About the Author

Robin is the author of For All Who Wander, her relatable memoir about wrestling with doubt that reads much like a conversation with a friend. She's as Southern as sugar-shocked tea, married to her college sweetheart, and has three children. An empty nester with a full life, she's determined to...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
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  1. Truth is our weapon, and, for me, it’s like mental Drano. The challenge comes in arranging my life in such a way that I spend time every day with my eyes in direct contact with it so it can do its work on my heart.
    Thanks for the challenge, Robin.

    • It’s not a passive thing, right? If we aren’t pursuing Truth, we may or may not run into it. Yes! Let’s arrange our life accordingly!! 🙂

    • It’s 4:41 and I’m still awake wondering if maybe the moon is full while at the same time I know it isn’t. Yes, I would like to share something that I began on January 22. I have challenged myself to meditate for twenty minutes on a scripture of my choice. I pick a different one each day. So far I have picked them because of what I have read during my devotional time. Yesterdays was… “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; I will be their God and they shall be my people…” The portion that I meditated on was “Ye are the Temple of the living God.” 2nd Corninthians 3:16. I think I have that correct. If not please understand that it’s about 6 – 8 hours past my ideal bedtime.
      Make that 4:56 but who’s counting. After all, the Temple of the living God …. is now tired enough to try again to go to sleep. I applied Lavender oil mixed with fractionated coconut oil to my feet hours ago.

      Good morning. I’m up early today, (still awake) at 5:09 am. That usually means either I don’t sleep at all or get a couple of hours. But the good news is I will most likely get a good nights sleep this coming evening. I’m going to sign off now as I meditate of the scripture I choose for today. that being the first part from Galations 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience… That’s enough for now.

      • My type was suppossed to say as I meditate on the scipture I chose for today; that being…..

        • now I noticed a spelling error,
          make that supposed.
          But perfection isn’t one of the fruits of the Spirit, it begins with love, joy, peace, patience…….that’s enough for right now.

          • Florence,

            Oh, how I feel the pain of sleep deprivation, and I do love how you’re lingering in these Ancient, holy words. I will pray for you (and all my sleep-deprived sisters) for GOOD rest, sound sleep. And in our waking ours, that our minds would be settling on the Word that is our peace.

  2. My word of the year isn’t wholehearted. He is changing me to be more intentional, purposeful, passionate, open, and more in love with Him.

  3. Robin,

    This is great truth. It takes work, but this war we’re fighting isn’t an easy one. The devil wants to devour us & he’s doing a good job with all the garbage out there. We must pray daily for renewed minds. I start each day by reading the Bible. Then heading over to In Courage for great wisdom. Doing Bible studies is another good way to renew your mind. Something my pastor’s wife told me was to memorize scripture. Keep it hidden in your heart. Then when stuff happens you can pull it out of your arsenal & fight!

    I will be praying for better sleep.

    Blessings 🙂

    • Oh, Beth, your prayers are a gift–thank you!

      And I thought, “YES!” when you said you START by reading scripture! To begin each day in the Word is transformative; the best habit I think we could nurture.

  4. I have started a bible study just this week in 1 John. I can’t even begin to tell you how it has effected my life! I feel so much lighter and full of joy. I have had 2 amazing opportunities to speak for Christ! God is so good!

  5. Robin,
    I wrestle with sleep issues as well…I feel your pain. Sometimes rather than get so angry, I get up at 3 am and after praying, I do something productive (like unload the dishwasher), or I jot what I’m wrestling with in my journal. Then after doing this, I am sometimes able to go back to bed. Go with it….rather than fight it. I also make sure I turn off my computer after dinner. That stimulation late at night often translates into lost sleep. And, like you, I am careful about what I watch before going to bed. Comedy seems to be the most conducive to good sleep. Praying for you….I know how old it gets. My word for 2018 is “Embrace”. Going into this years with arms wide open to embrace ALL God has for me.
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    • OYTO, Bev!! Yes!! 2018 will give us much to embrace! J’adore your heart…and…your mid-night productivity. I could learn a thing or two ;).

  6. Robin…thankyou for helping me realize im not the only one with sleep issues. I dont get angry i just toss and turn most of the night. Then when i do get up i am so exhausted. I have allowed God in my life more than i ever have in the past two years its been amazing. I still need work as im a work in progress. Therefore i am going to work on your methods and also Beth’s methods from her comment. As I do need better sleep. So my prayers are with everyone with sleep issues as i need everyones prayers as well. My word for the year is Simplify…

    • Valerie, I’m praying over all our (in)girls who could use some sleep! It’s a common malady, I’m afraid; I thought once my kids were raised FINALLY I would be able to sleep as much as I wanted. But…I do pray more because of it, so there’s that.

      xo

      • I thought the same, Robin, but I was very wrong. Still, at 75, have insomnia although since moving to Missouri from California, I do sleep better than I used to for some reason. Prayers for all the sleep deprived ladies.

