Good morning everyone. Welcome back to the newsletter!

This week I’m super excited to be sharing a piece written by one of the amazing ladies in our community, Chesly. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have and I’m so grateful to God to be able to share this platform with all of you and let your voices also be heard.

If you are also interested in writing a newsletter or being part of one, please feel to reach out on an email or WhatsApp x

I woke up on Monday morning feeling overwhelmed before the day (or week) had even started. The to-do list seemed too long and the time just too little. Can you relate?

We all have those moments when it just seems like we have too much on our plate and we don’t feel capable of doing it all. I think I often get my joy and strength from when I’m top of things – feeling in control and ticking things off my to-do list. When everything’s running smoothly, I feel good about myself. But where does that leave me when the road is a bit bumpy and I don’t feel in control?

The joy I get from control is so temporary! And completely dependent on me!

The Lord sent me this much-needed reminder in Monday’s verse of the day:

This made me see that true joy comes from realising I need Him – and drawing strength from Him. He is unchanging and satisfying and therefore my joy will be too! He gives us the kind of strength that enables us to do more, through admitting we can’t do it without Him. 

Remember that the Lord wants us to be real with Him. He wants us to tell Him how we’re really feeling. 

“I don’t feel capable.” “I feel overwhelmed.” “I’m scared that I’ll fail.”

Only when we tell God the truth of how we’re really feeling can He replace those lies and fears with His truth and freedom. This is what it looks like to give the Lord your burdens. And the burdens don’t just have to be the things on our to-do list, because, more often than not, it’s the emotions that come with that list that are heavy, not the to-do list itself. He’s a good Father. He wants to take the things that are weighing us down. Give Him your thoughts and emotions and allow Him to give you a load that is light – a load of freedom, a load of strength and loads of joy! 

I’m currently reading a book called Living Fearless by Jamie Winship (I would highly recommend!) and something I read recently really opened my eyes to what our relationship with God could look like:

I’m sure we’re all familiar with Matthew 6:8 which says, “Your Father knows what you need before you even ask Him!” 

I question that often follows this is, “Why should I ask God for something that He already knows I need?”

Jamie responds to this question by saying, “Well if God already knows what you need, why don’t you ask Him what you need?”

 What a different perspective! I find this to be a whole new level of intimacy with and dependency on God. This is where true relationship is built. We often don’t know what we need, but He does, so let’s ask Him! 

I’m trying make this a daily habit. One morning I asked the Lord, “What do I need today?” 

He replied with, “Today you need people.”

That day turned out to be pretty exhausting and I was drained by the end of it. I ended up going for a walk with friends that evening and it brought me so much joy! It was exactly what I needed (of course it was – He knows!!). 

Wake up every morning and ask the Lord what you need. Some days He might say it’s people, other times it might be getting into nature, spending one-on-one time with Him or doing something you love to do. You’ll be amazed at how much strength and joy you’ll find in these little things when it’s exactly what you need. 

Let’s build relationship with our Father and allow Him to give us the things we need for each day. He can do so much beyond just helping us get through our to-do lists. Let’s see how He amazes us – He always does!

Thanks Chelsy for reminding us of much we can depend on the Lord!

I hope you found this newsletter helpful and can take this practice of asking the Lord to show you your need into your daily life.

As I mentioned, if you would like to get involved with the newsletter - be it by writing, sharing ideas or graphic design - please feel free to reach out!

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I hope you have good rest of your week and we’ll chat again next Thursday!

Cailyn xx