05/23/2026
I’m not going to lie — the way this culture is set up, it’s easy to believe I’ve somehow failed if I’m not hitting every mark set by everyone else—striving hard enough, fast enough, or effectively enough.
As a young mom, I tried to be everything my kids needed me to be: friend, adviser, counselor, maid, supervisor, emotional support system, chauffeur… and sometimes even their patrol officer. Striving day by day to help them succeed in life until every choice became theirs to make.
As a wife, I found myself striving to manage life at home, which often felt like controlled chaos, until it slowly became a matter of control over decisions I didn’t realize were being shaped by old wounds; choices made through a lens of fear, perfection, and protection.
Now, as a wife, mother, and Mimi, I find myself learning how to be the person God designed me to be and live obediently while being pulled in many directions without letting fear have a voice. Quieting the pull of striving while keeping a healthy balance of serving God and others can be challenging.
Then we added Activ8Her to the mix, and the desire to build a social media presence. Learning how to create, manage, and post—striving to make content that glorifies God and helps others grow in their relationship with Him. Some days it feels daunting. Some days it feels defeating. Before either could sink me into the pit of despair, we enlisted the help of my 12-year-old granddaughter, Emery, for the task — a twelve-year-old! Honestly, that still makes me laugh.
But here’s what I’m learning: every day there is another opportunity to surrender whatever I’m striving for into the care and control of Jesus. Paul reminds me through his words to the Galatians, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (vs.1:10, NIV). There really is only One I need to please.
Here’s to finding a breakthrough from the need to find my identity in anything or anyone other than Christ. Is it time for you to reconcile with your identity in Christ so you can rest and just ?