  7. Thank you Robin for your Sunday sharing – I can so relate to your issues with sleep – menopause for me has certainly been a challenging season of life – sleep – what is sleep, I ask? – I love the acronym TITO – I love that I “get” to immerse myself in His word daily – my word for 2018 is BRAVE – Despite the years of sleep deprivation, I am still able to find the courage and strength to move through each day with the reading of His word – and, I am grateful beyond words that the gentle whispers of the Holy Spirit ushered me to this (in)courage site – each of you has touched me deeply with your story and encouraging words/sharings – have a blessed Sunday xo

    • Debra,

      Your kind words today minister encouragement, thank you for taking time to comment. I know I speak for all of our writers when I say, “All glory to God” when you sense His presence in our words.

      BRAVE is such a strong word, and because of the power available to all of us in Christ, YOU WILL BE BRAVE!! The want-to often precedes the able-to :).

  8. Sorry you struggle with sleep issues Robin. ()
    I needed the GIGO reminder. It always starts in the mind. A thought, it grows, I begin reacting with it, it causes a change in my head, now I’m starting to react to it physically, and on it goes. Time to head back to Romans 12:1-2…be TRANSFORMED, by the renewing of your mind. Satan has so much fun watching us ingest garbage.

  9. There are so many parts of this post that speak to me. I have times where I suffer insomnia. I understand how what we feed our mind affects the rest of our body. And God’s truth is the only truth that will set us in the right course. Thank you for the blessing of this encouragement today.

  10. I gave up on solving my sleep issues and resorted to doing laundry in the middle of the night. However, I started a little bible study before I finally lay down at 2,3,4 am… and I do sleep well after that! It’s the getting to sleep part that vexes me!

    • Jessica,

      Why do I feel “guilty” if I get tired reading scripture in the middle of the night? That “fear” makes me not try at all, and I think that’s our enemy winning the insomnia game. Hmmm…think I’ll try that next time (I actually get up…).

  11. “…it is impossible to grow closer to Jesus and not be changed.” Oh, yes! Robin, thank you for reminding us that as complicated as we make things sometimes, Truth in, Truth out, is a simple formula that always works. I’m learning this more and more in moments I’m feeling perplexed, stressed, or overwhelmed. Scrolling Facebook doesn’t bring vision or clarity — going to God’s Word does. I love social media, but I want to put my focus first on that list from Philippians, which is putting my focus first (and continually) on Christ. Thanks for sharing today, friend!

    • Becky,

      Isn’t the path of least resistance natural human tendency? Scrolling FB (social media in general) is mindless and requires very little effort. And…it can be as simple and as complicated as bad habit, you know?

      SO lovely to hear from you today :).

      xo

  12. I’m sorry about your sleep issue Robin and pray that it will subside….”Garbage in, garbage out”…. what a good concept, that blends well with your quote, (a favorite). Thank-you for reminding me to practice even harder. I chose Growth as my word this year, I felt it was right, (spiritually and mentally).
    Have a blessed day all,
    Penny

    • Growth is a good one, Penny (well, I think most all Words of the Year are “good” because the person who declares them has good reason….

      May God shower you with maturity in the faith this year!

  13. Thank you Robin for your devotional. I can totally relate to the insomnia. I can fall asleep pretty easily but wake up 4 hours later & struggle with going back to sleep. I try praying for everyone I can think of & which isn’t the best thing I’ll watch t.v. to fall back to sleep. I’m very careful on what I read & watch as I know those thoughts keep coming back into my mind. I’m 63 & thought a lot of it was due to my age but now reading about all you younger women I feel your pain & hope that you are able to conquer that lack of sleep very soon. I’m able to lay down some during the day as I’m retired & all of my children are on their own. You sound so sweet Robin, if you lived closer I know we’d be great friends. My son lived in Georgia for 6 years & I grew to love the Southern folks. So sweet. Where we live it’s not southern but the people are warm & welcoming. We live in the country & everyone (most everyone) is very, very sweet. My word for this year is Thankfulness & pursing being positive & optimistic. Lord bless you Robin!

  14. What a great reminder to focus on as I “build” . In the last 5 months of 2017, my life changed drastically as I faced breast cancer (a second time), a mastectomy and reconstruction. So it should not have been a surprise when God gave me the word BUILD for 2018… or when a little later came SIMPLY. And then when my first sermon back at church was about focusing UPWARD. Then today your wise words give me even more direction. God is clear in his direction to me this year and I am so excited to see where he takes my life next!

  15. “GIGO applies to our mind and heart, too. If we feast on garbage for entertainment, leisure, or to fill our free time, garbage will come out in some way–in our attitudes, behaviors, and/or beliefs.” – Wow. That struck me. I needed this because I do know I shouldn’t watch or read some things, but it’s hard to resist temptation when you don’t see the consequences it can have. And I do NOT want to put more garbage out there than there already is and end up being a stumbling block to someone! – On the other hand, TITO is really encouraging and reminded me that it does matter what I feed upon in my daily life!!

