This fruit calls us to correct others with kindness, without arguing out of resentment. Paul writes in Galatians 6:1 that when someone is caught in sin, they should be restored gently. Even when hard conversations need to happen, gentleness should shape how we speak.

Because He was faithful then, we can believe He will be faithful now. He is faithful when we wonder if He hears our prayers. He is faithful when life doesn’t unfold the way we expected. He is faithful when we are waiting and He seems silent. 

However, the question remains: how do we anchor ourselves in this goodness when the “very good” of creation feels far from our current reality? It is in the tension of unmet expectations and difficult seasons that our understanding of goodness must shift from our circumstances to God’s unchanging character.

God calls us to patience in every aspect of our life, big and small - patience with your annoying coworker, patience when your dog is taking too long to go to the bathroom in the snowstorm, the list goes on. But I think the hardest place to have patience is when you want something so badly in your life but you aren’t able to get it. Especially as a control freak.

Do you ever ask for some peace and quiet? Do you wonder what true piece really looks like? Join us in reading about the third fruit of the Spirit as we dive into a short story about a young boy trying to find peace for his mom.

This year, God has been teaching me that joy and surrender are deeply connected.

I have had to surrender my timeline.

I have had to surrender what I thought this season would look like.

I have had to surrender the comfort of having everything figured out.

But in the surrender, I have found Him.

When you hear the word love, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

For many of us, if we are honest, our thoughts immediately drift toward romantic love, relationships, dating, or the hope of one day meeting “the person.” Culture has trained us to associate love primarily with romance, which can make it feel like something we are either experiencing or waiting for.

I know for me personally, there have been moments where I have caught myself thinking, “I know God loves me, but I still feel like I am waiting for love.” As someone who is very much single, it can be easy to believe that love is something that has not fully arrived in my life yet. There can be a quiet assumption that love will come later, when a relationship enters the picture.

However, when we look at Scripture, we quickly realize that this understanding of love is far too narrow.

Our Boldly Seeking team is returning from an amazing weekend at the Called Conference. During a time of worship, one of the hosts shared a passage of Scripture as an encouragement to the women in attendance. In 2 Chronicles 20:21, "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing and to praise [the Lord] for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army.” As they began to worship and give thanks to the Lord, He sent ambushes against the enemies and they were defeated. What enemy are you fighting this week? Worship the Lord and he will go ahead of you and win the battle.

In just under a week, the Boldly Seeking team will be making our way to the Called Conference in the Twin Cities. This is an all-women, Christ-centered, ministry-driven two-day conference focused on calling. 

WHO is God calling me to be? 

WHERE is God calling me to go? 

WHAT is God calling me to do?