What is it about unanswered prayers that makes us believe God is holding out on us?
Somehow, though we have seen His faithfulness and sovereignty time and again, we need reminders of those sightings time and again. As I tend to write to preach to my own heart, I thought I’d share with this poem an old post that resonated with me again today and pairs nicely with this poem…in my opinion, at least. ๐
These blog posts are some of my favorites to write, and I’ve heard they’re favorites with some of you, as well. That makes me so happy…thank you for reading!!
That being said, after this post I am going to switch things up on you guys and turn the monthly memories posts into a monthly email sent to my newsletter subscribers. So! If you love these posts and don’t want to stop being nosy reading them, here’s the link to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss the next one.
(And if you’re concerned about email spam, don’t be. Sending a bi-weekly newsletter is my hope, but that goal is rarely reached these days.XD)
We make our lives insupportably complex by disobeying Jesus’ command to take no thought for tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow, when planning is necessary and possible, belongs properly to today. Worrying about tomorrow belongs nowhere. The Lord gives us daily, not weekly, bread. He gives strength according to our days, not our years.
If Jesus had been driven to the Gateway Arch and told by his intrepid redhead that they would hover 630 feet above ground in a claustrophobic viewing chamber, what would he do? Chances seemed solid that he too would regret not putting more caveats on his promise to do anything not involving a river.
I love Sara Brunsvold’s work. This one doesn’t feel as homey or as much of a comfort read as her previous books (it does revolve around a road trip, after all!), but instead it’s rich with complicated mother-daughter and sister relationships and deep dives into their personalities and heart struggles. I’m so glad I read it, and definitely recommend if you’re a contemporary fiction fan.
“You are right to be glad in His April days while He gives them. Every stage of heavenly growth in us is lovely to Him; He is the God of the daisies and the lambs and the merry child hearts!”
I’m still in the early chapters of this book, but it’s been so good already. (And it’s 50% off right now on Amazon!!)
That evil was a nameless evil, an evil whose name was Gnag the Nameless.
This book has been wildly popular with my sister and her peers, and one Sunday afternoon I finally cracked and decided I must know what the hype is all about. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.
Mule sank back in the booth, looking depressed. “I’ll have what I been havin’ before th’ new menu, a grilled pimiento cheese on white bread, hold the mayo.”
“Do you see anything on this menu sayin’ pimiento cheese? On this menu, we don’t have pimiento cheese, we ain’t goin’ to get pimiento cheese, and that’s th’ end of it.” The proprietor stomped away, looking disgusted.
“You made him mad,” said J.C., wiping his face with his handkerchief.
“How can a man make a livin’ without pimiento cheese on his menu?” Mule asked.
I’m trying to stay ahead of another sister in the Mitford series, and this book, as expected, has been equal parts humorous and heartwarming.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.
Psalm 104:33-34
From the journal…
When I know God, what grieves His heart will grieve mine…it will become personal.
Let Your will be done, and help me to love Your will.
You know my frame, O Father…provide for me as You see I need provision! Satisfy me with Your mercy as only You can. Keep my heart and mind pure and close to You, free from all traces of selfishness and bitterness.
The itch to know and to have and to be anything other than what God intends me to know, to have, and to be must go.
Elisabeth Elliot
What made your April memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you. We all win.:)
Holy Week is arguably my favorite week of the year, lodged deep in the heart of my favorite season of the year. It’s rife with emotion, reflection, tradition, and celebration – all things I treasure – and it’s centered around my Savior and His love, worth, and triumph.
It is a gift.
He is a gift.
Today I wanted to share some thoughts (shared last year in my newsletter) on a portion of Scripture that never – and I mean never – interested me until recently.
I don’t know why I always skimmed over the account of Jesus joining the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, but, apart from my childhood fascination with Jesus suddenly disappearing from the table after breaking bread, it had never stuck out to me before.
But finally one phrase in that account hit home…
“Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things…concerning Jesus of Nazareth…and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”
luke 24:18-21
I can almost hear the devastation and confusion, even the hurt in Cleopas’ voice as he shares his shattered hopes with the man he has yet to learn is Jesus.
And yet I almost smile in anticipation of the revelation that is to come for him. Just wait, Cleopas! He has redeemed Israel! Just in a far better, far grander way than you could have dreamed.
Just wait.
I think this story has finally stuck out to me because I find Cleopas’ disappointment and disillusionment to be so relatable. Over and over again I’ve dreamed up ways God could redeem the broken storylines that hang aching in my life, and over and over again I turn confused and hurt-filled eyes to Jesus and whisper,ย
“But I was hoping You were going to redeem this.”
I can picture His patient smile. Just wait, Laurel! I am redeeming this! Just in a far better, far grander way than you could have dreamed.
Just wait.
I’ll be honest; my flesh is so very sick of waiting.
