About the Author

Anna works full-time for DaySpring from Minnesota, where she lives with her husband and four kids. Anna is the author of A Moment of Christmas and Pumpkin Spice for Your Soul, and she shares the good stuff of the regular, encouraging you to see the ordinary glory in your everyday.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Anna,
    Perfect love casts out fear. The only One whose very definition is “love” is our Lord. God is love. Jesus is love. The Holy Spirit is love. Father, friend, and guide are at our disposal to enable us to cast our anxieties upon Him. May we all keep tapping into this source of strength so that we can be fear-overcomers as we move forward. Beautiful prayer!
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

  2. Aren’t we just so funny with our, “Lord, be with…” prayers when, all the while, he has promised never to leave us. How much more comforting to pray from a “thank you, Lord, that you are with…”

  3. Anna,

    Jesus understands our fears. He knows our insecurities & worries about what ifs. We need to place our trust in the one who is with us always. Focus on God & His love for you-it will cast out any & all fears. Asking God to help alleviate all fears about schooling this year. May He send His perfect peace to all. Asking Him to guide the teachers/parents who will be instructing our young children. May He give you all the wisdom you need to succeed.

    Blessings 🙂

  4. Good morning Anna & all,

    Thank you for sharing about fears many have about this year’s school year. I am realizing as I have read your devo this am, I may represent another mindset.

    As a passionate/compassionate educator of now 25 years, I cannot express how VERY thankful and joyful I am to be back in my classroom with my fourth grade children!! (Already two and a half weeks–and no COVID!) I continue to thank my parents for trusting me with their children. My classroom is clearly different with masks, distancing and lots of cleaning and sanitizing, and many less (now only 20 kiddos in a class) students in each classroom, Yet, what a gift I have been given to be back with my students. I thank God every day for this opportunity. I don’t believe teachers teach or students learn best through the medium of computers ~ specifically elementary children or those with learning differences. I don’t have the fear you have, so I am now realizing I need to be praying prayers of thankfulness for my mindset and love of being with my children (albeit, not the optimal situation). I actually get to sit and enjoy lunch with my kiddos (since cafeteria times are not allowed, due to no students traveling) and it allows me “down time” with my students that I have never really been able to enjoy with the rigor and pace of a “typical” year. These are gifts that I am thankful for this year—I think Christ is helping me to enjoy the positive end of such a year of change and disappointments!

    Yet, I’m not at school today, as schools in our Diocese (in south Louisiana) are now closed because of these two looming storms….so opportunity for more, and different, fear!
    However, I keep embracing our school’s chosen scriptural “motto” this year:
    “I can do ALL thinks through Christ who strengthens me” Phil. 4:13.

    In Him,
    Andree

    • Ms. Andree and Ms. Anna,

      I am so grateful for your comment and also for this beautiful devotion. I truly needed this today and am so thankful for teachers like you. After praying for guidance on making the right decision, our son started kindergarten yesterday; however I was still struggling with that decision due to almost everyone in my circle deciding on distant learning. Although I may still home school in the future I did not want that decision to be made out of fear. Jesus commanded the wind and waves to be still and by God’s grace and mercy I have been slowly learning how to trust more in these most tempestuous of circumstances. I pray for teachers and parents that the positives will continue to outshine the negatives no matter what decision we make concerning our children going to school or learning from home, knowing and believing completely that our father in heaven loves them and goes before them always.

      With Love,
      Sharah

  5. I just wanted to comment that I hope all goes well when your new baby arrives next month! I have a niece who is supposed to start school again soon and today I learned that her district will be on remote learning until the end of the first report card period. For the safety of students, teachers and all others involved in at school learning I believe that school should not open in person until the beginning of 2021. I know that makes things difficult for some parents who may physically have to go to a job site. I don’t think any of us anticipated when this new decade started that it would be anything like this year has been. Grateful that God has seen me through this year so far.

  6. This is so good, Anna! I’m going to share it with my daughters, who are bravely making decisions that affect my granddaughters. Thank you for being you and braving the coming days. May your family be richly blessed.

  7. Anna, thank you for your word of encouragement for we mom’s and our children that will soon resume back to school. Greater is He that called us, He will keep us to the very end with our family. Let us be rest assured in God. Bible says thousands will fall on our left and also on our right sides, it will not come near us. We will only see it with our eyes. Let us hold on to God’s faithfulness toward us all. God bless you.