The Power of Perseverance is a portion of a quote I read in “Strength in the Storm,” and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 12 of Lent 2025 – March 16

Strength in the Storm is a compilation book of stories from several Christian women, many of whom I count as friends. In the chapter “Forged Through the Fire,” Andrea Nyberg expounds on James 1:2-4 NIV.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,  whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

She says that when we are going through trials, people attempt to console us with platitudes such as, “Don’t worry, it’s all going to be okay! Just keep praying and stay positive. God’s got this!” She admits that she’s been both the recipient and the reciter of those well-intended statements.

But then our quote of the day comes in. When she faced trials, those platitudes didn’t help at all. However, allowing the testing of her faith helped her develop perseverance. Andrea focused on God’s desired character development in her in her suffering.

She writes, “Joy is found in choosing to have hope beyond our circumstances. It is recalling the times God has been faithful before and choosing to believe He will be faithful again.”

She quotes Timothy Keller in “Walking with God through Pain and Suffering,”

“Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.”

I was truly encouraged by the whole collection of stories in Strength in the Storm – I highly recommend you get your own copy HERE.

The Power of Perseverance

In my intense suffering in the past three years, the last thing I wanted to focus on was more character development. I had already invested in over a decade of counseling, plus countless books, seminars, and videos to overcome codependency and a lack of boundaries. I had worked hard on forgiveness every day. After divorce and ridding my life of all abusive people, I was ready to start a new and better chapter. That was my focus.

However, much more suffering followed that was out of my control, and none of it was my fault. I didn’t want to learn about perseverance – I wanted relief from the searing pain. That’s a feeling reinforced by our pain-averse culture.

Yet God set me apart for his glory. I did not turn to the things of the world to comfort me in my grief. I learned to lean more heavily on the Lord as I persevered and continued to trust God had a purpose in my suffering, though I couldn’t see it (and still can’t see it fully today). The language of lament became my most common prayer, and I accepted the invitation to take my anger to God rather than hold it in. In my seasons of depression, I remembered to hold on for my kids’ sake and for the story I’m trusting God to write in my future.

The Perseverance Payoff

I can look back now and see that my perseverance has paid off. As I’ve kept to my rhythms, I’ve stayed true to myself while staying tethered to God. I don’t have guilt or regret from making self-medicating decisions post-divorce, which was only possible because I allowed God to be my portion. My relationship with God has become deeper, more authentic, and more seasoned due to perseverance. I can also see how God is using this character development trial to help me minister to others from a richer place of vulnerability and affirmation.

This character growth could only happen over time, and it couldn’t be rushed. Most of it happened in the dark, where growth is slow. Yet as I’ve learned from growing seeds indoors, some seeds only sprout in the dark. In my current season when the sprouts of hope are just pushing through the surface, I can finally say “Thank You” to God with a genuine heart. The tiny leaves of broccoli, lettuce, and spinach in my garden bed are a living picture of the reward of perseverance.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to reflect on a special gift God has given you and let me know about it in the comments.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

Are You Looking for a Book Launch Manager or Virtual Assistant?

If you’re launching a book in 2025 or beyond, be sure to book a call with me HERE to discuss your book launch. I’ve had over 50 clients since 2022, and I’d love to speak with you soon. I’m also taking on new VA clients. You can learn more and book a call with me on THIS PAGE.

If you liked this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media!

Also, if you make a purchase from any of the links on this post, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I send my weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

A Door Closed in Your Face is a portion of a quote I read in Brianna Barrett’s book, “Hope in the Healing,” and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 11 of Lent 2025 – March 15

I have had the privilege of serving as Brianna’s editor and book launch manager for Hope in the Healing, a devotional for those with chronic illness. It opened my eyes to her struggles that I never realized even though we’ve followed each other on social media for years. Her book has also opened my eyes to the struggles people with chronic illnesses face and has helped me grow in compassion.

In this quote, she’s talking about a time when God protected her from something that could have been much worse. We’ve all had that happen to us. My daughter said it’s called “burnt toast syndrome.” It’s when your burnt toast makes your breakfast take longer, but those few extra minutes keep you from getting in a wreck on the way to work, for example. This is a good way to look at inconveniences that happen all the time because they might be diverting us from disaster.

