God and the Time Machine of Memory

God and the Time Machine of Memory

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When I was in elementary school, living in Japan, I had a traumatic after-school mix-up. In my confusion upon arriving home to our front door slightly ajar and not finding my mom there like she usually was, I believed that my home had been broken into and my mom had been kidnapped.

What began as a slight misunderstanding (she was with our upstairs landlords/neighbors), ended with me crying uncontrollably at the local subway station where I thought I might find my dad coming home from work. After what felt like hours, one of the ticket collectors took me to the attached police station office, where I tried to tell them the elaborate story I’d created in my anxiety. They gave me tea and walked me home to find my panicked parents.

As an adult, I can still remember how completely alone I felt standing in that train station, unable to stop crying and shaking, feeling like I might float away from everything I knew forever.

Henri Nouwen wrote:

“When I trust deeply that today God is truly with me and holds me safe in a divine embrace, guiding every one of my steps, I can let go of my anxious need to know how tomorrow will look, or what will happen next month or next year. I can be fully where I am and pay attention to the many signs of God’s love within me and around me.”

Sometimes we have to go back to learn how to be where we are. And one way I’ve begun to do this as a spiritual practice is something called Rememorari Divina. Rememorari Divina is Latin for divine remembering.

This practice is something I’ve done for some time, without even knowing or naming it as an official contemplative spiritual practice. Essentially it is pausing to reflect and remember while inviting God into the remembering.

I’ve always been someone who has looked back and carried vivid memories around as if they were in my back pocket. I haven’t always known what to do with them. At times I’ve gone back to them searching for something: closure, a clue, or another take. Other times, I’ve felt like some memories follow me like a shadow — making it hard to see the gift of today.

At some point in my longings and wrestling with the past, I started inviting God into those moments with me. It’s changed the way this melancholy girl looks back, and that has impacted the way I am able to stay present where I am, and trust that God is with me.

Rememorari Divina could be a sibling of Lectio or Visio Divina. The difference in this practice is that the focus is on a memory instead of reading a passage of Scripture or looking at a work of art. There’s no “fixing” what was, or anything specific that happens through the practice — it merely helps me connect the dots between a memory and God’s love for me; it’s a tool to experience God’s presence with me as I look back and consider both then and now. It’s sort of like a time machine for the imagination.

Inviting God into our memories can build our trust of God-with-us in the here and now — wherever we find our feet, heart, and soul in this moment.

I think of Jesus with His disciples the night before He died, passing the bread and wine and telling His friends to “remember Him” and what these elements represented. Every communion is an invitation to practice divine remembering.

Even though I know how everything turned out with the memory of that fateful afterschool mixup, and it seems like it should be enough to know it all turned out “okay,” for many years, it just wasn’t. The fear I felt all those years ago, and the way I held onto that experience, and the questions that I had as a child stayed with me long after the seeming danger was gone.

Asking God to remember it with me and show me that I wasn’t alone, and am not alone now, has been mending and kind for my heart and soul.

Try it yourself:

Imagine your younger self or think about a memory. (It can be a joyful or difficult one.)
Focus on whatever image or feeling stands out, and ask God to show you your belovedness in that memory.

Include these breath prayers if you are comfortable:

Breathe in and pray: God-with-me, show how You were with me then.
Breathe out and pray: I was never separated from Your Love.

Breathe in and pray: God-with-me, ground me in Your loving presence right now.
Breathe out and pray: Nothing can separate me from Your Love.

When we practice divine remembering, we open ourselves to seeing God’s presence woven through our stories — not just in hindsight, but in a way that reshapes how we carry those memories today.

So whether your past holds moments of fear or joy, uncertainty or hope, know this:

You were never alone. And you aren’t alone now. God was with you then. God is with you now. And God will be with you always.

 

Listen to Tasha’s devotion here or on your favorite podcast app!

How to Honor Your Parents as Adults

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A close friend recently confided in me about her struggle to honor her parents, especially when she feels they haven’t earned such honor. As we talked, I realized that the issue wasn’t just about honor — it was also about boundaries. Since that conversation, I’ve noticed this is a common challenge for many.

Yet, we are called to be uncommon in a common world. 

So, how do we honor our parents as adults while maintaining healthy boundaries?

I’ve wrestled with this in my own life. When my husband, Darian, and I were first married, we had to navigate what it meant to build our own life and learn to say no to our parents. I’ll never forget the first time we had to miss my sweet mother-in-law’s birthday. She was devastated, and her feelings were hurt. I can remember thinking to myself, “Oh no, what did I get myself into?” Unpleasant words were exchanged among siblings, tears were shed, and I was frustrated. My husband didn’t know how to navigate all the different personalities and expectations.

We made it a priority to talk through that event and even reached a compromise. Neither Darian nor I ever intended to hurt his mom’s feelings. But we recognized that even though our boundary was healthy, she was still hurt, so we apologized, honored her, and celebrated her on a day that worked for all of us.

It’s now been three decades as a married couple choosing to maintain wise boundaries (and potentially disappointing someone) while still seeking to love and respect our parents. 

The Bible has a lot to say on this topic, but let’s go straight to the words of Jesus. In Matthew 15:4 (NIV), Jesus says: “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother must be put to death.’”

Wow! That sounds harsh at first. The context here is a controversial discussion between Jesus and the self-righteous religious leaders of His time. Jesus was quoting Moses’ writings, which outlined the laws God gave to the Israelites, including the importance of honoring parents. However, the Pharisees had twisted these laws to better suit themselves. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to enforce the laws — they just didn’t want to be held accountable by them.

When we read this, the punishment does seem extreme. I wish I had the time today to dive into how Jesus bore the penalty for sin on our behalf, or how this law was meant to protect the Israelites from the spread of evil, perversion, and dishonor — or even how dishonor could corrupt the lineage through which our Savior would come. But instead of getting stuck on a Scripture that might feel hard to grasp, I’m siding with Jesus and what He’s speaking to my heart right now.

It’s about keeping my heart in the right place rather than being like a Pharisee and justifying my actions. This was the same stance I had to take in those early years of marriage with both of our parents, even when my emotions didn’t want to.

This entire passage of Scripture speaks to a heart condition. Honoring our parents, even when we feel like they don’t deserve it or haven’t earned it, reflects the depth of our love — the kind of love that isn’t based on what we get in return. That’s not to say it’s easy. My friend described years of abuse, hurtful words, and unimaginable actions. So, how do we honor that?

Her situation is more complex than most. For some of us, the tension might come from parents being intrusive about how we parent our kids, manage our home, spend our time, or engage in relationships. Whatever the reason, honoring our parents as adults seems to be a place of tension in many people’s lives. 

