About the Author

Holley Gerth is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, counselor, and life coach. Her newest release is The Powerful Purpose of Introverts: Why the World Needs You to Be You. She's also wife to Mark, Mom to Lovelle, and Nana to Eula and Clem.

(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. Glad God sees me even if no one else does. Thankful for a home in heaven waiting for me.

  2. Thank you so much Holley for sharing your heart and your faith.I truly need these words today. I’m having a painful (emotional and physical) recovery from spinal surgery in February. As well as a setback when I received an electric shock from my spinal cord stim device replaced (I have Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)in February’s surgery,which has been traumatic. I have been perceiving myself a failure because I can’t get past this new burning pain in my right leg(my left leg has been like this for 20 years) and anxiety attacks. I’ve been seeing myself as a big lump of pain and failing as a person. Your words were a hug to my soul. God Bless. ❤️

  3. I feel like this was just what I needed to hear. I’ve been up since 3 am stressing out. I feel like I have been making mistake after mistake over the last few years and now I am so confused even prayer hasn’t helped. I am a retired mental health clinician- go figure that I can get my act together. So, I am at least smart enough to have made an appointment with a therapist. And I need to remind myself constantly I have a roof over my head, and I have food to eat, a church that I am so thrilled to be a part of, friends and of course family. But still, I need help and I need to see the truth.

    • Well done for reaching out for help, Madeline. I can so relate to stressing out and feeling stuck in my thoughts. Praying for you today!

  4. Thank you for this. I think many of us can relate to fear, anxiety and perceptions. I have found that many times when I’ve become anxious that after I face it, it wasn’t so bad afterall.

  5. Soooo needed this today. Thank you! May God continue to give us peace, courage, and faith as we face our fears. Put my trust in Jesus!!!

  6. Wow. God knows what we need at exactly when we need it. This article spoke to what I’m going through right now in a mighty way. I am going back into a career that I know God called me to…but I’ve been a little fearful lately. After I had such a peace about going back- which I know was from the Lord because He showed me so many reasons to say “yes” to the position- I’ve been having nagging thoughts going through my mind. Will I be as good as I used to be at this? Will people resent me for leaving and then coming back? Will I be able to juggle this monumental task that is up ahead with everything else that is expected of me and come out successfully, but even more important- joyfully? Will I be able to keep the negativity of others out of my mind and focus on the Joy of the Lord and let that be my strength? The answer to all of these questions are a resounding YES, but not because of my doing- because of God’s. Just as your article pointed out- and this hit me like a ton of bricks in the BEST way- “What we feel also isn’t our identity.” I am a child of God, loved and seen in ways I could have never imagined. Jesus is with me through this huge adventure, holding my hand through it all. I want this time to be different than the first time. I want to seek Him before ever listening to these detrimental negative thoughts or hurtful words of others. His Truth is simply that- the Truth. It’s what I need to hear and meditate on. Thank you for this reminder and encouragement! I will be printing this off to read as a reminder of Who I belong to.

    • Tisha, I’ve learned the hard way that we, in Jesus, have an enemy who wants to weaken or destroy our witness for Jesus. He taught me to be alert to Satan’s attacks. And immediately stand against the negative thoughts in Jesus name that Satan puts in my mind by putting on the armor of God. This is something I’m still working on daily. But God is so-o-o GOOD. HE’s so-o-o merciful. I’ve learned the meaning of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Because at 76 years old, that kind of thinking has become a way of life. But GOD has shown me with HIM all things are possible. What I thought was impossible has NOW become possible. So Tisha go forth in Jesus name with Jesus confidence. GOD bless you and may HE keep you in the palm of HIS hand.

  7. Holley, thank you. Great reminder. Fears of all kinds have kept me from living more days than I care to admit. Your questions are similar to one I use now too: If I wasn’t afraid, I would (fill in the blank). It is empowering realizing that I can still choose to do something even when anxiety tells me otherwise.

  8. Thank you, Holley! You always give me food for thought and encouragement to self examine.

  9. Thank you, Holley…you truly struck not one, but several nerves. I was having trouble focusing on where to apply your words, so I will use them in all instances that they apply. Thank you again so very much! God Bless!!

  10. I did not know why I always seem to think about the negative things that are going on in my life. Thank you for the information that our brains are wired with a negativity bias. That explains so much-thank you Holley! I also want to keep my mind on what God says and not base truth on what my brain is telling me.

  11. “What matters over a lifetime is that we don’t let what we perceive have more of a hold on us than what we believe, what we know deep down is true.” Mastering this may take a lifetime, but it is worth the effort. Thanks, Holley!

  12. Holley,

    Love your posts. You always have such great wisdom to dispense. Our world today makes it easy to feel like a failure. If you don’t own a home or nice car, good paying job, aren’t skinny, the list goes on then you are a failure. That is totally upside down to God’s economy. He sees each one of us as a beloved Child & an heir with a super inheritance in Heaven. Ask yourself those four simple questions, change your perception, trust what you know deep deep down & you will see yourself as a winner.

    Blessings 🙂