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Feeling Thankful For The People In My Life
Hi everyone!As we all know, this past Friday was International Women's Day. It was such a special day on social media, seeing everyone celebrate women in their life! Of course every single day is a day to celebrate those in our lives, but having a specific day to celebrate women is so awesome.
I woke up on Friday feeling so compelled to not only celebrate women, but also the men who walk alongside us, encourage our femininity and passions, and who help us become the best version of ourselves: the women God created us to be! As women, there are always men in our lives (dads, brothers, husbands, significant others...) who are cheering us on and loving us, which is a support system that I am so thankful for.
I was challenged from a friend a few months ago with the idea that it is part of our role as women to encourage men and support them, too. We often feel that chivalry is dead, but what can we as women do to help keep it alive? Chivalry is a beautiful, instinctual truth and should be encouraged.
As women, we should ask ourselves if we shut men down because we don’t want to accept help, are wanting to prove that we are capable of being independent, and are potentially bitter toward past hurts or resentments. Something as little as accepting help from a man to carry our bags out to our car at the grocery store empowers men to be gentlemen and simultaneously empowers our femininity. It is such a beautiful interaction of God's creation in everyday life!
A day dedicated to celebrating women is a reminder for me to take seriously my responsibility to fully celebrate other women in my life who I admire, love, and respect, as well as celebrate the men in my life who I also admire, love, and respect. It is so important that we all strive for unity, pray diligently for each other, and show grace toward ourselves and others through our thoughts, words, and actions.
To conclude, I am just feeling so thankful this week. Thankful for the beautiful, inspiring women in my life who I am constantly learning so much from, and thankful for the solid men in my life who have supported and empowered me in the most beautiful of ways.xo.
Hopeful In The Wait
Let's be real with something real quick; waiting is hard. It is usually unwanted, it requires patience, endurance, and perseverance, and as humans it is not our strongest of talents. However, in His grace, God equips us to wait well. Praise Him for that! If we lean on Him, trust Him, and follow Him, we will soar through seasons of waiting victoriously, but it takes discipline and faith.I recently read this article on waiting via the Desiring God website, and it really hit home in my heart. This part especially made my eyes wide open and jaw drop: "We need God to help us want the future he has for us — the future he has written in his inscrutable wisdom. Seasons of waiting train us to relinquish our role as the author of our own story and take up our role as a character in God’s story." -Scott Hubbard 
"Seasons of waiting train us to relinquish our role as the author of our own story..." HELLO. I mean, does it get more spot-on than that? While we wait, He is training us to loosen our grip on the story we have penned, so we will be able to live out the story he has penned FOR us! As we all know, He is a better author than we are, so His story is no doubt the best for us...end of story!! :)I love thinking of waiting as a training season. Just like athletes train in the off-season, we are going to have "off-seasons" in life that are periods of prolonged waiting. Instead of letting anxiety and angst take over and cause us to be antsy all the time, we have the beautiful opportunity to partner with Jesus and let Him train and prepare us for what is to come. If we do this, waiting doesn't become a miserable, passive experience. It becomes an expectant, fruitful season of preparation.Are you in a season of waiting? If so, we invite you to practice with us rejoicing as God refines us as we wait! Challenging? Yes. Worth it? So much yes. xo
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Guarding Your Heart Well
The book of Proverbs in the Bible is such a treasure chest of wisdom, direction, and truth. [show_shopthepost_widget id="3489872"]
The book of Proverbs in the Bible is such a treasure chest of wisdom, direction, and truth. There are so many phrases filled with wise truths that the Proverbs is more than likely something you find yourself returning to again and again in order to find a favorite verse, re-read something that stood out to you, or pull from when giving advice to someone in your life.There is one verse in particular we have been meditating on lately that we wanted to share with ya'll...Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. -Proverbs 4:23
From this verse, it is clear that guarding your heart is beyond important, because it is where life flows from. The first time I read this verse, I remember being overwhelmed by the weight and importance of this statement. Overwhelmed in a positive way, though, since it is truth being shared with us for our good.So, what does guarding your heart entail? I believe it means taking matters of the heart seriously and knowing that your heart is strong, yes, but so precious and to be handled with care. Our hearts are very much the source of life because we dream, love, worship, do, give, work, play, create and everything else with and from our hearts. Therefore, protecting it is a non-negotiable.
