In today’s world, we are constantly told we need a plan of where we want our lives to go or we are asked where we see ourselves in 5 to 10 years.

I graduated college almost three months ago and to be very honest with you all, I was scared half to death. During college, we are constantly lectured that when we graduate we need to have it all figured out, know exactly what we want to do, where we want to live, and have the next 5 years of our lives planned out or we will not be successful. Excuse me? As a girl who majored in one of the broadest majors there are did not know the answer to any of these questions, and it honestly made me feel like a failure or that I was disappointing the people around me. I am here to tell you as a 3-month post-grad girly, I am still living in the complete unknown of what I am doing and what is coming next, but guess what? That’s okay! The beauty of it is that we do not have to have it all figured out because we know the One who holds tomorrow!

The unknown seasons of our lives can truly be such a beautiful time if we allow it to be. I heard a comparison of our life plans to a wet bar of soap. I know this sounds crazy but stick with me. If you hold a wet bar of soap too tight, it will slip right out of your hands. If you just allow it to sit in your open hand, it’ll move around, but stay in control. This is how we should view holding on to our plans for our lives. It’s okay to have dreams and desires for your life, but don’t hold onto them so tight that you aren’t open to the plans God has for you.

This comparison has helped me to see that for a while I was holding onto Dacey’s plans a little too tight and not being as open as I should be to the plans God had for me. If anyone knows me, I am an extreme planner. I like to plan out every day to the T. I was the kid that at the age of 10 knew exactly how I wanted my life to pan out. I wanted to finish school, be married at 19 (like my parents of course), have 3 kids by 30, and be a stay-at-home mom. This plan sounded so perfect to me, and any other plan just sounded horrible. Well, I am here to tell you today, that I am 22, and Dacey’s 10-year-old self’s plan is not working out how she thought it would. But that is okay!! Just because my plans aren’t going how I thought they would, that just means God has a better plan in store for me and you if you can relate to 10-year-old Dacey’s plans! I encourage you to loosen the grip on your plans even though it may be a little scary at first! Remember the One who created you and everything around you knows what is best for you and what is to come in your life! Trust Him, He’s got it under control!

In Matthew 6:34, God calls us to not be anxious about tomorrow because if He clothes the grass of the field, will He not clothe you even more than the grass? God wants us to believe that He will provide for us, and we should not worry about what is to come in our futures. This is why the unknown seasons and times of our lives can be such sweet and faithful times with the Lord. When we have no plans at all for our lives, it allows us to be more open to the plans God has for us. In this unknown season of my own life, I have no plan like my 10-year-old self did. I still have dreams and desires of being a wife and mom one day, but right now, God has a different plan for my life and those dreams and desires will come in God’s perfect timing if it is His will for me to be a wife and a mom one day.

Changing our perspective of the unknown from scared to excited allows us to open our eyes and hearts to what all God could do in this season of our lives! When we have no idea, God knows it all. He knows where we are going to be in 5 years even though we don’t. He knows where we will live tomorrow or in the next few years, even though we don’t have a clue. I encourage whoever is reading this and myself who feels like they have no idea what they are doing in life right now to do whatever we do with open hands for God’s plan and to be expectant of what He can and will do in our lives. Do I understand everything right now? Of course not, but I am thankful we love and follow a God who calls us to trust Him and lean not on our understanding. Being in the unknown is okay, even if you have been told your whole life you need to have it all figured out.

In this season of life, lean into Him and trust that He will lead and guide you to exactly where you are meant and called to be. Fully lean into Him. God knew you before you were in your mother’s womb. Girl, He knows you by name, and His love for you is unmatched.

The Creator of the world knows you, and in Jeremiah 29:11, He tells us that He knows the plans for our lives. If this isn’t reassuring, I don’t know what is. Believe this and this season of your life might just become the most exciting one yet!

Dacey Triplett is an LO ambassador and has been writing for LO since 2023! She just graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors in Public Relations. 

“A big part of who I am is that I was born with Achondroplasia dwarfism. I know that’s a really big word but all it means is that I was born with short limbs which means I’ll only be about 4ft tall for my whole life. It would have been easy for me to let this define who Dacey would be, but God had something else in mind. He took what the world would have called a mistake and turned it into a blessing. God can turn anything around, and He definitely did in my life! He used my dwarfism to give me a story, and now I get the opportunity to tell my story to thousands of people! If you can learn anything from me, I’d encourage you to be the you that God created you to be!! “

Keep up with Dacey on social media – @dace.trip 

The post Be Excited for the Unknown first appeared on Live Original.

Amanda and I had followed God’s call to plant a church in Indianapolis, Resonate Church, exactly four years before – yet national news outlets were now broadcasting our family‘s tragedy. As shock morphed into overwhelming grief, I stepped with my toddler son Weston into an uncertain future without Amanda.

Over the past nine years, God’s mercies have been new every morning. And one of the greatest mercies goes by the name of Kristi.

It was late 2016, almost a full year since Amanda had passed away, and I had just started writing a book – a memoir. I had asked God to help me see his hand of redemption in my story, and the process of putting emotions and memories to paper was bringing me a lot of healing. I even found myself wondering if I was healthy enough for God to bring love my way again. The odds were not in my favor – my current life would require a truly unique woman, one who loved God, loved my son Weston, loved me, loved our church, and even loved Amanda. I left the idea in God’s hands.

That evening, after a twelve-hour day of writing, I headed to the gym to decompress. The owner of the gym had kindly given me a key so I could break a little sweat at odd hours when I wasn’t writing. That night I arrived just as the last class of the evening was finishing up. As providence would have it, Kristi was in that class.

