Girls To Grow - Page 2 of 183 - Nurturing moms in their walk with God

Saturday Salutes ~ And a Recap of Our NYC Trip

December 15, 2018 by Tracey 4 Comments

Last weekend we took our daughters to New York City. Since our oldest turned 18 on December 1st, and our youngest turned 16 on December 3rd, it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” type birthday trip for them.

We’d all been to New York City before, but never at Christmas time. It was nice to see the city all decked out in holiday decorations.

Our younger daughter wanted to go up in the Empire State Building at night, so we headed there after walking around Times Square on Thursday night. Beautiful views, but cold and SO windy!

On our way to Rockefeller Center Friday morning, the girls recognized this setting from several Hallmark Christmas movies.

We were headed to Rockefeller Center because the girls wanted to go ice skating there. Mission accomplished!

After ice skating (and a bit of shopping in Times Square), we walked around Bryant Park. If you’re ever in the city during the holidays, I highly recommend this. There were all types of vendors set up around the park, and there was an ice skating rink there as well. Our older daughter and I got empanadas from one of the food stands for lunch, and they were delicious! (I’m sure partly because they were piping hot and both our outsides and insides were cold!)

On Saturday, we visited Freedom Tower and went up to the One World Observatory. We’d been to the 9/11 Memorial before, but the 9/11 Museum hadn’t yet opened the last time we were in New York. Even though we spent a good deal of time there, I felt like there were still things I didn’t see. It was quite crowded, which made it difficult to navigate through some of the exhibits. That day still stands out so vividly to me, and it was very moving to be taken back in my mind to those events.

We popped into Macy’s briefly late Saturday afternoon. It was beautiful inside, but what a zoo – people everywhere! We did ride the escalators up to the eighth floor, but no shopping was happening for us there!

We also caught a couple of shows, and just had a wonderful time being together as a family.

Now on to some good posts I found recently.

Cyndi has 10 Small Ways to Bring Peace into Your Home.

Sara tells us How to Thrive When You’re in a Season of Waiting.

Nancy lists 10 Ways to Enjoy Your Kids During Christmas Vacation.

I know a number of families who will be spending their first Christmas without a loved one. Chara shares words of hope in Christmas Mourning.

I enjoyed Christina’s Farmhouse Plaid Christmas Tour.

And here’s a bit of advice for teenage girls from Samantha Ponder’s Instagram stories that I shared with my daughters.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

It’s the Gift We All Need

December 6, 2018 by Tracey 4 Comments

Are you doing any dedicated Advent reading leading up to the Christmas season? I mentioned in a previous post that I’m reading Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas this month.

Here’s what I read the other day that grabbed my attention.

“Worry is belief gone wrong. Because you don’t believe that God will get it right.”

Sit with that for a while. Doesn’t that drill right down into the root of all our worry?

When we worry, we’re basically saying, “God, I don’t trust you with the outcome of this situation.” We think that we know what’s best – and we’re not sure it’s going to work out that way. And if God doesn’t do it the way we think it should be done, then we’re convinced it will end badly.

Yes, we know in our heads Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good. And we know we should be able to trust God with whatever we’re facing. Yet our human hearts and minds seem hardwired to worry.

But, my sweet friends, we can rest in the knowledge that God will get it right.

It's the original Christmas gift, and it's needed now just as much as it ever was.

We’ve lived long enough to know that hard times will come. And when they do, we can know that God stands ready to provide for our need. Here’s what Voskamp goes on to say.

“In the thin air of Advent, you may not even know how to say it out loud: ‘I thought it would be easier.’ And your God comes near: I will provide the way.

You may not even know who to tell: ‘I thought it would be different.’ And your God draws close: I will provide grace for the gaps.

You may not even know how to find words for it: ‘I thought I would be…more.’ And your God reaches out: I will provide me.

God gives God. That is the gift God always ultimately gives. Because nothing is greater and we have no greater need.”

