This morning in my small group, we had a deep and meaningful conversation. I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunity to encourage others to follow God, to shine His light, and to let go of fear. I feel so blessed that God is using and guiding me to support others in their journey. I long for a life with more focus and fewer distractions. I’ve started to appreciate mindful activities over fleeting indulgences, and I can sense God’s hand molding me into something unfamiliar yet deeply aligned with my soul’s truth. This growth comes through spending a lot of

This morning, the thought of health insurance suddenly came to mind, and I decided to follow that intuition and look for a plan for 2025. Since hitting the road in 2021, my husband and I have been financially unstable, living with only our faith in God to sustain us and without any backup plans. But now, after over a year of full-time work, I felt it was time to take a responsible step for our future. Recognizing My Mindset and Seeking Divine Help As I began shopping for insurance, I immediately recognized the familiar feeling of frustration creeping in—a

In the past few weeks, my morning prayer is, “Holy Spirit, please come, teach me, and guide me through today.” And without fail, He shows up each day! His teachings have become increasingly deep and nuanced. I feel His guidance in the way I cook my breakfast, in the pace at which I drink my water—He is present in the smallest moments. During this deep dive, I uncovered many barriers in my approach that had never come to light before. The first thing I discovered is how my mind seems wired to wear me down. I lose count of

“Trust is worship, the rest is warfare.” This is the most powerful line I’ve come across all week. Lately, the message I’ve been receiving reinforces the two secret weapons I’ve discovered this year: prayer and worship. God has placed people in my life who have shown me the true power of prayer and worship. I still remember one night at church with Shannon. She lifted her hands toward a person on stage battling cancer, and her prayer revealed exactly what I needed: that even in the face of overwhelming, negative news, I always hold the most powerful weapon—prayer. When

I don’t need to be that good Today’s devotional deeply resonated with me. Just like the author said, when I think of battle, I picture tension and fear, soldiers who need strength and rigorous training to face it all head-on. That’s how I’ve been fighting my battles for a long time. But this year, I joined the Practice of Solitude study with Julie, and since then, I’ve been learning to sit in silence, even timing how long I can stay there. One day, I caught myself trying to “measure up” even in solitude—and at that moment, the Holy Spirit

Last night, we watched an interesting movie called Nefarious. The story uses the perspective of a criminal claiming to be demon-possessed to reveal how the devil aims to destroy humanity as a way to hurt God. Since we often focus on God’s goodness, it was thought-provoking to see a portrayal of the inner workings of a demon’s mind. The movie sparked a deep, late-night conversation between my husband and me. We’ve both had moments when an “inner darkness” seemed to take hold, and as soon as it did, we knew we couldn’t fight it by ourselves. As the author

This year, my spiritual practices have focused deeply on surrender and aligning with God’s will. My biggest question right now is: where does my will intersect with His? How can I recognize when my desires truly align with His purpose? As I reflect on the Parable of the Talents, I feel that God has entrusted me with many gifts. A deep part of me genuinely wants to use them to achieve something. Yet, I find myself in a difficult position—hesitant to use my talents for fear that I might be acting for my own gain, which often leads to

Not turning away, but leaning in This morning, as I was rushing to get ready to leave, my husband started talking about the arrangements for Mom’s memorial and burial in Chicago and PEI. I caught myself not wanting to engage, feeling drained just thinking about how much mental energy it would require—energy I didn’t have or didn’t want to give. I tried to seem disinterested, hoping he’d take the hint that I wasn’t ready to dive into planning. But he kept going. As my irritation grew, I suddenly felt the Holy Spirit’s nudge: You still have time. Why not

I often feel grateful, believing that I am living in one of the best times in history. There’s no war, I’ve never experienced hunger, and I had the opportunity to go to school and become an independent woman. Even our daily lives have become so convenient thanks to all the technology we have today. There’s no reason for us not to feel happy. I truly believe that God has arranged such conveniences not so we can become lazy or live in our own little bubbles. Instead, He has freed us from many burdens and saved us time, so we

Since moving to the countryside, I’ve been loving it even more than I expected. One of my new routines is chopping firewood, and today, my husband and I decided to reorganize the wood shed. The logs weren’t properly arranged by dryness, as we hadn’t sorted them based on when we received them. After nearly six hours of hard, manual labor, we finally got it done. It was physically demanding, but incredibly calming for the soul. Having worked desk jobs my whole life, I often joke with my husband, saying, “I wish I had a manual labor job.” In reality,

Today is another peaceful day, free from the usual mental push and rush. I no longer let checklists dictate my priorities. Everything flows naturally. Even when I stumble or feel stuck, I catch myself quickly, before spiraling into a negative headspace. I’m learning to enjoy a simple life—a simplicity that comes from my state of mind and heart, not from what I’m doing. If I can maintain this mindset, no situation will have the power to shatter me. I am deeply grateful that God has guided me so closely, helping me find this new rhythm of life. It’s His

Today has been a good day. It started off slow, but I managed to stay present, focusing on one thing at a time. Throughout it all, I felt the peaceful presence of God, and I love that. The valley is starting to feel like winter now. We lit a fire in the living room and cozied up, watching TV by the warmth of the flames. A quiet evening turned into something more intimate, and we decided to sleep by the fire tonight, right on the couch. I can hear the crackling of the fire, and my cat is stretched

