope that gives you some ideas and new products to add to your own basket! What’s currently in your morning time basket that you’re loving?

Grace for This January

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It’s January. Do you feel it? I love the start of a new year–the freshness, the excitement. But that quickly dissipates and leaves us with the rest of January. I saw a meme the other day that read, “Currently doing a challenge called January. It’s where you just try to make it through every day in January.” And boy, do I feel that! Life just hits differently in January, and it rolls on into February.

Combating the Winter Blues

How do we combat these winter blues? How do we stay encouraged when the world seems to be falling apart around us, and there is so much contention and strife and problems? We can find the answer in a passage of Scripture found in II Corinthians. But before we get to the answer, read these verses.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

II Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT

Not Broken

Does that sound a little like how your life is currently going? It does for so many of us. We feel pressed on every side. The Message translation puts it this way:

We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.

II Corinthians 4:8-10 MSG

Sometimes, life and the struggles we’re facing feel like too much; but Paul reminds us that though we have troubles all around us, we’re not pushed too far that we’re crushed. We’re never abandoned by God. He hasn’t forgotten us. God promises that he won’t give us more than we can handle.

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

I Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Making It Through January

So, how do we make it through this January? What do we do to keep ourselves from feeling overwhelmed, pressed down, and troubled on every side? The answer comes a few verses later in the chapter. Paul tells us what to do so that we don’t give up.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

II Corinthians 4:16-18

Daily Choice

Did you see it in there? The answer? We have to renew our spirit every day. Every single day, we have to choose to spend time with God and renew our Spirit. That’s how we’ll find the strength we need to face today. Then tomorrow, we have to get up and do it once again. Every single day that we start our day with God, He renews our strength and helps us to continue on so that we don’t give up.

I love how The Message puts it.

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

II Corinthians 4:16-18

The things we see right now aren’t the full picture, and they won’t last. So don’t give up in the mean time. Keep getting up and spending time with God, keep staying faithful, and watch as this season fades away and a better one takes its place.

More Encouragement

If this new year is a struggle, and you don’t quite know up from down and everything seems all tangled up, I suggest reading Untangle Your Emotions by Jennie Allen. I finished that one recently, and it’s a really good help for navigating life and all its emotions, both good and bad.

Twenty-Five Steps

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There are twenty-five steps from my bed to the dining room table downstairs where I do my morning time. Just twenty-five steps. And yet, those steps are sometimes the hardest ones to take. All I have to do is get out of bed and walk downstairs; it’s really not that difficult. But taking those steps sometimes feel like too much, especially when I’m exhausted or discouraged or depressed. And yet, I know if I can just get downstairs, I will feel so much better. Why? Because I will light a candle, get the coffee going, and turn on the white lights hanging on from the ceiling. Once I do those things, I will feel so much better and ready to start my morning time.

Why is it so hard to do the things we know we need to do? We know if we just do them, we will feel better about ourselves or getting that thing done. And yet, it’s like everything is fighting against us to keep us from doing that one thing.

A Breakthrough

Some mornings, it feels like there’s a force keeping me from getting downstairs. It’s like I can’t break through that oppression that keeps me in my bed in the dark, even though I know what’s waiting for me downstairs is so much better. When I push through and make it downstairs, it’s like a breakthrough.

I can’t think of a single morning I’ve regretted getting up and doing my morning time routine downstairs. And yet, some mornings are such a struggle. Why is that? Because Satan is literally fighting against us. He knows if we spend time with God first thing in the morning, everything in our day will change. We will have more peace, more focus, love for others, enjoyment, and direction in our day.

Make It a Priority

In this new year, make it a priority to spend time with God every morning, no matter what’s keeping you from it. Push through the barriers and the distractions and conquer the morning battle. Find the willpower with God’s strength to push through and do that hard thing.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement to conquer your mornings, check out Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning. You can also check out our free morning time guide.

Tracing God’s Hand of Faithfulness through 2025

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And just like that, it’s a new year. It came so fast! There’s something about facing down a new year, an empty calendar filled with nothing but expectancy and hope, that’s so exciting. We had a great time celebrating the holidays as a family, and we enjoyed our New Year’s Eve tradition of making gratitude journals for this new year. (We used these journals this year.)