We must remember that we are called to honor the position our parents hold — not necessarily their actions. Showing love and honor doesn’t mean we condone if they’ve treated us poorly, spoken hurtful words, or acted contrary to God’s Word and ways. Honoring our parents is often an act of forgiveness — choosing to let go of bitterness or offense, no matter their actions. Forgiveness doesn’t erase the need for boundaries, conversations, or consequences. It simply means we are choosing not to become bitter or offended, regardless of their actions. We refuse to let their actions poison our hearts.

We can show this love and forgiveness in how we speak to and about our parents. Too often, I hear people constantly complaining about their parents — saying things that, while true, don’t need to be spoken. Even when our parents hurt us, frustrate us, or act out of malice, we can still honor them by choosing words of love.

We can still do what the Lord tells us to do, even when our mom or dad doesn’t.

Honoring our parents doesn’t mean inviting them into every aspect of our lives, especially if their toxicity affects our well-being. On the other hand, just because a parent hurts your feelings doesn’t mean you should cut them out of your life entirely. However, if their actions are truly harmful to you or those around you, it’s okay — and even necessary — to set boundaries. 

Still, we shouldn’t respond to evil with evil. As someone wisely said, “I’m not going to become unhealthy while dealing with unhealth.” We can show honor by being kind, patient, and loving. By holding our tongues. By remembering important dates, reaching out, and keeping the peace. 

The key is to make sure your heart lines up with the Bible as you navigate those decisions. 

In short, we honor our parents by being doers of God’s Word, not just hearers. As Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT) says: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

If you’re struggling to determine whether your parents deserve honor, remember that God’s Kingdom doesn’t operate on what people deserve. It operates on grace. Honor is a matter of the heart. When Jesus spoke with the religious leaders, He addressed hearts that only wanted to justify their actions rather than obey God’s Word. When we approach our parents with a heart full of love, honor flows naturally. 

I’m so glad we didn’t allow emotional or hurtful moments to define how I honored my mother-in-law or my parents. Following the Lord’s trustworthy direction is always better than following my fickle feelings. 

 

Listen to Tyra’s devotion here or on your favorite podcast app.

God Is Making All Things New… Yes, Even That

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It didn’t matter how hard I tried to forget — the dates were seared in my memory. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I could remember with shocking clarity what took place over a February weekend eight years ago. 

I guess that’s the thing with pain. It can embed itself right into you. Pain isn’t something you can just slip off like the straps of a backpack. Pain can feel more like it’s been sewn into your very skin. 

Each February, I brace myself for a specific weekend. It’s the weekend that falls between Valentine’s Day and, in Ontario, Canada, a holiday known as Family Day. The holidays help mark it for me, and I think that’s why it’s so easy to remember and so hard to forget. 

Maybe you have a date like this too. Maybe for you it’s the day of the diagnosis or the betrayal. You can fill in the blank. But it can seem like no matter how hard you try to forget, each year the date comes around again, and you’re reminded. 

I hated this weekend on the calendar. Every year I wanted to skip it, move past it, or sleep my way through it. 

But this year, something changed. 

I hadn’t talked about the looming date with anyone except Jesus. I knew it was coming (I always knew it was coming), and I had spent time in prayer throughout the weeks leading up to it, asking God to help me move through it. I made a decision to stay busy that weekend, thinking I could maybe keep myself distracted. 

It was fine enough. The distractions felt bearable. 

And then God intervened in a way I’ll never forget. The weekend concluded with going out for dinner with my boyfriend and parents. And on the way to the restaurant, the man I love more than anything in the world told me something: he had gone to my parents earlier that day and asked for their blessing to marry me. 

He could’ve chosen any date on the calendar for that conversation. Unbeknownst to him, my boyfriend (now fiancé) chose to ask for a blessing on the date I’d always despised. 

At that very moment, the date I had hated for eight years was instantly rewritten. It didn’t erase all of the pain, but God was rewriting a much better story. It was no longer my past darkness that owned that weekend on the calendar. Now that date proclaimed the goodness God has in store for my future.  

The prophet Isaiah exclaims these beautiful words from God in Scripture: 

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

And we can’t forget the promise of Jesus in the very last book of the Bible. It’s one of my favourite verses:

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:5 NIV

God is making all things new. We don’t have to wait until eternity to see the newness God brings. There are things in your life, right now, that God is in the process of redeeming. There are dates on the calendar that God wants to rewrite. There are better stories you are going to get to tell.

I’m reminded each spring how God brings new life from what is seemingly dead and desolate. This weekend, we’ll remember how God resurrected Jesus from the grave. God makes all things new. The promise in Scripture isn’t just some things. The promise is all things. The promise is everything. 

Our God is a God of resurrection and redemption and making every single thing new. Even that date on the calendar you’ve been dreading.

Next year, that February weekend will be marked with a brand new, beautiful memory: the man I love asking for a blessing to marry me. I never could have fathomed it.

God is making all things new… all things. Even what you never thought He could. 

 

Listen to Aliza’s devo here or on the (in)courage podcast & share with a friend!

Even If God Never Reveals the “Why”

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My first year living in Nashville was one of the hardest seasons of my life. It was like being caught in a storm that just wouldn’t let up. The winds of physical illness and financial strain sought to pull me under, while loneliness poured down like cold, unrelenting rain, soaking every corner of my life.

I found myself staring up at the storm-darkened sky, asking the question so many skeptics and believers alike have asked. If God is loving and good, why does He allow evil? Why does God allow His children to walk through so much hardship?

I didn’t realize that my craving to obtain full knowledge of “good and evil” was the same temptation that first slithered into the lush Garden of Eden. It was this same temptation that curled around Eve’s heart, coaxing her fingers toward the forbidden fruit — the desire to grasp full knowledge of good and evil and, in doing so, to reach beyond her humanity and be like God.

“‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
Genesis 3:4-7 NIV

But control was never meant to be humanity’s comfort; and knowledge was never meant to be its anchor.  

Yet, still, I reached for control and knowledge as if they could steady me, as if knowing why would somehow bring calm and shift the course of the storms in my life. Somewhere along the way, I swallowed the lie whole, believing that if I could just understand, if I could make sense of it all, the burden might feel lighter.

But God never asked us to bear the weight of understanding. He only asked us to trust in the One who does. True peace isn’t in searching for answers to problems I have no power to solve. It’s found in surrender — resting in the hands of the One who holds every variable, even when I can’t solve the why. 

Sometimes, God’s greatest blessing is not revealing why. And that’s a strange kind of grace, isn’t it? Because you and I are not all-powerful, and having knowledge without the ability to change things would only leave us feeling even more helpless. 

The real gift isn’t in knowing why, but in knowing Who. 

