I empower faith-based women like you to recover well after discovering their husband's or significant others struggle with the dark places on the internet. Every Monday you'll receive encouragement and other carefully curated content to help you heal and find the freedom you desire.
It's okay if the fireworks don't fix anything
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This week, America turns 250. The Semiquincentennial, now there's a mouthful. 🎆 We're celebrating some birthdays in our house, too. Dave turns another year older on July 3, and our daughter-in-love Emily celebrates on the Fourth itself. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than that. And I will confess: I become an absolute child at a fireworks show. Wide eyes. Audible oohs and aahs. Zero dignity. Every single time. There's something about the way they explode into color against a dark sky that just gets me. What’s Been On My Heart Maybe that image is sitting with you differently than it is with me right now. Because sometimes life is the dark sky. And the sparkle everyone else sees doesn't reach where you're standing. You showed up anyway. The outfit went on. The smile appeared at the right moments. You even made potato salad for the picnic. But the smile never reached your eyes. And somewhere in the middle of the celebration, you wanted to disappear. Dear one, I see you. More importantly, God sees you. Not the performance. Not the smile you manufactured for the afternoon. You—the one who is exhausted, aching, quietly wondering how much longer you can keep this up. King David knew what it was to grieve in the middle of everyone else's noise. And he wrote this: "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." — Psalm 56:8 (NLT) Your tears are not wasted, dramatic, or too much. Every single one is known to him. You are not invisible in a crowd. God has not lost track of you in the chaos. And performing joy you don't yet feel? Not expected. Healing doesn't run on a holiday schedule. Pain doesn't take a long weekend off. However, God never leaves you. Ever. Something for You You know those problems that are too big, too deep, too tangled for any human solution? The ones you carry quietly because explaining them feels impossible. And part of you wonders if even God can get there. This song is for you this week. Let it remind you that he's already there. 👉 "God Problems," listen here 🙏🏻 A Prayer for You Dear God, as we celebrate 250 years of this nation, thank you for the founding fathers who looked to your ways and principles as its foundation. Thank you for your faithfulness to this country and to Reader. When life feels chaotic and overwhelming, remind Reader that you are close. You promise your presence and your provision at all times, and that promise never expires. Open Reader's heart and mind to moments of genuine joy this week: unexpected ones, quiet ones, the kind that don't have to be performed. And protect Reader's heart, God. You know exactly what it needs. Amen. |
Kirsten D Samuel LLC
I empower faith-based women like you to recover well after discovering their husband's or significant others struggle with the dark places on the internet. Every Monday you'll receive encouragement and other carefully curated content to help you heal and find the freedom you desire.
Thank you for your kind encouragement over the last week. Each reply to my emails about going back to school meant so much. Oh, by the way, tomorrow marks the last day of this class. Then it's on to the next one, heading toward graduation in May 2027. Dave and I are once again traveling to spend time with our family. We're enjoying the fall changes in Utah with our kids and grandkids. I'll send a few pictures next week. What’s Been On My Heart What do you do when your heart and mind argue...
My business coach keeps asking me the same question on our calls lately: what are you focused on? While this question asks me to evaluate every aspect of my business, my coach also knows I am a holistic person. I'm not a business person and a separate individual living some other life. I'm just me. What’s Been On My Heart How often do interruptions pull you out of focus? If you're honest, it's probably your own limitations doing most of the interrupting. They're loud and impossible to ignore,...
Emery and I made pretzels together on our last vacation. I love this little video of flour-dusted hands twisting dough. I stopped to grab some pictures of how the city workers keep beauty front and center, softening all the concrete and steel of the skyscrapers around us. A black planter along the street overflows with petunias and sweet potato vine, and the coleus and other flowers outside my building have exploded after all this rain and humidity. What’s Been On My Heart How often do you...