I had noticed Kristi at the gym and around church over the last few months, but we hadn’t exchanged more than a dozen words. She had caught my attention from day one, but she seemed to be avoiding me like the plague. I decided this was the moment, so I worked up the courage to engage in conversation.

“Hey!” I said, trying (to no avail) to play it cool. “You’ve been coming to Resonate church for like four months now, and I know almost nothing about you.” And, to keep it pastoral, I added, “What’s your story? How did you come to know the Lord?”

For the next thirty minutes, we stood there as she regaled me on her upbringing and past. Out of all that she shared,

I homed in on the four years she spent studying abroad and on the mission fields in Mexico, Cambodia, and Brazil. “So that’s why you’ve been serving in Resonate’s inner-city project,” I commented. “You have a heart for missions.”

“Yeah,” she said with some hesitation, “but also my family lives in that area.”

“Wait, by choice?” I blurted out, thinking of the crime rate in that part of the city.

“Yeah.” She kept her poise. “My stepdad and mom feel called to that area as their life’s ministry. That was one reason I chose to attend Resonate. The church’s ForIndy initiative in the inner city? It’s the kind of work our family has prayed to see for years.”

“Wow. That’s amazing!” I said. “Amanda and I used to pray for that neighborhood when we ran by while training for half marathons. Ever since Amanda passed, I’ve felt this huge burden for that area of the city. Much of what we do as a church has come out of our story and the burden it’s placed on me.”

“I’m connected  to your story in some other ways,” Kristi said, “but I don’t think you’ll want me to tell you that.” She shuffled her feet a little and looked around the room.

“What is it?” I was intrigued and a little apprehensive, especially at how awkward she had suddenly become.

“Well. Um. Davey, my stepdad is a chaplain for the Marion County prison system.” She paused to let what she said set in for a second. “And he has regular conversations with the men that killed Amanda.”

I felt all the blood rush out of my face and the room began to spin. “What?!” I was dumbfounded. What are you doing, God? The girl I’ve been interested in already has a close connection with my story? I was at the gym to decompress after a long day – the same day I had asked the Lord to show me the redemption in my story. And Kristi tells me this?

Fast forward through several months of dating, and we were ready to see how our families felt about this: hers, mine, and Amanda’s. We spent a week with Amanda’s family in Elkhart, Indiana, followed by a week with my family in North Carolina. Kristi’s family was in Indy, so we’d already had some time to talk with them. We knew those two weeks were make-or-break for us. We returned to Indy reassured and started talking about a future together.

On November 8, 2017, almost exactly two years after Amanda’s death, I got down on one knee and asked Kristi to be my wife.

It was important to Kristi that we have a small, private, and quiet wedding. You see, although she had a very loving an

d involved stepdad, her biological father hadn’t been in her life for years. Because he struggled with

serious mental illness, Kristi had often feared for her safety. She hadn’t seen her birthfather since he walked out on the family years ago, but the thought of being walked down a wedding aisle touched more than a few childhood wounds.

Meanwhile, I was aware that dozens of people had been personally involved in my journey, both with Amanda and sinc

e her passing. I couldn’t imagine not having those people present as we celebrated this new chapter of life together. Suddenly a message I had received earlier from the Lord came to mind: My redemption story would usher in Kristi’s as well. I convinced her to go through with a bigger wedding and asked her to trust me with the “walking down the aisle” part.

On a chilly, rainy, magical December day in 2017, we gathered friends and family in a castle – well, a local venue that looked like a castle. Although almost nothing in our stories looked like a fairy tale up to the point, we felt like we were living one that day.

I stood at the front with Brad Cooper, who was officiating the wedding, and waited for the doors to open, knowing that what was about to ensue would have us all in tears. I shifted nervously, hoping that everything would go as planned.

“Claire de Lune” began playing softly. The doors swung open, and everyone stood to their feet. There she was, standing alone, a magnificent beauty, delicately resplendent in a fashionable white gown with lace sleeves, clutching a bouquet of snowy flowers.

I could see the hesitation on Kristi’s face as she began to step forward. Her beloved stepfather, Lee, immediately eased out of the back row to meet her. She smiled and accepted his arm as she walked toward me. About one-third of the way down the aisle, Lee stopped walking and Kristi froze with him. He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, “This is where I leave you.” Stunned and unsure what to do next, she looked up at me.

At the same moment, Amanda’s father, Phil, stood up and gently took Kristi’s arm. You could almost feel the entire room gasp as people held back tears. Phil walked Kristi the next third of the way until, right on cue, my own father got up from his seat.

My dad escorted Kristi the last few steps until she stood directly in front of me, in all her radiance, and Brad asked, “Who gives this bride to be with this groom?”

“We do,” the three declared in unison from behind Kristi.

It was a storybook moment, and it wasn’t lost on either of us. Tears filled both of our eyes as we looked at each other, two broken puzzle pieces about to fit and stitch our crazy lives together to display to the world a picture of God’s redemption—an unordinary family.

Davey Blackburn is the founder of Nothing is Wasted Ministries which creates resources for those facing trauma, tragedy, and loss. He is the author of Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain (July 2024). Davey and Kristi live in Indianapolis with their three kids, Natalia, Weston, and Cohen. Find resources at www.NothingIsWasted.com.

Friend, we hope this encourages you that God is not done writing your story. He can bring redemption and healing into any part of your life!

You can read more of Davey’s inspiring story in his book- Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain. 

The post Nothing is Wasted first appeared on Live Original.