I, with the disciples who ran confused after Christ’s crucifixion, want answers and healing right here, right now, and I know I’m not the only one.
But.
God has all the time in the world.
He is in no hurry.
He is good. He is righteous. He sees you, and He sees me. His heart breaks at this brokenness, too.
And He is a Redeemer, never late, ever unafraid of the clock.
So even when our hearts want so badly to scream for wholeness on our terms and on our timelines, we can lay our fears and even our anger to rest on the heart that bled out for us.
I scribbled this on a sticky note the other day and stuck it on my fridge as a reminder:
I have learned not to fear the silence of God.
God’s silence stretched on for 400 years, and then He changed the world forever.
He is not silent in confusion, indecision, or fear.
He is silent in anticipation.
Oh, what a wondrous God we get to love and serve! May He be the strength of our hearts today and our portion forever.
I’m noticing as I look back on this month that it held a good amount of firsts…what a sanctifying adventure it was!!
Lord Crucified, O mark Thy holy Cross On motive, preference, all fond desires, On that which self in any form inspires, Set Thou that sign of loss.
And when the touch of death is here and there Laid on a thing most precious in our eyes, Let us not wonder, let us recognize The answer to this prayer.
Amy Carmichael
Things worth remembering…
worshipping with my aunt and uncle’s church family in CA at long last
just sitting and watching the waves roll in from the Pacific for the first time
clam chowder
hiking in the California hills
precious time with family I hadn’t seen in years
getting the giggles with my sister/travel buddy multiple times
my local library’s winter reading challenge
reading in the sunshine
coffee dates with friends
shocking myself by thoroughly enjoying several rounds of hide and seek
watching green grass begin to come through the lawn
a spontaneous ice cream run
getting to lead worship with a drum set for the first time
the blizzard happening on a day I didn’t have to work (three cheers for my brother who braved the snow)
this, says Your whisper, is the test of my love, begging it to become a love that is not contingent on bloated expectations, but a love that trusts even when blood runs into the eyes and pain carves canyons in the heart.
The whole Christian life is a process of bringing the self-life down to death in order that the life of Jesus may be manifest in us.
I had meant to begin this book earlier, but as the Lord so often orchestrates things, I ended up reading it at a very meaningful time. I hadn’t read Elisabeth Elliot in a long time, and it was a joy to come back to her work. This is well worth the read.
โFatherโcontinue to open me and lay me bare, for I have been selfish and closed, always keeping something back, even from You. Forgive me. . .โ
My goodness. I savored every moment of this book. I absolutely loved how the author gave so many of the townspeople a POV in this book, and told us so many of the characters’ love stories firsthand! It was absolutely adorable and the humor was impeccable, too…I was laughing out loud. If you love Mitford already, please please read this book.
As he tread past her to approach the sofa opposite her, she stuck her foot out, tripping him…she met his gaze with mock sincerity. “Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realise you were aware of my presence.”
It’s taking me a bit longer to get into this book, but it involves espionage, hidden backstories, and a WWI setting in England…I’m enjoying the vibes and look forward to getting swept up in the plot as it continues!
Measure thy life by loss and not by gain; not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth, for love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice, and he that suffereth most hath most to give.
Ugo Bassi
From the journal…
Flow through me, Father. Keep me emptied of my own selfish ambitions and desires, and satisfy me fully in Your love.
…forgive me for the times I have angrily or impatiently questioned You, despising Your simple, gracious provision. Open my eyes and hands to the riches You shower upon me!
There will never be a plot twist that reveals Your love to be less or absent – only ever greater and more lavish than I could have dreamed. Thank You for this grace.
Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel – that will stand.
Proverbs 19:20-21
What made your March memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you. We all win.:)
February was a stretching month…one of learning (mostly the hard way) to rest my restless soul and mind in Christ and trust that He is the all-sufficient Savior He truly is, even when life is wild and a bit intimidating and I find myself to be so insufficient. What a gift it is to be able to rest in Him! <3
There were also so many lovely things that filled this February. Here’s a sampler…
BUT FIRST!!!
I wanted to share a reminder that I’m running a Winter’s End giveaway, and it ends this Friday. If you haven’t entered yet and would enjoy a lovely new book to add to your collection (there are two up for grabs!!), please do head over to the giveaway post to enter.
Alright.
Back to the regular post…
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Psalm 107:8-9
Things worth remembering…
ice skating with a brother
running into a dear friend at the grocery store on a hard day
listening to a song from a friend at just the right moment
cooking with my sisters
a bookish Galentines get-together
the long way home and healing conversation + prayer
flowers from a friend
Valentine’s Day nachos and cheesecake and movie with siblings
reading on the porch with sunlight and a sleepy dog
a delightfully quiet and yet social afternoon of crocheting with other ladies
wig-wearing, house cleaning, and packing with a sister
several firsts on the last day of the month: seeing snow-capped mountains, setting foot in both Colorado and California, renting a car, piloting aforementioned car through six-lane traffic. ‘Twas a day to remember.
