Dear grace-girl,
In a season of hard, Jesus gave me a sweet gift last Thursday night.
A week ago today, I talked to a MOPS group of 60 women about the importance of
getting uncomfortable, of pushing through the fears of
naming what we want,
showing emotions in front of others,
confessing a sin or struggle,
holding a hard conversation, and
pursuing a God-given dream. When we persist through the awkward uncomfortableness of bringing what's hard into the light, God offers us peace, hope, joy, and freedom.
While I hope the talk impacted mamas for the better, I do know this: This speaking engagement as a gift from Jesus to me. When we live in the wilderness of discouragement, sadness, and grief, it's easy to believe that life will always be hard, that this right-now circumstance is forever.
And just at the right time, God gives us gifts to keep us going, reminding us He sees us and is behind-the-scenes working all things for our good. The Lord is never far from you. He sees every need and is the source of your help and strength.
In His grace,
God offers you good gifts in the middle of your hard season.
This week's
Grace In Real Life podcast episode is all about moving Jesus's love for you from your head to your heart, which is valuable any time but especially for anyone walking through trials and suffering. If you need to know that the Lord is with you, please give
Episode 188 with Dr. Curt Thompson a listen. Perhaps
my biggest takeaway from this episode is when Dr. Thompson said this: “Allow yourself to be in the presence of Jesus.”
Yes, please!
Go in grace + peace + do good things,
jill
p.s. if you'd like me to speak to your MOPS group, women's retreat, conference, or training event, just go here to learn more. 
