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

 

[Nannette]

You’re Free

Dear Sister in Christ,

We often picture God’s will for our lives like a thin, definitive line. A tightrope we must walk carefully and with the utmost caution. One wrong step and we’ll surely fall. And when we do, we’ll mess up our future forever.

But when we come to know Jesus, our life is not a tightrope but a wide, open space of grace. We have so much room to breathe, to grow, to learn. God knows we are human. He knows we will take detours, face obstacles, and make mistakes. If he were committed to using only those of us who never stray, then no human would ever be part of his plan.

The fear of not getting it just right can paralyze us. We stand with our toes on that imaginary tightrope, perfectly still, and we miss out on so much of what could be. We miss the invitation from the One calling us to his side.

You are made to move in grace—not to be held in place by fear. You are guided by love and by a God who can redirect you as many times as needed. You only need to be willing to follow where he wants you to go. He will do the rest. Life is meant to be a glorious adventure, not a continual test in which one slipup means you fail.

It’s okay to move forward, my friend. It’s okay to try something and see how it goes. If it works and God affirms it, do more of it. If it doesn’t, simply try something else.
You’re not made to walk a tightrope.
You’re made to dance.
And it’s not about getting the steps right.
Instead it’s all about being close to your partner.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You Can Enjoy Your Life

Dear Sister in Christ,

When you enjoy your life you bring joy to the One who gave it to you. That, my friend, is why the enemy of your soul hates what makes you truly joyful. Because he is out to destroy anything and everything that brings God joy.
So the enemy tells you that you aren’t allowed to rest—that you must work harder and harder for God.

He whispers that you are not permitted to receive gifts God created for your pleasure.
He distracts your soul with what can never fill it and then convinces you God is holding out on you.

Enjoy your life, friend. Hug your family. Watch a movie. Eat a marvelous meal. Sleep in on Saturdays. Watch the birds. Slow down.
When you do this, it’s not selfish. Instead it’s a way of bringing joy to the One who has brought all of this to you. Don’t let the enemy steal from God what is rightfully his—and that is you enjoying your life, embracing what he’s given, savoring each moment so that you “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8).

Will we have times of trouble? Yes. But even in those moments, isn’t enjoying what we can, in the way God intended, part of what sustains us? We’ve all known seasons of deep hardship when laughter seems to heal our soul more than anything else.

When we try to live with joy, the enemy accuses us: “Look how selfish you are, how irresponsible, how indulgent.” Can you imagine saying the same to a child on Christmas morning as she gleefully and gratefully receives the gifts she’s been given? Of course you wouldn’t. That is not the voice of love. Those are lies intended to break the heart of a Father.

Do you want to bring glory and delight to God today?
Then dare to enjoy your life . . . fully, freely, forever.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You Don’t Have to Live Up to Your Potential

Dear Sister in Christ,

In the quiet moments as you drive, drift off to sleep, or stand washing dishes at the sink, certain phrases might come to taunt you. They could sound like this:
“Maybe I should do more.”
“Maybe I should try harder.”
“Maybe I should perform a little better.”
Thoughts like these run through our minds, and in return we run through life never feeling like we are enough. What if we don’t live up to our potential? Wouldn’t that be the biggest waste? And yet there is One who didn’t live up to his potential.
He could have fed more hungry people.
He could have healed more of the sick.
He could have ended injustice once and for all.

Yet Jesus didn’t. Have you ever thought about that? And he didn’t reach the end of his life and say, “I didn’t live up to my potential.” Instead he said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

In other words, “It was enough.”
You are not called to live up to your potential—to do as much as you can, as quickly as you can, for as many people as you can. (Hint: potential is usually just a code word for other people’s expectations.) You, my friend, are simply called to say yes to God.
With all your heart.
For the rest of your life.
Until the day he says you are finished.
And yes, it will be enough.
Because there is no greater success than being a servant who simply brings joy to your Master . . . and you do.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

You Can Rest

Dear Sister in Christ,

It’s okay to rest. It’s even more than okay—it’s essential. I know you can feel as if there is so much to do, and a moment of quiet can feel like a dessert stolen and eaten in secret before anyone sees. There’s so much depending on you. How can rest be anything but selfish?

Yet rest is exactly what enables you to love well for a lifetime. I struggled with this for years until a friend gently laid her hand on my heart and whispered, “If you never get refilled, how will you be able to pour out?” You are not infinite. You are human. You have limits. Acknowledging that is not selfish; it’s worship. Rest says to God and to the rest of the world, “I know I’m not in charge. And I trust the One who is.”

Rest comes in many different forms. It can be a quick snooze on the couch or a full night of sleep. It can be reading, laughing, or playing. It can be an attitude of your heart that chooses not to strive and worry even when you’re in the middle of a busy season. In all of that, you can honor God.