We all long for Eden and are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature is soaked with a sense of exile.
I believe God is sovereign, and I also believe Iโm responsible and God holds me responsible for the choices that I make. I simply trust God that both assertions of Scripture are true.
I didn’t adore this book as a whole, but it was an informative read!
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer Greatest treasure of my longing soul My God, like You there is no other True delight is found in You alone
I’m struck by God’s attention to beauty and the smallest details in His instructions for the building of the tabernacle. Father, give me the patience and reverence for You that I need to care so deeply about the small things I often allow to slip through the cracks. Truly let all I do be done for the love of You.
Help me to live surrendered, Father, serving fully and faithfully in the corners of life to which You call me. I feel so small sometimes…so insignificant in the face of a world full of hurt. May I know that I am small and fit well in Your Almighty hand.
The most transformational thing you can do today is to look clearly at Christ with the eyes of your heart.
Alistair Begg
What made your February memorable? What beauty have you been seeing these days?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you. We all win.:)
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
Antoine de Saint-Exupรฉry
Things worth remembering…
a New Year’s Day feast and stories swapped over coffee
baking bread
coffee and book talk with a kindred spirit
lotsss of reading
cooking up bacon and onions and potatoes all at once and feeling like a hobbit
finding new artwork for the living room
a new book study
God moving in ways I never saw coming
surviving fierce winds and severe cold on the farm
Our conversation with others declares what is on our minds. But our conversation with God in private reveals what is in our hearts. Listen to someone pray – or listen to yourself pray – and you gain a window into the very center of the being.
I’m going through this book with a group of other women this winter. It’s so good.
They encouraged each other by walking individually with God and finding His grace sufficient to meet their needs. Together, their lives intertwined into a cord of shared ministry that was stronger than either could have woven alone.
Finally finished this one. It’s an absolute gem, and I highly recommend it.
Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned? Why could I never please? Why was it useless to try to win any one’s favour? …I dared commit no fault: I strove to fulfill every duty; and I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to noon, and from noon to night.
I’ve been wanting to reread this book for a long time and finally picked it up alongside my mom. Ugh, it’s so rich, and I despise John Reed!!
“A man’s legacy is the flavor he leaves behind in the mouths of those close enough to taste his character.”
It took me a little while to get into this one, but I’m over a hundred pages in and thoroughly enjoying it…I hope that continues!
Indeed, these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
Job 26:14a
From the journal…
Strengthen my hands to lay all my hopes and fears to rest on Your chest, and fix my eyes in sheer adoration on You.
Let me trust the entirety of Your grace, the all-consuming power of Your sacrifice. Let me see how small I am in the shadow of Your Cross.
Be patient and so utterly confident in God that you never question His ways or your waiting time.
Oswald Chambers
What made your January memorable?
Stay the course, friends! May this month bring us ever closer to Christ’s heart.
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you.:)
Before another word could be said, a little old lady appeared in the hall, trying to look stern and failing entirely, because she was the picture of a dear, fat, cozy grandma.
I read this with friends for a book club! It wasn’t my absolute favorite read from Alcott (it began to feel repetitive after awhile), but there were some sweet, thought-provoking stories with Louisa May Alcott’s inevitable dash of humor. Her characters are so endearing!
I almost didn’t listen to this audiobook because I didn’t love the first book in the series, but I’m glad my restless mind got the better of me; I enjoyed this one so much more the one that preceded it! It ended on a horrible cliffhanger, though, and the third book doesn’t come out till March. Boo!!
โWe are not called to be successful in accordance with ordinary standards, but in accordance with a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, becoming in that way what it never could be if it were to abide alone.โ
You know I’m not the biggest fan of the romance genre, but this Christmas rom-com has delighted me with how much I’ve been able to enjoy it! I love the depth of the characters and the author’s sense of humor. If you’re a rom-com fan, you should definitely check this book out.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm 145:17-18
From the journal…
Strengthen my hands to lay all my hopes and fears to rest on Your chest, and fix my eyes in sheer adoration on You.
Live slowly enough to be able to think deeply about God.
J.I. Packer
What made your December memorable?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you.:)
I wrote this piece a couple of years ago and wanted to share it now. I hope it can be a blessing!
Practice guitar for the Christmas program.
Continue with gift preparations.
Finalize edits on my auntโs obituary.
Itโs a cruel and confusing thing to be grieving while the world swirls in such happiness and anticipation to the tune of โItโs the Most Wonderful Time of the Yearโ blaring over the radio.
But isnโt that why we have a Christmas in the first place?