Still, I’m learning — it is okay. It’s okay to bring the raw, tangled questions and unsanitized ache before God’s throne of grace, where mercy isn’t measured by logic. It’s okay to wrestle in prayer with fists clenched tight and tear-streaked cheeks, pouring out doubts to the God who spoke galaxies into existence and called light from the void.

So, like the Psalmist, I remind my own soul that God does not subtract His presence nor does He ration His affections when the disappointments pile high. He does not flinch when my faith feels fragile, and He never turns His face when my prayers sound more like pleading than praise. He multiplies His grace. He draws near, still.   

Can you, on some level, relate to this? Do you find yourself grasping to understand the full complexities of good and evil — trying to hold what was never meant for human hands? And, have you noticed? In doing so, we only step further away from the peace that comes from trusting He who is infinite in wisdom and power.

So, here’s a holy resolve. Even if God never reveals the why, we can choose to remember that our relationship with God isn’t hinged on perfect knowledge but fully on faith and trust in His sovereign character.

Instead of reaching for control, I want to reach for the hand that has always been reaching for me, even through life’s storms . . . and even when I don’t understand the why’s.

If You’ve Ever Asked, “Does God Still Want to Use Me?”

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I settle in on a lovely morning, coffee next to me, ready to begin my work for the day. Then my thoughts shift to recent mistakes I’ve made, words I wish I could unsay, things I would do differently now that I know more. I feel so human in this moment, and I hear a familiar lie, “God doesn’t want to use you anymore because…”

Have you ever heard this too? We can fill in the blank in a million different ways:

Because you’re broken.
Because you struggle with anger, addiction, anxiety.
Because you’re not spiritual enough.
Because you did that ONE thing years ago that can never be erased.

Can we pause together and see this lie for what it is? An attempt from the enemy of our hearts to make us believe we’re disqualified. But when I look at the pages of Scripture, I don’t see God disqualifying people. Instead, I witness God choosing the most unlikely.

Let’s consider two: David the adulterer and Peter the quick-tempered denier (false labels we might use as humans). What we need to see in these stories is that these people made their worst mistakes after God called them. David was a shepherd boy already placed on a throne. Peter walked with Jesus and saw miracles firsthand. And yet they still made devastating decisions.

Sometimes we hear dramatic testimonies of people whose lives drastically changed when they came to know Jesus. We can get the impression that grace is for those who don’t yet know God, but once we do, then we’d better get everything right. But grace is not just for salvation. It’s for the daily slip-ups, the ongoing struggles, the regrets that wake us up in the night.

Peter comes to Jesus and asks, “’Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?’” (Matthew 18:21 CSB). This verse makes me laugh a little because it appears Peter has HAD IT with someone. He wants to know when he can be DONE.

“I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Most scholars believe that this is a figure of speech that implies we are to forgive an infinite number of times. We, like Peter, can come to the end of our patience or tolerance. So it’s easy to imagine God doing the same with us.

But here is the difference: we are limited and God is limitless. He doesn’t just love. He is love. He has also seen everything humans have done since the beginning of time, starting in the Garden of Eden. He has heard every thought, knows every secret. We sometimes act as if God is naïve. But He shows mercy with His eyes wide open.

We can’t shock Him so much that He will give up on us. We can’t fall so many times that He will refuse to pick us up. We can’t push Him past the limits of His love for us. When a voice whispers, “You are disqualified” or “You’ve blown it one too many times,” it is not the One who calls us beloved.

What God asks of us isn’t perfection; it’s to keep showing up and trying again. When we dare to do so, God doesn’t stand back in disappointment, He rejoices like a parent watching their child learn to walk.

Wherever you are today, whatever you have done, God is not finished with you. If you have breath in your lungs, if you have grace to share, if you have a heart willing to love, then He wants to use you. The stories that give Him the most glory aren’t the tidy ones; they are the ones that include two words: But God.

I struggled with something for years, but God…

I made mistakes that I regret, but God…

I wanted to give up, but God…

Where do you need a “but God” in your life right now? Pause and give Him whatever is causing you shame, guilt, discouragement, or fear. He is strong enough to hold all of it and loving enough to hold you too. He wants to use even your weaknesses and failures to show His strength and faithfulness.

If you’re not sure how God wants to use you, Holley’s new course, Find Your Purpose in this Season, will help you figure it out! PLUS she has something special for the first 100 people to sign up (update: there are less than 20 left).

 

Listen to Holley’s devotion on the (in)courage podcast here or wherever you stream!

Dead Dreams and Resurrected Joy

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When I was a young girl, what I wanted more than anything else was to be a wife and mother. I spent countless hours imagining my future family, including two or four children and a handsome and romantic husband. And, of course, all of them would adore me. That was a given. As for a career, my aspirations change day by day. But my desire for marriage and children never wavered. Naturally, I spent the better part of fourth-grade science class sitting across from my nine-year-old crush, writing my soon-to-be married name and dreaming up the names of our future children in a spiral notebook.

In my imagination, everything would be perfect. Like a framed photo on the fireplace mantle. Ours would be the best of families, full of memories and laughter and prayers around the kitchen table. I would make sure of it.

Bless my little nine-year-old heart. I had no idea the form real life would take.

Sometimes, dreams don’t deliver. One day, you’re doodling imaginary baby names, and the next day, you’re holding one of those babies on your hip while your husband drives away for the last time. Sometimes divorce and disconnect and loss tear the family picture right down the middle, leaving little of the original image in its aftermath. And when that happens, sometimes all you can see in the faces of the people around you is grief and loss. What does a nine-year-old girl do then?

A few weeks ago, my second son got married. All of us came together — me and my now long-time husband, our other five children, one additional daughter-in-law, and a grandma — to celebrate the pure joy of our son and his new wife. It was a small celebration, exactly what the bride and groom wanted, maybe thirty people total. As the night neared its end, I stopped all my celebrating simply to take in the room. I slowly scanned every face, all the different people represented.

This is what I noticed:

First, I saw evidence of disrupted dreams everywhere. Marriages that didn’t last, careers that suddenly changed, adults and children alike who struggle in their day-to-day lives. Between the bride and groom, four separate families were represented. “In-laws” and “ex-laws” filled the room, the broken and blended families creating a complex dynamic. I’m sure I’m not the only one who once imagined our family would look different, more whole,  than the picture I now saw.

But I also noticed the beauty. Despite all that our family has endured, we’re still here. We love each other, forgive each other, and show up for each other. It may not look like we’d once imagined, and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I watched my son’s eyes light up with love, my newest daughter-in-law shine like a princess in a fairy tale, and my entire crazy crew laugh and celebrate in the middle of much love, hope, and redemption. And the beauty of it took my breath away.

As we walked back to our car after saying goodbye to the bride and groom, my mom looked at me and beamed: “Oh Michele, I just love this family of yours.”

Me too, Mom. Me too.