Oftentimes when you want to be something or do something, you have a role model or mentor. Someone who has already become a so-called “expert” in the subject you are trying to master. You watch this person closely and hang onto their every word in hopes to find some bit of the map to your desired destination. Piece by piece, word by word, story by story you’re closer to unveiling how to accomplish this ambition. Your mind begins to expand and your heart smiles as this goal of yours is slowly becoming a reality.

Our first thought for someone who is an “expert” on strength is probably someone with immense physical strength. Like Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, a man of enormous size and physical capabilities. His physical strength was so monstrous that he terrified an entire army and kept them from battle. Yes, an entire army. And if I’m honest, this will never be my kind of strength. I am 5’7. Paralyzing an army from my sheer physical strength and stature is not in the cards for me.

The kind of strength I desire is not this physical strength demonstrated by Goliath or what we typically think of described in the first definition of strong: “having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.”^[1]

The kind of strength I desire is that of David in the Goliath story. He exemplified the second more encompassing and true definition of strength that I believe is far more valuable than just the physical, to be “able to withstand great force or pressure.” ^[2]

When every soldier in the entire army trembled in fear at Goliath’s physical strength, David revealed what it means to be truly strong. He had every pressure to back down from battle but he withstood.

Fully aware that he was just a shepherd and not a soldier, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

Fully aware that Goliath was a GIANT, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

Fully aware of the warnings of fellow soldiers that he was not capable of winning, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

When I read this story, I couldn’t help but wonder how David was able to withstand. How could David be so strong when everything in this world points to just giving in?

It actually took me flying 23 hours across the country, passing out in freezing weather, and climbing the tallest free standing mountain in the world to figure this one out. So I pray and hope this streamlines your process a bit.

The 23 hour flight was to Tanzania. Tanzania is home to a 19,341 foot Goliath of a mountain called Mount Kilimanjaro. I had the incredible opportunity to hike this mountain this summer to raise awareness and funds for Compassion International, an organization committed to freeing children from poverty in Jesus’s name. And that mountain is home to the freezing weather I mentioned a bit ago. For 6 days, this mountain was my home as well.

We ate on this mountain, talked on this mountain, laughed on this mountain, slept on this mountain, and yes…. went to the bathroom on this mountain. But more importantly, we hiked on this mountain.. for hours and hours. The first four days were honestly bliss. All my months of training for this trek had paid off. On the fourth night you wake up at midnight to climb the remaining 4000 feet to the top of the mountain. You eat breakfast in the pitch black with only stars and the moon illuminating the sky and begin your summit to the top.

Staring up at the stars, in the 9 degree weather, I looked up to the heavens and told God “this is one of the best days of my life”. I danced for the next 2-3 hours as I walked step by step up the mountain until something funny happened. I began to feel lightheaded. And then I would pass out. As I am climbing up rocks and in the snow, I begin to pass out for 1-2 seconds at a time and catch myself just before I hit the ground with my handy hiking poles.

Long story short, I did this for the next 2 hours of the hike. All my months of training never prepared me for this moment. My physical strength was gone. My mental strength diminished every time I passed out. I was not strong like David. The very real pressures of this circumstance were weighing on me like I had never experienced weight before and I was entirely too weak to withstand.

I started to pray and ask the Lord for strength because I no longer had it. I was absolutely desperate. And in my desperation, the Lord reminded me of the lyrics of the first song I ever sang in Church “I am weak but thou art strong”.

Step by step. I hiked this mountain for 6 more hours singing this song to myself.

“I am weak but thou art strong.”

And step by step. The Lord gave me strength. Strength to withstand the pressures and summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

I realize that this is how David did it. This is how David withstood the pressures and entered battle. This is how David slayed Goliath. This is how David was made strong.

By first recognizing He is weak but thou art strong.

He didn’t have the strength, but He walked with a God that did.

As I have been home I’ve faced days where the pressure feels like it’s coming from every side. And instead of trying to find the courage, I just simply surrender to God and say “I am weak, but thou art strong.” I put God back on the throne of my heart, I make Him the source of my strength, and humble myself that I am not strong.

And then I walk with the one that is. Just like David did. The song I sang on the mountain is actually a hymn called “just a closer walk with Thee”. How beautiful? I don’t have to muster up the strength, I simply need to walk closer to thee.

You don’t have to muster up the strength. Simply surrender. Say “God I am weak, but thou art strong.” And then walk with the one that is.

Remember how earlier I mentioned finding an expert, role model, or mentor? Jesus is that. He is my expert, role model, and mentor. He walked this earth and exemplified to us perfectly how to walk with thee. How to be strong amidst the pressures of this world. And He is so much more. He is the source of this very strength and life I desire.

I’ve learned that if I want to walk with thee, I need to study the one that did so perfectly. And you know what’s beautiful? As I study and read about Jesus’s life, pray, and surrender this crazy thing happens:

Piece by piece, word by word, story by story I’m becoming stronger although I am weak. My mind is expanding and my heart is smiling. Perhaps even doing a dance. And this goal of being strong, through Jesus has become a reality.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

And through Christ, it can be your reality too.

Maia Mae Huff is passionate about spreading love, truth, and light to all people. Whether that be through phone calls with a friend, her In This Together podcast, speaking, or any way that God leads.

Keep up with Maia Mae Huff on Instagram @maiamaehuff

The post I Am Weak, but Thou’ Art Strong first appeared on Live Original.

Plan

plural noun: Plans

I know majority of us are not a stranger to the idea of “plans” or the word in general.