God saw, God grieved, and so He came. Christmas isnโt a fragile veneer thatโs been plastered over reality. Itโs the reality of God made flesh so death could die, and deep grief gives us the opportunity to celebrate that in a way that goes much deeper than trite choruses and wooden nativity scenes.
We stand beside caskets that hold the shells of the ones who have burst into eternity before us, and we lower them into a hole in the earthโs frozen heart and our weeping hollows us out because we are broken, dying humans living in a broken, dying world.
But we sow these shells in a sure and tearful expectation, because, just as the souls we have loved have shed their shells, these shells will one day shed these caskets and meet their Savior in the air because we are healing, blood-bought humans living for a healed and blood-bought world.
And so we carry our grief, sometimes over our shoulders, sometimes in deep, hidden pockets, but always with a deep-seated expectation that weeping only endures for a night, and joy will come with the morning.
Whether that morning is earthside or not matters not to us, because we are trusting a flimsy future to the hands of a sturdy God. He has worked all for the good of those who love Him, and He is unchanging. Why should He think He will break that habit now?
Indeed, in the triune God is the love behind all love, the life behind all life, the music behind all music, the beauty behind all beauty and the joy behind all joy.
My favorite non-fiction read of 2025, hands down. Read it!!
โWe are not called to be successful in accordance with ordinary standards, but in accordance with a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, becoming in that way what it never could be if it were to abide alone.โ
I found this book deeply impactful in high school and have been enjoying a reread.
And I will wait on the LORD, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.
Isaiah 8:17
From the journal…
May every fiber of my being magnify and rejoice in You!
Lord, let me be obedient to the point of the death of my dreams.
I am satisfied because of Who God is. Please be the first thing I seek, the One I long for in the driest of seasons. Help me to see Your lovingkindness as truly better than life.
To pray, “Thy will be done,” I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.
Elisabeth Elliot
What made your November memorable?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you.:)
And that is the God revealed by Jesus Christ. Before He ever created, before He ever ruled the world, before anything else, this God was a Father loving His Son.
AHHHHH!!! Read this book!!! I’ve known the Lord since childhood, but this book digs so deeply into the triune nature of God and what it says about Him (and consequently about our relationship with Him), I feel like I’m meeting and falling in love with Him for the first time all over again.โจ
Gardening is one part labor of our hands and one part God’s sovereign care through creation. It’s a reminder to us that God often chooses to provide at the intersection of our just get started and His watch me do this.
Hands down one of the very best books I’ve read this year. I came to it expecting a recipe for surviving unwanted circumstances and came away challenged to thrive in the pieces and seasons of life I wouldn’t have chosen. It was also an encouragement to me to stop moping at the doors God’s closed to me and instead start asking Him to show me the doors He’s opening and give me the courage to walk through them. If you’re struggling with discontentment or restlessness, read this book if you can.
โThe way to shape a childโs heart is through love. And the way to shape a childโs mind is through literature. When you read to a child, you accomplish both.โ
Romance still isn’t my genre, hehe, but I so enjoy Nicole Deese’s writing style and endearing characters. I listened to the audiobook after my sister read the book, and it was so much fun to discuss it with her. I’d recommend this book if you enjoy the clean contemporary romance genre, fun-loving male MCs (think a hilarious dinosaur obsession), parts of the story told through text threads, and some adorable kids.
Character is shaped by the level of God’s control in our lives.
This one popped up as a recommended audiobook on Spotify, and, to be honest, I was skeptical but in possession of lots of audiobook hours to use before the end of the month, so…I started it. I haven’t listened to much of it, but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised. Thus far it’s been a convicting and encouraging listen.
“‘Snickers has ear mites, I hope Barnabas is doin’ fine in all those sandspurs, I hope to th’ Lord you’ll check his paws on a regular basis.’ Emma was running her straw around the bottom of the cup and sucking with great expectation, but not finding much. He turned the volume down on the answering machine.”
Continuing the Mitford series…as always, it’s a lighthearted yet touching read.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
Psalm 119:37
From the journal…
Help me to treasure and see as weighty the gaze of Your eyes alone.
I laugh in wonderstruck delight
at the order You have settled in the heavens:
the way You set Earth in its orbit
just close enough to smile at the rays of the sun.
and yet I worry that I – a trillionth of a speck
on the face of North America –
missed something that You wanted me to find,
and now it can never be recovered.
Your sovereignty, O Lord,
has taken into consideration my clumsiness…
Ever heighten my sensitivity to sin in my own life and root it out, but ever deepen my comprehension of the depth of Your grace. Don’t let Satan wield my awareness of sin (confessed and repented-of sin) to drive me deep into despair and a sense of worthlessness…show me Your glory and Your mercy!
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
titus 2:11-14
What made your October memorable?
<3 Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Versionยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commissionโฆat no extra cost to you.:)