"Guarding your heart" might first sound like you need to be closed off or unloving, but that is the opposite of the truth! Guarding your heart actually allows you to love others well because you are protecting the foundation of your capacity to do just that. However, failing to guard your heart will lead to situations, people, and environments that are more than likely not good for your soul and are certainly not life-giving.The most important command is to love God with all our heart and then to love our neighbors (Luke 10:27). By guarding your heart from things that are not best for it, you will find yourself able to love God fully and love others sweetly. Life will be flowing from your heart so abundantly, so guarding your heart will be second nature. Discernment will come easier with practice and you will be able to easily turn toward life-giving and good-for-your-heart situations, practices, and decisions and turn away from those things that will not be heart healthy for you.Wishing you love & peace as you guard your heart well! xo
THE OUTFIT
sunnies | blazer (c/o) | tee (c/o -similar) | pants (sold out, similar) | sneaks (c/o)
[show_shopthepost_widget id="3489872"]images: felicia lasala
Five Books I Always Recommend
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images: felicia lasala
Fearless February
It's the first full week of February and we are diving in fearlessly. My good friend (and editor here on LSK!) and I have been talking a lot lately about fear and how to handle fearful thoughts that creep in our minds. I first must say that having a friend who can relate is a great blessing to talk through all the feels and kick fear out together!I always remember a quote from Louie Giglio: "Fear is faith in satan" when I am struggling in a season of fear, and it helps me every time because my faith is in Jesus, therefore I shall not fear. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 By saying no to fear, you are saying no to satan and showing the devil (and fear!) the exit door.Francesca Battistelli has a great song out right now that I blast whenever it comes on the radio called "The Breakup Song", but it is not your average breakup song; it's about breaking up with fear:Fear, you don't own meThere ain't no room in this storyAnd I ain't got time for youTelling me what I'm notLike you know me well guess what?I know who I amI know I'm strongAnd I am freeGot my own identitySo fear, you will never be welcome hereCan I get an Amen!? How good are those lyrics? Let's all play this song on repeat this month as we declare that we are strong, free, and rooted in Christ, therefore able to stand up to fear and say no, fear, not today and not ever!Last but not least, this passage from Andi Andrew's book, She Is Free, has also been inspiring me lately to really stand up to fear with the armor of God and victoriously battle it straight out of my life."Remember, fear is a liar that only has the level of authority we give it. Starve it out by dwelling in and staying connected to God's perfect love. Recognizing and discerning fear is half the battle. Once you see it, you can take authority over it." So much praise for these words by Andi Andrew! Fear is a lie that has no authority over our lives. Let's hold on to that truth and repeatedly remind ourselves that God is with us always, therefore we shall not fear. He is our refuge, our shield, and our protector...fear stands no chance!
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Why I Just Love Being Married
Hey guys! As you know, #MarriageMonday is a thing, so I thought I'd celebrate with a little love list of some of the reasons why I just love being married to Jase.
