July

Trust the Timing: Reflect, Release, and Rebuild

The Power of Mid-Year Reflection

As July winds down, we stand at the heart of the year, a perfect moment to pause and look both backward and forward. This week, we’re stepping into a sacred rhythm: reflecting on what’s behind us, releasing what’s no longer needed, and rebuilding with God for what’s ahead.

Surrender isn’t just about letting go; it’s about choosing to trust the timing of your life. Even when things haven’t gone as planned. Even when the harvest hasn’t come yet. Even when you're still in the waiting.

Reflect on the First Half of the Year

Before you press ahead, take a breath and look back. Let God show you how far you’ve come, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Consider these prompts:

What has God done in my life so far this year?
Where have I seen growth—even in small, quiet ways?
What prayers have been answered (in unexpected ways)?
What trials taught me something I didn’t know I needed?

Reflection allows us to see God’s fingerprints, even in hard or hidden seasons.

Release What Can’t Go With You

Sometimes we get stuck because we’re dragging the weight of disappointment, perfectionism, or unmet expectations into a new season.

It’s time to release:

The plans that didn’t work out
The burdens that weren’t yours to carry
The guilt for not “doing enough”
The desire to rush what God is still growing

God is doing a new thing, but you can’t perceive it if you're focused only on what didn’t happen.

Rebuild in Alignment with God’s Purpose

With your hands open and your heart clear, invite God to rebuild your vision and intentions for the rest of the year, not from a place of pressure, but of peace.

Ask yourself:

What is God calling me to focus on in this next season?
What does it look like to walk in alignment with His pace, not mine?
What rhythms of rest, worship, and obedience do I want to build?

This is your time to re-root in His truth and rebuild with purpose.

A Creole Summer Thought

In southern Louisiana, we know the seasons shift slowly. The summer heat lingers, the storms roll in when they want, and nothing is rushed. Growth takes time, and so does rebuilding.

Whether you're waiting for rain or harvesting something small, trust that God’s timing is never off. He’s never late, never early, always right on time with what your heart needs.

Surrender Looks Like:

Trusting God’s pace, even when it feels slow
Releasing timelines and expectations
Embracing your current season with grace
Giving yourself permission to start again
Letting God write the second half of your year with love and purpose

Challenge for the Week:

Reflect: Journal through what the first half of the year has taught you. What were the hard places? What were the moments of joy? What is God highlighting?
Release: Write down anything you need to let go of, fears, habits, goals that aren’t aligned anymore. Pray over them and physically discard the paper.
Rebuild: Choose one area of your life (spiritual, emotional, relational, or practical) and write a simple, surrendered intention to carry into August.

Final Encouragement

You are not behind.
You are not too late.
You are exactly where you need to be for what God is doing in and through you.

Trust His timing.
Trust His hand.
And trust that the new thing He is doing, even if unseen right now, will flourish in its season.

Let this mid-year moment be a holy turning point. Reflect, release, and rebuild; rooted in surrender and rising in grace.

Blessings,

Liz

Declutter the Heart: Making Room for What Matters

The Invitation to Simplify

Life has a way of getting crowded. Not just our calendars, but our minds and hearts too. We carry so much, expectations, distractions, guilt, comparison, fear. Before long, our hearts feel cluttered, and there’s no space left for peace, clarity, or communion with God.

This week, we’re accepting God’s invitation to declutter spiritually and emotionally, not just for the sake of minimalism, but for the sake of intimacy with Him. Because growth requires space. Peace requires margin. And clarity often comes when the noise is cleared.

What’s Taking Up Space in Your Heart?

Take a look at your inner world. What’s been building up that needs to be laid down?

Unforgiveness or old wounds that still sting
Anxiety or stress you haven’t named or surrendered
Comparison that steals your contentment
People-pleasing that leaves you burnt out
Endless distractions that keep you from prayer, stillness, or God’s Word

Sometimes the weight we carry isn’t obvious until we pause long enough to notice it. This is your moment to pause.

Clearing Room for God's Presence

Just like you’d clear off a cluttered countertop to prepare a space to cook or gather, clearing space in your heart creates room for God to move. When we simplify, we become more aware of His presence and more available for His purpose.

Decluttering your heart may mean:

Saying “no” to good things so you can say “yes” to God things
Turning off the noise and tuning in to the Spirit
Releasing control and remembering who holds it all
Letting go of thoughts or habits that don’t align with God’s truth
Making more space for Scripture, prayer, and stillness

A Louisiana Reflection

In the heat of summer, we know when it's time to open the windows, sweep the porch, and let the breeze blow through. Spiritually, we need those moments too, when we let God sweep through our hearts and make room for a fresh wind of peace and purpose.

Whether you’re sitting under an old oak tree or standing over a kitchen sink, God meets us when we clear the clutter. His presence brings refreshment like a cold glass of sweet tea on a long July day.

Surrender Looks Like:

Choosing stillness over busyness
Naming what no longer serves your walk with God
Creating margin for rest and connection
Making room for peace and spiritual clarity
Letting go of the need to do it all or be it all

Challenge for the Week:

Inventory the Heart: Sit with God and ask: What’s cluttering my heart right now? What’s draining me? What’s distracting me from You?
Declutter with Intention: Choose one thing to let go of this week, a commitment, habit, distraction, or mindset.
Refill the Space: Replace it with something that fills your soul, Scripture reading, worship, a quiet moment, or a meaningful conversation.

Final Encouragement

Clearing space isn’t about doing less for the sake of less. It’s about doing less so you can live more fully present with God.
As you release the clutter, you’ll discover peace, purpose, and a deeper sense of who you are in Christ.
This week, guard your heart well, because everything you do flows from it.