I feel like I hear this word 10+ times a day.

Whether it’s as simple as “What are your plans for the day?” Or as broad as “What are your plans for the future?”

Or even better, when someone asks you “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

Everything in life seems to have a “plan”.

Planning a schedule, a practice, a race or execution of a game, a hard conversation, a test, a result, a response, a date…etc.

Maybe I’ve turned my ear towards the idea of “plans” in this season of my life more than ever. I’ve never been much of a “planner”

Well, unless it comes to how many hours before I race I need to eat food so I’m not seeing it twice (lol).

But, seriously…

I’m about to start my senior year of college, and last year of collegiate athletics, and the question I’m receiving most is…

“Well, Allie! What are your PLANS for after college?”

And ya know what, to be transparent…

I don’t have one!

Sure, I have hopes and desires on my heart I know the Lord sees (Psalm 37:4). I’d love to put that hard worked degree to use, get married to my love, have a family, and continue to work towards goals.

But I’ve also learned this year (more than I thought I lifetime could teach me) because I’ve seen it unfold in my life…

It is truly GODS PLAN that prevails, not always what we have in our mind.

That does not mean He does not care what we have on our hearts, though.

Proverbs 19:21 —

“Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

I saw my sister’s life flip upside down this year. A big part of our lives flipped upside down, too.

Just weeks before she was going to be getting engaged to her high school sweetheart of 7 years, God brought him home after a hard fought battle with cancer. I’ve shared about Ben in blogs before. A faithful servant and fearless warrior.

Ben had plans, just like the rest of us. Plans to become a doctor (he was so smart and driven), plans to marry my sister, and many wonderful hopes and dreams most 22 year olds have desired for themselves. And that is good! It is good to have desires and work for things, and plan for the future to an extent. Ben was such a planner, but He was never “unrealistic” and ALWAYS more confident in the plan God had for Him. Never once did He doubt Gods plan for His life. Even in sickness. I want to live more like that. With a confidence like that.

And yes, God had different plans. Do I understand why it had to be this way? Or why the things Ben worked for didn’t come to fruition? Well, most of the time, no. 

It is hard some days to sit and wonder what could have been, and in my human thinking, in my eyes, what should have been.

God does have a plan…. But when that road has tragedy it is very hard to go,

“Oh yeah, God has a plan!”

I am sure many of you reading can relate.

This is where faith comes in and is tested. Where hope must stay alive, and confidence in Our Jesus must outweigh the doubts of evil.

Ben is not physically still here with us, but I know Ben is alive, new, healed, and in the paradise of Heaven with Jesus. The safest place to be.

Gods plans are NOT to discourage us. Even when life can be hard and scary to understand sometimes.

We aren’t always going to understand, but we are called to trust. He will provide strength. (Isaiah 41:10)

I believe it will all be revealed to us one day, maybe just not always on this side of Heaven.

We live in a fallen world. Horrible, unjust things happen. Usually, those things don’t fall into our idea of “ideal plans” we picture for our lives.

Romans 8:28 —

“God works ALL things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

It does not say, ALL THINGS ARE GOOD. We can name 1,000+ things that are NOT.

But, even if, He is still good.

Romans 8:18 — Paul writes,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”

Thankfully, we know from Jesus’  life that there is  purpose to our pain we walk through. God doesn’t waste anything, including suffering.

He doesn’t always remove us from trials, because He plans to use them.

2 Timothy 2:11-12 —

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.”

Jesus joins us in the suffering, but we will also rise with Him in victory.

Pain that we endure in our life is not God’s punishment. Jesus Christ paid that price on the cross. 

We serve a God of love, grace, truth, protection, and power.

A God who will finish what He started.

What He says He will do, HE DOES.

What He says He can do, HE PROVES.

What He says He can heal, HE TRANSFORMS.

ALL hurt, confusion, damage, distress, doubt, failed plan, and death —

HE CONQUERED ON THE CROSS.

The blood of Jesus Christ covers it all.

EVERYTHING that has left you hurt in this life of sin, will be made right in the throne room of Heaven when we meet face to face with Him.

A game changer perspective God is teaching me is turning my “whys” to TRUST that God is making all things work out for HIS glory and not our own.

Why would I spend my time caught up in the 1,000 “Why’s” of why it didn’t go the way I perfectly pictured?

Ephesians 3:20 —

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

If my Jesus can do IMMEASURABLY MORE than I can EVEN IMAGINE — going beyond what the human brain can bear… why would I doubt the plans God has for me?

Why would you doubt what God has for you?

As Christ followers, if you are currently reading this, you are Earth bound, serving your purpose here for His glory, while ultimately working your way HOME bound.

Where all is made right.

Eternity with Jesus.

There is protection, prosperity and purpose, in every part of Gods plan. 

Trust it. Believe it. Receive it. Live it.

I love you, friend!

LOVE, AW

The post When Planning Takes A Detour first appeared on Live Original.

When my husband accepted his new job and we decided to move, we were both feeling a deep stirring in our hearts to simplify our lives. When I say simplify I mean, finding a smaller house, getting rid of all car payments, less eating out and less commitments all together. At the beginning of this move I thought the desire came from our dream of buying some land and building a house again one day. We knew if we wanted this dream to become a reality sooner rather than later we needed to take a step back for a season to save. What I’ve realized a few months into this move is the desire to simplify our lives wasn’t just to prepare ourselves for our dream but for spiritual growth too. As we simplify our lives, it reveals what truly matters most in our hearts.