Today, I woke up late, feeling tired, drained, and maybe a little under the weather. I struggled with feeling unproductive, which usually triggers a sense of failure or “not being enough.” I know this comes from a deep-rooted, unhealthy tendency toward goal-oriented thinking. But despite that, I’m grateful we made it to the bonus session of our marriage retreat. I really enjoyed the teaching, full of wisdom and practical tools. Oh Lord, no matter how I feel, I know You always love me just as I am. Help me to learn to do the same—to love and be patient

After a week apart, my husband returned home today, and I truly missed him. On the way to the airport, I found myself reflecting on the rhythm of life. Instead of worrying about where to park or what to eat, I made a conscious effort to be present and seek the Holy Spirit. This intentional shift brought me into a calm flow, where I could see everything around me—the little movements and currents—with a deep sense of peace. I let myself rest in that flow, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide me. At one point, I missed an exit,

Today, I went into the office to meet with my business partners and work on a few projects. Later, we headed to a local non-profit, Make Her Space, to help paint their wall and organize the space. We ended up working really late—I didn’t get home until 3 AM. What started as a typical Saturday turned into a long, exhausting day, but I feel so fulfilled. When I first started this business, I approached everything like a business owner, trying to make every minute count and focusing on profitability. But now, after the Holy Spirit has fine-tuned my heart,

The presence Yesterday, I met Julie and Shannan for coffee—two very mature Christian women. I love spending time with them. I’ve never had mentors before, but I now see them as spiritual mentors. They both carry a strong presence—a calm and confidence that’s deeply rooted but never overwhelming. I want to embody that. Since knowing Jesus, this presence of Christ is what my soul longs for. Peace, calm, confidence, love, and care—every good quality exists within it. It’s a firm presence, unmoved by the storms of life. No matter how fierce the wind blows, it remains steady, just like

A Night of Struggle and a Morning of Revelation Thank you, O Lord, for being so close to me, for listening, and for answering. Last night, I went to bed wrestling with the question of how to draw the line between serving others and overburdening myself. This morning, I woke up very early and couldn’t fall back asleep. The first thing I saw was Malachi 3:10, which speaks about tithing. My initial reaction was fear because I haven’t been tithing as the Bible commands. Growing up without financial security has made it difficult for me to embrace the idea

I spent a few hours with my neighbor today, trying to be helpful and caring. She’s an older lady living alone, with little money and some health struggles. My mind immediately labeled her with all the signs that screamed she needed help. As a Christian, I feel a strong obligation to assist her. This encounter made me reflect on one of my spiritual struggles. Whenever I spend time with someone who’s not in a good place, and I care about them, it creates a pressure within me—the sense that if I don’t do something, I’m a bad person. For

My mother-in-law has caused more damage to her family than anyone I’ve ever known. I deeply dislike her, as do all her children. My husband has nothing good to say about her, and because of the way he grew up with her, he developed biases towards women that have affected our marriage. However, in the past 48 hours, I believe I have witnessed the miraculous healing that comes through forgiveness. I use the word “miraculous” because there is no logical explanation for how or why inner walls can break down so quickly. During our marriage retreat, we spent an

Message to my husband this morning: First, I want to say how grateful I am that, during such a difficult time, you’ve been clingy to me, seeking comfort and love. It means the world to know that you see me as a source of support, safety, comfort, healing and love which makes me incredibly happy. I’ve been praying and carefully considering whether to join you right now. My heart feels more at peace with the decision not to go, and I’ve been sensing a strong nudge from the Holy Spirit to sit this one out and pray for you

This weekend has been extremely emotionally challenging for us. On one hand, we were trying to be open and vulnerable during the marriage retreat, and on the other hand, my husband is facing the overwhelming reality that his mom is nearing the end of her life. It breaks my heart to see her suffering so much. We checked out of the retreat at 11:30 a.m., and the first thing we did was change his flight so he could leave tonight instead of tomorrow. A stroke has affected both sides of her brain, leaving her unable to perform basic functions.

Unexpected Marriage Retreat Last night, we checked into our first Christian marriage retreat. We had signed up for it last year, but both of us got really sick and had to cancel. I’m so glad we made it this time, though it feels like the enemy is working overtime to keep us from focusing on strengthening our marriage. We both had a rough night’s sleep, and during this morning’s session, we received the heartbreaking news that my mother-in-law was rushed to the hospital and is unresponsive. The news hit us hard, right in the middle of an emotionally intense

This morning’s small group began with exciting news—some of my friends made significant gains from the recent, unexpected stock market surge. Yet, beyond all the worldly success, what truly resonated in our hearts was a deeper realization: When we align ourselves with the rhythms of the world, the highs and lows become unbearable. One moment we feel like kings, and the next, like slaves. I’m grateful that we didn’t get swept away by the excitement of making a lot of money. Instead, our hearts recognized the danger in it. Our hearts weren’t designed to endure such a relentless roller

God is with me I’ve noticed that halfway through my workday, my energy gets drained to the point where even small things start to irritate me. By the time my husband gets home, everything he does seems to annoy me. Last night during dinner, I was feeling grumpy, but surprisingly, my husband put on the movie The Book of Daniel, which lifted my spirits and filled my heart with joy. I have so much love for my Father, God, and Christian movies always uplift my spirit. Here are three key takeaways from The Book of Daniel: In the movie,