Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

[Nannette]

Day 18

You Are Not Your Circumstances


Dear Sister in Christ,,

When life crowds in on us and pushes us hard, we can forget who we are. We start to look around us and think, “Is this me? Is this who I am now?” Our perspective gets blurred, and the enemy tries to persuade us that we are not the woman God has told us we are—the woman he’s promised we always will be.

Life has ups and downs for all of us. So whether you’re at the end of a hard day, in the middle of celebrating, or somewhere in between, there’s some truth you need to hear. And it’s this: you are not your circumstances.

In all the moments of your life, you are a woman of grace and strength. Even when you feel weak, you have divine power within you that is able to get you through anything. And you are loved far more than you can even imagine. How you feel today, what you’re facing, even what others may say doesn’t change that—and never can.

Who you are is secure forever. And you are a daughter of God, a holy princess, a woman who is chosen and cherished. Nothing and no one can take that away from you. You have within you a God who is bigger than your bad days and stronger than your circumstances, and he will never let you go. He has promised that nothing will defeat you and no one can stand against you.
So keep pressing forward, friend. Hold your head up high and know that you are loved.
Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

Whatever has happened or is yet to be can’t change that even a little bit.
And it can’t change who you really are—a beloved child of God who belongs to and with him forever.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You

Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

Day 19

You Can Be Gentle with Yourself

Dear Sister in Christ,

“I can’t believe I did that,” you say with a shake of your head over coffee. “Why can’t I get it together?” you question in an email. “What’s the matter with me?” you whisper into the phone.

You come down hard on your own heart in a way you never would on mine.
Why do we do that as women? We speak words of love, tenderness, and compassion to each other and then condemn ourselves. We talk to our souls in way we would never speak to a friend or sister. We pass harsher judgment on our lives than we would on even our enemies sometimes.

Here’s the thing: when we talk to ourselves that way, it grieves God just as much as if we said it to someone else. He loves all of his children the same, and the words we say to ourselves hurt his heart without us even realizing it.

It seems so right to treat ourselves this way. Don’t we deserve it? Isn’t what we’re saying true? Yet we forget that we are not living a life that’s about “what we deserve.” Instead we are living a life of grace. And grace speaks with a voice that’s full of gentleness. God calls us back not with condemnation but with kindness. If he doesn’t judge us (because of what Christ did for us on the cross), then who are we to judge ourselves?

It’s love, not the lashing of our tongues, that is meant to compel us. Punishment, law, and harshness—whether they come from ourselves or someone else—can never truly change us. God instead invites us into a beautiful, scandalously grace-filled relationship. Within this bond he remakes us not by breaking our wills but by lovingly shaping us like a potter molding clay.
Can you take that harsh hand off your heart and let him hold you instead? Can you trade your criticism for his gentleness and your impatience with yourself for his everlasting care? He has promised to complete what he has started in you, and it happens not by force but by faith.

Trust God to transform you. Receive his grace. Lean into his love.

You’re a work of art who belongs to Someone else. You have been purchased at a great price. So treat yourself the way you would anything of great fragility and worth—with gentleness and care.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You’re Part of a Plan

Dear Sister in Christ,

When you look at the future, you wonder what’s ahead. How will everything work out? Where are you going? What will tomorrow bring?

You can rest assured that there is One who already knows the answer to all of those questions. He’s the God who created time, and he’s not limited by it. He knows everything in a way that’s beyond our understanding. He’s promised that although you may not know the future, you can intimately know the One who holds every day of your life in his hands.

God’s plans for you are good. That doesn’t mean things will turn out the way you want. It doesn’t mean what’s ahead will be easy or comfortable. It doesn’t mean there won’t be tears or trials. But it does mean you will make it through whatever you may face and can even dare to thrive.

The story of humanity begins in Eden. Then it moves to the Promised Land. And finally it ends with a new heaven and a new earth. It’s clear that while we will pass through hard times and difficulties, God’s desire is for us to dwell in places of peace and joy. He’s committed to getting you to the place he has for you. The desires of his heart for you are always full of love and faithfulness.

Worry is our way of trying to control the future. We think if we can just hold on tight enough with our thoughts, then nothing “bad” can happen to us. But worry only makes us weary. The future is too much for us to grasp. And fear exhausts us.

Can you open your hands, your heart, your calendar to One who promises he knows all of your days even before they begin? He will meet you every morning with mercies that are new and watch over you each night as you sleep. There will never be a moment when you’re not in his care.

And wherever you are going, he’s already there.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You

Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You’re Here for a Purpose

Dear Sister in Christ,

I may not know when or where you came to be. But I know that in that quiet, hidden moment of cells colliding and then multiplying, God said yes to you being in this world. Regardless of the circumstances, no matter what anyone has ever said to you, God wanted you here at this time in history.

Your existence isn’t random or accidental, and it’s certainly not a mistake. God chose to have you here. Before your heart fluttered for the first time or the breath entered your lungs, he already had a purpose picked out for you. A plan only you can fulfill. A handmade mission that perfectly fits your heart.

Since your birth he has watched over you. All the details of your life. He numbers the hairs on your head. He counts the cares in your heart. He knows your favorite food, the expressions on your face, what makes you laugh, and why you cry. He remembers your first day of school, your first prayer, the first time you looked in the mirror and saw a woman instead of a girl.

He has been there for all of it. And through everything that’s happened, all the changes that have come into your life, all the twists and turns, his purpose for you has never wavered. It has been there in the hard times. On the ordinary days. In the moments of celebration. Always, always, like a quiet drumbeat in the background.

So when you wonder why you’re here, when you question if you matter, when it seems everyone else has life figured out . . . remember God knows his purpose for you. You may not be able to see it. And you most likely will not fully understand it until heaven. But you can trust that if you simply follow him every day, he will complete it.

And on the day when you take not your first breath but your last, it will all make sense. You will hear those words you long for: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And you will enter into the joy of your Lord. You’ll see your life through his eyes, and your purpose will be plain. Actually, not plain at all—indescribably beautiful.

A work of art created one moment at a time that will be fully revealed in eternity.

A work of art that started even before the day you were born.

And you will joyfully praise the Artist for his glorious work forever.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You

Heart-to-Heart Encouragement