In this season of giving and receiving, there’s no greater gift than God. The original Christmas gift, a babe born in a manger, for the purpose of redeeming the world to God, is ours for the taking.

There’s nothing greater we can do than point people to that gift, to Jesus, the One who can meet their every need. No wrapped box under the tree is worth more than what Jesus gives, salvation to all who believe.

And I love that phrase “grace for the gaps.” Because sometimes it’s not an overwhelming calamity that I’m facing. It can be a relatively small struggle. But even there, His grace can fill in the cracks, meeting me right where I am.

Remember this other Romans 8 verse, number 32? It says, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

We serve a great God who desires to give us every gift that will be good for us and bring glory to Him. And more of Him is always just what we need.

Saturday Salutes ~ A Stress-Free Holiday and Farmhouse Style

December 1, 2018 by Tracey 6 Comments

So it’s birthday week around here. Our oldest daughter (the middle one in the picture) turns 18 today, and our youngest will be 16 on Monday. I just don’t feel old enough to have children these ages!! You’re likely familiar with the following quote from Gretchen Rubin, but it’s so true: “The days are long, but the years are short.”

Here are several good posts I found this past week.

Raluca lists 7 Things That Will Help You Enjoy a Stress-Free Holiday Season.

Ruth has Ideas for Keeping Christ at the Center of Your Christmas.

Joy shares Family Christmas Traditions to Start This Year.

Taryn details Quick and Easy Christmas Table Decor Ideas.

On a non-holiday note, if you like farmhouse style, you’ll enjoy Rhoda’s post highlighting Big Family Little Farmhouse.

Kate talks about what she’s learned as a mom in Seasons of Our Lives.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

7 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Christmas (Especially If You’re Not Feeling It Yet)

November 28, 2018 by Tracey 6 Comments

I am solidly on the side of not starting Christmas preparations until Thanksgiving is over. My girls did manage to sneak in a little Christmas music on the car radio prior to Thanksgiving Day, but I did mildly protest!

Now you may be like my daughters, ready to start celebrating the Christmas season at the beginning of November, and that’s fine.

Regardless, Christmas preparations are now in full swing. This past weekend we got our live tree, decorated it, and are now asking Alexa to play us Christmas songs every morning. The wreath is on the door, and the advent calendar is hanging on the wall.

But I’m just not feeling it yet. I love the tree, and how cozy it makes our house feel. I’m happy that the stockings are hung. And I’m not in the throes of gift-buying madness or cookie-baking panic, either. I just don’t have that Christmas spirit.

If you don't feel that Christmas spirit yet, try one or more of these seven ways to celebrate the season.

We still have a while to get there, but if you’re like me, maybe one of the ways I’ve listed below will help us get our hearts ready for this Christmas season.

1. Read an advent devotional or follow a Christmas-themed Bible reading plan.

I just started Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story. Technically the book starts on December 1st. However, I know I’ll miss a couple of days somewhere in the month, so I started a few days early. Other activities like lighting advent candles or decorating a Jesse Tree can help get you in a Christmas frame of mind.

2. Play Christmas music.

I shocked my girls earlier this week when I confessed that I’m not a big fan of Christmas hymns. They made me feel like I’ve been living a lie all these years, complimenting them on the Christmas piano pieces they’ve played in church or at recitals when I’m not a big fan of the songs, lol!

There are a few traditional hymns that I like, but I also really enjoy songs from Christmas cantatas that I’ve heard performed (an all-time favorite being Ten Thousand Hallelujahs. Here’s one of the songs.) The point is, find seasonal music that causes you to think about Jesus’ birth. (Christmas Grace is a new favorite of mine this year.) Add in a few fun Christmas tunes, too!

3. Start planning your giving.

Yes, my like-to-be-organized self makes a list of who we’re buying gifts for, how much we plan to spend, and all that good stuff. But let’s go beyond that. Who can we bless this Christmas season? Is there a person you could help that can likely never return the favor? What about anonymous giving?

