About the Author

Kristen Strong, author of Back Roads to Belonging and Girl Meets Change, writes as a friend offering meaningful encouragement for each season of life so you can see it with hope instead of worry. She and her US Air Force veteran husband, David, have three children and live in Colorado...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Following your lead, Kristen, in channeling the fretting and all the regretting toward prayer. Thank you for all the “only You’s” in this offering, because it reminds me that only God knows our hearts and our motives–and that we are in as much of a learning process as our kids have been!

  2. Thank you for the graduate prayer. You helped me realize so many of the milestones I’ve overlooked in the chaos of preparing for my daughter’s college graduation.

  3. Kristen,

    Raising children in this day & age is hard. It is only with God’s patient love & grace that you can make it to any graduation. Children can be trouble one minute & joy the next. In my small church there were a lot of happy mamas yesterday. These young people were getting a lot of awards: top 10% of class, perfect attendance, best in math to name a few. You parents worked hard with those young kids to instill good values in them. Thank you for raising a generation that will make a positive impact in our world. They all love Jesus, church & learning. May they leave a legacy where ever they go!

    Blessings 🙂

    • Yes, may they leave a God-glorifying legacy! And I’ll forever be thankful for people like you, Beth, who encourage through kind mothering and faithful prayers. You are beloved!

  4. Wow. Loove this! Thank you! I don’t have a graduate but my son just git married. Such a great devo fir the seasons if our children’s lives.

  5. When my son graduated I was just glad he was done. He hated school and the fact he graduated was a miracle of answered prayer. He has matured and turned into such a wonderful young man its hard to remember that hard headed kid that I just wanted to graduate. But now my daughter who has been my straight A student, my community volunteer, a softball player and that kid all the teachers, administrators and under classmen love is graduating. I have been to NHS ceremonies, Golden Laurel Award Ceremonies, last softball games, Senior Night and heard how much she will be missed by the school. I have held it together at each event, smiling proudly pointing directly to her for all her achievements and a future that is so bright. I too have been wrapped up in getting the perfect party planned but the day is coming. June 1st she will walk across that stage my baby girl. The baby girl I prayed for, the baby girl who has been a blessing to my heart since the moment she screamed into the world. So THANK YOU for this prayer today, you have know idea how much my mind, heart and soul needed to see and read those words.

  6. Prayers needed for this mama here. Graduation is this Wednesday and my son will not be graduating and I am most sadden. He had taken a detour and possibly will graduate in the summer, July. That is if he completes and pass all that is required of him to do so. He is our second son and middle child, an older brother and a younger sister and had always been our most brightest child being in the gifted program since 2nd grade up until now but not sure what happened. Both myself and his dad were not at all pleased when we learned of this outcome. But I know we must continue to show him love and grace as God had shown us on a daily basis. Somehow though I feel as if I had failed along the road somewhere and as a result of it, had failed my son in whatever that is that he was needing. I know my hubby tells me that this is on him and not a reflection of who we are and how we raised him. It’s hard to see your child in this situation and I trust You Lord. I know You have a great plan and purpose for him even while he is wandering. I have hope that he will have the courage to fulfill all that he needs to and although we will not be seeing him walk this Wednesday with his classmates, we have faith that we see him walk in July. Thank you Lord for loving on our family.

  7. My nest has been empty nearly twenty years; all three children are leading productive lives. And yet regrets still come to visit now and then. So even though I’m far removed from the graduation scene, I still found great encouragement from your post, Kristen. With you, I want to “turn every wish for a do-over into wonder for Your grace that fills our gaps.” Hallelujah for our God of grace who can and will do that!