Gratitude Journals

On New Year’s Eve, we cracked open our gratitude journals from last year and spent a few minutes looking back on God’s goodness in 2025. It’s also our tradition to look through pictures on Matt’s phone of the year; it helps us to remember all the good that took place. We write down the highlights of the year in our gratitude journals.

Sometimes, we get so bogged down by the negative that we don’t see God’s goodness. But we can use times like a new year to look back and find the good. When we do, we will be able to trace God’s hand all throughout the year in both the good and the bad. Then, after that, we spent a few minutes writing down our goals for this new year.

Tracing God’s Hand

If you haven’t had time to look back on last year, I want to encourage you to do so. Even just a few minutes remembering God’s goodness can change our entire look going into the new year. And whether you like to set goals or not, at least write down one or two things you want to see God do in your life this year. Then use your notebook all year to write down the good things that God does. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to look back at the end of the year and be able to trace God’s hand of goodness all year long.

More Encouragement

If you live this idea, check out my post on making gratitude journals.

God Shows Up in Unexpected Places

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Nothing about the Christmas story is expected. Every detail is so unexpected, people missed it. And yet, if we learn nothing else from the Christmas story, we need to learn this–God shows up in the most unexpected places.

Sometimes we get caught up in the romanticism of the Christmas story. We see the beauty of the manger and the barn in a wooden display on our table, a lit up Mary and Joseph outside in our front yard, or a beautiful picture of the nativity hanging on our wall. I love all of those and have some of them myself. Yet, Jesus didn’t come into a picture perfect world. He entered a world that was hostile.

The Unexpected

The Jews were under the thumb of the Romans. They wanted a Savior, a Deliverer who would beat back the Romans and free them once and for all. But God didn’t send an Avenger; He sent a baby. That baby came to a teenage girl, who should have never been pregnant. She had never been with a man. She should have been stoned for being pregnant before she came together with her betrothed. Joseph should have cast her away.

They shouldn’t have had to travel while Mary was heavily pregnant. They should have had a place to stay, a place to give birth to the Son of God. Yet, they ended up in a stinky barn with other barn animals. The first people to worship him should have been kings and rulers and the religious leaders; instead, it was some young shepherds. Mary and Joseph shouldn’t have had to run for their lives in the middle of the night to escape a tyrannical ruler, but they did.

God’s Ways are Higher than Ours

There’s one thing I’ve learned over the years in my walk with God, and that is this: God never works the way we think He’s going to. He didn’t in the Christmas story, and He won’t in your life. That’s because God’s ways are so much higher than ours.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8,9

The God of the universe chose to save mankind and send Emanuel to save us, and He did that in the form of a baby, born to a teenage virgin, in a stable of all places. God showed up in the most unexpected place.

Where is God Showing Up?

Where is God showing up this Christmas season for you? In what unexpected place is He making Himself known? I’m challenging us to watch for Him, to actively see where He is working and leading and guiding. Where is He moving in your life and in your kids’ lives? How is He proving to you once again how good and faithful He is?

So many people missed the birth of Jesus because they weren’t looking for it. You know who didn’t miss it? Simeon and Anna. They knew the Messiah was coming, and they were actively waiting and watching. When Jesus came, they both saw and witnessed the child that would save the world. Don’t miss what He’s doing in your life this Christmas season!

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, The Backwardness of the Manger and Bethlehem or snag our devotional, Recapture Christmas: Unwrap the Mystery and Wonder of the Manger.

My Favorite Bible Studies are on Sale!

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My favorite Bible studies right now are the ones that The Daily Grace Co. is putting out. Not only are these studies gorgeous in full color, they’re really good studies. I have enjoyed so many of them and have several on my wishlist for Christmas.

Right now, they’re having a huge sale! If you need gifts for your Christian sisters, this is the time to get them. I wanted to highlight a few items that are on sale that I think you will love.

Bible Studies

Of course, the best items in this sale are the actual Bible studies. My favorite studies are their books of the Bible Studies.