No, this is not what the little girl dreamed of in her spiral notebooks. I never imagined I would have such a complicated, imperfect family. But I also never dreamed my God could take such a mess and make something so blindingly beautiful out of it.

King Solomon knew something of the angst that accompanies midlife reflection and regret. He wrote Ecclesiastes, at least in part, to process the many ways life doesn’t always pan out. Perhaps that’s why some call Ecclesiastes the Book of MidLife Crises. I certainly can relate.

But even amid Solomon’s angsty musings, he also recognized the hand of God at work in the middle of it:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

That’s it exactly. My God makes everything beautiful in its time. Our family — my life! — doesn’t look anything like I thought it would. I need to acknowledge that truth, bury the dream, and allow myself to grieve at the graveside.

But if I stop there, I’ve missed the miracle of it all. Because of God’s great mercy and grace, He has turned the ashes of my dream into a beautiful and redemptive story. Stunning, breathtaking, faith-building.Who could imagine such a gift?!

My friend, do you have an old dream you need to relinquish? You can trust Him with it. Ours is a God who takes the bones of dead dreams and puts new flesh on them, breathing new life into them (see Ezek. 37:1-14). He takes the mistakes and missteps and says, “Behold! I make all things new!” (Rev. 21:5). And when we choose to release regrets and disappointments to what God is yet doing, tears are transformed into new hope and resurrected joy.

 

Listen to Michele’s devotion here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dancing in the Moment: Choosing Joy Over the Checklist

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I shuffled in and out of rooms to the sounds of the latest contemporary Christian hits, family movie soundtracks, and the voices of kids who amazingly knew every single lyric in every octave. 

My oldest was at school while my younger three had woken up to start working on their homeschool lessons before I’d even cracked an eye open. This did not happen on a normal day; this day we were prepping for a trip to our other home in Iceland. Their excitement flowed in and out of rooms, pulled me out of my sleep, and set my to-do list in motion. 

I had bags to finish packing, emails to send, homeschool lessons to help with, and a house to clean. Not to mention I was battling a lingering cough and an eczema flare-up. 

My expression was all business and the kids knew mommy was in the mode to get things done.

On one of my hurried passes from the kitchen to our bedroom, the song changed to an upbeat tune with rhythmic drums and melody. My youngest hopped up from the table and started dancing, his movements cute and surprisingly on beat.

He was feeling it. And in that moment, though I didn’t feel like it, spontaneity outweighed my duty and I joined him. I ignored my achy hips and stepped to the fun beat in my house shoes, a dance party for two. I matched my son’s moves and he matched mine, his dimples deepening by the second. And as we danced, I couldn’t help but smile wider because, in that instant, I knew that a core memory was forming for him — something that would be triggered and remembered later when he needed it the most.

Maybe the unlocking would happen years into the future when he heard the same song played over restaurant speakers, or perhaps when he saw my same house shoes on a trip to the store. Maybe he’ll one day have his own family to tend to, and the cute moves of his children will pull him out of his busy into being in the moment with them.

We’ve probably all experienced those times when an image or item triggers nostalgia and we say “core memory unlocked.” Unfortunately, some of those memories are ones we would rather shove back into the corners of our minds. Yet even now, as we submit ourselves to the care of our loving Heavenly Father, He can set things in motion that bring about redemption.

For my son, I had the strongest sense that this moment of me pausing my steps to dance in time to his would stay with him. His joy was immediate and overflowing, spurting out in bursts of hugs all throughout our spontaneous dance. Even as I type this I can still hear his laughter in my mind, giggles echoing into the recesses of my heart.

It can be too easy to zoom through days, doing our best to accomplish the ever-elusive completed checklist. Surely even Jesus’ disciples felt the weight of responsibilities and all the tasks that needed to be accomplished. But Jesus showed them how children were not a hindrance to life or ministry but a gift to be embraced! Jesus actively engaged with the little ones, their joy intermingling with His.

“He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’”
Mark 9:36-37 NIV

I can only imagine the memories these children had years later, getting wrapped up in the arms of God in the flesh.

My kids’ antics can sometimes get lost in my need to effectively manage their activities, welfare, and even their spiritual engagement. But as I swayed there in the living room in my pajamas, the ding of the finished laundry cycle and the hum of to-dos buzzing in my head, I surrendered to the sacredness of that moment with my boys. 

The sounds of their present laughter and the feel of their arms around my waist joined the memories of their soulful infant gazes and nourishment under nursing covers, of heads tucked into my shoulder after a painful fall, of snuggles on movie nights and slowly traipsing through snow and their wonder of it all. 

I felt the significance of the moment almost as strongly as when tears stung my eyes the day they were baptized. Not because dancing with my seven-year-old in the living room is equivalent to the sacrifice of our Savior. But because set before me were the answers to past prayers and evidence of redemption in my own family line.

I can’t always control what will latch onto my kids for a lifetime, but I can make Spirit-led choices in the now to plant seeds for their unfolding futures. As one of my friends shared many years ago, my prayers can be like arrows, sent out to meet my kids along their journeys. And so too can my intention to be present with them and others in my community. Even if that looks like a few minutes of spontaneous dancing in slippers.

They are core memories forming to be unlocked later.

Seeds to bloom alongside future paths.

Joy set before our children.

Joy set before us.

Maybe you’ve felt the same pull — the tension between duty and delight, between what must get done and what your heart longs to savor. The good news? You don’t have to choose one over the other. You can press pause and welcome joy into the room, even if it interrupts the checklist.

Your kids won’t remember every chore you completed, but they will remember the times you chose them — the times you laughed and let love take center stage. And someday, when life presses in on them, they’ll have these moments to return to — proof that joy is always worth making room for.

So go ahead, friend. Say yes to a moment today. Plant the seed. Dance in the slippers. Trust that love given now will echo into eternity.

 

Listen to Jenny’s devotion here or on your favorite podcast app!

Comparison Kills Confidence

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“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 14:30 NIV

Growing up, there were two Hannah L’s in my class (one of them was me, since my maiden name is Linn). But that other Hannah L, though… man, she was cool. So sweet, so respectful, so soft-spoken (unlike me, the loudmouthed howler monkey). But also, Hannah L. was a total beast at sports. Y’all don’t even know — that chick was the legendary one on the team. She had a physique like a legendary athlete, shot hoops like a legendary baller, and ran track like a legendary sprinter. On the other hand, little old me bee-bopped around like a cricket on crack and mainly competed because it was fun. But, if we’re being honest, it was fun because we won — like, all the time — largely thanks to Hannah L. Her presence made us winners too.

Unfortunately, girls like my friend Hannah L. are easy targets for comparison. Flawed hearts see women like her through eyes of inferiority — brewing jealousy and killing confidence. And sadly, I see this happen among women within the body of Christ all the time.

