As we wrap up and reflect on the past year, I wanted to share with you the 5 most popular blog posts from 2014. I hope that reflecting on the past year brings you joy and encouragement. You encourage and lift me up every day!

Thank you for being such faithful friends!

1) Not Fair Prayer

Sometimes the things life throws at us can make us feel like God isn’t being fair. She got the job, and I didn’t. Her health is fine, and I have a chronic illness. The list could go on and on forever… we’ve all be there!
Here you are – frustrated, confused, sad or discouraged, but you desperately want to keep trusting God and His Word. What do you do?

Here are four ways to pray when you’re stuck in a rut and feel God just isn’t fair. I called it the “Not Fair Prayer”.

These four prayers will result in choices you can make and actions you can take. They are easy to remember and can be repeated in prayer as many times a day as you need.

2) 4 Life-Giving Truths for Every Daughter

I am a mom of two sons. But, if I had a daughter, this is what I would tell her. And, if I could go back in time and sit down with my teenage self, this is what I would tell her too.

Dear Daughter,
When you realize how powerful emotions can be…
When you come to a sudden bump in the road…
When you feel afraid…
When you don’t like what you see in the mirror…

3) A Promise for Moms Watching A Child Suffer

The burden you feel for your loved one is far heavier than the burden your loved one actually carries. God’s grace is sufficient for me to be blind. I know it; I feel it because I am the participant. If your loved one has trusted Christ, then He also has granted them the grace to bear their heavy burden. Trust that truth for the one you love.

Guard yourself from falling into despair or fear because you just “can’t imagine” how your loved one will make it. They will make it because of participant grace. You my dear friend, only have spectator grace as you watch. What you feel “for” that loved one is far heavier than what they feel for themselves because God’s grace absorbs much of the sting.

4) The Invitation Every Woman Wants

Please come to my house and hang out with me. I won’t clean it up for you. When you walk across my kitchen floor, your shoes may stick to the tiles every now and then. You will have to move shoes from in front of the couch when you sit down. There may be a hoodie or pair of socks in some random place that only you will locate because the rest of us who live here have not been able to find them for years.

5) 4 Psalms to Pray When You Need God’s Help

I love it when one of my sons echoes back to me words that originally came from my mouth.

God is ready to help us and He hears clearly when we echo back His words. And, when we don’t know what to pray, we can pray God’s Word back to Him. So, when you need God’s help, use these four Scriptures as the substance of your prayer, and He will “help a sister out!”

Question: What was one encouraging thing you learned in 2014?