Even If

This one is one of my absolute favorites. I love the book of Habakkuk, and this study was so good. It’s currently on sale for $5! It’s such a great deal to snag for yourself or for a Christmas present for somebody.

Path to Purpose

Ecclesiastes is probably my favorite book in the Bible, so I knew I was going to love this study on Ecclesiastes. It did not disappoint. I loved it so much. It’s currently on sale for $10.

He Leads Me

Who doesn’t love Psalm 23? This was another great study. I enjoyed this past spring, and it really encouraged my heart. This one is currently on sale for $10.

Seeing God When He is Silent

This study on the book of Esther was really good. I learned a lot I didn’t know, and a lot of things were put into perspective for me with this study. I highly recommend it. It’s currently on sale for $10.

Restored

This study on the book of Joel but wasn’t super long, but was really good. Who knew you could pull out so much good from the book of Joel? It’s another great one. It’s also currently $10.

Jesus is Better

I am currently working through this study on the book of Hebrews. It’s also on sale, but it’s a little more expensive. It’s currently $18, but it’s also spiral-bound and a much longer study than some of the other ones. It’s not a study you work through quickly, but it’s been really good.

Fields of Grace

I haven’t done this study on the book of Ruth yet, but it’s on sale for $5! That’s a steal! I snagged a few of them for Christmas gifts.

Other Sales

I literally love every Bible study from this company and want to do all of them eventually. Here are some of the ones I’m really excited about doing. They are all currently on sale for ten dollars.

Waiting for Hope~Malachi

Sacred Suffering~Job

Between Grief and Glory~Lamentations

Arise~Nehemiah

Mercy in the Storm~Jonah

Never Too Far Gone~Amos

Fighting with Faith~Philippians

Plus More

There are so many other great products as well, and lots of them are on sale. I snagged these great names of God cards for Christmas gifts. They’re currently on sale for $5. I also snagged these promises of God for kids cards and attributes of God for kids cards, each for $5.

I purchased these magnets for $5 for a friend. These highlighters are on sale for $5 and would go well with a Bible study for a Christmas gift for a friend, as would this mug for $15. And there are soo many more products and sales.

If you are in need of presents for Christmas, this is the time to check it out! Happy shopping!

When Good Gets in the Way of Best

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We can be the most productive people on the planet when it comes to avoiding something we don’t want to do. Have you ever noticed that? When I have a book deadline, and I really need to be writing, I can find so many things that need to be done before I get to actually writing. They can be good things, but they still keep me from what I’m supposed to be doing.

Martha and Her Good Deeds

In the story of Mary and Martha, we see first-hand how this plays out. We know that Mary chose to spend time with Jesus, but Martha was too busy. We’re hard on Martha, but have you ever had people over? I can sympathize with Martha. When you’re the one hosting the party or get-together, there’s a lot to do. She needed to make sure everything was ready to go, and she needed her sister’s help to pull it off.

Martha settled for good when she could have had best. Jesus, the Son of God, was coming to her house to visit with her. She could sit next to him and learn from Him. What an amazing opportunity! But she chose to do something good–cooking for Jesus. That was good, really good. How many people got to feed Jesus and take care of Him when He came over? Yet, this good thing kept her from the best thing–spending time learning from Jesus.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

Luke 10:38-40

Distracted by Good Things

One of the ways Satan manipulates us is by sidetracking us with good things. Those things, in and of themselves are not bad. In fact, they’re really good. But when something keeps us from doing what we know we need to do, it becomes a bad thing.

Over the years, people always come to Matt and I with the reasons they missed church. We really don’t need to know, but people feel like they have to confess it to us. So many times, it’s not bad things that keep people away. It’s good things, but it kept them from coming to church.

Settling for Good

I’ve had a few times recently when different people have reached out to me because they feel discouraged or frustrated with life, and yet, they miss church or small group. Or they can’t seem to find time to read their Bible. They’re so discouraged, and yet they don’t go to the place where they can find encouragement and hope. They’re so lonely, and yet, they don’t come to a place where they can fellowship and be encouraged.