In her book Not from God, Kaitlin Chappell Rogers illustrates the tie between comparison and jealousy perfectly:

“Comparison and Jealousy are like twin sisters.

Comparison tells you to put your life up against someone else’s, and Jealousy comes along and tells you to envy what they have.

Comparison says you’re [not as cool] as her, and Jealousy tells you to pick her apart to make yourself feel better.”

Because I love you, I’m going to give it to you straight:

Comparison shifts a God-focused heart to a self-centered heart. Comparison swings the pendulum from inspiration to subtle hatred. It blinds the truth, rots the soul, and drives people to do things like gossip, manipulate, and inflict harm upon others and themselves.

Overcoming comparison buys us a one-way ticket to Confidence City, USA — with Jesus as the pilot! He flies us straight to destinations of contentment, joy, and gratefulness. He reveals to us that if His goodness is for her, it’s for us too! When we love the Hannah L’s in our life like Jesus does, we always remain on the winning team.

God, give me eyes to see Your goodness in the women I admire. May it lead me to a fulfilled, confident life. Amen.

—

Dive into the newest devotional by Hannah Crews, A Confidence That Changes Everything! It’s all about being able to walk into every room like Jesus sent you. Take a peek inside with this word from the introduction by Hannah:

“I know what you might be thinking:

Here we are again. Another Christian lady writing about confidence like she’s got it all figured out. She’s got no idea what I’ve been through or what it’s like to be me!

I hear you, my friend. And I’ll be the first to admit that, 1) I don’t have it all figured out; 2) I get how hard it is to feel confident when life repeatedly knocks you down; and 3) I understand how annoying it is to receive unsolicited advice from people who have never walked a day in your shoes.

But girl, let me just tell you something: This confidence devotional is different! It’s hilarious, humbling, and hopeful all at the same time.

It’s designed to make you laugh, revamp your perspective, and allow you to see yourself the way Jesus does. It will help you to leave comparison behind for good — because after all, you don’t need to become more like her when you’re becoming more like Him!”

And friend, this is exactly what you’ll find in Hannah’s new book.

Order your copy today. . . And, enter to WIN one of five copies of A Confidence That Changes Everything that we’re giving away*! Leave a comment on this article and be entered to win.

Then be SURE to tune in to the (in)courage podcast this weekend for a fun, inspiring, and deeply meaningful conversation with Becky Keife and Hannah. Listen on your favorite podcast app!

 

*Giveaway open to US addresses only and will close at 11:59 pm central on 4/17/25.

Are You Listening to God When He Speaks?

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A few weeks ago, at Community Bible Study, in the middle of our small group discussion of Matthew 21:23-27, I found myself scribbling in the margins of my study book—

Know me
Grow me
Show me

and I thought, Where in the world did that come from? It felt disconnected from our discussion about religious leaders challenging Jesus’s authority, but it also seemed like something I should pay attention to. I decided that if God really wanted me to dig deeper, He would keep reminding me.

And He did. As forgetful as I can be, those particular six words kept coming to mind, and I flipped back to that page almost every time I worked on my Bible study questions.

I began asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand what He wanted me to learn, and two more words snuck onto my list –

Slow me

Know me, grow me, show me, slow me…. It all felt so personal. Isn’t this one of the most incredible aspects of our lives in Christ? When God speaks to your heart, it is personal.

I know, and more importantly, God knows, that I’m a wanderer prone to doubt. He has been kind to use what I consider a flaw to draw me closer to Him. What a precious and undeserved gift.

God knows us personally and intimately; He loves who we are and who we are becoming. Our faith is marked by constant transformation because God desires to shape, refine, and mold us into the image of Christ. Transformation is a lifelong process that begins when we hear and receive the gospel. It requires our complete surrender — allowing God to know us, show us Himself, grow us spiritually, and slow us down when we’re tempted to run ahead of Him.

The best way for us to know God is through His Word. I sifted those eight little words through the sieve of Scripture, and relevant, powerful, and sweetly familiar verses began to surface:

Know Me

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV

True, God is all-knowing, but He wants us to invite Him to truly know us. It’s less about what He already knows, and more about willingly opening our hearts to Him, allowing Him to examine us, reveal hidden sins, and work in our lives. In asking God to know me, I’m surrendering my deepest thoughts, struggles, and desires, trusting Him to align them with His will.

Show Me

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5 NIV

Knowing God and letting ourselves be known by Him is essential, but walking in His ways is transformational. When we ask God to show us, we’re seeking more than knowledge—we’re asking for direction, clarity, and the courage to follow where He leads. Life is a maze of decisions, and without His guidance, we risk wandering aimlessly. (Ask me how I know…)

 

Moses understood this. In Exodus 33:13 (ESV), he pleaded, “… Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.” His prayer wasn’t passive; it was a humble yet bold request for revelation that led to deeper intimacy with God. May this be our posture too—asking, listening, and stepping forward in faith.

 

Grow Me

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:4 NIV

Spiritual growth does not happen overnight. Becoming a mature disciple requires seasons of refinement, trials, and learning. Often, God allows difficulties to strengthen our faith and develop perseverance. While these seasons may be challenging and no one wants them, they are pivotal for our growth. Perseverance in our faith is hard but holy work.

Jesus used the analogy of a vine and branches in John 15:5, saying, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” Growth happens when we abide in Him, allowing His Word and Spirit to shape us.

Slow Me

“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10 NIV

In a world that glorifies busyness, God often calls us to slow down and rest in Him. We know this, and yet, we struggle with obedience. When we rush ahead of His timing, we risk making decisions out of impatience or self-reliance rather than faith. Slowing down allows us to hear His voice more clearly and walk in His perfect peace.

Jesus modeled this beautifully. Despite His demanding ministry, He frequently withdrew to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed moments of stillness, how much more do we?

Know me. Show me. Grow me. Slow me. Eight little words with big divine encouragement that can lead to a sweeter, deeper, and more fulfilling relationship with Jesus for you and me both. I’m so thankful for the Spirit’s little nudges to explore what God had for me that day. Sometimes returning to simple lessons in our faith is the spiritual comfort food we need.

How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you lately? What is God stirring in your heart today?

 

Listen to Robin’s devotion on the (in)courage podcast, here or wherever you love to listen!

You Are Held, Strengthened, and Never Alone

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“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith… After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”
1 Peter 5:7-10 NLT

Life can feel like a relentless battle, can’t it? The weight of worry, the whisper of lies, the exhaustion of trying to hold it all together. And just when you think you’re steady, another wave crashes in.

But hear this, friend: You are not alone in the struggle. You are not defenseless against the enemy’s attacks. You are not forgotten in your suffering.