I don’t know about you but I’ve heard the phrase “less is more” many times throughout my life. However, I can’t say I’ve really ever applied it to my life or understood the impact it can have if we follow the philosophy. Throughout my younger twenties I believed creating a successful and fulfilling life meant I needed to have things to show for it like having a bigger house, nicer car and more money. The problem with that mindset is as trends faded, discontentment would eventually arise within my heart. This was a pattern I began to notice within myself from year to year.

What I’ve discovered is there is a difference between making a mistake versus a reoccurring pattern in our lives. Mistakes need grace and mercy. Patterns need healing. Patterns reveal there is something beneath the surface that we need to bring to Jesus. What I’ve grown to love about God is that when he exposes something, like a negative pattern, it’s not to make us feel bad or shameful about ourselves. Rather it’s to reveal our need for Him and to draw our hearts closer to His. God wants to heal what he reveals and sanctify our hearts in the process. Every day and season is a chance to be developed. Sometimes he wants to develop our character and other times He wants to heal the deep wounds and misconceptions within. For me, I learned my need to have the next best thing was rooted in feeling like I needed to prove myself. Can you relate?

The question I’ve been prompted to ask myself in this season is: “ Am I truly satisfied with Jesus alone or am I only satisfied when I have Jesus plus something else?” Make no mistake– I love having nice things too! I enjoy my hair extensions, getting my nails done and dreaming of the house and land we will one day raise a family on! We love traveling and trying out the newest restaurant in our area too. None of these things are bad. In fact, they are all part of what makes life fun! Yet, I’ve discovered that in the midst of pursuing all these things, we can still be checking the purity of our motives by coming before Jesus and asking him to search our hearts. Have we caught ourselves in a round of keeping up with the joneses? Are we pursuing these things to prove our worth to a world that will never meet our deepest need to be seen? Are we trying to one up that family member or friend who upset us by getting something we know they can’t have? Are we trying to find value in things that will one day disappear forever?

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on Earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Friend, I don’t know where you have found yourself today. Maybe you’re overwhelmed with keeping up with all the latest trends and your bank account is hurting because of it. Maybe you’ve over committed yourself to others that you can’t remember the last time you sat down and ate dinner with your family. Perhaps you feel spiritually dry and want to experience God’s presence in your life again. I see you. I was there just a few months ago.

What if the key to a more meaningful life is a simpler life? What if decluttering our lives is what leads us into a deeper relationship with Jesus and the people in our lives? Perhaps it’s in the season’s where we let go of the stuff we think we need most that we will discover the life God has in store is actually so much better than we could ask or think. Maybe it’s in the process of letting all striving cease that we will realize that we all have access to a simple life worth living. One that is full of joy, gratitude and contentment. A life that is deeply rooted in Jesus satisfying our every need to be known, loved and seen. We might even discover a deeper peace within our hearts that God has us right where He wants us and has provided us with all that we could ever need.

Katie Dietz is a born and raised Oklahoma girl who has a heart for sharing the light & hope of Jesus. She recently moved to NW Oklahoma with her husband Kory where they enjoy evening walks after work and finding new places to explore near OKC! She is a part time dental hygienist and is currently writing her first book with Our Daily Bread. She is the founder of Back Porch Devotionals- a community focused on encouraging women on their walk with Jesus through daily devotionals & faith- filled truth. Her 1st book is set to come out in 2026! In the meantime you can keep up with her on Instagram @katie.dietz & @back.porch.devos

The post A Simple Life Worth Living first appeared on Live Original.

A few years later, I was in full-time ministry with Troy and expecting our first son, kicking off that ambitious decade-plus of bootstrapping, kickstarting, and ministry-building in the Simons household. I was honored to stand with and work alongside Troy in all our public endeavors, but I couldn’t help seeing the glaring disparity in our realities: his life was full of visible ministry while my life felt entirely hidden.

Hidden from public ministry, hidden from my potential, hidden at home with laundry and meal prep, hidden by the limitations of a season that felt like closed doors instead of big opportunities. Sure, I had giftings. And, oh, did I long to see them flourish in big ways for God’s kingdom. Missions! Leadership! The arts! Business! I was ready to pursue that tiny art gallery and wished I had when given the chance. I had big ideas for impacting the world with my passion and skills, but the opportunities God was giving me at that time were ones in obscurity, away from the limelight, grand openings, or the internet success I imagined as meaningful.

Perhaps your hiddenness stems from an unending list of tasks: perpetual meetings, clearing emails, filing taxes, driving in traffic, doing your job, and all the domestic to-dos that pile up day after day. Some of us feel hidden due to caring for elderly parents or young children who require most of our time and energy. Maybe you’ve experienced health limitations that leave you feeling benched. Or perhaps your life story just isn’t turning out the way you hoped or expected, and the hidden season you’re in feels fruitless.

But what if the hidden years—the seasons when we think our labors go unnoticed, when we feel benched by our limitations, when doors we expect to be open are shut instead, or when our giftings seem forgotten, wasted, or entirely invisible while our contributions feel small, insignificant, and simply hidden—proved more purposeful than we could ever imagine? What if we embraced the hidden years?

What if we welcomed hiddenness as much as we pursued visibility?

Visibility, multiplication, and platform aren’t the only roads that lead to impact. Embracing hiddenness may seem like a countercultural and counterintuitive path toward significance in our present age, but God has regularly used hidden years as a tool for his redemptive purposes in the lives of his people.

It’s easy to believe that, in order for God to use us, our trajectory must go from small to big, from unrecognized to widely familiar, from obscurity to fame. And if we believe that large followings, big stages, or bestselling books are required for a life of impact, we’ll spend our days trying to pull ourselves out of hiddenness and into the limelight.