Blessings,

Liz

Trust the Process: Surrendering the Timeline

God’s Timing, Not Ours

It’s easy to trust God when things are moving fast and lining up the way we imagined. But what about the waiting seasons? The dry seasons? The unclear or uncomfortable places where we can't see how things will turn out?

This week, we're leaning into the beauty of surrendering the timeline and choosing to trust God even when we don’t understand the process. Because sometimes, growth is happening underground. Sometimes, obedience looks like staying rooted when all we want to do is rush ahead.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Why We Struggle with the Wait

If we’re honest, most of us wrestle with:

Wanting results faster than they come
Comparing our season to someone else’s
Feeling like we’ve “missed it” or are falling behind
Doubting ourselves or God’s promises
Trying to force open doors instead of waiting on His timing

But the truth is this: God wastes nothing. Every season has a purpose, even the ones that feel still, slow, or silent. Those seasons often shape us the most.

What It Means to Trust the Process

Trusting the process doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It means:

Being honest about your fears and still choosing faith
Leaning into God’s presence when the path isn’t clear
Believing He is good, even when the timeline feels off
Letting go of your need to control every outcome

Jesus didn’t hurry. He walked slowly. Purposefully. He trusted His Father’s timing. That same peace is available to you.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14

Slow-Cooked Surrender

Down here in Louisiana, we know a thing or two about slow-cooked goodness. The best food doesn’t come from rushing; it takes time, patience, and care. Just like the best parts of your life.

There’s beauty in letting things simmer. In not rushing your becoming. In letting God stir the pot at just the right moment. Sometimes the breakthrough doesn’t come quickly, but when it comes, it’s worth the wait.

Surrender Looks Like:

Laying down your need to rush
Choosing gratitude in your current season
Trusting that unseen progress is still progress
Believing God is working even when you can't feel it
Resting in the truth that He has not forgotten you

Challenge for the Week:

Reflect: Where have you been rushing ahead or doubting God’s timeline? Write it down.
Release: In prayer, surrender your timeline. Speak Psalm 27:14 over your heart each day this week.
Rest: Do something that reminds you to slow down—sit on your porch, take a walk, breathe deeply, and say, “God, I trust You here.”

Final Encouragement

Beloved, you are not behind.
You are exactly where God has you, and He is not late.
Let this be the week you stop striving and start trusting.
Let this be the week you breathe deep and believe again.
The process may feel slow, but it’s sacred.
And God is in every part of it.

Blessings,

Liz

Mid-Year Check-In: What’s Growing, What Needs Pruning

A Time to Pause and Reflect

We’ve reached the halfway mark of the year, and just like a well-loved garden, our lives are showing signs of all kinds of growth. Some things are blooming beautifully: answers to prayer, quiet moments of peace, and unexpected strength. Other areas? Well, they may look more like tangled vines and worn-out soil.

Before we sprint into the second half of 2025, let’s pause. Breathe. Take a slow walk with the Lord through the garden of our hearts. Not with shame or pressure, but with the gentle honesty of a gardener surveying the land, noticing what’s thriving, what needs some tending, and what needs to go.

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” – John 15:2

What’s Growing?

Maybe your faith deepened during hard days.
Maybe you’ve leaned into community more.
Maybe you’ve stepped into something new, even scared, but willing.

Let’s name it. Celebrate it. Thank God for it.

Take a moment to journal:

Where have I seen growth in my faith or character?
What prayers has God answered, even if the answer didn’t look like I expected?
How has God sustained me in moments I almost gave up?

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22–23

Bayou Blessing Thought:
In the Louisiana heat, tomatoes don’t just grow, they flourish. But that only happens with regular watering, care, and gratitude. Let’s water our spiritual growth this week with praise.

What Needs Pruning?

Now, let’s look at the overgrown places. The weeds. The burdens. The things that may have looked good at first but now feel too heavy to carry. What’s stealing your peace? What’s distracting you from your purpose?

Ask yourself:

What commitments are draining me rather than growing me?
What thought patterns or relationships are no longer bearing fruit?
Where might God be whispering, “It’s time to let this go”?

Bayou Wisdom – The Garden Knows
Just like we deadhead crepe myrtles or pinch back herbs to keep them healthy, we have to do the same in our hearts. Pruning isn’t punishment, it’s preparation. It makes room for something more abundant in the next season.

Lessons from the Porch

Here in the South, the front porch is sacred ground. It’s where grandmothers shell peas, mamas rock crying babies, and neighbors share the kind of wisdom you won’t find in books.

Take your coffee or sweet tea, step onto your porch, and ask God:

What’s blossomed in me so far this year?
What’s grown wild and needs trimming?
What fruit do You want to bring forth in the second half of this year?

Let the breeze remind you: His mercies are new every morning. His pruning shears are held with compassion.

Your Mid-Year Reflection Guide

Write it down this week:

What have I learned about God in the past 6 months?
What brought me joy?
Where have I struggled?
What do I want to carry into the next season?
What do I need to lay down, once and for all?

Then speak this truth out loud:
“God’s not done with me yet. What He’s pruning, He’s preparing to grow. I trust the Gardener.”

Challenge for the Week

Set aside quiet time to reflect on your personal “garden.”
Journal what’s growing well and what’s become heavy or fruitless.
Read John 15 and Lamentations 3 slowly—asking God to highlight areas that need celebration and areas that need release.
Commit to pruning one thing—just one—this week that’s no longer serving your growth.

Final Encouragement

God is not asking for perfection—He’s inviting you to partner with Him in the process.
There is no shame in starting fresh. There’s strength in surrender.
So take a deep breath. Thank Him for what’s blooming.
And be brave enough to clip back what’s overgrown.
The second half of your year has room for miracles.
You just have to make space for them.

Blessings,

Liz

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse