How to Hover Over Your Chaos

How to Hover Over Your Chaos

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I saw the notification for a missed call from my brother. No voice mail, no follow-up text. My heart dropped. Something terrible must have happened.

Panicked, I called him back right away. He picked up laughing. 

“Sorry!” he said. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. I didn’t even mean to call!”

“But,” he added, “it happened at the most chaotic moment of my morning, so I figured you would’ve been the perfect person anyway.”

We laughed long and hard. I peeled my anxiety off the ceiling. He shared his morning chaos, well known to working parents: a sick kid, a closed daycare, a last-minute scramble for back-up. 

I told him I’d missed his call because I was doing a mad-dash clean-up of our messy house. Our beloved summer babysitter was on her way over, and even though she knew our chaos, the current state of affairs was too much, even for our nearest and dearest.

“See, I told you,” he laughed again. “You know chaos better than anyone!”

After we got off the phone, I kept thinking about his words, that I’d be the perfect person to call in chaos.

Truth is, he’s right in more ways than one. As a working mother of five kids, I live amid chaos 24/7. Sometimes it overwhelms me, but over the years I have built up muscles I didn’t know I had. Muscles that help me juggle seven people’s schedules, hunger, needs, and joys; keep a house sorta running for all of us to survive; and tend to my body, heart, and soul while caring for those I’m called to love.

But in a deeper way, I’ve become well-acquainted with other chaos I never wanted. 

Grief. Illness. Suffering. Death.

I keep praying for peace and tranquility in my life. But that doesn’t seem to be what God sends. God keeps asking me to build up my strength and capacity for chaos — to become someone who can sit with others in their hard places, and dig deep into solidarity and compassion.

One of my favorite Scripture passages (as someone who keeps finding herself in chaos) comes from the Bible’s first words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV).

Another translation says “The earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2 NRSVUE). First, there was darkness and chaos, unnerving and empty. But then God’s Spirit moved, and the Word was spoken: Let there be light.

I’ve long loved the image of the Spirit hovering over the waters, gentle as a bird or rushing as a breeze, as God creates for the first time out of chaos. 

Because more often than not, my own life feels chaotic. In small ways — what are we having for dinner, where is that kid’s permission slip, did anyone change the laundry, when was that bill due, is someone getting sick upstairs? — and in big ways. 

Why did I get cancer? 

Why couldn’t our children survive? 

How does the world keep falling apart, worse and worse every day?

Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing amid all this mess?

Over the years, as I’ve spent much time in chaos, reflecting on chaos, I’ve come to realize how much the Genesis creation story teaches us about the conflicts and challenges we encounter in our own lives. 

First, chaos is only — and always — the start of the story. Morning sickness, messy first drafts, and even the Monday school rush have taught me that beginnings can be difficult. But we can’t lose heart when we encounter chaos. God might be drawing near in ways we can’t see, hovering close to our murky waters. Every masterpiece starts with a sketch, and even chaos can be the first step to something beautiful coming next.

Second, we can’t forget to breathe. The word for Spirit in Hebrew is ruah, which can be translated as wind, breath, or spirit. When I get tense, anxious, or fearful in the face of chaos, I often hold my breath and forget how much it helps to slow down and breathe deeply. As small as it sounds, breathing reminds me of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit within me, breathed into my lungs by God at the beginning of my life. When I reconnect with the Spirit that moved like a mighty wind at the dawn of creation, I remember that I have never been left alone to face the chaos on my own. 

Finally, in a strange way, chaos can remind us that God is near — a sign that the Spirit is ready to create and recreate among us.

God is already here. When chaos comes — and it will come — we don’t have to get entangled or entrapped within it; we just need to hover over it. Because the truth is, we can’t complete the creative, restorative, or redemptive work of God. All we can do is trust that the Spirit is present.

God is always hovering close, whenever and wherever we need. 

Listen to today’s devotion at the player below or wherever you stream podcasts.

Great News for Every Hard Day

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I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
Psalm 18:1-6 NIV

What if you started every morning and ended every night with the simple declaration, “I love you, Lord, my strength”? 

When we center our thoughts on God — on His love, His presence, His strength in our lives — we will experience the peace we long for.

Calling out to God won’t always immediately change our circumstances, but we can rest assured that He hears our cries. God is our source of help, hope, and strength. Declare your love for Him today!

The Extraordinary Kindness of God and Flowers + Strawberry Salad Recipe

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And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers… he will certainly care for you.
Luke 12:28 NLT

That July day, a bouquet of flowers was my teacher. I needed to re-learn something I had re-forgotten: God uses ordinary things to show us His extraordinary kindness.

I don’t know what some people think about things like that. But I believe that God is so specific in His kindness to us that He orchestrates the tiniest details, letting us know He sees and cares about us. So often we miss His gifts of kindness because we are racing through life, missing the beauty right in front of us (or right beside us in the ditches of life).

What ditch do you find yourself in today? What place in your life seems bereft of color? How has God whispered His specific kindness to you through a certain shade of sky, a flower, a cardinal, a feather floating on the breeze? Maybe these things are God’s way of “bringing you something you need to learn.” Let’s take some time in these July days to slow down and look for the ways God uses the created world to remind us how very much we’re loved.

by Jennifer Dukes Lee, as featured in the (in)courage 2024-25 Agenda Planner

Summer is upon us, and we’re craving all things light, fresh, and cool! We’ve got just the recipe for you. Invite friends over for lunch and serve this delicious Strawberry Salad. With some bread on the side and any protein you like (it’s endlessly customizable), this is a real winner of a summer recipe.

Bonus: it’s super easy.

Scroll down for the recipe (courtesy of our friend Nancy) and download a FREE printable recipe card!

We hope an easy recipe like this one can help you follow Jennifer’s encouragement to “take some time in these July days to slow down and look for the ways God uses the created world to remind us how very much we’re loved.”

Strawberry Salad

Download the FREE recipe card here!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
  • 2 cups sliced strawberries
  • 1 cup sliced cucumber
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup your favorite Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In large bowl, add spinach, lettuce, sliced strawberries, sliced cucumber, sliced red onion, and all but 2 Tbsp. of the sliced almonds and feta cheese (save the 2 Tbsp. each of almonds and cheese for sprinkling on top of the salad).
  2. Toss all the ingredients together well.
  3. When ready to serve, drizzle salad with the Strawberry Vinaigrette and toss gently. Then sprinkle the top of the salad with the remaining feta cheese and sliced almonds. Serve immediately.

NOTE: If serving the salad a little later, stop after Step #2 and refrigerate the salad until ready to serve. Just before serving, toss in the dressing and sprinkle the top of the salad with the remaining feta cheese and sliced almonds.

To get the styled look Nancy created here, use the Good Thing Serving Bowl and use this Tea Towel Set as a table runner or placemat! Set out the Simply Elegant S&P Sprinklers + Tray set in case people want a little more seasoning in their salads. Find these lovely pieces and more at Mary & Martha by DaySpring.

And let us know the answer to Jennifer’s question above: How has God whispered His specific kindness to you?

What It Really Means to Be an Influencer

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Are intergenerational friendships something you value and seek out? I love having same-age-and-stage people in my life because these are the people who understand experientially what I’m going through in any given season. But more and more, I’ve found that being in relationship with people decades older and younger brings an important perspective and dimension that wouldn’t exist if all my friendships looked just like me.

Wisdom might change that old familiar refrain to, “Keep young friends, and have some old, one is silver and the other gold.” 

Recently in visits with 20-somethings, our conversations turned to social media. Never do I feel more like a dinosaur than when a young friend raves about who she follows on TikTok. An old-school blogger, I began writing online when Facebook was a toddler, Twitter was an infant, and before Instagram was a sparkle in its developer’s eyes. Back then, blogging simply scratched a long-dormant creative itch for many of us, and no one was doing it for money. Introductions were made through recommendations by your new-found blogging friends, not through sponsored posts that targeted your demographic. Or, maybe, you discovered your next favorite writer through a link-up where dozens, or even hundreds, of bloggers wrote along a common theme linked to a host site. Everyone connected through robust comment threads.

It was all so organic and lovely.

When I started blogging, hard copies of newspapers were still being delivered to your door. We got news, weather, and sports updates from nightly six or eleven o’clock broadcasts, and we trusted our news anchors. People were reporting what happened, not making up what didn’t.

Good gravy, my head gets spinny thinking about all the changes I’ve seen in the past 20 years. I can only imagine how dizzy my older friends must be with all the changes they’ve witnessed!

Not surprisingly, the impact of influencers comes up in social media conversations. M-W.com defines an influencer as a person who inspires or guides the actions of others; a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media. 

What didn’t exist not so long ago is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Top influencers are paid barrels of money to tell us what to do, think, and buy. They earn a lot of money because they deliver. According to an April 2024 article on Sprout Social, “49% of all consumers make daily, weekly, or monthly purchases because of influencer posts, with 30% trusting influencers more today than they did just six months ago.” That’s staggering, isn’t it?

There are plenty of finger-wagging bunny trails we could hop along, but I’m not here to cast aspersions at influencers. I’m thankful for the people who know more about the topics I’m interested in than I do. Some have taught me something new while others share recipes, fashion pointers, or beauty tips. My favorites challenge me to think differently, critically, and more carefully, especially while pointing me to Jesus. And I’m grateful for the people who bring a little levity into all our lives, lightening the sometimes heavy loads we carry. Kittens riding skateboards? Please and thank you!

The reality is you don’t have to have thousands of followers on your favorite social media platform to be an influencer; in fact, you don’t have to be on social media at all. If an influencer is simply a person who inspires or guides the actions of others, has it occurred to you, sweet sister, that you are an influencer? 

Given that you are an influencer in some shape or form, the next question to consider is: How are you stewarding this relational superpower?

Within our homes, workplaces, and houses of worship, we are inspiring and guiding the actions of others. In ordinary ways, we have the potential to uplift and encourage friends, train children, lead colleagues, and impact strangers. Passing along something we’ve learned, sharing a bargain, or helping someone who’s experiencing a heartache you have in common are ways we influence the people around us every day. 

Just as we influence others, we are constantly being influenced by whatever fills our world, our time, and our minds. Are we settling for earthly trinkets when eternal treasures could be ours? Can you imagine how different your life would be if Jesus was the dominant influencer in your life?

Maybe you can honestly say He is, but if not, what would need to change? What might need to shift for Jesus to become your greatest influencer? This isn’t a question about your salvation or a requirement to do something to earn God’s love. Rather, remembering our earlier definition, when Jesus is the primary influencer in our lives, our words and actions would be naturally focused on generating interest in Him.

God has made us for the magnificent purpose of bringing Him glory. You and I are unique masterpieces created in His image. Never do we look more like Jesus than when we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 

May we live each day to reflect, promote, and point others to His goodness.

Listen to today’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast app.

How to Grow a Healthy Family Tree  

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There was a tree on our sheep farm in the South African outback that had a trunk that looked like it had tried to make a U-turn. Where it once grew straight it had taken a sharp right turn before continuing to grow up toward the sky.

The tree looked like that because one of my dad’s older brothers had crashed into it on a night he was drunk and lost control of his car at that bend in the road. And now there is a permanent bend in that tree.

Family trees are like that.

We grow up out of the soil of the stories that are so long ago and once upon a time that they might feel unconnected to our regular Tuesday afternoons. But, the branches in our family trees keep long records, ring upon ring, of where we come from and who we come from, and they map the ways in which we have changed directions.

We used to make fun of that tree. My father named it after his brother. We laughed when we passed it, a ridiculous landmark on our farm that made the brother ridiculous.

Years of laughter passed unchecked until a day when my father pushed pause on the story. Then rewind.

Then he recorded a new narrative. “That’s sad what we did, what I did — making fun of my brother like that. It’s ugly. I wish I’d never started calling that his tree.”

I listened in surprise. “That was so ugly, to make fun of a terrible moment in his life.”

And it was as if my father shed a skin, like the snakes he used to catch and raise and trade when he was a kid in boarding school. There it was: the old, dry, shriveled skin of petty meanness that didn’t fit him anymore.

The isiZulu word for “grace” is umusa. It is also a synonym for “humanity.” We are an interconnected species. Our family trees linked by root systems deep beneath the everyday surface of our lives.

When it comes to how we love or parent or forgive we are not starting from scratch. As much as I might have thought so in the early years of my marriage.

I am my father’s daughter. We worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God of generations. And there is only one beating heart of humanity — a single organism connected by vital arteries of history and memory and one divine and holy breath breathed into all of us.

And my father’s willingness to shed the skins he’d grown up in is the most shocking plot twist of my life.

Because for years he had lived in a box in my mind labeled “fear.”

I had packed it up tight when I left home and boarded a plane from South Africa to college in the States. I’d shoved the box on a back shelf in a back closet in the recesses of my mind. A place I forgot existed over decades of life away from the country of my childhood.

But history can’t be locked away. It is a living, breathing reality that beats in our ribcages. And for years I defaulted to parenting in anger like my father and grandfather before me without once considering that I was driving the same, well-worn path of my childhood.

I lived deep inside the snakeskin I hadn’t learned to shed yet.

Until the terrible day my mini-me stared at me out of eyes sinking below the surface of my rage, and I had a choice: I could push him under the water or I could reach out my hand to rescue him.

And I knew that if I wanted to rescue him, I would have to find a way to rescue myself. To shed the skin I’d grown up in.

But I was incapable of rescuing myself. History and my own story had proven this over and over. Instead, I recognized that the same God who had rescued Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would need to be the one to rescue me from being drowned by the history that lived in me so that I could rescue my son.

So I took all my faith and doubt, my family story and my desperation, to the God who once inspired the words of another sheep farmer, like my dad, who wrote,

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 40:1–2 NIV

Because, no matter how deep into the narrative we are, the grace of the Gospel is that on ordinary Tuesdays it’s still not too late to write a new ending.

No matter what kind of history you inherited, it doesn’t have to be repeated. By the grace of a Savior who “moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 MSG) to get to know you and your storyline up close and personal, new endings are still waiting to be written in your bloodline.

—

This is an adapted excerpt from Lisa-Jo Baker’s new book, It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping.

When she found herself spiraling into a terrifying version of her father, screaming herself hoarse at her son, Lisa-Jo realized that to go forward — to refuse to repeat the sins of our fathers — we must first go back.

It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping is an honest and lyrical coming-of-age memoir of growing up in South Africa at the height of apartheid, and an invitation to recognize and refuse to repeat the cycles we’ve grown up in — from the bestselling author of Never Unfriended.

With a story that stretches from South Africa’s outback to Washington, D.C., It Wasn’t Roaring, It Was Weeping is a courageous look at inherited hurts and prejudices, and a hope-filled example for all who feel lost in life or worried that they’re too off course to make the necessary corrections. Lisa-Jo’s story shows that it’s never too late to be free.

Order your copy today . . . and leave a comment below for a chance to WIN a copy*!

Then join Becky Keife on the (in)courage podcast this weekend for a conversation with Lisa-Jo about this special new book. Don’t miss it!

*Giveaway open to US addresses only and closes on 7/15/24 at 11:59 pm central.

Listen to today’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast player!

What Do You Do When You’re Bored?

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Earlier this year, I decided to do something new and something that required courage: I went horseback riding in the mountains of Colorado. I am the direct opposite of a risk taker or adrenaline junkie. I cherish safety so for me going horseback riding was a big decision.

As I waited with my group to get my assigned horse, I prayed to get the old and tired horse who wanted a slow stroll. But God is funny at times and I met Copper, who according to the instructor “has beef with a lot of other horses.” Copper and I started at the back of the line as we exited the stable but Copper shoved the other horse and pushed past them all the way to the front, right behind the instructor. I just held on real tight and prayed the whole time that I wouldn’t fall off and die in Colorado.

The instructor would stop periodically to look behind and check on the group or to teach us different riding skills. As he talked, Copper wandered to a nearby patch to graze on the grass. The instructor noticed his behavior and told me to pull up on the reins and not allow him to snack. I obviously came to Copper’s defense, “I think he is hungry.” But the instructor quickly responded, “No, all these horses are well-fed. He is just grazing because he is bored and it is bad for him.”

Recently God reminded me of Copper and the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart that it is often the things that we do in our boredom that are actually bad for us, causing us to drift away from God without realizing it.

It is the long commute home from work when I am bored that I rehearse the hurt I have experienced from people and gossip about it with a friend on the phone.

It is when I binge-watch a television show that leads me to fantasize about a life I wish I had instead of being present and grateful for the one I am living now.

It is in the hours of scrolling on social media before bed, seeing all the brokenness and division in the world that makes me angry and sad as I end my day.

What we do in those quiet moments, when our hands are idle and our minds wander is what shapes who we are becoming.

What do you do when you are bored? It matters. We see this so clearly in the life of King David:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.“
2 Samuel 11:1-2 NIV

Instead of doing what kings are supposed to do, go and fight to protect their people, David napped all day. David sent everyone else to work and he stayed home. Then when He was alone, he was bored. And what David does in this moment of boredom leads him to become an adulterer and a murderer.

David’s poor choices escalated quickly, but it started out so subtle that David, a man after God’s own heart, didn’t see the degree of damage that he had caused.

 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”
2 Samuel 11: 25

But the chapter closes with the truth:

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.”
2 Samuel 11:27

David is essentially saying it’s not a big deal, but to God, this was a big deal.

It’s easy to discount the bad habits or the casual things we do when we are bored, like Copper grazing on grass. But friend, it is time to recognize that sometimes those are the very things that lead us away from becoming who God is calling us to be.

So let’s take inventory of our hearts and be intentional with every moment, even the boring moments of life. Let’s pay attention to what we are watching, listening to, thinking about, and reading when we are alone and bored.

Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in every choice you make — and a willingness to turn away from what’s most comfortable or pleasurable if it does not honor God and others.

The little moments matter. May God take the reins of our lives today and lead us in habits that work for our good and His glory.

Listen to today’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast app.

What if His Power Works Best in Your Weakness?

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The pain shot through my leg before I realized what happened. 

I run conferences for high school students across Canada, and I was in the thick of one, jumping and worshiping alongside hundreds of students during our Saturday morning session. I jumped with the highschoolers, but landed badly on my foot, my ankle twisting. Pain surged through me. (Is this what happens when you’re about to turn thirty? The mosh pit just doesn’t feel the same…) 

I was running point for the conference for the rest of the day. It was our team’s first time launching in Alberta, and we had been praying for this weekend for months. We had put our blood, sweat, and tears into it. I had fallen on my face before God more times than I could count. I was expectant and ready for God to move across Generation Z. God’s Spirit had already been stirring at the conference the night before, but I was anticipating Him to move in even greater ways over the course of the sessions on Saturday. Our team had a job to do, and I tend to take my job very seriously.

But by lunchtime, I could hardly walk. I begrudgingly let the conference nurse take a look at me. She predicted a torn calf muscle and advised me to go to urgent care. 

“I can’t go to urgent care!” I told her. “We have a conference to run.”

“Then you need to stop walking,” she said to me. (There was a good chance I glared at her. Model leadership, I know.) 

That afternoon, during a lull in the conference programming, I laid down on a couch in the church basement. Disappointment weighed heavy inside of my chest. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. I had a conference to run. There were things to do. I wanted to witness with my own eyes how God was transforming the hearts of hundreds of high school students. We had been praying for this for months and suddenly it felt like I was being benched on the sidelines. 

I groaned to Jesus, This isn’t fair. Heal me! Quick! 

Friends trickled down the basement stairs to pray for me. One after another, people laid their hands on my calf and ankle, asking God to heal me. I had full faith that I would be healed. But I wasn’t healed that afternoon. Instead, the pain increased, and by the final session that Saturday night, I could barely stand. 

But I wasn’t ready to quit. I don’t know if it was pride or faith, but I hobbled into that final session, ready to worship. I decided I would rather limp into the Kingdom of God and witness others coming alongside me than quit and go home. I wanted to see God move among Gen Z. I wasn’t heading home yet. 

I watched the students worship. I raised my arms and postured my heart toward Jesus. Then I felt God whisper to me, kindly but honestly: I didn’t need you in order to move. 

Humility draped over me like a blanket, and tears filled my eyes. God didn’t need me. God didn’t need me in order to move the way He wanted to. I could sit back – weak and in pain and feeling useless – and God would do every single thing He had already intended to do. 

It was a powerful moment for me. I watched God’s Spirit move in power among hundreds of youth. That night, I witnessed high school students meeting Jesus for the first time. I saw students get healed and receive freedom. The week after the conference, our team was sent story after story from those high school students, sharing how God changed their lives that weekend. 

I wanted to be strong, fixed, and healed. I mistakenly thought I was a necessary component for God to move. But God wanted to move despite my limping and weakness. 

Jesus said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Maybe it’s easy for me to say. I was rehabilitated after a month and a half of physiotherapy, and my torn calf muscle is healing now. I have never dealt with chronic pain or illness. I can’t begin to understand the pain so many people carry in their bodies and hearts each day.

But I know this: God isn’t limited by your weakness and pain. In fact, He promises that His power works best in your limping and weakness. Your strength is not necessary for God to move. I wonder if sometimes our strength can get in the way of His Spirit. We think we are needed. But God is the One people need to encounter, not us. 

If you are weak today… 

If you feel benched on the sidelines… 

If you are limping and tired and feeling done… 

Come to Jesus. Come exactly as you are. Come encounter His presence, His goodness, and His absolute grace.

It turns out His power actually works best in your weakness. 

Listen to today’s devotion below or search for the (in)courage podcast anywhere!

Maybe You’re the Well

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My eyes scanned the dimly lit room as I started my message. This would be the last session of the conference I co-hosted in Iceland. The weekend had been filled with many significant moments for the women attending and the ones who had traveled far to help set it up. But even as I whispered prayers in my heart and then voiced an opening one out loud for the audience, I couldn’t deny the frustration fogging my brain nor the stress that had tightened my shoulders all weekend. Would the experiences in the conference room of this hotel last beyond the conference weekend? Did everyone receive what they needed to flourish in an often hard spiritual climate?

I planned to share about the Samaritan woman and how Jesus satisfied her thirst in a significant way. Truly a message that all of us needed to hear, but as my eyes bounced from face to face, I sensed there were more women – like me — who craved nourishment of a different kind.

These women were preschool and elementary school teachers, counselors, social workers, restaurant owners, and business leaders. Some were on the verge of giving birth to new babies and others held infants not their own so that young moms could respond to altars if needed. Some bustled around, prepping the atmosphere, serving sacrificially in the background. Another woman led young girls in a choreographed dance that stirred worship in the room, while the mothers of those daughters watched on with pride. 

My gaze flitted over their faces as thoughts rose and poured out of my mouth. “Maybe you are the woman who needs an encounter in this moment,” I said, pausing for the words to be translated into their heart language. “Or maybe you are the well.”

John 4 tells the story of how Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well, asked a woman for a drink, and then offered her living water.

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
John 4:11-12 NIV

We often focus on the woman. But have you ever considered the role of Jacob in this story? Surely Jacob couldn’t predict or fully comprehend the future significance of the property he purchased in Shechem (Genesis 33:19). He simply needed to provide sustenance for his growing family. But God’s provision for one family trickled through the centuries to prepare a meeting place between a lonely, multi-married woman and the only One who could bring her true satisfaction. 

I wonder if we consider the implications of the work we start that was initially meant to meet personal needs or that overflowed from an inner passion. Jesus doesn’t always meet people at church altars. He may encounter an individual at a park bench, on a street corner, or in a movie seat.

“Perhaps you are the well.” My voice drifted across the room, calling out the women I knew and the ones I didn’t. My own struggles were reflected in their eyes.  

Sometimes we are that woman from Samaria. Thirsty and searching — our shame keeping us hidden in the hottest time of the day. Sometimes we are her, in need of a drink that we cannot provide for ourselves and longing for a way out of the labyrinth of choices we made or were made for us. Sometimes we do need to know that we are the woman that Jesus will inconvenience Himself for, the one that will cause Him to stop in the hottest part of the day to start a conversation in a way that may not seem socially acceptable. 

But perhaps in certain moments, there are some of us that need to know that we are the well. That where we are, what we’ve done, and what we are doing has been set in place by God’s divine hand for other people to encounter Him. Maybe you are the well, steady and stable and setting the stage for someone to encounter the solution they’ve been waiting for. 

Maybe you are the sycamore tree planted in the right location so that a shunned man who can’t see over the crowd can climb up and get a glimpse of Jesus (Luke 19:1-10). 

Even when you can’t see the immediate fruit, God sees the full picture of what He intends to do through your obedience. Your business, classroom, restaurant, agency, living room — these facilitate God-encounters too. Instead of striving to be like someone else or boxed in by the way others influence, consider that you may be right where you need to be for the Savior and a sinner to have a seat. A place where others can come to taste and see. 

Listen to today’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts.

This Is Our Prayer for You Today

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“Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.

We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work.

We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.“
Colossians 1:9-12 The Message

One of our favorite things at (in)courage is linking arms as sisters in Christ through prayer. Today we’re praying the words of Colossians 1:9-12 over you. (Go back and read the passage again slowly, there is so much goodness there!) We’d also love to know how to pray for you specifically by name.

What’s on your heart today? What area of your life do you want to live more like Jesus? Where do you need His strength or joy today?

Leave your request in the comments and bless another sister by praying for the person before you.

A Way to Connect Deeper with God This Summer

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“Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to the Lord!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we are his —
his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;
his faithfulness, through all generations.”
Psalm 100 CSB

When stress and anxiety don’t let up, how do we shout triumphantly to the Lord? How do we come before Him with joyful songs? Joy isn’t easy to embrace when we’re overwhelmed and when grief and loss are closer companions on this journey than we’d like.

But verses 3 and 5 of Psalm 100 guide us toward joy. We acknowledge that the Lord is God, the One who made us and to whom we belong. We are in His care, shepherded by His strong hand, and His faithful love for us endures forever.

God’s constancy is a reason for praise. With our hands and hearts open before Him, let’s enter into His presence singing songs of His faithfulness.

God, help us to remember the times You’ve walked with us and how You haven’t changed amid all the changes happening around us. Fill us with Your joy. Amen.

It’s easy to spend summer weekends with lazy days strung together with glowing screens and blasting AC. Maybe you fill your weekends with activities that keep you even busier than the rest of the year. Or perhaps summer weekends mean the usual reprieve from a nine-to-five job or that same motherhood routine . . . and the only difference is the climbing heat.

Whatever your summer weekends look like, we know it takes intentionality to include more of Jesus in the rhythm of your days.

We can’t think of a better place to camp out this summer than in the Psalms.

The Psalms are known as fertile ground for connecting deeply with the heart of God. They are beautiful examples of what raw, honest, transparent communication with God looks like. Hopes and fears poured out. Hearts surrendered. Lives transformed. Through the Psalms, we see God’s love, compassion, and unshakable commitment to His people. We see God’s nearness, God’s with-ness.

If you’re looking for a simple and meaningful way to encounter God this summer, try reading a Psalm a day!

For more inspiration, check out this Summer (in) the Psalms YouTube playlist from the (in)courage archives. You’ll find nine conversations with (in)courage writers diving into God’s Word together. Please note: the print journal is no longer available. All devotions are from the (in)courage Devotional Bible.

We’d love to know — what’s your favorite Psalm?

Struggle in the Ordinary

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“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.“
Psalm 142:3 NKJV

I work my full-time job from a desk in the corner of my bedroom. Just to the right of my chair is the only full-length mirror in the house. It hangs on my scratched-up, builder-grade closet door and reflects me sitting at my desk. And usually, a kid who comes visiting.

There’s laundry piled high on one side of the chair. I don’t know if it’s dirty or clean— probably both. Until April, there was a Christmas tree peeking out in the corner. I’ve had the desk chair since college, and my chipped-paint desk was a garage sale find. Packages opened but not dealt with lie just out of my mirror view. Jeans wait in a bag to be returned. Summer activity brochures splay open on the carpet, my desk tasks spilling over onto the floor.

Outside the bedroom/office door, my kids bicker and protest bedtime, and more laundry waits. House projects compel, dishes fill the sink, and the empty fridge reminds me I need to get groceries, stat.

I only must turn around to see the ways I’m behind on life.

My to-do list always overruns the lines on a page, reminding me that it will never end. It’s not hard to get overwhelmed by it all. So many tasks. Some nonnegotiable, others that can (and will) wait. Yet amidst the to-do’s engulfing me, there’s a tiny nugget of peace when I remember the Hands that are truly holding all things together.

When I’m overcome by the tasks and ordinary stuff of my life, even then God is with me. It doesn’t require a crisis to be exhausted and in need of God’s peace. When we remember to lean into Him instead of fretting over what remains undone, it can seriously strengthen our hearts.

On the overwhelming and ordinary days, He knows our steps, and He walks them with us. The tasks may pile up, but they’ll never overtake the love, peace, and strength God has for us.

This devotion is by Anna E. Rendell as published in 100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle.

Friend, what feels overwhelming in your life today? Ask God to show you the one next step He wants you to take. Ask Him to give you a picture of what the path ahead looks like. Ask Him to reassure your spirit of His steadfast presence. We’d love to hear in the comments what the Lord brings to your mind!

Surely, the Lord is near. His strength is yours. Rest in Him today.

For more real stories and biblical encouragement you can apply to your life every day, grab a copy of our (in)courage devotional journal, 100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle. We’ve prayed over every page and we know you’ll finish the journey changed by God’s strength.

Listen to today’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast player. Search “(in)courage podcast”!

Fun Family Fourth of July Traditions

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Drive around neighborhoods today and you might see the haze from backyard cookouts lazily permeating the clear, summer sky. The aroma draws you in, and memories of past July 4th grilling events flood to the forefront. (It’s amazing how our God-given sense of smell holds memories as well, doesn’t it?)

Fireflies flicker, friends gather, watermelon seeds are spit, and children sit on the blanket waiting in anticipation of the first explosion of fireworks.

The Fourth of July holds many traditions for Americans. It’s a holiday that represents freedom, courage, and sacrifice, and yet possibly, burgers and sparklers have taken the place of its true symbolism.

Whether you celebrate July 4th or not, embrace the opportunity to take the conversation to the next level and engage family and friends in a discussion of what true courage really means. It doesn’t have to be organized, forced, or stressful, just a time of intentional sharing about the deeper meaning behind this week’s celebrations, and why we have some of the traditions that we do.

Many years ago on the Fourth of July, it started pouring as soon as we arrived at the high school stadium where fireworks were going to be launched. Our family raced to our van and waited for the storm to pass. Instead of letting the kids moan about our wasted evening, we preempted the complaints with some soul-searching discussion on our definition of courage. We used the time to share examples of people who we each viewed as courageous and why. We asked our kids to think of one person who was still living that they feel symbolizes real-life courage,  and then share one person that exemplifies this from history.

The rain never did pass, and the fireworks were canceled, but this evening holds more memories due to the lasting impact in the hearts of our children as we shared life –  life to its fullest, packed like sardines in a minivan.

This established a new tradition for our family — one that you can do too! You can even take the courage conversation one step further by recording the answers from your kids. Cut out paper stars. The older ones can write on their own stars and you can have the younger ones dictate their answers. On the top of each star write, “I love my country because…” or “Courage means to me..” and then leave space for the wonderfully spontaneous answers you will collect over the years.

Every year, read the answers from previous years to see how the meanings, modeling of life circumstances, and examples have changed and matured. You can use these patriotic declarations to decorate the tablecloth at your Fourth of July barbecue or collage them into your Fourth of July Album with your annual picnic photo. (Or post to Instagram if that’s your modern version of a digital scrapbook.)

Since our children are getting older, the discussions keep getting better. This year, our family is going to ponder these quotes.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” – C.S. Lewis

Why don’t you join us?

Since building traditions into our family’s tapestry is a high priority, I love trying to meld the fun with the inspirational. Check out my 4th of July section on traditions for additional ideas.

Let’s inspire each other. Do you have any special Fourth of July traditions that your family does each year?

This post originally appeared on (in)courage here.

Listen to today’s article below or wherever you stream podcasts.

Learning to Love My Body in a Barbie World

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We are in the throes of summer where I live. Summer signals backyard barbecues, watermelon juice dripping down kids’ arms, Fourth of July fireworks, and peach cobbler with homemade ice cream. Just about everything feels sweet in summer except for the fact that I have to put on a swimsuit.

I’m not proud to admit this, but last summer I nearly drove myself crazy searching for the perfect swimsuit. I scrolled for days, saving suits to Pinterest boards, reading reviews, and ordering suits off Amazon to try on at home. (I mean who wants to get stuck in a dressing room trying to squeeze their body parts into polyester?)