Whether we bake cookies, deliver a meal, or find a great deal on a gift we know someone will love, let’s get the focus off of ourselves. We truly receive a bigger blessing when we give rather than when we’re on the receiving end.

4. Find good Christmas entertainment.

Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, with the kids or by yourself. Maybe a Hallmark Christmas movie will inspire you. As a family, listen to a Christmas-related audiobook or read one aloud yourself.

I like The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This Family Read-Aloud Christmas Treasury looks good, as does Home for Christmas: Stories for Old and Young. (I think Nikki recommended the second one.)

5. Read the Christmas story in Luke 2 every day between now and December 25th.

Go back to Luke 1 and read the history of Elisabeth and Mary. Go over to Matthew 1 to read about Joseph, and Matthew 2 for the story of the wise men. Meditate on the people and events that surrounded the birth of baby Jesus.

6. Write down a list of ten reasons why Jesus being born at Christmas is important to you.

Want help getting started? Jesus came to earth to be born as a baby because of God’s great love for us. Because Jesus came to earth and submitted to God’s plan, our sins can be forgiven. You get the idea.

Once you have your list finished, read through it once a day.

7. Attend a Christmas-themed event.

Go to a play, a musical, a tree lighting, a parade, a big Christmas lights display, or a concert. There are likely all kinds of community events in your area centered around Christmas. See if the Christmas spirit is contagious!

The Christmas season is just getting underway, and I hope you’ll enjoy these next few weeks as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

[If you have children, check out these 5 Christmas Bible Verses to Teach Your Children and 10 Gifts from Jesus to Unwrap This Year: An Object Lesson for Our Children.]

Saturday Salutes ~ and the Books I Read in November

November 24, 2018 by Tracey 6 Comments

I couldn’t believe how much color was still on the trees in the NC and TN mountains this week. Just beautiful!!

Christin tells us The Best Way to Love Your Husband.

If you’re planning family photos any time soon, check out these tips from Corina in What to Wear for Family Photos.

Susan shares 7 Important Things I’ve Learned About Parenting Over 46 Years. Number seven is one that I often need to remember!

Kara has Holiday Gifts to Give Yourself Now That You’ll Thank Yourself for Later.

Tracy tells us How a Professional Organizer Approaches the Holidays.

So I read A LOT of books this month. Yay for a weeklong vacation with plenty of time in the cabin!

Here were my three non-fiction reads.

Remember God by Annie F. Downs was a really good, quick read. Annie is very vulnerable in this book as she shares some tender parts of her story. It was an encouragement to me to continue to trust God whether or not my life is turning out as I thought it would.

From Mom to Me Again by Melissa Shultz was a memoir of this author’s first year as an empty-nester. It was an interesting read, though I preferred last month’s “empty-nest” read.

Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush was another memoir on my list this month. I enjoyed reading about some of the “behind-the-scenes” moments, especially related to 9/11, and also their memories of special times with their dad.

Here are the four fiction books I read this month.

I had high hopes for Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis by Patti Callahan due to lots of positive reviews I’d heard about the book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Since this was a fiction book, it did inspire me to do some research into Joy Davidman and her relationship with C.S. Lewis.

I enjoyed the mystery in The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble. I’ll likely eventually read the next book in the series.

Farraday Road and Swope’s Ridge by Ace Collins are the first two books in his Lije Evans series. I got a little lost with all the characters a few times, but overall it was an interesting mystery. Know that the mystery is not resolved in the first book; it leaves you hanging, and wraps up a bit more neatly in the second one. There’s a third book as well that I haven’t read yet.

Today is Christmas tree day! We typically go to a home improvement store and pick out a 6-to-7-foot Fraser fir tree. Hopefully I can get it decorated in the next couple of days.

Have a wonderful weekend!

There’s No Time Like the Present to Be Thankful

November 21, 2018 by Tracey 4 Comments

Thanksgiving.

