Giving protects our hearts, keeping us righteous and whole. Generosity keeps us from harboring the sins of pride or selfishness. It helps us maintain proper perspective, reminding us that everything we have is God’s, not ours. Giving helps us focus on building God’s kingdom, not our own. 

You know, it’s funny.

When I blogged about walking through the wilderness two weeks ago, I never could have known that a surprise trip through my very own wilderness was quickly approaching.

It’s ok to grieve when the door closes. It’s ok to stand, shut out and and staring, to sort through feelings of rejection, shock, and resentment. It’s ok to grieve when the door slams shut. 

We all go through times of uncomfortable waiting or even desperate need. When we do, we can look to Exodus to learn the lessons God taught the Israelites during their wilderness wandering. 

 Who you are and how you treat people should never be dictated by how others treat you. There’s not a single one of us who’s perfect. So if you’re relying on other people’s behavior to inform your own living, you need to reevaluate your role models.

When all they see of me is the “put-together” look, they never get to see how real faith works. They never get to see how some days I’m faithless but God is always faithful. They never get to watch me run to God with doubts and questions and then find peace and rest in Him.

Things I tried that just didn’t work out for me in 2024.

My shameless, super practical, and not very spiritual list of things that worked for me in 2024.

It’s not that I want to be forgetful and disobedient. It’s just that I get busy! And God knows that about me – about us. In fact, He warned the Israelites about that very thing.

I thought I’d share an old entry from December of 2016 (when my kids were 6, 4, and 7 months). So enjoy this blast from the past!