God sees you. He cares for you. And He has given you the power to stand firm. The enemy wants you isolated in your fear, but God calls you anchored in faith. The devil wants to devour your hope, but Jesus promises to restore, support, and strengthen you.

You don’t have to be strong enough — because He is. You don’t have to have it all figured out — because He does. Your suffering won’t last forever, but His love and faithfulness will.

So today, let’s practice letting go. Hand over every worry, every weight, every wound to the One who holds you. And let’s lift each other up in prayer.

Drop a prayer request in the comments, then take a moment to pray for the person before you.

God is moving. You are seen. And we are standing firm together.

 

From the Soil of Dead Dreams

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“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. . . . And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
Jeremiah 29:5,7 (NLT)

We were so sure about the call to ministry on our lives even before we got married. It was what connected us as a couple, the thing that took us from one address and assignment to another, and eventually to Germany together. Germany was one of our last stops, the last clear call we heard from God, our last hope to see if something in ministry might actually work out for us in the long haul. But what had once felt like the greatest purpose of our lives — both as individuals and as a couple — started to feel like wearing clothes in the wrong size. We wrestled to make them fit, constantly adjusting and readjusting the way we looked at the future.

After Germany, we moved back to the States, and after another year of full-time ministry, we left it. We stepped into a landscape of wilderness and silence. We began living lives we didn’t imagine we would be living, in a place I never wanted to live in.

We clung to each other as we wrestled through the slow grief of our dreams dying. There were days of melancholy and longing, repeated prayers of pleading to be called back to what was, tearful nights, and quiet, lonely dinners. The days piled up one after another, seemingly void of purpose. The nagging feeling that we were doing something wrong, or that we ourselves were wrong and not good enough to be in ministry, followed me around like an ugly shadow.

I wish I could say it became easier after a few rough months. But the death of anything never comes easy. And for years the grief of those dead dreams kept coming back without invitation. But we tended to the simple things right in front of us. We started noticing the neighbors around us. We moved toward the ones we didn’t choose, the ones chosen for us. These tiny things became our seeds. We watered them with tears of grief, the ache of discontent, and slivers of hope. And over time our tiny, imperfect offering of dreams come undone became a beautiful garden. It was in this garden that I began to learn how to be still and to receive. This unexpected garden began to nourish us.

I see now what I couldn’t see ten years ago: the death of my dream was not the death of God’s dreams for me.

God, this doesn’t look like I thought it would, and it’s breaking my heart. Yet I’m in a place of learning how to be still and how to receive, and my hands are open to Your plan. Nourish me in this unexpected garden and help me see that the death of this dream is not the death of Your dreams for me. Amen.

Written by Tasha Jun, as published in Take Heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay

Our devotional, Take Heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay, is full of stories where women share from the depth of their experience, pain, and eventual hope as they struggled through times when life was not okay.

Get 5 devotions from Take Heart for FREE!

The Christian Woman’s Trap

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Most of my shoulder patients will complain of pain in their upper trap muscle, whether from a chronic issue or surgery. As a physical therapist, I don’t just teach them how to stretch that muscle or massage it, I teach them to retrain it.

Our body is an amazing machine; it will do what the brain tells it to do. But it also likes to remain happy and avoid pain, so bigger muscles will take over the role of muscles that have been impacted by pain or injury.

In the case of the shoulder, when our shoulder muscles are injured and too weak to lift our arm and grab that cup of coffee, the upper trap muscle (whose role is to shrug the shoulder up) will come to our aid to get the job done. This is an involuntary compensation that happens to help our body function. But over time, it leads to dysfunctional patterns of movement, creating muscular imbalance which then leads to pain in other areas. Because the upper trap is attached to the neck, you will begin to notice tightness and pain with neck motion and sometimes even headaches. So instead of slapping a band-aid on the pain with some exercises, we have to retrain those overworked trapezius muscles to relax and rest, so they can return to doing their role, and then the shoulder muscles can perform their role and get strong.

The trap muscle is like most Christian women I know. We define ourselves as helpers — that has become our role and purpose.

I became a Christian at the age of thirteen and since then I have served in every ministry that has existed in my church. Like many new believers, I was taught by well-meaning church leaders that serving was the way to be a good Christian. So I lived a life of performance: doing everything, showing up consistently, carrying everyone’s burdens, and always saying yes!

People praised me for doing so much. I felt like an asset to the kingdom of God and it felt good to be important. But I was tired. I would still pray for more gifts and more opportunities so I could do more things. Finally last year, I hit burnout. I couldn’t do anything. I felt like my life had no purpose. It was there, in the quiet when my hands were idle and my ministry looked barren that God spoke, “Simi, I love you more than your ministry…do you love Me more than your ministry?”

The greatest lie The Church taught me is that my greatest blessing and purpose is in what I “get to do” for Jesus. But I finally understand the truth: my greatest blessing and purpose is that I get to be with Jesus.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross to make me a slave to striving and doing more. Yes, I have been given gifts that I can honor God with by serving my church and community, but I am a daughter and disciple, first. When my love is disordered, and I delight more in my doing than in my devotion to Jesus, then my work is merely compensating for a lack of relationship with Him. And like the upper trap, when I do the work that is beyond my capacity — ignoring my limitations — I will end up hurting myself and others around me.

Matthew 11:28 has been a source of comfort and has helped me heal from burnout: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (CSB).

It is Jesus’ invitation to those of us who feel like the gifts we are blessed with have become a burden, slowly wearing us down. I love that Jesus sees us. He sees our limitations and honors our humanity. He doesn’t scold us but draws us in close, like a friend. And He doesn’t just offer us strength to keep going and keep doing more for Him. Like a good physical therapist, He invites us to retrain and renew our minds on our identity and purpose.

In His love, Jesus offers us rest as the remedy for burnout.

I love The Message paraphrase of these verses, “Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace…”

Jesus gives us an example and offers us a pattern to follow: “walk with me and work with me…” The order is important. We must first live aligned to the will of God and abide in Christ; then we do the work. In both the walking and the working, we are invited to a “with God” life. This is the place of deep contentment where striving and performance end and we can experience abundant life.

Friend, if you are constantly overworking and over-scheduling, you will be exhausted and lack joy. Don’t fall into the trap like the upper trap muscle thinking it’s all on you — you will run ahead of Jesus and your pace will kill your peace.

Consider this a gentle reminder to slow down and embrace the unforced rhythm of grace found in a “with God” life. And when you are with Him, you will know that He sees your humanity and honors it. Will you do the same for yourself?

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

Trust in the Slow Work of God

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During the pandemic, my marriage of 16 years ended. After I took some time to grieve what I lost and became confident in myself as an individual, I found myself ready to date. While I didn’t expect it to be easy (it had been twenty years since I’d dated!), it was even harder than I expected. I felt like I was looking for a unicorn. I also didn’t anticipate how rejection and heartbreak would impact my mental health.