For those of us who try to make gratefulness a priority all year long, this is a welcome season! It helps us focus on gratitude on a daily basis. It’s a time when even our culture encourages us to be thankful.

Psalm 103 gives us many reasons to be thankful to God, so start expressing your gratitude to Him today.

I recently read Psalm 103, and it’s a wonderful thanksgiving passage. Let’s look at the first six verses.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Wow, what a list of benefits from our Lord! Forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness (so often undeserved, might I add), and good things to satisfy our mouth. (And won’t we have an abundance of those on Thanksgiving day!!) Verse two tells us not to forget all these benefits; remembering what God has done for us is important!

My mind has been drawn to God’s healing this week. My sister’s husband just lost his mother to cancer at a relatively young age. Our family and many others prayed for her for a long time, asking God to take away the cancer and heal her body.

God answered our prayer for healing, but not in the way we would have prescribed. A few days ago, He gave her a permanent healing, an everlasting relief from her pain. It’s another life circumstance that can make us want to doubt His goodness and providence. Yet we know that giving thanks in all things is part of His will for us. [I Thessalonians 5:18] And we trust in His plan to always do what is for our good and His glory.

In verses 10-12, we find a benefit that only God can give us, forgiveness of sins.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Mercy. That’s God’s compassion and forbearance raining down on us. It can’t even be measured. We could never in a million lifetimes have paid for our sin. Yet Jesus Christ took it all on Himself, and paid our penalty.

Verses 15-16 remind us of just how fast our lives go by.

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

Let’s be thankful for the time we have. We each get a certain number of years to flourish and prosper. But they’re short. And then, just like when a flower dies, we won’t be remembered long here. But each day we’re given, we can be doing what will matter when we’re gone as we love others, share our faith, and seek to bring glory to God.

Then verse 19 brings hope for our souls.

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

I might be a little depressed these days if I thought all I had was this life here on earth. There’s lots of injustice, dishonesty, corruption, and plain ol’ evil. But we just read that God’s got a throne in heaven and that one day, He will reign over all. So whether or not politics goes our way or justice seems to be served, we can be thankful that all will one day be made right by the King of Kings.

The last verse of Psalm 103 brings us full circle.

Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

Bless the Lord with me in this Thanksgiving season!!

On a personal note, I hope you and those you’re celebrating with have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We’re spending the week, just the four of us, in a cabin in the mountains near Pigeon Forge, TN. Our Thanksgiving meal will be courtesy of Cracker Barrel. (Not a first for us, for sure, even though some kids in one of my daughter’s classes told her that eating at Cracker Barrel doesn’t count as a real Thanksgiving meal, ha!! Don’t worry – one day soon, I’ll make all our Thanksgiving favorites at home!)

I’m very thankful for each one of you who takes the time to read this blog. May you recognize God’s goodness in your life, not only at Thanksgiving, but every day of the year!

Saturday Salutes ~ Prickly Teens and Audiobooks for Kids

November 10, 2018 by Tracey 7 Comments

My younger daughter (on the left) and her friend before their Veterans’ Day program at school yesterday.

Katie lists 8 Ways to Live a Simpler Life as a Christian Mother.

Elizabeth says My Prickly Teen is Teaching Me New Ways to Love. If you don’t have a teenager yet, trust me when I say you may want to save this post to refer to later!!

Tricia shares How to Truly Love Your Middle Schooler.

I realized anew how much I take the Bible for granted after reading Rachel’s article on Two Secret Churches in North Korea Show How Powerful the Bible Really Is.

If you have a road trip coming up, you may want to check out Anne’s list of 40 Favorite Audiobooks for Kids.

My plans for today include going on a breakfast date with my husband, then taking one of my daughters shopping for basketball shoes. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Only Three Pennies Left

November 6, 2018 by Tracey 6 Comments

In spite of the title above, this blog post has very little to do with money! But I love a good object lesson, and I wanted to share this one with you today.

