About the Author

At (in)courage, we empower women to be like Jesus. Our writers share what’s going on in their life and how God’s right in the middle of it. They bring their joys & struggles so that you can feel less alone and be empowered by the hope Jesus gives.

(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
Recent Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. God is & has been steady, unshaken, present & compassionate in the midst of ALL! He is honing me/us to reflect His character to others in the midst of their ups & downs as well. To Him be all the glory next year. This week. This am.

    • Wow Ruth, such words of encouragement from God’s presence in your life and heart! Loved this today. Thanks for sharing.

  2. God has been good to me this year! He led me to a new church home where I’ve made friends in 2 different small groups I’ve taken, started teaching again for small group kids, and have some very good friends I can rely on for prayer or just to message and say hope you have a great day!!!
    I have heard from God very clearly while I was praying about a future husband and He responded with “Wait! I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord!” He was pretty clear! I was pretty floored! But I wait on the Lord like He asks, and as I wait He has me digging into the Bible.
    There have been good things and hard things this year, through it all God has been faithful. He has shown me through the good and the bad to rely on Him constantly! To be in constant prayer and have constant faith!

    • Cathy, in my single days my roommates & I had a magnet on our frig of a frazzled little girl praying; “God You know Everything! What’s his name?” We laughed allot at how long we prayed that same prayer. I was 29 when God told me His pick for me. Worth the wait! May you fully lean into the One who really does know everything! Waiting on God is never wasted time. Good for you not sitting idle while you wait!

      • Ruth I love the magnet!!! I can picture it in my head I bet you laughed a lot! I totally agree waiting on God is never wasted time, He keeps me busy while I wait. I’ll always follow His lead! Blessings to you in the New Year and to you as well Anna. Thank you both for responding and God bless you!
        Cathy
        P.S.- I’m going to have to write that magnet prayer down!!! Lol

    • Praising His faithfulness to you this year, Cathy! And low-key loving that prayer from Ruth’s fridge, ha! Blessings as we enter a new year!

  3. God has been very faithful to me. He answered my prayer for healing this year. I’m 18 years old and I was very sick for two years. I went quite awhile where I would throw up anything I ate no matter what I ate I couldn’t keep anything down. I was so sick. The doctor finally said she was certain I had endometriosis. So I was scheduled for a laparoscopy. My church family prayed over me the day before my surgery. They prayed that the surgeon would find nothing and I would be healed. August 16th 2021 I was healed of endometriosis. All my pain is gone and I am now able to eat! Praise Jesus!

  4. I felt God’s presence as I struggled with kidney failure. I believed, even in the hardest times, that healing would come. I watched God’s restoration power as He took my husband’s cousin and her addiction, gave her the vision to heal me,kept her clean for a year and gave me a second chance. On March 3 I received Katie’s kidney, in a live donor transplant and have been healthy since! Praise God for still working today!

    • See we have faithful God. He healed you. Gave you your cousin kidney. Took your Husband’s cousin through the operation to give you one of her Kidneys. Plus took you through the operation to have your Husband’s cousin kidney. Cherlyn you are were you are today because of God and your Husband’s cousin.. It still works. That is amazing. I said a prayer for you all the way from Enniskillen in Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland. Love Dawn Ferguson-little xx

  5. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I can remember God’s faithfulness. Any day any year. As God wakes me up every morning to enjoy another day in his beautiful world. As Psalm 118 verse 24 says. This is day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it. No matter what we go through good are bad. Every day is the Lord’s he made it. We have to remember to rejoice in even if not a good day we are having. Lamentations 3 22-24 says “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 I say to myself the Lord is my portion therefore I will wait on him.” We have to remember theses verses as well. Sometimes our prayers might not be answered as quickly or the way we want. Because of the Lord’s love we are not consumed they are new every morning. How true that is. Great is his faithfulness. Even though we might not see it at times. God is there at all times. Faithful. Every day is his as he made it. So we should thank God no matter what. Especially that we are alive. He said also in his word that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Sometimes God makes us wait for his answer to our prayers. To test us to see how strong our faith is in him. When he doesn’t answer us the way we would like. We have to believe and remember God knows best and what he is doing we are trust him at all times. Even though we might not like the answer he gives us. But God see the bigger picture no matter what it is about. He gives us the answer he knows is best for us. Eventually most of the time if we don’t get the answer we have liked from God no matter what we prayed about. When we look about down the line. We will see God did what he did for our own good. We mostly end up thanking him. As we will see God was right. We might not have liked the answer to our prayers that he gave and if we had to wait for God to answer. God does everything to show he loves us and cares for us. So he is faithful at all times. God took me through all he has taken me through this year in love. Especially with me on braking my Ankle. There on 1st December. I went to hospital had to have an operation to help me. Still in plaster. The Nurse said he was male. Said you have to be froze from the waist down. For this operation. I said why can’t be put to sleep. When all the over operations in my life I been put to sleep. The male nurse said you have to take that up with the person who put you sleep or froze from the waist down. I can’t remember if I even prayed about it or not. But the women that does that sort of thing said when I asked her can I be put sleep for it woke up when it all over. I don’t want to be froze from the waist down. She said if you want to be put to sleep you can of course have that done. I said saying we were in the month of December this year. Thank you gave me the best Christmas present ever putting me to sleep for the operation. I remember thanking God. That I was going to be put to sleep for it. So I was so cam going for the operation. I knew God was with me. See how I broke my ankle. Was I doing home help for my 80 year old Dad 81 in February next year. I clean his house. He not saved. I do for the Love of my Dad and on to the Lord. I was going down to washing machine that he has in his shed on the grass. To check his bed sheets on the line in the shed. As not enough room for them in his house. I slipped on the wet grass and heard crack. So I knew it was broken. God took me through all that too. Going to A&E to get the bone put back in place. A plaster on it. Then for an operation on it in a different hospital. So God has been so faithful. I am thankful for to be this far. Time and in God timing it will heal. So that is how good God has been to me this year. Love Dawn Ferguson-little xx