At times I felt like I traded the grief of my divorce for the grief of unsuccessful dating matches. I wondered, Why did I first have to go through a divorce and then experience so much rejection in dating? I prayed that the Lord would bring redemption to my story and that I wouldn’t be alone forever.

In processing these challenges with a friend, she shared a line from a poem by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, which said, “Trust in the slow work of God.”

Ah yes, that was something I could sit with and understand.

The past few years had been wildly slow. The grief. The healing. The rebuilding. Every day I would think about how I had to keep going. I reminded myself that I had survived 100 percent of my worst days. I was going to thrive in this new season, even if I had to endure waiting in the process.

Through it all, I could see God working. I recognized how He took what could have been awful and turned it for good. My ex-husband and I remained friends. I saw my kids daily, even on days they were at their dad’s house. My business was thriving. I was going on dates and each one taught me something about what I wanted or didn’t want in a relationship. I saw God’s work in my life and in the lives of those I loved.

However, when I was in turmoil, I found it difficult to recognize God’s goodness. This is human nature. We can become wildly impatient when we are in the middle of a crisis or deep in grief, and our perspective is bleak. We want a resolution now. We don’t want to wait. And sometimes things seem so dark that we don’t even know that we can hope for something better.

Looking back, I realize that my imagination of what God could do to redeem my story was so small compared to all He did.

Nearly a year ago, after several failed relationships, I met a man who is a perfect fit for me. He is kind and funny, playful and good. I say all the time that I didn’t know it could be like this.

Finding him is an example of the slowness of God at work. I had to go through the losses to meet him when I did. Had I not had those other experiences, my heart wouldn’t have been ready for this relationship.

Time and again in my life, I have seen the slowness of God play out and goodness come, even if it was different than I expected. Sometimes, we can look back and see the way that God was working for our good — but sometimes we can’t. Either way, I believe that eventually we will see the big picture and recognize that things happened the way they should have.

If you are waiting on God to do a work in your life, may you trust in His slowness. Know that things don’t stay dark forever. Light always comes.

 

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

Start the Growing Now

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I’ve been thumbing through a new book — a revised and expanded edition of how to raise and sell cut flowers the organic way. The irony is that I don’t really need an expanded version. There’s nothing in my repertoire to expand since my success rate with gardening is pretty bad. Spring always sprouts my grandiose dreams of living off our land all Little House on the Prairie-like, but by July, reality sets in, and the scorching North Carolina summers crush my sky-high aspirations.

I want it to be different, but I wonder how to change.

The Holy Spirit has also convicted me: Jen, you can’t keep taking shortcuts. Trust me and do the hard things.

At the start of spring, everything still looks brown, dirty, and dead. Flowers are a long way off. Snapped branches from winter’s ice storms litter the yard alongside mounds of mud our mischievous dogs dug. It always feels overwhelming to even start.

But something new is stirring, even when the scene is barren. The first chapter of my gardening book prioritizes the critical importance of soil preparation. To the naked eye, there’s no beauty to be found in the drudgery of manual labor, yet without tilling, mulching, fertilizing, and composting, nothing much grows except weeds. Come summertime, the plethora of weeds in my garden is evidence of the little work I put in, and I’m certain this is why my homesteading lifestyle dreams never amounted to much. I love my shortcuts.

I’ve never invested the time necessary to allow my crops to flourish. I tend to jump over that part. I procrastinate until the weather is beautiful. I wait until working outside brings a spring to my step, and I envision filling my vintage mason jars with cut flowers that I grew myself, just like the cover of my new gardening book. But 300 pages in, I realize the hard work starts when the ground appears dead.

If I want flowers to flourish this summer, I need to start now with the behind-the-scenes work that no one will witness.

So I’m starting something new. I spent a week outside — cold and lonely — tilling, digging, and planting unique bulbs. I hate it. I tell myself I’ll grow to love the process, but nope. There are no guarantees I ever will, but I’m putting in the hard work, only worrying about those things I can control and burying the excuses I’ve held
onto for so long.

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:7 NLT

I will wait for the flower roots to grow deep. Sometimes the hardest work begins in the waiting, but I’ll be hopeful and expectant, and still give myself lots of grace. Though I’m focused on the physical act of gardening, I’m convicted again of how it mimics my spiritual life.

My desire is for others to see the love of Jesus in me so clearly, but I can’t expect my roots to grow deep and flourish with joy, peace, and gratitude amidst increasingly difficult times if I’m not willing to discipline myself and prioritize the necessary time with the Lord. To understand and step into living within the fullness of His nature, I must know Him intimately. That requires time with Him, and not just reading an Instagram post about Him. It requires discipline. My free-spirited personality doesn’t like discipline. I wish I could wrap this concept up in a pretty bow, but this kind of discipline is hard, my friends. In many aspects of my life, whether I’m working on a physical, spiritual, or emotional goal, it often feels painful.

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Hebrews 12:11 CSB

Did you catch that? For those trained, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. It’s worth the exhaustion to cultivate our beings. So when I’m feeling fragile, God is my only foundation. When anxiety sets in, He is the answer. When moments of doubt erupt, His truth is what moves those mountains.

Being rooted in His Word and remaining in His Spirit brings the redemption story to life. It sparks a rebirth and revival, which is what I’m seeking this season. Aren’t you?

There are no guarantees, and I have much to do, but new life starts in the work and the waiting — the beautiful tension that’s always found before things flourish.

Will you join me in starting? When the flowers bloom, we’ll remember their beauty began long ago with dedicated hours of work and waiting about which no one knew. Come find me then. I’ll let you know what’s growing in my garden.

Article by Jen Schmidt from the (in)courage archives and featured in Everyday Faith Magazine.

The spring issue of DaySpring’s Everyday Faith magazine is available now, and you’re going to love it!

From cover to cover, you will find stories and articles in Everyday Faith magazine to inspire hope, encourage your heart, and remind you that you are loved by God. You’ll be reminded that no matter what you are facing and no matter what life brings your way, God is making all things new. You will find tips on how to create a peaceful home and how to study the Bible, anecdotes about persevering through difficult times, and stories of Easter traditions.

The article above is just one of many featured in Everyday Faith magazine, which is perfect for gifting to a friend, Bible Study sister, Sunday School teacher, or neighbor. And to help you do just that, we’re giving away* FIVE sets of magazines — one for each winner and one for them to give to a friend!

Leave a comment telling us to whom you’d gift a copy, and we’ll draw five winners.

*Giveaway is open to US addresses only and will close on 4/7/2025 at 11:59 pm central. 

