Today’s links are all about stepping into your best life—whether that’s through learning to trust God, or picking up a useful personal development book, or having the courage to ask hard questions. Happy reading!

“If I Have My Mommy, I’m Home,” by Paige W. Dupont

“And hearing God is cool, sure, but trusting Him is overwhelming and frightening for me. Because, if you’ve met me, you may know I struggle just a bit (wink, wink) with letting go. I love to know MY plan and purpose. I love to have all MY ducks lined up in a neat little row. (And don’t you dare try to move one of those ducks out of place!) And while that over-planning and perfectionism has suited ME well in many of MY life’s ambitions, I have always found it very difficult to hear God in the clamor of MY coordinating.”


In Praise of Making Things No One Will Never See, by Crystal Ellefsen

“Lately, I have been intentional to try to reclaim my own creativity and give myself permission to make things simply because the making brings me pleasure. Although I believe there is great benefit in the mental relaxation of creativity, I’m not making things because it will make me a better mother, wife, friend, business owner.”


Personal Development Books Every Mom Should Read, by Me for Austin Moms

“Though parenting books certainly have their place, I’ve found that the books that have had the greatest impact on my effectiveness as a mother have not been parenting-specific. Instead, it has been books geared towards helping me becoming a happier/calmer/more fulfilled PERSON that have ultimately molded me into a better mom.”


When You’re in the Ellipses of Life, by Emily P. Freeman

“While we may not be able to change the whole story, perhaps we can still impact the plot point. That means in hardship, joy is still possible. In disappointment hope is still available. In uncertainty faith is still a lifeline. Instead of thinking things have to be a certain way before we can enjoy them, what if we dare to enjoy them even in their imperfection?”


This popular parenting trend in the Netherlands reveals a key to raising the world’s happiest kids, by Rina Mae Acosta

“Years ago, when the full-time workweek was reduced to 36 hours in the Netherlands to combat unemployment, the government compensated those who had been working a 40-hour, 9-to-5 workweek by giving them extra vacation of half a day a week — or one day a fortnight. This time off is frequently used by fathers as their ‘papadag, which literally translates to ‘daddy day.’ Today, as more and more Dutch fathers see the benefits of spending time with their kids, taking a papadag has become the norm.”


The Value of Asking Others Hard Questions, by Lore Ferguson Wilbert

“The depths of the human heart, mind, body, and soul are finite, and only God truly knows them, but they often feel fathomless to most of us because the work to map them seems too difficult to manage, too time-consuming to undertake, and too frightening to engage. The art of asking a question aimed at the fathoms is difficult to learn and priceless to have practiced.”


If you’ve read or written anything link-worthy this month, please share it with us in the Comments!

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