How do you define success? How do you measure growth? Do you think growth only occurs if there is a constant upward trajectory? I’ve been challenged this week about my view of growth and it’s been so good. It can be all too easy to “compare and despair” when it…
Tag: Trust
Grief
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An Exciting Update!
In 2017 I prayed about starting a blog and as a result, “Embraced by Grace” was born. I’ve posted on and off over the last almost seven years, but have been super consistent over the last year and a half. My life looks radically different than it did seven years…
Life Lessons
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Ready to Forgive
Have you ever read the book of Nehemiah? I’ve been reading through the Bible using The Bible Recap and yesterday I was in Nehemiah. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read Nehemiah before, but it’s actually a pretty interesting book. Nehemiah was a cup bearer to the King of Persia…
Life Lessons
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Humble Obedience
I heard a sermon on Acts 10 this past Sunday at church and I’ve been thinking about Peter ever since. I keep coming back to the fact that Peter was told that he would be used by God for something important, but — to my understanding — wasn’t told what…
Holiday Posts
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New Year, New Word!
Do you set New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t — I haven’t for years. I understand why people do, but they never work for me so I quit doing it. What I do like to do is to pick a word that becomes the umbrella from which any goals I might…
Grief
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A Thrill of Hope
Christmas is in FIVE days! For some, that sentence brings joy and/or excitement. For others that sentence brings grief and/or panic. For some it’s a combination of both. I rest in that third category — a mix of joy and grief — and yet, I find “a thrill of hope”…
Marriage
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On to “First Grade”
Do you remember first grade? You’re learning to read and write and maybe ride your bike without training wheels. You still don’t know a ton, but you do know more than you did in kindergarten. You’re a little more confident than when you were in kindergarten and you’re excited because…
Grief
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Grief and Grumpiness
Yesterday, I woke up and read my Bible and was in a pretty good mood — until I wasn’t. I couldn’t put my finger on why I was irritated, but I was. There were dishes that needed to be done, I was having a hard time keeping my older boys…
Grief
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Happy Thanksgiving Eve
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season for me. It’s always been one of my favorite holidays and I always looked forward to it because it marked the beginning of such a joy filled time of year. The holiday season was my dad’s favorite. I remember him making a…
Life Lessons
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When Plans Don’t Happen
Do you like things planned out or do you thrive on spontaneity? If you’re a planner, what do you do when things don’t go as planned? This is something that has been a struggle for me that God has been working on in my life for a long time —…
Do Small Things Well
“It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God — but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people — and this is not learned in 5 minutes.” ~Oswald Chambers~…
Grief
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How Are You Doing?
“How are you doing?” is a question that I was asked more times than I can count within those initial days and weeks after my dad passed away. It’s just what people say and it was completely expected, but it was hard to answer. I had never really thought about…
Grief
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Grieving Well
Grief. It’s one of those things that I find uncomfortable to say the least. I don’t enjoy it and I’m not the best at dealing with it. I told myself that I was going to grieve the loss of my dad well because I didn’t grieve the loss of our…
Motherhood
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Finding Motivation
Do you have a hard time finding motivation to do things? I know I do sometimes. I’m an externally motivated person, so if there is not any external motivation — I’m much less likely to actually accomplish anything. I thought if I could just make myself an internally motivated person,…
Marriage
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Cancelled Plans
Have you ever cancelled plans with someone? Have you ever cancelled plans with the same person, multiple times? I know that I have. There’s this one person in particular that I have cancelled on many times — more than I can count. I didn’t really think it mattered because I…
Life Lessons
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Learning to Listen
Have you ever said something and immediately wished you could take it back? You weren’t really thinking about what you said when you said it, but as soon as it came out of your mouth, you wished you had taken the time to think about what you were going to…
Grief
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The Blessing of Going “Overdue”
Two weeks ago yesterday, I had the joy of giving birth to our third son! It was our third home birth and it went so well — for which I’m grateful. I was warned not to expect our third son’s birth to be like either of his brothers births. With…
Motherhood
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Baby Steps
Has anyone ever told you to be happy with the “baby steps” when you’re working on or toward something? Maybe it’s something that you have told someone else or have had to remind yourself of from time to time. I never really thought about why that phrase was so common…
Motherhood
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Asking for Help
As I was watching my two year old attempt to get his pajamas on all by himself — we have reached the stage where he wants to do everything himself — I became very aware of a few things. I was also reminded once again how God uses my children…
Life Lessons
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Run Toward Victory
Do you run toward victory? I’ve been reading through 1 Samuel and yesterday I read the story of David and Goliath. The entire account is incredible and I’ve grown up hearing the story, but this time as I read it something stood out to me that I’m not sure I…
Motherhood
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Fighting for His Peace
The miracle of life is something that I pray I never take for granted. As I journey through another pregnancy, I’m constantly reminded of the gift it truly is. Life is so fragile and every breath, every heartbeat, is a miracle. As I was anticipating my most recent midwife appointment…
Grief
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Six Months
I can’t believe that it has been six months since my dad unexpectedly passed away. Six months doesn’t seem like a long time and yet it does all at the same time. To think that it has been six months since he held my boys, since I heard him laugh,…
Grief
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Changing Seasons
As the colors on the leaves change and the garden wraps up, it’s a sure sign that the warmth of summer has ended. We’re now in the season of preparing for winter and all the snow that comes with it. The changing of seasons always brings up so many analogies…
Life Lessons
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For the Joy!
Have you ever had to endure something that was hard knowing that it would be worth it in the end? Have you ever had to endure something hard not knowing how it would turn out in the end? The first two examples that pop into my head are exercising and…