Satan keeps us distracted with good things. Instead of going for best, we settle for good. All the while we’re missing out on God’s best for us. We spend Sunday morning with that person who’s having a hard time, thinking we’re being a blessing to them. In reality, the best thing we could have done was go to church so we could get filled up. Then go visit them. We skip our morning time routine because we want to get more accomplished in our morning. Yet, everything falls apart around us because we didn’t spend time with God; and we end up getting nothing accomplished anyway.

As you’re moving through life, watch out for those distractions that Satan sends that are good but not the best. Hold out for God’s best and stay focused on following His leading. He’ll never lead you wrong.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out Lisa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes.

Trusting God in the Dark

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Last week, my family and I made the trip from Pennsylvania down to South Carolina to see our new nephew. We didn’t leave until after church, so it got really late while we were traveling. We were on all back roads for the last hour or so of our trip, and all we had to go on was the map on our phone.

Driving in the Dark

Have you ever driven late at night to a place you don’t know? You can barely see the roads, and you just hope that if you follow these directions you will make it to your location. It’s all on a hope, a wing, and a prayer. You make it to your destination, and it feels foreign and out of place.

That all changes the next morning when the sun comes out. When the sun lights up the world, everything is good. You made it to your destination, and all is well.

Trusting in the Dark

Our life of faith is a little like that. There are times when everything is dark, and we can’t find our way. We feel lost, alone, and unsure if we’re heading in the right direction. It’s during these times, that we have to trust God. We have to trust, even when we can’t see our way. We keep going, keep trusting, keep spending time with God in our morning time routine. Keep taking it just one day at a time.

If you’re in a time like this right now, don’t lose hope. Even though everything feels difficult right now, it won’t always be this way. Eventually, this time of testing will come to an end. It will feel as if the sun comes out again, and you can see your way clearly. You will look back and see how God guided you every step of the way, even when you couldn’t see it.

More Encouragement

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

Fall Fun with Friends: Easy Crafts, Comfort Food, and Connection

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I love this time of year. Fall has finally hit here in Pennsylvania, and I am here for it. We are enjoying all things fall–a hay ride, apple cider, apple cider donuts, apple picking, getting pumpkins, apple blasters (shooting apples out of a compressed-air cannon), pumpkin spice lattes, soups, finding trees that are changing color, day trips to local farms, and more.

This past Sunday, we had our ladies’ fall event at church and had a blast. It was such a great time, I thought I’d share it for this week’s post. For our activity we had chicken and rice soup and bread, and then we decorated fall front door mats. I’m so happy with how they turned out. We had so much fun doing them.

It’s an easy craft to do at home if you want a fun fall project to work on. Macey, our ten-year-old painted this rug at home after the event.

Here were a few others we got pics of.

We used acrylic paint from Walmart. I ordered this fall pack of paints. We were really happy with the colors. I also ordered a few bottles of this black paint. The black ended up being the best for painting words. It was much easier to read on the rugs. We ordered the coir rugs from Hobby Lobby on clearance, but it looks like they are no longer available. But you can get these rugs from several places–Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, etc. I got these stencils from Amazon, and we used cheap paint brushes from Walmart.

We did learn that you don’t really “paint” on these rugs. You kind of “blot” the paint because of the coarseness of the rug. And the larger the stencil, the better it works. The smaller stencils just made the paint all blur together.

If you’re looking for a fun fall idea to do at home for yourself or with your kids or even as a ladies’ event like we did, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

More Fall Fun

Another idea is to get together with a group of friends and go on a hay ride together at a local farm. We just did this with our Growth Group and had a blast. We finished off the night with hot dogs and marshmallows roasted over a fire.

Our chili cook off is coming up soon. This activity is one of our favorites. It’s so fun and easy and requires little to no extra work. Everybody that wants to, brings a chili; and everybody tries them and then makes a bowl of their favorite. Everybody, including the kids, gets to write down the number of their favorite and drop it into the box. The winer is the one with the most votes.

Easy Chicken and Rice Crockpot Soup

I don’t really use a recipe for this soup, but this is the basic idea for what I do. You can’t go wrong with however you decide to make it. This makes one full crockpot; mine is 7 quarts.