Last week I was listening to Eryn Lynum talk about her book 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting on a podcast episode of Family Life Today.

She shared the story of when she and her husband dedicated their little boy to Christ during a service at their church. The pastor gave each of the families a jar filled with 936 pennies.

He explained that each penny represented one week of their child’s life from the time they were born until they turned 18. At the end of each week, the parents were to remove one penny from the jar. This visual aid was to remind parents of the passing of time and to encourage them to be intentional in how they spent the weeks they had with their children.

As Eryn finished the story, I thought about how our jar would look if we’d been given 936 pennies when our oldest daughter was born.

Right now, there’d be only three pennies left.

It's hard to believe, but our time of hands-on parenting with our oldest child is almost over.
Yes, in just over three weeks, our oldest daughter turns 18.

That’s hard for me to fathom. To visualize a big glass jar, once full of pennies and heavy to lift, now basically empty.

Admittedly, she’ll still be living in our home for another nine months, until she goes off to college. But looking back, I have to ask myself, “How have I spent the last 933 weeks?”

There’s lots of good to look back on. There are certainly also those mom moments that I’m not proud of. Hopefully, those will fade from both her memory and mine.

I have to wonder at this stage if she’s caught the most important things, what really matters in life. And I wonder if I’ve lived before her a Godly example she can follow.

So while I’m taking a moment to look back, there’s room for all of us to look forward.

How many pennies are left in your child’s jar? Maybe you’ve only taken out a handful, perhaps it’s half full, or maybe, like me, the jar is almost empty.

Regardless of how what your jar looks like, you get to choose how you parent today.

Let’s remember the overall lesson here. Be intentional in our parenting. For whatever time you have left with your child in your home, purposely decide what’s most important to you that they learn. Keep the list small, and refer to it often. Maybe it’s simply five things, that could look something like this.

~ God loves you.

~ Character counts.

~ Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

~ Attitude is everything.

~ God is always good.

These are just some of my ideas, but you can come up with your own list. What are the values you want your child to have ingrained in their heart when you pull that last penny out of the jar? Make your times of discipline, the teachable moments, every meaningful interaction with your child tie back to one of these principles.

Instead of mindlessly letting the weeks go by, we want to seize the opportunity to train and guide our children in the way that they should go.

And while there are only three pennies left in our oldest daughter’s jar, I’d like to think there’s something else in there. It’s the unseen grace of God that’s covered each day of her life. For even if I’d tried to seize every moment of every week, I’d still have things I wish I’d done better or lessons I know I should have taught her.

But praise God, it’s not all up to me. God’s grace covers those weeks when I lost my temper or was too lazy to grab that teachable moment. It was also His grace that allowed me to connect with her heart and share truths from God’s Word.

And when there’s only an empty jar left, He’ll continue to work in her life. As for me, I’ll continue to pray for and influence her in the best way I know how.

So let’s visualize our jars of pennies and look for ways to be intentional in our parenting. Then remember to thank God for His grace that covers it all.

Saturday Salutes ~ Alleviating Stress and Thanksgiving Tradition Ideas

November 3, 2018 by Tracey 4 Comments

We took our girls to the fair on Monday night. We hadn’t been to the fair in years! The highlight for the girls was the rides, and for my husband and I, it was the funnel cake!

Cambria has 20 Simple Ways to Alleviate Your Stress.

Deanna shares Thanksgiving Tradition Ideas Your Family Will Love.

Elizabeth asks, Having a Bad Mom Day? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Tell Yourself.

Victoria gives tips for Drawing Close to God During the Busy Season of Motherhood.

