As I opened up my prayer journal this morning to write a new entry, a small note fell out from between the pages. When I picked up the note and opened it, I realized it was a note I wrote to my future self back in January of 2019.
Read MoreWhat are you waiting for right now? What is that one thing that you’ve been praying for over and over, but the answer just hasn’t come? What’s that one thing you want so badly that you heart physically aches for it? I know the answer to those questions for myself, and I’m sure it wasn’t hard for you to come up with the answers either. We’re all waiting for something.
Read MoreFor what remained of the school year, my friends, and my classmates who had now heard the story of my chickening out, poked fun at me for being too scared to ride. You know how middle schoolers are. But despite their teasing, I didn’t care what anyone thought. I didn’t want to ride the roller coaster. I was confident in that decision, and I let the teasing continue. I think back to this memory now, and I’m honestly pretty proud of 13-year-old Kristen. But then I also think, “If I didn’t care what people thought of me then, why do I care so much about what they think now?”
Read MoreAs much as I desire to please my parents, and as much as I want them to agree with every decision I make, I've learned over the years that pleasing my parents is not my ultimate goal in life. That's not why I was put on this earth. No, I was created in the image of God to follow Jesus, obey His Word, love others the way He loves me, and carry out His will for my life. Pleasing my parents in doing so is just icing on the cake.
Read MoreIt was a morning just like any other. My bed needed to be made. I had a ton of writing to do. There was a basket full of unfolded laundry that was begging for my attention. And I had a mile long to-do list to tackle. So how did I choose to start my morning? With a Starbucks run.
Read MoreWhat is something you’ve been praying about recently? Is there something you’re asking God to give you or bless you with? Is there a prayer that you’ve been begging Him to answer? When it comes to praying and asking God for something, typically we think that He’s either going to say “yes” and give us what we want, or He’s going to say “no.” We boil it down to a 50/50 chance of God ruling in our favor. But what if I told you that there are actually four different ways God could answer your prayer?
Read MoreI want you to take a minute and think back to when you were in middle school. Who did you look up to? Was it your older sister or brother? Was it the effortlessly cool high school senior? Was it someone in your favorite movie or TV show? Regardless of who it was, I’m sure there was someone you were constantly looking to as an example to follow. You wanted to talk like them, look like them, dress like them, and act like them. But have you ever considered that you might be that person for someone else?
Read MoreIf you think about it, we are so quick to realize our need for and dependence on God when we are in the midst of a tough time. When life seems out of control, when we’re searching for answers, or when we need help, we run to the Father as fast as we can. But what about when things are going well? Sadly, when life is good, we think we’re good. We think we can handle everything on our own, and we succumb to our pride, trusting more in ourselves than we do in our Savior.
Read MoreMy word for the year 2020 was “hope.” The Lord usually gives me my word for the upcoming year in the fall and that year was no different. In the middle of October of 2019, I had begun to see a pattern. The word “hope” was popping up everywhere. And I’ve learned that when God repeats Himself like that, I need to pay attention.
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