This brings me back to the question: What if we embraced the hidden years because our lives are hidden in Christ? What if we welcomed hiddenness as much as we pursued visibility? What if God is raising up leaders who will influence and change the world without the biggest stages, away from the bright lights, and unaided by social media platforms, viral content, or attractive skills and talents because their lives in Christ set them apart? What if God can accomplish all that he wills without bowing to algorithms, the best hair and makeup, or a bajillion subscribers?

At this point, maybe you’re thinking, That’s a beautiful perspective, Ruth, but I get so discouraged when I’m not getting anywhere with my endeavors, when I feel like my work doesn’t matter, and when I feel like I have to play the social media game to get my message out to the world.

Friend, it may not seem like it, but I’m preaching to my very own heart here as well. It’s not lost on me that I’m sharing these thoughts in a traditionally published book that will be distributed across the globe. Or that I have influence through the social media and internet platforms I’ve created. I see that and understand the irony of talking to you about hiddenness when a part of my life is known and public.

But don’t misunderstand my point. I’m not trying to convince you that visibility is wrong or that obscurity is some- how more holy. I’m not encouraging us to forfeit God-given opportunities for an elusive “greater reach.” I’m simply suggesting that if we’re hoping for our lives to have true impact, there’s a place for both visibility and obscurity—in the big picture and sweeping seasons of our lives and in how we steward the daily rhythms of our day-to-day lives.

Here are a few questions I ask myself regularly that might help you too:

1. Am I intentionally cultivating the hidden places of my life as much as I am cultivating the public places?

2. Do I worship in secret through prayer and study of God’s Word, or am I only worshiping in public?

3. Do I invest time in soul care or care only for my physical body?

We must view hiddenness and visibility the way God does—as equally fruitful in the capable hands of a God who doesn’t need human resources or cunning moves to accomplish his work. God may choose to use obscurity on the path to raising up leaders, voices of influence, and great men and women of God, but he may just as purposefully employ the faithful and quiet work of Christ followers whose names we’ll never know this side of heaven. Since God accomplishes his will through both the visible and the invisible, we need a paradigm shift in how we see and embrace the hidden years of our lives.

Taken from Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons. Copyright © 2024 by Ruth Chou Simons. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com.

Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of several books and Bible studies, including Now and Not Yet, GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, When Strivings Cease, and TruthFilled. She is an artist, entrepreneur, podcaster, and speaker, using each of these platforms to sow the Word of God into people’s hearts. Through social media, and her online shoppe at GraceLaced.com, Simons shares her journey of God’s grace intersecting daily life with word and art. Ruth and her husband, Troy, are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure.

The post The Hidden Years first appeared on Live Original.

Way before we were “that Duck Dynasty family,” we were just Phil and Miss Kay, a couple of teenagers in love. Then came 10 years of Phil doing almost every terrible thing under the sun. He drank like a fish, he didn’t come home at night, and I was left to raise our three boys and keep a roof over our heads. Everyone I knew told me to leave him.

But our story didn’t end there. 

After a decade of living inside a nightmare, Phil finally let God into his heart, and our lives changed forever. We always joked about what a good movie it would make, but we never thought it might really happen. 

If you know the Robertson family, you may have heard some of the story. In our movie, The Blind, we didn’t hold anything back about how we fell in love and how hard those early years of marriage were. Phil was drinking all the time and mean as a snake most days. He didn’t care much for me or the boys. He even thought running a bar would be a great business opportunity for our family. That right there shows you how out of his mind he was back then!

I know a lot of women will see parts of their stories in this movie. I pray that when they see The Blind, they see hope for themselves. 

When the Lord gives us a story, he gives us the strength to tell it. Jesus tells us that when we’re healed, we should tell others “how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39), so that’s what I did.  I hope my story will show everyone that things can get better. People really can change. 

I’ve seen firsthand the way God can turn lives around. I want the women out there who are hurting because their husbands are hurting to know that there’s always hope in Jesus. I want the men to know they can become the husband, the father, and the man God made them to be.

Phil was the worst of the worst back then. He was well on his way to jail or an early grave. I knew that for him to change, it would take a miracle. I know The Blind embarrasses him a little because he doesn’t like to remember that part of his life. Would you want to watch a movie about all the rotten things you’ve ever done? But Phil also wants people to see his story, to see that no one is too far gone for God. 

When Phil made Jesus the Lord of his life, it was like night and day. He went from chasing his next high to chasing God’s truth. And it didn’t just change our day-to-day lives — it changed our entire future as a family, and it changed thousands of other lives too. Phil’s sister Jan told our pastor, “If you turn Phil toward Jesus, he’ll bring thousands along with him.” And that’s exactly what happened.

When it comes down to it, The Blind isn’t a movie about Phil or our family origins, not really. It’s a story about the grace God offers us and the power he has to transform the hearts of men and women. 

If you’re a woman who loves a man in need of a miracle, The Blind is for you. If you’re a man who loves a woman in need of a miracle, The Blind is for you too. All of us can be healed. All of us can be put back together again. It’s not too late.

The Blind is streaming now on Great American Pure Flix and available on digital, DVD, and Blu-ray. My prayer is that our story will help everyone see that hope, redemption, and restoration aren’t ever out of reach — not for any of us.