Right now, I’m dealing with some unanswered prayers and doors closed in my face. However, God is showing me that these negative things could be protecting me from worse occurrences. I may never know this side of heaven about that protection, but God certainly does.

Brianna says after this quote, “He doesn’t withhold things from His children to be mean, but to protect us.”

I am learning to trust this truth as I come out of a long, dark season. I must trust that if God is withholding something from me, it’s for a good reason. It can be a saving grace, or it can also be a test of my patience and trust. Either way, it’s an opportunity for my faith to grow, and that’s always a good thing.

When did God prevent something bad from happening to you, though you didn’t realize it at the time? Let me know in the comments.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to reflect on a special gift God has given you and let me know about it in the comments.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

Are You Looking for a Book Launch Manager or Virtual Assistant?

If you’re launching a book in 2025 or beyond, be sure to book a call with me HERE to discuss your book launch. I’ve had over 50 clients since 2022, and I’d love to speak with you soon. I’m also taking on new VA clients. You can learn more and book a call with me on THIS PAGE.

If you liked this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media!

Also, if you make a purchase from any of the links on this post, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I send my weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

As the Wounds Healed is a portion of a quote I read in Dr. Michelle Bengtson’s book, “Sacred Scars,” and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 10 of Lent 2025 – March 14

Dr. Michelle Bengtson is a dear friend of mine. Her books cost her much to write in terms of spiritual warfare, and they are precious gifts to those of us who are suffering. She wrote this book in the trenches, and I’m so thankful for the wisdom she shares in it.

This book affirmed so many of my hurts. It comforted me and validated me. Yet it also pointed a way forward for me, which is essential so I don’t wallow in my legitimate status as a victim.

Here’s more context for the quote above, taken from Chapter 13: Be the Gift You Wish You’d Had.

“In some of the hardest battles, people have said to me, ‘You’ll be able to use this to minister to other people.’ I suspected that was true because I know God doesn’t waste our pain. But in full confession, it made me wonder, didn’t God care that I needed someone to encourage my heart? When our pain or our grief is fresh and raw, knowing that our pain will help others with theirs does little to mitigate the hurt, the longing, the disdain, the despair we endure. So, if you are there now, I can relate. For me, it was only as the wounds healed to sacred scars that I could appreciate how God used my painful experiences to minister to others, and then I was grateful for them.”

See how insightful and wise Michelle is? Please order her book HERE and encourage her by leaving an honest review.

As the Wounds Healed to Sacred Scars

I’m seeing sure signs that my wounds are healing to sacred scars.

First sign. I saw one of the people that hurt me out in the wild this week. Instead of being gripped with fear or choked by trauma, I quietly returned to my car until the threat of encountering that person passed. I realized I did this to protect myself as a smart move rather than a knee-jerk reaction. The person even seemed like a stranger to me rather than a monster or villain. This is a huge step forward, and I’m grateful it’s proof my wounds are healing.

Second sign. Just last night in my small group, I said that in recent months as I’ve shared my story with unbelievers, they show greater respect and even awe for me. Even though they aren’t yet in agreement with my beliefs, I sense they can clearly see the only explanation for how I’ve survived such massive trauma is my faith, because my experiences would have broken them to pieces.

I said, “I’m just beginning to realize that if my horror story, which I wouldn’t want to relive or wish on anyone, could bring someone to Christ, can I really call it all bad?” If you know me, you know how giant a step forward this is. It’s a sure sign of healing and redemption that’s just beginning.

I am thankful that God is finally showing me how my sacred scars are healing and that they can be used to help others. Just a few months ago, this quote didn’t feel very helpful or comforting to read. However, now that I’m tiptoeing into a new season, I can reach out my pinky finger and grab onto the tiny blade of green hope that exists in this 2025 Lenten season, and I’m grateful.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to reflect on a special gift God has given you and let me know about it in the comments.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

Are You Looking for a Book Launch Manager or Virtual Assistant?