Hey guys! As you know, #MarriageMonday is a thing, so I thought I'd celebrate with a little love list of some of the reasons why I just love being married to Jase. Some may say it is cliche to say how being married to your best friend is literally the best, but it is TRUE! See below as I love on love and love married life! xo
A Faith-Filled Book To Read This Year
You guys. I am sure you have hear that Lysa Terkeurst has a new book, It's Not Supposed To Be This Way. I am here today though to express the importance of reading this book ASAP! [show_shopthepost_widget id="3432266"]
You guys. I am sure you have heard that Lysa Terkeurst has a new book, It's Not Supposed To Be This Way. I am here today to express the importance of reading this book ASAP! It is one of those life-giving, life-changing reads with gems of words of wisdom that will forever have a place in your heart and minds.[show_shopthepost_widget id="3432266"] Jamie Ivey recently interviewed Lysa on her podcast and Jamie put it perfectly- Lysa's new book is for anyone that has gone through or going through disappointment in life. If you have felt the pain that disappointing situations and circumstances bring, this book will reveal truth and point you to Scripture that will comfort and help heal, even during the midst of the prolonged processing of it all.Lysa is by far one of my favorite authors because of her honesty, vulnerability, and truth-filled pages. I was blown away by and thankful for the amount of Scripture that was included in this book, making it a great book to keep near your Bible and a wonderful resource for when inevitable hard times come your way. Life is a beautiful gift from the Lord, but it is also promised with trials and things sometimes aren't going to be the way they are *supposed* to be in our minds. But, as we all know, God is good, His plans for us are good, His ways are not our ways, and He is working things out. Have faith, take courage, seek Him, trust His ways, wait for His timing...and read this book!A few favorite quotes from Lysa Terkeurst are below to hold you over until you get the chance to read her book:"To trust God is to trust His timing. To trust God is to trust His way. God loves me too much to answer my prayers at any other time than the right time and in any other way than the right way." -page 45"No human is strong enough to withstand seeing too much of God's plan in advance. It must be revealed daily. And we must be led to it and through it slowly. Jesus is the perfect one to show us the way, the truth, and the life." -page 47"Weak moments don't make weak faith. Weak moments make us even more aware of our need to press in to faith. A faith in God that help us know that what we see isn't all there is. Weak moments are also clues telling us what needs to be addressed right now in this part of the journey. Don't beat yourself up for weak moments. But don't ignore them either." -page 128--With love,Team LSK.
This Season's Word: Comfort
With Christmas next week, all the cozy, festive vibes that the holiday season brings have been in full force. This season is so special and is such a gift for many reasons, but most importantly it marks the arrival of our forever perfect gift; our savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
With Christmas next week, all the cozy, festive, holiday vibes are in full force. This season is so special and is such a gift for many reasons, but most importantly it marks the arrival of our forever, perfect gift; our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.A word that has been on my heart a lot in 2018 has been comfort. As humans, an intrinsic motivation and desire is comfort. I recently heard two sermons on comfort (here and here) that confirmed what I knew to be true, but after these two back to back messages, the truth really took roots in my heart and mind. Comfort comes from one place and one place alone: Jesus. He is the only source of true satisfying comfort.
If we seek God, we will find comfort because He is our refuge, strength, helper, and place of safety. (Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 121:7-8 CSB) However, if we seek comfort first, we will find ourselves being comforted by things other than God. This is the tricky place where comfort can quickly become an idol in our lives without us really even being aware that idolatry is sneaking in. We must remember God is our comforter, not people or things here on earth. God is so good and knows just what we need (Matthew 6:25-27), is our great provider (Deuteronomy 2:7), and has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). Fear not, He comforts us perfectly daily, including days of affliction...especially those days! We just have to seek Him and run to Him as our refuge!As we enter in to 2019 shortly, seeking God and not seeking comfort is the direction of my heart. He is our True North, in His wings we find refuge (Psalm 91), and His name is our tower of safety (Proverbs 18:10). Seeking Him and loving Him with all our hearts will bring us comfort that the world can never offer. Amen and thank you, Jesus. Merry Christmas to all! xo.
Gifts Guided By The Heart
Hey friends,With gift giving season in full effect, we are preparing for the festivities with an excited heart, clear mind, and grounded feet! Meaning, we want to enjoy all the fun while keeping the true meaning of the season in mind. This means gift shopping with intention, quality over quantity, and refraining from getting swept up in the gift shopping craziness. Turning into a crazy-lady chasing down the next deal isn't our best look, and we say that from experience :)
When gifts are guided by the heart, we believe they serve to bring joy, comfort, peace, and happiness to the person on the receiving end. The gift will be useful instead of another "thing" to add to their collection of "things"! Something that helps me gift well is to keep track of when I think of or see the possible "perfect gift" for someone. Writing these ideas down throughout the year helps with intentionality and purpose when it comes to gift shopping.
This year specifically, we are focusing on wellness gifts for everyone on our list. For example...a juicer to promote celery juicing, linen bedding sets that last, skincare from Primally Pure, cleaning sets from Branch Basics, a cookbook for baked goods made healthy, and so much more.
The LSK Wellness Gift Guide will go out to email subscribers this Friday and will be live on the blog next week! We hope that it will help guide you on the gift shopping journey and make for a calm, healthy, happy experience for all! xo.images: felicia lasala