Now that I’m in my later forties and what I fondly call “the sweaty season of life,” my body feels a little out of whack. Despite an active lifestyle, I’ve gained extra pounds that I can’t seem to keep off. My skin is sensitive. And my hormones are definitely frolicking all over the place, depending on the day.

As a mama to three girls, it’s always been important to me to keep a tight rein on negative scripts about my body. I don’t want to model for my daughters a sense of shame about body image.

The world apart from Christ manipulates us to believe beauty is queen, and it looks a certain way. We are shaped by negative mindsets that tell us we are too fat, too frumpy, too freckled, or fill-in-the-blank to be considered desirable. 

We start to believe all we need to do is change that one thing about ourselves to truly be accepted.

I have learned that I am most vulnerable to these unhealthy mindsets when I am tired, not spending time in Scripture, and not abiding closely with Jesus.

Last summer I took my three daughters to see the Barbie movie everyone was talking about. My oldest is really into movies and loves the director. I thought this film might be a good one for us to process together.

Mind you, I am a second-generation daughter who refused to buy Barbies for my girls when they were little because my mama taught me Barbie was unrealistic and not representative of girls like me with brown skin and thick, curly hair. She didn’t want me to have some unachievable idea of what my body should look like.

We four girls settled into our movie seats with a theater full of mostly women donning every shade of pink. I didn’t have high expectations for the film, but I was pleasantly surprised by the end.

Perhaps the most poignant scene is when Barbie (Margot Robbie) sits down at a bus stop next to an older woman reading the newspaper. Barbie has just been roasted by a teenager in the “real world,” and she’s feeling a little tender about the harsh, unexpected reality she finds herself in.

The two women lock eyes. Barbie pauses, studies the woman’s wrinkled face, and proclaims, “You’re so beautiful!” 

“I know it!” the woman replies with confidence. The woman’s lips curve into a welcoming smile, and Barbie giggles through tears. 

The way I see it, that confident golden girl is ministering to Barbie with her courageous declaration. She is not flaunting her body, but she is celebrating it in all of its baggy-skin-wrinkled-face glory. There is room for this woman and for Barbie on the proverbial bus stop bench. 

It’s a message that made me misty-eyed because I needed to hear it. I want my daughters to feel it in their bodies too. 

Here are truths I’m walking in today as I’m shifting to a Kingdom body mindset:

  1. Our allegiance isn’t to culture; it’s to the King.

The culture tells us through a barrage of posts, videos, products, and more that we have to make ourselves beautiful. But the Bible tells us something different. 

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27 NLT)

Friends, the King created you and me in His image. That means we are created on purpose for a purpose. He looks on us with love and adoration because He fashioned us with His very own hands.

  1. Our bodies express the diversity of God’s creation.

The psalmist reminds us that we are each uniquely and purposefully designed to express God’s creativity:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it.” (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT)

When we walk with courage and confidence in our bodies, we are showing off His creative workmanship.

  1. Our bodies were made to worship the King of Kings.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord,” says Psalm 150:6.

We can use our bodies — our lips, our hips, our passions, and gifts — to praise Him.

We are all beautiful because we are daughters of the Creator King. 

That’s why this year I bought myself an electric pink tankini, and I’m wearing it with pride at the pool. I am 47 years old and more mushy around the middle than I was a few decades ago, but my mindset has truly strengthened. I believe beauty is in every body!

Raise your hands in the comments if you struggle with body image. If you are willing to share, I’d love to hear you replace a lie with a truth about yourself and your body today.

Dorina helps people discover God’s glory on life’s unexpected trails. Subscribe to Dorina’s Glorygram here for reflections, recommendations, and details about her latest kids book, Kailani’s Gift.

Listen to today’s devotion below or find the (in)courage podcast on your favorite platform!

Don’t Wait for the Funeral to Do This

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Last month, I started a practice of texting one person every day with the sole purpose of encouraging them.

The messages aren’t long or remotely poetic. Many are quite simple, like:

“God brought you to mind today, and it reminded me how much I appreciate our friendship.”

“Saw your smiling face at church today. You bring so much joy into every room!”

 Recently, I texted one friend who consistently goes out of her way to bless other people. The text was longer than most, because I wanted to call out the trail of kindness she leaves wherever she goes.

A few seconds later, my phone beeped with her response: “Well, thanks, but where did that come from?!? LOL! I love and appreciate you too!”  

In another season of my life, I might have felt ridiculous for gushing so profusely in my text to her. But I have learned the hard way that I never want to withhold my appreciation for others. 

Here’s what I told her in response:

“I sent it to you ‘just because.’ I believe that if you see something good in someone, you shouldn’t withhold it. I don’t like waiting for funerals to say nice things about people. I rather enjoy telling the living.”

I’m no hero for taking 30 seconds out of every day to send someone an encouraging text. I am doing it because I have wept at too many graveside services, regretting that I hadn’t said more. It can feel like a punch in the gut when it’s too late to tell someone how you feel.

We always think we’ll have the time, but if you’ve unexpectedly lost someone you love, you know that we don’t always have that luxury.

I’ve decided that I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to say what needs to be said today.

When I open my Bible to the Gospels, I see that kind of urgency with Jesus. He couldn’t afford to wait to say what needed to be said. On the night before His crucifixion, He took the time to demonstrate with words and actions His love for His closest friends, as well as for future believers. 

He served them, by washing their feet. (See John 13:4-5.)

He comforted them. (See John 14:1-4.)