God doesn’t need you to complete your to-do list. He created the world in seven days simply by speaking. He doesn’t have any trouble getting things accomplished—with or without us. But what he has chosen for you and only you to be able to do is this: to love him, those around you, and yourself. Part of loving well is resting well.

We can find ourselves going at a frantic pace and never stop to ask, “What is driving me?” Often it’s fear, and that is not what God has for us. Instead of being driven by fear, he invites us to be led by love.

So pause, take a deep breath or even a nap if you dare, and in doing so show the world that you serve One who is kind and loving to those who belong to him. Because he lets them rest. He invites them to peace. He takes their to-do list and trades it for a to-be list that leads to joy.

You have permission to rest today.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

26
Your Time Is in God’s Hands

Dear Sister in Christ,

You glance at the clock on the wall, the watch on your wrist, the time ticking away in your heart. It’s so hard to wait. You might begin to wonder if perhaps you’ve done something wrong, if what you thought you heard from God isn’t real, if maybe the promise or desire of your heart will go unfilled.

But while you’re waiting, God is working. Even before you spoke your first prayer, he had already begun. While you are going through each day and sleeping through the night, he is turning his purposes into reality.

It’s hard to not see what God is doing or know when the time will come. Yet that’s what faith means—to believe without sight. To wait, trust, and keep watching. You’ve been doing that on this journey, and God notices. He understands that it’s difficult sometimes. He doesn’t condemn you for wanting it now. Instead he offers all you need to press on to then.

A delay doesn’t mean you’ve taken a detour. It doesn’t mean a closed door. It simply can mean that our ways are not like God’s. The eternal One isn’t limited by time in the way we are here. He has heard you. He still hears you. And he is listening with love.

You have not been overlooked, forgotten, or set aside for something more important. No, my friend, every detail of your circumstance is in his care. You’re never out of his thoughts, never out of his plans. Not for one day. Not for one moment. Not even for a second.

Even as you read this now, he’s working on your behalf. And nothing, not even the hands of time, can hold you back from all he has for your future.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

27
You’re Going to Be Okay

Dear Sister in Christ,

If I asked you how you are today, you (like so many of us) might answer, “Fine.” But underneath that answer could be questions, struggles, insecurities. How do I know? Because I’m human too. And every day we need to hear one thing: you’re going to be okay.

You’re going to be okay even if it feels like your world is falling apart right now.
You’re going to be okay even if it seems your confidence is lacking.
You’re going to be okay even if you don’t know what tomorrow holds.

Does that mean you need to be okay right now? No, ma’am. You have permission to be messy and in progress. It simply means you can have hope. You can know your future is secure. You can trust there is a greater purpose and plan at work in it all.

We all have stress, bad days, and hard times. We all know what it’s like to have life disappoint us. We’re all on this wild and crazy ride together. So as the roller coaster of your life zooms, I want to place my hand on top of yours—the hand that’s desperately clinging to the safety bar in front of you—and holler into the wind whipping past our faces, “You’re going to be okay!”

You’re going to survive this ride. One way or another. It will not last forever. It will not destroy, derail, or defeat you. Someday you may even be able to look back at it and see it differently than you do today.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” And we do. But then he added this: “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In other words, “Take heart! You’re going to be okay.”
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.
And even better yet, eternally.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You

Heart-to-Heart Encouragement

 

[Nannette]

28
Your God Won’t Ever Give Up on You

Dear Sister in Christ,

We all mess up. We all fall short. We all wish we could be a little bit better. And when that happens, we wonder if God still really wants to use us. People comment on our strengths or what they admire about us and we think, “Oh, if you only knew what I’m like in my worst moments.”

But here’s the reality: God does know you in your worst moments. He knows all the things hidden in your heart. He knows what you hide even from yourself. And he picked you anyway.

When he came up with his purpose for your life and formed a plan for what you would do on earth, he knew you would have struggles. Your shortcomings are not a surprise to him, and they’re not going to disqualify you from serving him. The only way that can happen is if you decide you won’t receive his grace.

As long as you are on this earth, you will be imperfect. And if you tell yourself you have to have it all together before God can use you, then you will wait the rest of your life. When you mess up, make it right. Then press ahead into all God has for you anyway.
You can’t disappoint God, because disappointment is about expectations. And expectations are about an unknown future.

But God already knows everything, so he doesn’t have expectations. Past, present, and future are all equally real to him. Disappointment is a distinctly human experience. So while the enemy tries to whisper, “You’ve disappointed God,” your heavenly Father is saying, “I already knew that was in your heart. Now that it’s come to the surface, let’s deal with it and move forward together.”

We all need grace. We all need forgiveness. We all need a second chance (and a third, a fourth, and more). That’s why we have Jesus.

God gave up his Son for you.
And he’s never giving up on you.

XOXO
Someone Who Loves You


Heart-to-Heart Encouragement