Her Faith Thrives

Have you been surprised by how much faith everyday life can sometimes require? Few things have made me aware of this reality as much as motherhood. Emerging from a busy holiday season and trying to enter the New Year intentionally, I found myself questioning everything I set my mind to do. Would it work? Was it worth it? How could I know if this is what my family needed before I invested the time and effort to make it happen? Whereas it is prudent to count the cost before taking on a new project or forming a new rhythm, my questioning went well beyond the realm of wisdom into fretting. The truth is we don’t know how things will turn out. We can begin but how it all unfolds is in God’s hands. This is where God challenges us to walk by faith. Faith recognizes that God exists and He is in control of our lives. Faith recognizes that it pleases God when His children entrust their efforts to Him and pursue what He gives them to do knowing He sees it and it matters (Hebrews 11:1,6). Right now, these truths are taking shape for me in the following areas of my everyday life: 

Starting Preschool with my Daughter 

We are using a preschool curriculum at home by Gentle + Classical Press and really enjoying it.  We started this curriculum at a relaxed pace  a little over a year ago  and completed one term out of three before taking what I thought would be a short break.  The break  turned out to be much longer than I expected ( almost 9 months)  as we moved across the country and settled into a new city and rhythm.  So at the beginning of this year, we simply started over choosing not to fret over how it would go this time. I have loved how this preschool curriculum  gives a gentle structure to three  of our weekdays and has also helped me be more intentional about discipleship and connection with both my children.  

In this season, as I navigate the second half of my pregnancy,  this is not always an easy undertaking but  God’s grace has been sufficient for all of us. Seeing the delight in the children as we read good stories or explore art, music or even truth from God’s word has been life giving.  By doing this preschool curriculum right now, I am learning to simply trust God week by week as we make time to work through different things knowing that our times are in God’s hands. My favorite review on this curriculum was written by my friend Elena in case you are interested in the nuts and bolts. 

Pursuing a Regular Exercise Routine

Confession: I really enjoy working out. Other confession: working out has been one of the most challenging physical changes of motherhood. My body is  not as strong and pain free as it used to be before I started having children so this has been an area I have  had to trust God and grow in over the last few years.  After lots of exploration and prayer, I added regular swimming to my pregnancy fitness routine. We found a rhythm that allows me to swim before my children wake up in the morning about  three times a week and it has made a big difference for my health as I enter my 3rd trimester. I am thankful each day I can wake up on time and get a good swim in!

Becoming a Pilates instructor 

I started a Pilates Instructor Training program last year and was excited and thankful for the progress I made ( getting my mat certification and completing an anatomy course). During the first half of my pregnancy however, I took an unexpected break because I felt pretty sick. For a time I  could only focus on getting healthy and very imperfectly serving my family. 

Well, in January I resumed the training and have been thankful that my main instructor has been willing to work around the limitations of being as far along as I am in my pregnancy. This training has presented one of the greatest opportunities to depend on the Lord.  I trust God daily for energy to keep up with the lectures and the coursework. I am also trusting him to help me remember the material and prepare to test on it. Right now I am working on the Reformer portion of the certification and will be testing on it about 2 weeks before the baby is due. We are praying that I am prepared for the tests, the timing works well and that I pass the tests! 

Starting a New Bible Reading Plan 

Last year I finished my first two year bible reading plan.  Having previously done One year plans this was a good growth experience. I wanted the smaller reading portions so I could read more consistently throughout the years instead of listening to most of the plan like I do with one year plans. Both listening and reading are valuable and this time I was thankful to be able to read more.  

In December, I started a new 2 year plan which felt like a leap of faith. 2 years feels like a long time to commit to any rhythm and in the previous plan there were times when the two years felt arduous. Overall however, I was thankful to have a place to start in God’s word everyday no matter how I was feeling or what was happening in my life.  This year I am working through the M’Cheyne plan modified for two years (electronic version and pdf)  This plan  takes you through the bible book by book. Your daily reading  consists of a chapter from two different books of the bible. DA Carson has also written a rich companion devotional: For the Love of God Volume 1. This is not essential to the plan but I have enjoyed having a short devotional reading paired with each day’s bible reading. Having read the bible in chronological order for the last few years, going book by book has been refreshing.  I hope to be able to write a more detailed review comparing this bible reading plan with the first  two year chronological plan I completed. For now though, if you are looking to learn a little more about reading through the bible in general and explore some one year plans, check out this post. 

Journaling One Line A Day 

I am an avid quiet time and prayer journaler but in truth journaling about life outside of a quiet time and prayer journal is not something I do easily. Last year I bought the One Line A Day 5 year Journal. It is a small but thick journal in which you write one thing you want to remember each  day. Each page has 5 very manageable daily slots corresponding to the 5 different years. As you work on it year by year,  you can see what you found memorable on that day in previous years. It is a really non demanding and meaningful way to dip your toe into some of the benefits of a regular journaling practice.

Despite its merits, I only used the One Line A Day journal  for about 2.5 months last year! This year I decided to work it into my daily rhythm again. My hope is to  use it more consistently throughout the year, but even if I skip significant portions of the year, I am okay with filling in what I do fill in.  I use this journal to help me tangibly cultivate gratitude. Seeing a trail of things I am thankful for day by day connected to what is happening in my daily life has been an encouragement to my faith. Over and over, this daily gratitude practice reminds me God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful.  Right now I am still in the portion of the year where I have entries from last year and it has been enriching to see God’s grace to us this time last year as well. 

I hope taking a peek behind the curtain of my everyday life helped you think of ways you are trusting God in everyday moments. May our God grant us both faith to trust him in the ways he calls us to. 

How has God been growing your faith in this season?

Reflect on this and if you can, share below in the comments so we can encourage one another.

For Further Encouragement

Were you encouraged by this blog post? I would love to connect with you on our special Her Faith Thrives Newsletter which goes out every other month.  In each newsletter, I share a short reflection about how I’m growing in my faith during this season of life. Plus, I’ll be sending you some fantastic resources to inspire and guide you on your own faith journey. When you subscribe, you will receive my all-time favorite tool for making your Daily Quiet Time truly meaningful. It’s called “From Routine to Reverence: 3 Simple Steps to a Deeper Daily Quiet Time.” I can’t wait to hear how it helps you deepen your time in God’s Word.