I’m excited to read Myquillyn Smith’s new book Cozy Minimalist Home. I’ve heard her talking about the book on several podcasts lately, and it sounds like a practical, helpful home decorating book (especially for the decor-challenged like me!) I rarely buy actual books anymore (I rely on my library or my Kindle), but I think I’d like to have this one to keep. Here’s an excerpt about learning the art of having a cozy home with less stuff.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

How’s Your Memory? 4 Benefits of Recalling God’s Work in Your Life

November 1, 2018 by Tracey 6 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had a day full of a long list of errands to accomplish.

My final stop was the grocery store. I’d made a list of ten to fifteen items I needed. I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t have a list when I go to the grocery store – even if it’s for five things – there’s a huge chance I’ll get home and realize I forgot the key ingredient I needed to make supper.

Excited that I was almost ready to go home, I grabbed a grocery cart and headed to the back of the store. About halfway to the dairy section, I realized I’d left my list in the car. At this point, I was too focused on just getting done to walk all the way through the store and back to the car to retrieve my list.

I decided to rely on my memory – a risky proposition, for sure! After I checked out and put my bags in the car, I looked over my list still lying on the front seat. Thankfully, I actually remembered the most important things, and only forgot stuff I didn’t need till later. I have to admit to being pretty proud of myself that day!!

Just as God commanded the Israelites, we also need to remember what God has done for us in the past.

The reason I’m talking about remembering things today is because of a verse I noticed as we ended our Sunday School lesson this week. We’ve been studying Gideon, and Judges 8:34 tells us what happened right after he died.

“And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side.”

One of God’s frequent commands to the Israelites in the Old Testament was for them to remember what He had done for them. Remember means to bring something to mind, or to think about it again.

In the book of Deuteronomy alone, God specifically told His people at least nine times that they were to remember what He did in bringing them out of Egypt. (If you’d like to look those up on your own, here are the references – Deuteronomy 5:15, 7:18, 8:2, 8:18, 15:15, 16:3, 16:12, 24:18, 24:22.)

Surely if God was that insistent on the Israelites remembering what He had done for them, He would want us to do the same. I found five verses in Psalms to encourage us in this area.

“And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.” ~Psalm 78:35

God is my rock and my redeemer. He is firm and unchanging, and I can always depend on Him. Reflecting on any of God’s character traits will lead me to praise Him.

“Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;” ~Psalm 105:5

Reflecting on His works and His wonders also causes me to praise Him. Whether it’s studying the miracles of the Bible or looking back at the wonderful ways He’s shown Himself mighty in my own life, I can recognize that whatever I’m currently facing is no match for an all-powerful God.

“I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.” ~Psalm 119:55

I love how this verse mentions remembering the Lord’s name in the night. If you’re like me, and sometimes have trouble sleeping, what better way to comfort yourself than by meditating on the names of God.

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.” ~Psalm 143:5

This type of remembering isn’t just a passing thought. No, we think on His works carefully, thoroughly, and seriously.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” ~Isaiah 46:9

We serve a great God. He alone is God. No one else can do what He can. Only our God can keep His every promise

So why all the commands to remember? Why was it important for the Israelites to remember how God delivered them? What will remembering do for us?

Here are four benefits of remembering what God has done for us.

1. It cultivates gratitude.

I think this quote from Ann Voskamp in her book, One Thousand Gifts, says it well.

“Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time’s shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried.”

How can we help but be grateful when we spend time remembering all that God has done for us! In big ways and small, He has been faithful to love, guide, and watch over us.

2. It creates trust.

A God who has brought us through trials in the past can be trusted to carry us through whatever is ahead.

3. It brings blessings.

It was only when the children of Israel forgot what God had done that they left off worshiping Him, and followed after Baal and other idols. Then God’s judgment came as punishment for their sin. How much better if they (and we!) could stop the cycle by keeping God’s greatness always before us.

4. It causes all glory to go to God.

Remembering keeps us humble because we realize that God is the one who has accomplished everything good and productive in our lives. If it had been left up to us, what a mess we would have made of things!

We can be confident in our future because we know, based on the past, that our God will continue to perform His will faithfully in our lives!