He told them about the coming of the Holy Spirit.  (See John 14:16-17.)

He prayed for them – and for us. (See John 17:6-26.)

And Jesus told them of His great love for them – which is a model for us as we love others today. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. … I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:9 and 12-13 NIV).

Sharing that kind of love with others can be as simple as a 30-second text. Or it could be potentially uncomfortable – because it may require you to have a long overdue, face-to-face encounter with someone you need to make amends with.

I trust that the Holy Spirit will show you how this might unfold for you.

But the bottom line is this: let’s not wait. We might not have that kind of time. 

What words do you need to say? Find the strength to say them, today.

Let someone know you love them, today.

Make amends, today.

Send that text, today.

Let’s not wait for the funeral to tell someone what they mean to us.

Listen to today’s devotion below or wherever you stream podcasts.

Now Is the Time to Fight for Thankfulness

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So much of our society has become focused on self and our own wants and desires, which is a direct reflection of our sinful nature. Our default setting is to look out for numero uno. Just observe siblings or children at a playdate. They fight over toys all while screaming “Mine!” We have to learn to share, to be generous, to put others first.

Even when we have learned to be unselfish, we can often still lack gratitude. Take a look at a group of teenagers and you’ll likely see individuals who can share because they know it’s what they’re supposed to do, but a sense of deep-seated entitled still snuffs out lasting gratefulness.

Certainly, the enemy likes it when we focus on ourselves instead of others. He likes it when our desires take precedence. He likes it when we are ungrateful.

I’ve tried to take inventory of my life recently. Have I been guilty of ingratitude? Have I only gone to God in times of trouble when I needed something? Have I sought Him more for what He can do for me than just getting to know Him?

I have repeatedly prayed for a heart to know God even if He never did another thing for me. But, my flesh — the pull of the fallen world within me — can be so strong. It can be a fight to die to our flesh. But, that is the Lord’s heart for us. He wants us, every part of us. He wants to help us die to our flesh so we can experience new life in Him. Jesus came to give us life to full! But we can’t receive what He wants to give us if we’re focused on ourselves and stuck in entitlement or ingratitude.

A few days ago at church, our Pastor called for anyone who needed prayer to come to the altar so that the Body could lay hands and pray for their needs. I went to the front because I’ve been drowning in some areas of my life — yet I’ve been believing for supernatural provision and breakthrough.

It was beautiful, as always. One of my favorite things is to hear a group of Believers praying in one heart, one mind, and one accord. The room prayed. Each of us that came forward prayed. We could feel the faith and expectation in the room rising.

Then everyone began to disperse.

All of a sudden, Pastor did something that I don’t think he’s done before. He said he didn’t believe we were done praying yet. He explained, “I heard the Lord say that we only gave Him time to hear what you wanted, but you didn’t thank Me. You didn’t magnify Me as your source and your provision.”

We were faithful in telling God our needs, but it ended there. Pastor asked us to linger in God’s Spirit and open ourselves up to the wisdom of His Spirit. He encouraged us to give Him our time, to not rush off, but to listen to Him.

That moment immediately reminded me of the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus encounters ten lepers on His way to Jerusalem. They knew who He was and the miracles He could perform. They cried out to Him as the Son of God to have mercy on them. And mercy was what He showed them. As Jesus instructed, they ran off to show themselves to the priests. As they ran, they were healed. It was a miracle! They showed the priests and returned to their old lives. All, but one. One leper returned before he did anything else. Verses 15-16 say “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.”

That is who I want to be. I want to be one who thanks and praises God with all that is in me. I want to have a thankful heart so gratitude is always my first response. I want my life to be worship for who He is, first — and for what He’s done, second.

It’s easy for me to thank God and move on to the next thing. It’s easy for me to just expect Him to meet my needs and forget to thank Him altogether. It’s easy for thankfulness to have no impact on my life at all.

That’s where the fight is. That’s where we die to our flesh and let the Holy Spirit live through us. May we continue to learn the ways of gratitude so we can easily resist the ways of this world.

Thankfulness is where God meets us.

If there is an area of your life where you are struggling to be thankful, I’d love to pray for you!

Listen to today’s devotion below or on your favorite podcast app!

Nothing You Desire Can Compare With This

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Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.
I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
corruption and perverse speech.
Common sense and success belong to me.
Insight and strength are mine.
Because of me, kings reign,
and rulers make just decrees.
Rulers lead with my help,
and nobles make righteous judgments.
I love all who love me.
Those who search will surely find me.
I have riches and honor,
as well as enduring wealth and justice.
My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
my wages better than sterling silver!
I walk in righteousness,
in paths of justice.
Those who love me inherit wealth.
I will fill their treasuries.
Proverbs 8:10-21 NLT

We are always in need of wisdom — wisdom to say the right things at the right time, to do what is right on this side of history, to pause and stay quiet, to listen and consider.

We need wisdom to choose between what’s good and what’s best, to know how to walk with integrity in our workplaces, in our parenting, in our friendships.

We need wisdom to love others well, to treat others with kindness, to know how to live as Jesus did.

James 1:5 assures that if we ask God for wisdom, He will give it to us generously. And our Proverbs passage today tells us that with wisdom from God, we will gain discernment, good judgment, and knowledge — everything we are desperate for today.

As we seek to find truth and clarity, direction and vision at this halfway point of the year, let’s come before God and ask Him for the wisdom we need to navigate our lives and our world, to love ourselves and our neighbors well, and to “walk in righteousness and in paths of justice.”

God, thank You that those who search for You will find You. Thank You for loving us. Help us to love You back and love others like You do. Amen.