If you’re launching a book in 2025 or beyond, be sure to book a call with me HERE to discuss your book launch. I’ve had over 50 clients since 2022, and I’d love to speak with you soon. I’m also taking on new VA clients. You can learn more and book a call with me on THIS PAGE.

If you liked this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media!

Also, if you make a purchase from any of the links on this post, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I send my weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Live in Truth is a portion of a quote I read in Geri Scazzero’s book, “The Emotionally Healthy Woman,” and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 9 of Lent 2025 – March 13

This quote reminds me of a conversation I had with a good friend. I was asking her why our small group of parents at church shut down when I gave answers to the prompts from the Alpha series.

She looked at me with kindness and respect. Then she said, “Sarah, you are very self-aware. Most people find that intimidating. I don’t think you need to change anything. But there is definitely a cost to being self-aware, even in church.”

It took decades of work on myself to get to the point of living in truth so I could live in freedom.

Setting boundaries and living by them has cost me greatly, but gained me even more. My choices, led by God’s guidance, have given me a life lived true to my convictions.

It is a rare and expensive life in contrast to the cheap, common offerings of the world, but I will have it no other way.

Now that I have had to fight for it so fiercely, I won’t let anyone take it from me through boundary violations or a lack of responsibility and/or repentance.

I reread portions of this book yesterday and drank in the wisdom. It strengthened my resolve, and I know it can help you too.

I highly recommend this book that debunks lies we live by as women. We can use it as a guideline to live in truth and grow in self-awareness.

How have you grown in self-awareness through faith? Let me know in the comments.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to reflect on a special gift God has given you and let me know about it in the comments.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

Are You Looking for a Book Launch Manager or Virtual Assistant?

If you’re launching a book in 2025 or beyond, be sure to book a call with me HERE to discuss your book launch. I’ve had over 50 clients since 2022, and I’d love to speak with you soon. I’m also taking on new VA clients. You can learn more and book a call with me on THIS PAGE.

If you liked this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media!

Also, if you make a purchase from any of the links on this post, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I send my weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!

Put Up a Shield is a quote I read in Karla Downing’s book, “Change My Relationship,” and I’m pondering it with you today.

For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for just five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.

Day 8 of Lent 2025- March 12

I’m pondering this quote today from the highly practical and helpful book, Change My Relationship, by Karla Downing.

I read this book in 2022 when my divorce played out and I had viciously mean words slung at me. The book was super helpful for strengthening my boundaries.

Friends sent me encouragement in the form of Psalm 91:4 NIV:

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

I trusted God to be my shield against the people’s fiery arrows aimed at me.

Early this year, I faced more unfairness in a different situation. The good news is that I recognized the mistreatment right away, stood up to it, and refused to receive it. This choice cost me, but it also provided me proof of healing. I’m not going to be a victim of abuse any longer, and now I can recognize mistreatment much faster than I did before.

I thank God for this sign of healing in my life. I’m pondering this quote with you today because some of you haven’t arrived there yet, and you need help establishing boundaries against the meanness and unfairness you are receiving.

I highly recommend Karla’s book as a strengthener. Also please run, don’t walk, to a counselor to get help like I did. Don’t try to face it alone – get the help you deserve. Get a free, one-time counseling appointment and referral HERE.

Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to reflect on a special gift God has given you and let me know about it in the comments.

Find all my additional resources for Lent on this page.

Are You Looking for a Book Launch Manager or Virtual Assistant?

If you’re launching a book in 2025 or beyond, be sure to book a call with me HERE to discuss your book launch. I’ve had over 50 clients since 2022, and I’d love to speak with you soon. I’m also taking on new VA clients. You can learn more and book a call with me on THIS PAGE.

If you liked this post, I would appreciate your shares on social media!

Also, if you make a purchase from any of the links on this post, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I send my weekly newsletter Tea on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. Central time every Tuesday.  I write an exclusive devotion for you each week that I share with you first.

To receive the newsletter, please subscribe below. I can’t wait to share personally with you each week!