The Gift of the Family of God

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Have you ever made a new friend that quickly became like family? They came into your life in just the right season. They were a blessing in more ways than you could count. Now, have you ever met a whole family that fit that description?

Well, I did! Let me introduce you to the Levert family…Tim, Tasha, Elle, Zoe, and Ashton. This incredible family has Louisiana roots, but has lived in other states. They had been back in my neck of the woods for a few years following the Lord’s calling to plant a local church called Mustard Seed church after years in various ministries. In July of 2024, the fruit of a God-dream came to fruition. They opened Mustard Seed Creamery. Their desire was to be a blessing and benefit to their local community.

That’s where I come in. A friend told me about the creamery a couple of weeks after they opened. It immediately sounded like a place I would love. Little did I know, it would love me in return. Before I went, I did what we do in the 21st century. I scoped out all of the information on the internet. That’s totally normal, right? I found out about the church, where a few of my friends attend. I discovered everyone in the family is ridiculously talented and anointed in worship, playing instruments, and songwriting. Tasha is a gifted creative, communicator, and counselor. Tim is also a gifted communicator and leader. Each daughter has an abundance of gifts, talents, and skills. This family walks with such purpose.

The first time I walked into the creamery, it felt like home. There was this weighty peace that came over me. It was the place that I didn’t know I longed for. When I met Tasha, she felt safe to me. I couldn’t articulate or explain it at the time. I actually wanted her to come and speak to Baton Rouge’s chapter of Christian Women in Media. She was delighted to say yes to this request.

This all led to me essentially going to the creamery once or twice a week. I feel like I have found my very own Central Perk, Luke’s Diner, or Cheers. I walk in and everybody knows my name. There, I get to take a break from all my worries, and they are indeed, always glad I came. I finally have a place to hang out, a place where I will always be welcomed and wanted.

The welcome didn’t stop with Tasha. Her husband, all three of their adult daughters, two sons-in-law, a boyfriend, and a granddaughter all opened their arms and hearts to me. When I go to the creamery, I sit at the table with whichever family is working or just there at the time. Questions are asked and answered. Laughs are abundant. Puzzles are assembled. Dreams are dreamed. Memories are made. History and trust are being built.

I have had the joy of speaking words of life, hope, and encouragement into their lives. They, in turn, have prayed for and encouraged me. I was even invited to enjoy Tim’s famous gumbo and play games on Christmas Day.

Mustard Seed Creamery has become my safe space, but even more so, the Levert family has become a safe space for me. The past few years have been beyond painful when it comes to friendships. I have been hurt, disappointed, and disillusioned. Many times, I have been unseen, forgotten, and rejected. To love people well, (though admittedly not perfectly) and to have them not reciprocate that love has been devastating.

I have never been this lonely in all of my life. It has taken its toll on me. But God. He surprised me as only He could.

Galatians 6:10 is a verse that I return to often when I think of the family of God. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (NIV). The main way the watching world around us knows that we belong to Christ is characterized by how we love one another.

This kind of love is filled with the fruit of the Spirit. It is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. This is the love of Jesus at work within us and through us.

I have received this kind of love from the Levert family in abundance. I have been beyond blessed by this overflow. I have been adopted as a younger sister and auntie. Faces light up when I arrive. And I am missed if there is too much time in between visits.

It was the grace of God to gift me with a whole family to love and be loved by. It feels like the early church to me…giving and receiving, loving and being loved. There are no strings attached or unrealistic expectations. It feels like God’s heart for His Body that extends beyond the walls of a church building.

This dark world is indeed a brighter place because of the light that this family carries. I thank God for them and the love they have generously poured out in my life. I’m so grateful that the Lord knew I needed this gift.

If you have a friend who has become family, I’d love to hear about them. If you’re longing for one, I’d love to pray for you!

Listen to Karina’s devotion here or wherever you stream podcasts!

Search for Hope in the Midst

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Goodness, what do you do, and what do you pray for when there’s more bad news? Another hospital visit. A new prayer request. A sympathy card (or a pile of them). It takes endurance to pray hopeful prayers when the recent reality has been more hurt than healing.

It feels unnatural to rejoice, to praise, to hope.

In the weary thick of it, I’m trying to ask, “Lord, where is Your heart in this?”

Because that’s the delicate part. I don’t want to misinterpret this season as His neglect. Though, can I be honest? It can feel like it. It feels long and crushing. And right when I’m teetering on questioning His character I read things like, “The Lord will fight for you” (Exodus 14:14) and “He will be with you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

So where do we go for a better view of His character? Where do we find hope at a time like this?

Flip to Romans 15:13. It says “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (CSB). Did you catch that? He’s the God of hope! Thank goodness. And the God of hope wants to fill you with all joy and peace until you’re overflowing with hope again. And it’s not by a new routine, or more sleep (though that may help). It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit. He just asks us to believe in this God of hope.

These are your reminders to hold onto hope. Nature will show up as a steady reminder of a steady God. You will walk barefoot in the green grass; you will once again feel the sun warm upon your face. You will see peonies bloom and strawberries turn ripe. You will have fresh vision for where the Lord is calling you, and it will be personal, beautiful, and full-circle. You will feel life again, like jumping into a pool on a hot summer day. You will be refreshed and taken care of.

Because the God of hope is also the God of redemption and the God of joy. And with Him, new life always, always comes.

Click here to download the wordsearch that accompanies this devotion, both from The Wordsearch Book: Hope!

The wordsearches found in this book are for the one in the weary winter. The one feeling ache after ache, just barely holding the tears back. To the one like the psalmist in Psalm 88 whose “eyes are dim with grief,” as they call to the Lord for help. To the one who sees no signs of life yet but knows that Scripture promises it.

See, a few years back, Margot Groner stumbled upon a wordsearch book in her local grocery store and started a routine of solving one before bed each night. She quickly realized that word searches weren’t living up to their potential. They could be more than just little books to help pass the time. They could be a way to pause, reflect, and enjoy; they could even be a way to spend time with the Lord if what was inside them was intentional.

So that’s what DaySpring and Margot created! The Wordsearch Book: Hope pulls together quotes and Scripture on all things hope, and creates word banks out of them. In this book, you’ll find over 70 word searches, along with devotions and journaling prompts for you to soak up all the goodness. As you search for words from verses on hope, you will simultaneously be meditating on the Scripture.

The Wordsearch Book: Hope is your childhood wordsearch book all grown up and gorgeous!

So fun, right? Well, good news — we’re giving away FIVE copies*!

To enter, leave a comment on this article sharing how you stay pointed toward hope, and we’ll choose five winners.

Then this weekend, be sure to tune into the (in)courage podcast for a GREAT conversation with Becky Keife and Margot Groner as they talk all things hope, words, and more!

*Giveaway open to US addresses only, and closes at 11:50 pm central on 4/6/2025.