I don’t have a long post for you today, just a verse to share and three words to remind you: You. Are. Forgiven. Happy Friday, friends!
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. {Psalm 103:12}
A Prayer for Confidence
I originally wrote this blog post for iBelieve.com, where it was published a few weeks ago. View the post on iBelieve here.
The popular girls snickered as I walked by their table in the cafeteria. I could hear whispers of words like “brace face,” “twig” and “smarty pants,” but I just held on to my tray of lukewarm Papa John’s pizza and chocolate milk and kept moving.
Back in junior high, I was a thin, book nerd and band geek with glasses, braces and what I like to call frizzly hair (both curly and frizzy). I was also on the swim, track and cross-country teams, but people seemed to pay less attention to the fact that I was little and smart.
Junior high is hard for a lot of people, but by the grace of God, the words, thoughts and opinions of others didn’t faze me. I had confidence – not just in myself but in the things I was passionate about. I knew I was loved by my parents, family members and most importantly, Jesus. That was all that mattered.
I don’t know when, where, why or how it happened, but somewhere between my junior high and high school years, that strong, simple confidence began to fade away. The world as I knew it grew bigger. The voices of my peers became louder. And competition felt more intense.
Without a mature enough faith to stand on, I started to doubt what I had always thought about myself. What if what other people say about me is really true? I wondered. What if all I am is a skinny, dorky, not-that-pretty girl? And … what if that’s all I’ll ever be?
True Confidence is Found in Christ
Maybe you can relate to these kinds of doubts and lack of self-assurance. Somewhere along the way, you stopped relying on what Jesus said about you and started looking to what the world said. Somewhere along the way, you stopped seeing yourself as a beloved daughter of the King and started seeing yourself as a woman that’s too opinionated. Too loud. Too fat. Too skinny. Too pale. Too smart. Too different. Too silly. Too _____ (you fill in the blank).
The truth is we aren’t born with confidence. If you really think about it, we pretty much come into this world unsure of anything. Nothing is definite; nothing is guaranteed. Confidence is uncertain. Until we encounter the love of Jesus, that is.
As a child I had encountered the love of Jesus and that perfect love empowered me to be strong and confident. I knew what it meant to be safe in His arms. I knew who I was in Him. But like I said before, somewhere along the way I forgot about that encounter. I forgot about the truths that had set me free. And I tried to find that confidence elsewhere.Read More
Easy Homemade Guacamole + Making Time to Celebrate the Little Things in Life
If you ask me, I think we need to give ourselves more reasons to celebrate in life. Parties shouldn’t just be reserved for holidays like Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day. They should be a regular thing. Don’t you think?
Growing up, I had the privilege of getting together with family every. Single. Sunday. After church, we’d all drive out to gramma’s for one big family party. Sometimes we’d celebrate birthdays or other exciting life happenings, but oftentimes we would just celebrate Jesus, life and each other. It wasn’t anything too crazy. It was actually quite simple. But it made life even sweeter.
Now that I’m older and moved away from gramma’s, we don’t get together as often as we used to. But no matter where Mr. MLS and I move, we’ve tried to carry that tradition of celebration with us wherever we go. Because life is too short not to celebrate all of the wonderful things we have, no doubt thanks to Christ: salvation, love, beauty, wonder, hope, joy and peace. Can I get an amen?
One of the ways we try to celebrate life and each other on a regular basis is by planning a date night every week. (It doesn’t matter what night it falls on as long as it happens.) We take turns making plans and get dressed up and talk about life, reminisce old times and dream of the future. Sometimes we go to parks; sometimes we go speed racing; sometimes we watch a movie; but we always, always, always share a meal together and give thanks to God.
Sweet Potato Falafel Burgers
If you’re craving a veggie burger, you can’t go wrong with these insanely delicious Sweet Potato Falafel Burgers. They’re not just healthy. They’re melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.
You want to know a secret? The first time I made sweet potato burgers, they were a total flop. One of my friends was visiting me during a college weekend break, and she had recently gone vegan. So, I thought it would be nice to make sweet potato burgers. They were so messy they fell apart, and we were so distracted talking to each other that one of the sides slightly burned. (GASP) What tragedy.
I can assure you if those burgers were a 2 on a scale of 1-5, these are definitely at least a 4.99! 😉 After years of experimenting, this sweet potato falafel burger recipe is my veggie burger pride and joy. Hopefully I’m not setting your expectations too high here, but either way I think you’ll be delighted when you make these at home.
The key to a great sweet potato burger is:
1) Not overcooking the potato.
2) Making sure you have the right ratio of ingredients to hold it all together.
3) Refrigerating the patty mixture before cooking.
You do those three things and you’re well on your way to sweet potato burger bliss. Read More
Baked Lemon Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
These Baked Lemon Chicken Thighs are topped with lemon, olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning. When paired with potatoes and leeks, it makes the ultimate sheet-pan meal.
Friends, we made it. It’s Friday! Raise your imaginary wine glass with me and let’s toast to making today and this weekend fantastic. Next week at this time, Mr. MLS and I will be hanging out with family in Indiana for Memorial Day festivities. It’s the first time we’ve seen many of our family members since Christmas, and we are so so so so very excited to hug and share life with each and every one of them.
What are you planning to do for Memorial Day? Do you have any traditions you’re working on? Any fun events happening? I want all the deets.
If you’re like me, over the next several days you’re going to be too busy planning things for next weekend to want to cook anything too crazy for dinner. Enter today’s post: the solution for having a delicious dinner without having to do hardly any work!
Guys. Once you chop up the potatoes, leeks and lemons, all you have to do is place things on the sheet, drizzle them with oil and seasoning, and walk away. The oven will do the rest for you. Isn’t that amazing?! Nothing to clean up, nothing to fuss over. I know … I’m speechless too.
FJ 08: Suzie Eller: Finding Joy in Being the 13th Disciple
Finding Joy is a podcast dedicated to bringing you encouragement and inspiration in all of life’s moments — the good, bad and everything in-between.
Suzie Eller is our guest for the eighth episode of the Finding Joy podcast! I can honestly say I’ve never met a woman more honest and comfortable in her own skin, and I’m so excited to introduce you to Suzie today. When she’s not writing or speaking for Proverbs 31 Ministries, Suzie is a wife, mother and “gaga” to six beautiful grand babies under the age of five!
She is also an author of articles, columns, and eight books including her most recent, Come With Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads. In this book, Suzie shows how, when you say yes to Jesus, you take a step away from the uncertainty, the to-do list, the worries and excuses. And you take a step toward the One who promises to delight and surprise, who will transform who you are, how you live, and how you impact the world.
In this episode, Suzie and I talk about:
- What it’s been like to live out what “Come With Me” is all about.
- What it means to be the 13th disciple.
- The joy that is found when God interrupts our plans.
- The freedom that is found in following after Jesus.
Suzie encourages us to ask ourselves the question: “What would happen if we whispered yes where no wants to take root?” What would happen if we embraced lives of freedom and claimed our true calling: to live life fully as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Want to win a copy of Suzie’s new book??? Enter below and also leave a review of the this podcast on the iTunes page. You have until Friday, May 20, to enter!
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