Ingredients:

  • Family Pack of Chicken Breasts
  • Cream Cheese
  • 32 oz. Cheesy Melt (or Velvet)
  • Two bags shredded carrots
  • One full pack of celery cut up
  • 3- 32 oz cartons of Chicken Broth
  • 2-3 cups cooked rice (I use brown rice, but you can use any kind)

Directions:

  • Cut up chicken into large chunks. (You will shred it later when it’s cooked) and put in crock pot.
  • Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
  • Add two bags of shredded carrots to crock pot
  • Add entire bag of chopped celery
  • Salt and pepper the veggies
  • Add about two cartons of chicken broth
  • Cook on High for four hours
  • Shred chicken
  • Warm up the cream cheese if it’s not room temperature and add to crock pot
  • Add cheesy melt (start with half the box and add to taste)
  • Stir in cream cheese and cheezy melt until fully melted
  • Stir in rice
  • Add more broth if it gets too thick
  • Serve with bread and crackers

Another Easy Meal Idea

You could also make this copy cat Panera tomato soup and make a bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. We did that with our Growth Group this past Tuesday night, and it was a hit. It’s an inexpensive meal to serve lots of people. (Our group is thirty-plus people.) I made one large crock pot of this soup, and we bought bread and cheese slices from Aldi and took our griddle to be able to crank a bunch out. We did somewhere North of forty grilled cheeses for our group, and everybody loved it. It’s really great if you have lots of kids, like we do in our group.

Fall is such a great time to gather with friends and family and church family. I hope this post gives you some ideas to get started and do something fun to celebrate the season.

Happy Fall!

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, 12 Fall Things That Create Breathing Room for Your Soul.

God Hasn’t Forgotten You

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Getting Back to the Basics

Have you ever felt like life was spiraling out of control? Everything feels like it’s too much–your emotions, your workload, your family, your finances. You’ve kept all the plates spinning, but now they’re crashing to the floor one after another. You feel like maybe God has forgotten you

It’s a scary place to be. It’s hard to see what’s right side up and what’s down. Everything is out of control. When times like this come, it is crucial that we go back to the basics. The more everything spins out of control, the more we have to find our grounding in God and in His Word.

If you find yourself in a time like this, there are a few fundamental truths to come back to to help realign ourselves with God and be able to get a handle on life again.

God Sees Me

No matter what you are going through, remember this: God sees you. He sees exactly what you are going through. We see an example of this in the Old Testament. Hagar runs away from Sarah and Abraham into the desert with just her son and the clothes on her back. She’s isolated, afraid, and alone. And yet, God comes to her. After this encounter with God, she calls him by another name. She calls Him “the God Who sees me.”

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

Genesis 16:13,14 NLT

When it feels like life is spiraling out of control, remember this first truth. God sees you.

God Hasn’t Forgotten Me

The next truth to remember to find our grounding again is that God hasn’t forgotten you. In the midst of the chaos, the heartbreak, the confusion, it is so crucial to find our grounding in the fact that God hasn’t forgotten you or left you alone to deal with these problems on your own. Even now, He walks beside you; and He wants to carry your load for you.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

I Peter 5L7 NLT

All the burdens you’re carrying, surrender them to God. You can’t do anything to change your circumstances anyway. God is so much better at carrying our burdens then we are, so give them to Him and stop worrying about them.

God loves Me

It’s such a simple truth. God loves me. How would your life change today if you remember that God loves you. He loves you just the way you are–not for what you can do for Him, not because of your accomplishments. He loves you simply because you are His child. I love this verse from Psalms.

I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.

Psalm 31:7

We don’t love our kids any more or less based on their performance or how well they succeed in life. We love them because they are ours. How much greater is God’s love for us than our love for our children. If we would live with this truth in mind, we would be able to get rid of the shame that dogs us daily.

Time for a Reset

Sometimes, we just need a hard reset. If life is out of control, and you can’t handle the stress, take time to reset and remember these three truths. God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you.

Let those thoughts ease the anxiety and pressure in your chest, so you can take a full breath. If we get ahold of these truths, we will be able to sleep in peace at night.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post, You Weren’t Meant to Carry Heavy Burdens Alone. A great book to read is Untangle Your Emotions by Jennie Allen.