christian living, faith walk, freedom in Christ, God's Word, inner critic, life experience, perseverance, Prayer, resilience, should
The endless days of summer aren’t as “endless” as they used to be. I’m sure many of you are ready for the schedule and routine that follows the school year calendar. You may have already taken those first day of school photos and summer is in your rear view mirror.
While I’ve enjoyed time with family and my sweet grands, I’m ready for a shift in seasons and the pacing of a more regular routine.
Did the summer season bring you new insight on how you respond to the world around you? For the moms or grammas with kids at home, summer can be a drain on ideas and resources, leaving you spent and craving naps and real food at all hours! Even without kids around there are so many times we women are hard on ourselves.
- In those moments were you kind to yourself?
- Did the inner critic throw shade your way and make you feel less than enough?
- Were there some expectations of yourself that weren’t realized?
Did you say yes to any of those? Consider how you respond to those inner thoughts. How can you speak life to the parts of you that feel like they should have done more?
This article image is a reminder because I am in Christ, I am also all these things: loved, accepted, redeemed, enough, fed, filled, free and so much more! These are truths I can speak over the shame and shade the inner critic throws at me. I can face tomorrow because of who He is!
Luke 4:18 records these words Jesus spoke, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
As summer winds down and the rhythm of routine returns, I pray you will recognize the shame, guilt and lies of the inner critic. Then arm yourself with the truth of who God is, and what His word says. His truth is liberty, sight and the good news we need to combat the inner critic’s shame game.
christian living, faith walk, God first, God's Word, grace, humility, Prayer, trust
My roses are one of the happiest things about spring. They’re not the first to bloom, but as their buds begin to form and open, I can’t wait to cut them and put them in vases around the house. At the same time, I want to leave them to enjoy, when I’m outside. Honestly, I really just want them to last forever, but withering does happen.
Friend, you’ve lived long enough to know life, like my favorite flower, is constantly changing. Isn’t it? Try as we might we can’t always have blooming roses. I wonder
- What might you be holding onto that will not last?
- Is there a burden of change weighing you down?
God Word tells us nothing of this world with last forever:
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24 ESV
But His Word does! The contrast of something withered and something remaining forever is powerful. We each have an expiration date stamped on us in invisible ink. We don’t know the day of our departure, but it is a sure thing in this earthly life, just as a rose surely withers.
The Lord who is forever is the striking difference. He is eternal. He created all things and He designed them with a beginning and an end. He set all in motion and He will one day tell it to stop, replacing it with an eternity of no fading or withering. Perfect blooms, always and forever. He invites us to share this eternity through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Wherever you are in the blooming or fading phase, have you trusted these words of hope?
“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11 ESV
Jesus Christ is the Son. He is life. He takes what has faded and withered (that would be us) and restores it – once for all, by His word. It’s not just our future hope. This truth begins now as you and I walk with Christ today, tomorrow and forever. It is a great comfort to know that although everything withers in this life, we have the hope of eternity with Christ. In full bloom, forever.
If this message stirred something hopeful in you, I invite you to join my twice-monthly newsletter, Yellow Boots Insight, where we explore truth, grace, and the kind of faith that holds steady in every season. 📩 [Sign Up Here] to grow in your walk with Jesus—and to remind your heart what truly lives forever.
christian living, faith walk, God first, perseverance, Prayer, restoration
Does September ever feel like January to you?
At the beginning of the year we get a fresh start and a reset. September, like January, is the “start” of many things, school being the most obvious. At my age, I’m past the stage of keeping a tight hold on school calendars and schedules, but not beyond the memory of preparing my kids and family for the switch from summer days (some lazy, some crazy) to the cadence of the school year beat.
So even though January is known as the month for fresh starts, new habits and do-overs, September feels a lot like January.
Maybe it’s just me, but in my growing-to-be-more-like-Jesus journey, I’ve needed a few resets and new habits. I’ve needed to return to my first, true love, King Jesus. Like the apostle Paul, I do things I don’t want to do. The things I want to do, I struggle to do. It’s possible, dear one, to love Jesus and need a spiritual refresh.
As a young mom, the end of summer represented a return to schedules and routines. I might not have loved it outwardly (who really wants summer to end?), but inside I needed the structure that came with the start of the new school year. With my kids back on track, I too, was able to reset my schedule and my heart. Awana, Youth activities, Ladies Bible Study and small groups all followed the school calendar. They’ve always been a big part of feeding our families faith with care and consistency.
What about you?
~ Are you ready to get back into a routine?
~ What is it you would like to start fresh today?
~ What in your faith journey needs a reset?
I’m praying as you settle into the post summer routine, you are able to reset, refresh and reflect on your routine, making changes that best serve your faith walk. Can’t commit to a weekly bible study? Meet with a couple friends every other week or once a month, but get in community with other women and get into the Word. Utilize your social networks to find out if someone is interested in your reset ideas. Your boldness to ask may encourage another.
I’m cheering you on! I know you can do it!
Ready. Set. Refresh!
christian living, faith walk, God first, impatience, life experience, perseverance, Prayer, resilience, trust, Uncategorized
I’m a fixer, a get it done girl, an advanced planner and someone who likes to think she has some control over situations and circumstances. As I prepare to share messages about Ruth, Tamar and Miriam, I’ve been juggling thoughts as I’ve been reading, highlighting and underlining. The question each story begs to know: What’s a girl to do when she bumps into circumstances beyond her control?
What I am learning from these women helps to answer that question:
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Ruth, widowed and without means, followed her bitter mother-in-law, Naomi, back to her homeland. Ruth gleaned for leftover grain, the only option she had. Yet she became the great grandmother of King David and is listed in the genealogy of Christ.
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Tamar was deceived and abandoned. She deceived in return. It’s a sordid tale. And yet it’s in scripture, perhaps as a cautionary tale. Poor choices and all, Tamar is also named in the lineage of Christ.
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Miriam bravely watches her brother Moses as he is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter, then challenges his God ordained authority, after all the miracles of the exodus. But she is the first woman to be called a prophetess in the Bible.
All of these women had something in common, besides being far from perfect, they didn’t know how their story would end. None of us do. Yet in the midst of it all, the ugly, the hard and harrowing, they encountered the God who created them, loved them and was still writing their stories.
How are you responding to circumstances that feel beyond your control? Are you trying to fix? Or are you trusting God has a plan?
Perhaps, like me, you need to be reminded that your story is still being written. That God is trustworthy even in our unknown and seemingly unfixable. The God who knew and loved Ruth, Tamar and Miriam, also knows and loves you. He’s the author of all of our stories. I’m daily learning to trust Him in all things.
PRAYER: “Lord, let me be a willing participant in all you are doing. Your ways are not my ways, they are often beyond my comprehension. Let me trust you and walk with you. Not away from you or ahead of you. Continue to teach me and draw me to yourself.”
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
Advent, christian living, Christmas, faith walk, grace, humility, Prayer, resilience, restoration
Even with all the hustle and bustle, my heart longs to sit in the glow of the fire light, and think about the journey Mary took to bring the Light into this dark world.
In a situation most would crumble and cry, scripture tells us that Mary sang. She didn’t sing mournfully but triumphantly. Rejoicing and magnifying the Lord for what He was doing in and through her. She was a willing participant in God’s plan. Let me be like Mary!
Triumphantly, into this darkness His Light came. Revealing truth, pruning and making me grow. His light is essential for life. His Light changed and continues to change everything!
I, too, want to sing about the merciful, glorious Light of the World! Because of His Light I am forever changed – from the inside out! Lord, make me like Mary, singing triumphantly in the dark and uncertain days. May my hope always be in you alone. May your Light shine through me into dark places so that others will see Your great and glorious light.
The Magnificat
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55
christian living, faith walk, grace, humility, impatience, life experience, Prayer, relationships, resilience, restoration
Can I be honest? I found myself more than irritated with the “customer service” rep on the other end of the phone. I thought my request was simple enough, but I ended up with a bigger mess. Sadly, my irritation was obvious, and I was more direct than needed with the agent. Sad face.
My quick words with their edgy tone have been an uphill battle for me. How is it that my love of words is also a tripping hazard?
My sweet husband reminds me that all isn’t lost and I have made progress in this verbal arena. He says I’m slower to be reactive and harsh with my words. Yay! But I still ask myself what have I done to soften my tone and find gentler/kinder phrasing?
- I confess to the Lord, who is always there, ready to listen.
- I admit that I still struggle to soften my words and my tone.
- I ask forgiveness from the Forgiver of all.
As I am humbled again, by His grace,
- it occurs to me that the customer service rep also needs an apology from me.
Feel free to check on me and ask me how the apology went. I’ll appreciate the accountability.
If there is a lesson you are learning on repeat, would you please share it with me in an email? I’d love to pray for you as you graciously learn to repeat the lesson less often!
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4
“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23
