Summertime is usually spent soaking up the sun and unwinding. Isn’t it the best feeling to disconnect and recharge? I’ve got to admit that sometimes as I disconnect, I can forget to connect on a spiritual level. That’s why this summer devotional was created.
The beautiful truth is that summer was God’s way of showing us how bright and wonderful His Glory will be once we see Him face to face. Summer is a glimpse of the no pain, no tears, no hardship eternity we will experience.
And this devotional will help you take notice of that truth. This devotional is meant to add intentionality to your summer. It’s meant to help you connect with God when you’re on the go or on taking it slow. It’s meant to encourage you to experience God’s love. And it asks questions that will deepens and expands your faith.
The best part is that it is very affordable (just 10 bucks) and comes with four 8×10” prints you can frame in your home.
As a young women in college, my summers were usually spent at youth camp, serving at my local church, and going on mission trips. It was simple to focus on the things of God. As an adult with countless responsibilities and distractions, prayer sometimes goes on the back burner. So this useful and colorful worksheet is meant to fill the spaces in between the hustle and bustle with prayer. Scroll to download this Summer Prayer Spaces worksheet…
This freebie is for personal use only and copyright Styld by Grace. Any redistribution, commercial use, and sale of this freebie is strictly prohibited.
National Infertility Awareness Week is here again! It’s an emotional rollercoaster. Sharing my heart and journey is both heart-wrenching and freeing.
This year’s theme is Uncovered. Infertility warriors have been encouraged to Uncover truths about infertility this week to bring awareness to the disease. I’m hoping to uncover some ugly truths about infertility in a genuine and honest way.
I also hope to uncover the love, hope, and grace of God we’ve experienced while facing the ugly truths. I wouldn’t be doing our story justice without speaking on both.
Ugly truth #1 Infertility is isolating and lonely
There are days when you feel like you’re an island. Who can relate to what’s happening in your life? How can you explain it to the people around you? The reality is that no matter how much details you give, there is no way to fully express the emotions and procedures you are going through. Some relationships change or grow distant. Some people don’t know what to say so they say nothing at all. Some people say insensitive things or make less of your journey. All these things can make you guarded and much more selective with who you’ll be sharing your story with.
Ugly truth #2 Infertility is coping with denial
Edward and I clearly remember the day we saw “IVF ONLY” highlighted in yellow when he was first diagnosed. We couldn’t wrap our heads around it. It was a huge blow for us. We thought, “What the heck? That is so extreme! This can’t be right. Not us”. It took us a year to go back to the doctor. I couldn’t fathom having to go through something so invasive. I didn’t feel strong enough or ready. And I thought that God’s plan HAD TO BE different. Well, it wasn’t. This is the path that we must take. And we are finally at a place where we’ve accepted that this is our reality.
Side Note: We are in the middle of our first IVF cycle! It’s a huge step in our journey. We are excited, nervous, anxious, and hopeful. And I’m super proud of us for taking this step.
Ugly truth #3 Infertility is filled with shame and embarrassment
Honestly, talking about all the stuff that needs to work and be healthy when you’re going through infertility can be so embarrassing. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been examined, prodded, asked intimate questions, and performed analysis’ that are uncomfortable. Then, there’s the shame of feeling like there’s something wrong with you. The shame you feel when people ask if you have children. Or the embarrassment when you have to decline an invite due to financial or emotional struggles.
Ugly truth #4 Infertility is time consuming
If you’re going through infertility and trying to explore different options to become parents, it take A LOT of time and effort. Whether you’re adopting, fostering, getting medical help–it takes a big chunk of your life. Your calendar is dictated by appointments, hearings, visits, or medical procedures. And for the average person dealing with infertility that can mean putting work, responsibilities, goals, jobs, or prior commitments on hold. That in itself can be frustrating and disheartening.
Ugly truth #5 Infertility is coping with pregnancy envy
This is by far the hardest thing to admit for me. By nature, I am not an envious person. I feel most like myself when I’m encouraging and cheering someone on. But grief and loss have weird ways of manifesting. I felt like the worse person in the world when I saw or heard of pregnancy announcements and all I could feel was anger and disappointment. I hid my emotions many times because what kind of “evil” person would feel pregnancy envy? I was genuinely happy for them but incredibly sad for us. We have seen many friends and family get pregnant and give birth in the 3 years we’ve been waiting. The feelings of grief and loss have been deep. But we have learned to work through these feelings. We have chosen to bless, love, and celebrate our loved ones despite what we feel in the moment.
God’s Truth: Love, hope, faith, and grace
My husband said something very wise to me the other day as we spoke about our journey. “God has a plan behind everything. He doesn’t close one door and never opens another one. He closes one door to open another one. A door we need to go through. The word need should only be used by God. He’s the only one who knows what we need“.
I’ve expressed to Edward many times that I just don’t understand why we have to go through this. Are we not good enough people? Are we destined to be terrible parents? And his response has always been that it is just that God has a special assignment for us.
I now understand this. It’s taken me a while. And sometimes my mind wants to play tricks on me. But in my heart I know that for some reason, God has a knowing we don’t. He sees something we don’t. In His sovereignty, He deems it necessary and essential for THIS to be our story. Somehow this will have a ripple affect for eternity.
Through every single Ugly truth–loneliness, denial, shame, lost time, envy–God has been there. His has loved us fiercely. He has sent people to love us and meet our needs. He had given us the grace to walk through this with dignity and strength. He has orchestrated moments for us to hear his voice. He has provided in ways that are uncommon for most people going through this. And he has double, tripled, our faith.
The real truth is that this incredibly heavy load we carry is something we never wanted but can look back and see evidence of God’s love, grace, and hope. We have come to realize that He is the prize. We have come to believe that He is what we hope for. We have come to know that He is what our hearts are after. And no ugly truth or diagnosis can take Him away.
“So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”
At the bottom of the back, there is a space to take notes and bible references that correspond to the timeline’s events.
I love taking a step back during Passion Week to get my heart in a position of gratitude. Making these cards reminded me of how extraordinary Jesus is. Despite all of the chaos and what he knew lied ahead, he took time to celebrate, love, and teach so we could all see and grow from his example.
I hope these cards set the tone for your week. I hope the colors and patterns urge you to pick them up and get closer to Jesus this coming week.
If you like incorporating music to your quiet time with God, these song cards are right up your alley. I’m a music lover and I especially love worship music. It helps me get closer to God and realigns my heart and focus. Download the hand lettered song and scripture cards here.