    Thank you for this really needed post! I will pray for your sleep-troubles 🙂 ! Hope it gets better soon…

  16. So sorry you suffer from the horrible insomnia. My husband does too, and he’s much older than you. 😉 I need a lot of sleep to function, so I am glad I do not have this malady on a nightly basis, just once in a while. It sounds as though you’ve used about everything you have found… If I do wake up and I feel awake (which is not like the normal person because my ‘awake’ is a semi-coma feeling ;)), I just pray as you also mentioned you do. That usually does it fairly quickly for me, thankfully.
    As for the GIGO and TITO I so agree! I do not watch any movies that have even a bit of bloody violence or torture (which is the worst to me!), because I do not forget it! Almost 20 years ago I went to the movies and started to watch the most horrible movie I ever saw and had to get up and leave. It’s finally starting to fade from my mind, but I try not to remember it and change my thoughts if it ever does come to mind…
    I choose movies that will encourage my mind, heart and/or soul, or those that are just plain funny. 😉 We only have one life to live for Jesus and I’m trying my best to do it correctly. I of course fail every day. 😉 But He gives us His strength, wisdom and the Holy Spirit to keep us on track every single day. Hallelujah! 🙂
    This verse in Philippians is a favorite of mine and I have it on a rough board plaque that I can look at every day!
    Thanks for this encouraging message today and I will be praying the Lord will heal your insomnia!
    p.s. I think insomnia usually happens to those who are brilliant and can’t turn off their minds! 😉

  17. Your post made me think of the Scripture:

    “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.”

    When I returned to the Lord in 2014 my youngest kept me up. But instead of getting angry (which I did before coming back to God) I suddenly found God moving my heart to delight in these precious hours alone with Him, with my wee girl snuggled up to me on the couch (don’t get me wrong – I still had my moments ). But these nights became my sweetest times of prayer and Bible study. I’ve now noticed that there is always a reason for those wakeful hours (now from insomnia not from my little) – someone God wants me praying for, something my heart needs to work through (repentance/doubts/emotions/unbelief), a piece of encouragement I am to send, a poem He wants to gift me. So, I’ve started feeling blessed when I’m woken / can’t get to sleep.

    Recently, it was from illness, but I was SO happy because I had barely had time alone with God because we were visiting my family back home (they live on the other side of the world, so the times we get together – we are a LARGE family – I just don’t get time alone because we try to make the most of the precious days). But that night alone with God I was able to pour out my heart and God gave me such beautiful verses to pray through and meditate upon.

    Anyways, yes – truth in truth out – but also “thank You, Jesus for instructing our hearts at night”.

  18. The scripture that is changing me is 1John 4:16 (Amp) ” I know and I believe (have faith in, rely on) the love God cherishes for me……” Those few powerful words are doing a mighty work in my heart!!!!! Trusting in all my testing circumstances that the Father will supply the wisdom needed because He loves me. Learning to spend time in His presence in love

  19. I have learned to love being alone with my Beloved, His friendship disarms me for I have found that where ever my thoughts wander is the conversation He wants to have with me, and it has opened an honesty in me my religious self might posture to hide & He has some really sharp questions & amazingly tender answers, & the most delicious sense of humor & capacity to expand my heart to love, sometimes I awaken to my own sobbing with compassion I know is not my own, a wordless sharing of the pain of His heart, & other times my mouth is filled with highest praise & melody that flits away into my croaking voice as I come fully awake…as we each know…I am my Beloved’s & He is mine

  20. Robin,
    So thankful for this reading today. I sometimes struggle with sleeplessness-getting back to sleep after using the washroom. It’s just worry that does this and many times I feel it’s the enemy trying to attack. I’ve been saying Phil. 4:13 for a few years now but, still am learning to trust and listen to God. I have been involved in a weekly bible study for 3 years which has helped immensely. My word for this year is JOY. So, with God’s help, I’m working on turning my negativity into positivity, and focusing even more on gratitude. As a retired, middle-aged woman, I want to experience the JOY of JESUS in my life, both mind and heart.

    Praying for you and all the other ladies who suffer from insomnia.
    Shalom, Sandy

  21. Love, love, love this, dear friend. Such a good reminder to think on these things . . . not those things the world wants us to think on. I’ll try to remember it when I’m tossing and turning tonight! Love you!

  22. Love your attitude-changer: “We GET to read God’s Word.” That’s an attitude God can work with, as he brings to our attention the encouragement, information, and inspiration he has for us–practically on every page. And you’re so right, Robin, when the truth sinks in, He uses it to transform us. Day by day our true, better selves shine brighter and brighter, and we GET to reflect God’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:18)!

  23. Robin, my heart goes out to you in your struggle for a solid good nights sleep. Sounds like you are doing everything to combat this. I have chronic sleep apnea which use to disrupt my sleep until I was diagnosed through testing. My throat would start closing up and it restricted my oxygen flow and then I would wake up. But I didn’t know that at the time. So I was tired during the day. Didn’t know if you have been tested for that. Dwelling on God’s Word and praying is good. Sometimes I just picture something that is beautiful in God’s creation like pretty flowers and try not to think so much. Blessings, Linda