    • Dawn thank you for your consistent story-sharing and words of encouragement here! We’re so glad you’ve found and loved (in)courage.

      • Thank you for your encouraging words to me. You Anna touched my heart and made me smile by what you said. I love you all in the Lord so much. I glad even though the other side of the world. May never get to meet you all incourage this side of earth. But I will see you all in Glory one day. There we have some wonderful chats. We are all Sisters in Christ. Belong to one wonderful big family. Plus I love praying for you all. I am so blessed by the readings. I learn so much in Christ from them. Big big hugs all my love to all my sister’s in Christ. All the way from Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh. N.Ireland. Love Dawn xxxxxx

  6. It has been a year of heartbreak, including my Mother-In-Law’s passing and the divorce of one of our children. In the midst of all of it, God reminded me that his faithfulness did not change. He was in the midst of all our difficulties and still is. I have made an effort to seek him and see all the ways he has shown up. In the midst of our trials, I am so thankful for a benign biopsy this year; for getting closer to my grandchildren who have moved in with us; for the approval of our Son-In-Law’s immigration; for a small home that is busting at the seams but is filled with those we love; for a new job when I lost mine due to the pandemic; for an increase in my husband’s work as things open up again. God’s timing and faithfulness are perfect and He continues to walk us through whatever life holds.

    • Heidi, thank you for sharing the hard and the good. Truly, God is with us through it all. His faithfulness is not dependent on our circumstances. So grateful His goodness is made known even in the midst of so much pain and brokenness.

    • Heidi. That is so much to hold. I am so sorry for your grief, and hope that God’s love will envelop your soul and offer your heart respite. Your gratitude list is full of wonderful and for that I give thanks too!

  7. At Christmas Eve service, I was alone & feeling very sad. All of the sudden a little family, who I am friends with, got up from where they were sitting on the other side of the church & came & sat with me. I feel God sent them over.

  8. In Courage,

    These past few years have changed many lives. Life was going along alright then my co-worker I fill in for broke her arm. I stepped in & worked full-time for 6-8 weeks. Then suddenly they shut the unit down due to staffing-(not enough RNs). My boss sent me to work in a Covid unit as clerical. I’ve been here since middle of November. Occasionally I get to work the cardiac step down unit. Another RN manager talked to me about going part-time benefitted. I was very interested. Nothing has come of that since she has had to work nights as an RN. I’m just glad to have a good job that pays decently. It may not be what I want, but God has plans for me.

    A good co-worker friend of mine is having a hard time. She broke her ribs a few years ago & is mending. Her dad got diagnosed with kidney cancer. He has been in & out of hospital several times. The last time he was in hospital her brother got put in with Covid Pneumonia. He was only on nasal canula. Something happened & he died before Thanksgiving. Now dad is home on hospice & has pneumonia again. She is the main care giver for him. She stays with him & sleeps in recliner. She is worn out between caring for him & trying to work 12 hr. shifts. Please pray for relief.

    Blessings 🙂

  9. My closest friend is dying of Motor Neurone Disease. He has displayed amazing calmness and acceptance during this time, even as the effects of the disease render him more and more helpless and dependent. He is a complete inspiration to me.

  10. God has been incredibly faithful to me this year! My 35 year old daughter actually got married! She has had several different guys over the years and the straw that broke the camel’s back for me, was when she was living in one city, working in another one and seeing a guy from a different city! I just couldn’t see it working and sure enough it ended. Then I said to God, “This is just not working God! She needs a guy from the area she is living in, she needs a “handyman” guy and he needs to have at least some Christian background! Oh and she needs a job where she is living.” Well, pretty soon I hear a new name and finally ask, where is he from? From her city! He’s going to come over and help with the yardwork and a house project. Sounds like a handyman to me! Oh and mom, you might know his mom and dad. It turned out that his parents and I went to Sunday School, church and youth group for years on end. Lovely Christian family. And then she got a job where she lives. God is good!