Miss Kay Robertson is the beloved backbone and funny bone of the Robertson family and star of the hit TV series “Duck Dynasty.” She married her pioneer man, Phil Robertson, and has four sons, one daughter, and more than 25 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Kay is the New York Times best-selling author of several books and frequently appears on the “Duck Call Room” and “Unashamed” podcasts. She loves to cook for her family, feed her neighbors, and care for women in need.

The post It’s Not Too Late to Heal Your Brokenness first appeared on Live Original.

“God, what am I supposed to do?” I prayed through tears as I rocked my newborn. Fresh off the heels of a divorce, I was devastated and desperate to understand what good could come from my worst nightmare. I had so many dreams and goals for my life, and being a single mom was not one of them. As I continued to beg Him to show me what’s next, I heard Him say “share your story”… “Wait, what?” I thought, “ummm God, my story is a hot mess. My circumstances aren’t going to encourage anyone…. Why would you want me to share it?”

The truth is, I was riddled with shame. Being a pregnant woman in the Bible belt meant I was constantly asked about “my husband”, only to be reminded and have to inform well meaning strangers (many, many times) that I didn’t have one. Why would God want me to share this on my platform? I vividly remember Him saying “your story isn’t about you… but what you allow Me to do through you.”

So, I did. Even though my current circumstance didn’t look promising to the world, I shared the hope that God had given me through Ephesians 3:20… that even in your toughest seasons, even when life wasn’t going according to your plans, you could trust that He would do “abundantly more” than you could ask, think, or imagine. As I walked in obedience with sharing my story and the truth about who God is despite what our circumstances look like, He continued to open doors to opportunities I could have never thought to ask for, and put me in rooms I couldn’t have dreamed of.

What He has continued to teach me and convict me in is this – your circumstances don’t dictate your future. If anything, it’s His kindness to bring us low, teaching us how to steward what He’s given us, and how to depend on Him when we have a little, before raising us up to walk in the abundance He has for us.

Still, I found myself often asking for more. I had big dreams, big plans, and more belief than ever that He could bring them to fruition. Now, it’s one thing to make your requests known to God, and it’s another to fixate on them, ignoring what He’s given you for the things you want Him to. As I prayed for the abundance I knew He had in store, He whispered… “if I answered your prayers tomorrow… would you be ready?”.

Friend, have you ever found yourself wanting what God has for you so badly, that you view your current circumstance as something that’s preventing you from it rather than preparing you for it? Yeah, same. What encourages me in these moments is the story of Joseph and how overnight, God took him from prison, to a position of power.

Joseph had a pretty “unfair” life, yet continued to faithfully serve his fellow prisoners with his gift of dream interpretation – even after being forgotten about by the cup bearer. Two years later the cup bearer remembered, and Joseph was summoned by Pharaoh to interpret his dream, which resulted in him being put in a position of power over Egypt.

Did you read that? Overnight, Joseph went from being in prison, which I could imagine felt like rock bottom, to being recognized for his God-given gifts and set in a place of power by the Pharaoh. The difficult seasons he endured was not a punishment – it was preparation – and the same is true for you. Even at your lowest, the Lord is preparing you for something better than you could ask, think, or imagine. Trust me, I know when things don’t go according to plan, it’s easiest to focus on our disappointment, which is where the enemy sneaks in and plants seeds of fear, self-doubt, regret, bitterness, resentment, or whatever else you’re wrestling with right now. I’m begging you – do not let them take root. This very season has a supernatural purpose, to prepare you for something better.

I want to challenge you today to consider – if, like Joseph, your situation were to change to best case scenario tomorrow, what would you do differently today? How would you carry yourself, what would you prioritize, and where would you spend your time? I know it can be tempting to make a plan to get out of your current situation… but I need you to believe with me that God’s going to do something even better. He’s going to elevate your faith, and your future through it.

Two years after sharing my story online, God has not only completely changed my circumstances and allowed me to use the gifts He’s given me for a living, He reconciled the marriage of my ex-husband and I, and we live as a family with our almost 3 year old in Nashville, Tennessee. He has truly done abundantly more than my wildest imagination – and it’s His kindness to do it in a way I could never take credit for myself.

I would have laughed (and cried) if you had told me years ago that now, I’m grateful that I experienced the pain, struggle and heartbreak that I did. I can see how it was perfect preparation for empathizing with and encouraging women going through a struggle I never would have otherwise understood. I’m able to fight for my marriage and the marriages of others with a passion I never would have had. I can be a cheerful, generous giver – with gratitude I wouldn’t have if my card had never gotten declined at the grocery store while holding my newborn.

I promise you, friend. He has a bright, abundant future planned for you, and each day you feel far from it is an opportunity to ask Him “what do you have for me today?”. It will stretch you beyond your comfort zone and force you to go deeper in your faith than you ever would have if life had gone according to your plan but I promise you… His plans are so much better than you could imagine.

Share your story. Trust His plan. Take the leap of faith. And if you need a friend along the way… you know where to find me.

Sarah Hallas Lima is an author, speaker and founder of Abundantly More Community, a space for women to connect, be poured into and empowered to walk in the fullness God has for you. After seeing the power of social media radically change her life and impact millions of others, she now helps multi-passionate entrepreneurs steward their social media platforms and use their God-given gifts to increase their impact and their income online. Her story has been featured in Yahoo News, RightNow media, and Woman’s Day magazine. 

Connect with me on social media! DM me on Instagram! 

The post Your Circumstances Don’t Dictate Your Future first appeared on Live Original.

While there, my team and I got to be a part of a church dedication. We were on the tallest mountain in Thailand, in a village the furthest away from civilization called the Huey Wai Village. While here, we got to witness the dedication of a church that was built by the generous funds raised by people affiliated with the group we went with, Far Flung Tin Can.

