Occasionally I share lighthearted content in these link roundups, but this isn’t one of those days. Today’s links are a little heavy, but insightful and important. Take your time with these reads, and be prepared to be inspired, encouraged, and possibly convicted.
I’m a Shooting Survivor. If You’re Going to Pray for Us, Here’s How, by Taylor Schumann
“Keep praying. For many survivors, including myself, the day of the shooting is not the hardest day. The hardest day comes later, when you are confronted with your new reality in the aftermath. When the cards stop coming, when people stop asking how you are, and when the news cycle changes, you begin to feel forgotten and isolated. People praying for you months and years after the shooting is a significant way to show support.”
Decision-Making and the Myth of Clarity, by Emily P. Freeman
“God sometimes speaks in such a subtle and familiar way that it could be easy to miss. We look for fireworks or signals or confirmation from somewhere other than us. But he keeps on reminding us that he has made our heart his home, and that’s often the place from which he’ll make his voice heard.”
The Bittersweetness of Milestones, by Me for Austin Moms
“We are thankful for new beginnings AND sad about their accompanying endings. We can be both, and in fact our mixed emotions add richness and meaning to the milestone that has been achieved.”
Becoming Who You Want To Be and Finding Where You Belong, by Anne Bogel
“I’m hopeful that I will find the rhythms that work for me, even if they’re not exactly conventional. And I hope the same for you, that you will find the server who knows your name and your order, who will deliver your salad and Americano (though not in that order), and happily tell you they’ll see you next Thursday. That those rhythms will suit you, even if they’re not the ones that would work for everyone else.”
The Best Thing I Did Today, by Leslie Kvasnicka
“Friends, the best thing I did today was embrace exhaustion and a new identity while sacrificing my former dreams. It was putting myself on hold. It was putting the needs of someone else before myself and squashing the belief just a little bit more that I am the center of the universe. It was reinforcement of the truth that I’m not entitled to my every whim and fancy. And THAT is a good thing. No…that is a necessary thing.”
5 Benefits to My Month-Long Screen Break, by Tsh Oxenreider
“Ultimately, this month was about seeing my life from a different point of view. It was only a month, and being off social media affected me this much? Wow. It really does have a pull. It really is addictive in its very infrastructure (I have many thoughts on this, which I’ll save for later). And it really is possible to be the boss of it, to tell it, No thank you, I’m good right now and to walk away.”
If you have read or written something especially share-worthy lately, please feel free to drop a link in the Comments!