Author: Natalie Grandmont

Do not worry… We hear this all the time. We read it in God’s Word, people tell us this, we tell people this. It’s actually even the chorus in one of our family’s favorite songs. What I love about our Jesus, is that He doesn’t just tell us NOT to do something. He tells us what to do instead. 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

I also love that He knows what worrying can do to us. He wants us to live in peace, not torture. I know that is what worrying can do to me. I can go round and round in my mind about what “could” happen. Isn’t that what worrying is… something that may or may not even happen. When we really think about what worrying is, it can seem quite silly, or dare I say… crazy? We cause ourselves so much unnecessary stress and anxiousness over something that may NOT even happen. Jesus help us! 

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
Matthew 6:34

Let’s try this. Giving our entire attention to today. Trust God. Pray about everything. Let God help when hard things happen. 

The best part… We don’t have to do this alone. We have one another!

Oh how I pray you have friends that will lay down their life for you!!! My deepest heart desire is for every woman to have that sisterhood, that friendship, that bond that unites souls through Jesus! There’s no friend like a friend that loves Jesus! 

Today I needed my friends. My sisterhood of women gathered around me and held me up in prayer as I navigated through some serious emotions. They prayed for me, encouraged me, and continued to check in with me. I’m FOR REAL about to cry right now sitting waiting on my to-go tacos. I want to scream, “I have the best friends in the whole wide world!!!!”. 

If you don’t have friends or even a friend like I’m talking about, please don’t stop praying for that friend, that sister. She’s out there… and I bet you a million dollars… she’s praying for you too. 
This evening I pray you feel the love that never fails, will never run out on you, will never betray you. The only perfect love, the love of our Heavenly Father. I also pray you find that sister or if you’ve already got her (or even a few) hold on tight! Pray with her. I promise it will be the best thing your friendship will ever have!

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

“Open up, heavens, and rain. Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness! Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation; 
Isaiah 45:8 (MSG)

I love the rain. Well… I love to listen to it from the warmth of my living room while sipping a hot cup of coffee or enjoying a warm bowl of my favorite soup. I love to play board games with my family or watch a great movie snuggled on the couch with my babies. That’s how I enjoy the rain. As I am writing this now I can hear it pouring outside my window as worship music plays in the background. It’s like perfect harmony. 

Soon, though, I will have to leave the comfort and shelter of my home to pick up my kids from school. I will be faced with the wet and cold effects of the rain. It seems as though this feels like life sometimes. We love the effect “rain” has after the fact. You know, like April showers bring May flowers. It’s a suffering before the breakthrough. It’s an inconvenience before the reward. It’s messy before it’s beautiful. 

I love how it says in Isaiah, open up, pour out, loosen up, and THEN bloom. I pray the frustration of whatever you are going through can be a reminder of God’s incredible salvation, love, and adoration for YOU. Let Him pour out all He has for you TODAY. Take it one day at a time. It’s worth it.