The village was packed with people in their traditional outfits. They were with friends, family, and even people from other villages that traveled in to celebrate this day.

I got to witness people from a different culture, desperate for just a glimpse of the Gospel.

This taught me a lot and I would love to share those lessons with you!

1. We overcomplicate the Gospel so much.

At this church dedication, it was so simple.

There were no fog machines, “welcome home” signs, or loud music.

It was just the people coming together with a genuine love and desire for the Lord.

It was so pure, so rich, and so evident in this room. I have never experienced something so sweet.

This is the blueprint. If we think about it, this was the example the first church set for us. It was people coming together desperate for the Gospel, worshipping and fellowshipping as one body of Christ despite language barriers or cultures.

Further than that, they were only concerned about Jesus.

Often times, we get caught up in all the theatrics of what we think makes church, church. And lose sight of what our relationship with the Father is designed to look like.

Jesus just wants your heart, friend.

In Matthew 6:33-34 it says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

All we have to do is keep our eyes on things above, seek first HIS kingdom, and HIS righteousness and everything else will fall into place!

The only thing that matters in this life, and I mean the ONLY thing that truly matters, is your relationship with Christ.

We do not have to overcomplicate our relationships, friendships, and community.

We do not have to overcomplicate our calling, jobs, and passions.

We do not have to overcomplicate our prayers, sermons, or platforms.

Jesus simply wants your heart – your heart humbly, desperately seeking HIM first.

2. The great commission is to all of us, not just missionaries.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

As followers of Christ, we each have the command on our life to, “GO!”

Now, my “GO” might look different from yours. We all have different callings on our life, different passions, and careers to pursue. The Lord has given us our own personal vocation to step into, so that we can live out the great commission within that.

That starts with a heart posture to “GO” and a mindset to seek spreading the Gospel no matter where you are. To start each day praying for moments to witness to others and to be to be constantly searching for opportunities to share the Good News.

By doing this you can…

GO on your campus.

GO at your local coffee shop.

GO within your family.

It does not always look like going into the ends of the earth, but for some of us it will. Sometimes it simply looks like having a renewed mindset to abide by the commandment to “GO” each and every day.

It can also look like giving regularly to your church and devoting your prayers to the unreached (we will touch more on that in a sec!)

The church we got to dedicate was funded by people who gave to their church and supported Far Flung Tin Can.

These people generously gave and did so in faith that their money would go to support a project bigger than themselves. A project for the first ever church built in this village. A village these people have never even been to. They gave in faith that that the Lord would take their funds and turn them into something to greatly impact the kingdom and that would change lives forever – and He did.

We can “GO” with our mindset, heart posture, funds, and prayers.

Give God your “GO” and see what He will do with it!

3. Your prayers can change the World.

I read a quote a few years ago and it said, “If God answered all of your prayers, would it change the world or would it change your world?”

This completely wrecked me and changed the way I prayed for a season. I wish I could say that it changed the way I prayed forever, but to be totally transparent with you, over the years I have resorted back to my selfish prayers.

My prayers look pretty much the same. Praying for the day, the people in my life, and whatever there is to be concerned about.

I want peace, patience, and joy. I want to do well in my classes, know what I am going to do after graduation, and have time to work out. I want to rest, spend time with my family, and get married.

I want, I want, and I want some more…

What would happen if what I wanted went further than what is in reach of me, and my prayers stretched to the ends of the earth?

Do not get me wrong, it is more than ok to pray for personal things. The Lord cares for the desires of our hearts – from the smallest to the biggest of things!

But along with praying for these things…

Let us not neglect the power of prayer.

Let us not put God in a box.

Let us not forget that our prayers truly could change the world.

This was evident in Thailand as I saw prayers being answered by projects fulfilled, ministries growing, and hearts touched by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 11:1 we find the definition of faith which is, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We have to have faith that prayer is not just words, rather is direct communication to the Father. Our faith is things HOPED for that we cannot see, that has not happened yet, and that we are trusting will come into fruition.

James 2:17 says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

Our faith is nothing without works, it is DEAD! How we coincide faith and works is actively devoting ourselves to prayers bigger than ourselves each and every day, HOPING that they will ultimately change the world.

We can begin to pray for unreached people groups, poverty, politics, lost religions, and the oppressed. We can pray for people we do not even know to come to the Lord. Pray for the safety of those on mission overseas. Pray that the Lord blesses our funds to do the unthinkable.

We can “GO!” with our prayers if we just give it all to the Lord!

It really is simple; at the end of the day, He just desires our heart.

Our heart desperate for the Him.

Our heart committed to the great commission.

Our heart devoted to prayers that will change the World.

Thank you, friend, for reading these lessons taken from Thailand!

Hey hey LO fam! My name is Raylee Evans and it is a joy to be here with you! I am a Senior Public Relations major at Lee University, which happens to be right in my hometown, Cleveland, TN! I am the second oldest of six in my family, which makes life so fun – never a dull moment! You can either find me on the pickleball courts, drinking coffee, or planning a last-minute trip. I currently work at Ever After Bridal as a bridal consultant, give campus tours at Lee to upcoming students, and I also have a little photography business on the side as well. I am a multi-passionate gal with a lotta dreams, 27 to be exact! My biggest prayer is that whatever dream I am pursing, that I am spreading His love, His joy, and His truth with everyone I come into contact with. Again, it is a joy to be here so thanks for being apart of one of those 27 dreams!

The post 3 Lessons Taken from Thailand first appeared on Live Original.