Dear Little Girl…Protect Your Peace

Dear Little Girl,

There will be moments when you look around and wonder if everyone else is ahead of you.

Someone else's marriage will look easier.
Someone else's family will seem more peaceful.
Someone else's success will feel louder.
Someone else's life will look more certain.

And before you realize it, your heart will start measuring.

Am I behind?
Did I miss something?
Why does their life seem easier than mine?

But comparison is a thief that quietly steals your peace.

God never asked you to carry someone else’s story.

You were never meant to live someone else's calling, marriage, timeline, or path.

You were created for your life.

The one with its twists.
Its healing.
Its slow growth.
Its unexpected beauty.

When you fix your eyes on what someone else has, you begin to lose sight of what God is doing in you.

Peace doesn’t grow in comparison.

Peace grows in trust.

Trust that God knows your story.
Trust that your timing is not a mistake.
Trust that the life you are living is the one He is shaping.

So when the noise of comparison gets loud…

Come back to stillness.
Come back to gratitude.
Come back to the quiet truth that God is writing a story in you that no one else could live.

And that story is enough.

Love,
Amy

Worthy Heart

A Monday Morning Reflection

Yesterday in church our pastor talked about the cost and the benefit of following Jesus.

At first, the cost looked like early mornings.

But somewhere along the way those early mornings became my favorite part of the day.

Those quiet moments with Jesus are where these Dear Little Girl letters are born.
And maybe, just maybe, they are reaching someone who needs them.

Sometimes I catch myself wishing it all moved faster.

More readers.
More responses.
Speaking opportunities.
The book written already.

But today I realized something.

I am actually at peace with where I am.

The last two weeks have been incredibly busy at the studio. My life is full of dance, MELT, kids, and family. Six years ago I never could have imagined this life.

Back then I thought my future looked completely different.

But God knew better.

When I look around, comparison still tries to sneak in.

I see marriages that look easier.
Couples sharing wine at dinner.
People traveling more.
New cars.
Beautiful homes.

And if I’m not careful, my heart starts measuring again.

But the truth is…

I don’t know the cost of someone else’s life.

And when I stop comparing and start counting my blessings, I see something entirely different.

Will is thriving and knows the Lord.
JP is finding his way in New York and just landed his first gig.
Graeme, even when he gives me a run for the money, has the sweetest heart.

And yesterday, as I watched the children in our show — some with special needs — I was reminded again how much we have to be grateful for.

My life may not look like what I once imagined.

But it is so good.

Or maybe the better word is and.

It is different and it is good.

Yesterday our pastor shared a quote by Dallas Willard that stuck with me:

"Discipleship to Jesus is the greatest opportunity we will ever have in life."

The truth is, following Jesus changes everything.

Getting to know Him slowly transforms the way you see your life, your struggles, your relationships, and even your dreams.

And those quiet mornings with Him?

They are like treasure hidden in a field.

They are like oil under the surface in Texas.

More valuable than anything else I own.

Because in those moments Jesus gives me something the world cannot give:

Peace in the middle of pain.
Joy in the middle of uncertainty.
Love even when I feel alone.

That is the real benefit of walking with Him.

And that is how we protect our peace.

Not by having a perfect life.

But by choosing to meet with Jesus every day and trusting that the story He is writing in us is exactly the one we are meant to live.

Prayer

Jesus,

Thank you for these quiet mornings.

Thank you for the mornings when I am grateful.
And the mornings when I am angry and you calm my heart.
The mornings when I am afraid and you help me breathe.
The mornings when I am so sad all I can do is cry and you simply sit with me.
And the mornings when my thoughts bounce everywhere like a ping-pong ball and you gently bring me back to peace.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for loving my family.

Thank you for the story you are writing in my life — even when I cannot see where it is going.

Help me keep my eyes on you and not on comparison.

Remind me that your timing is never a mistake.

And help every person reading this remember that you are writing a beautiful story in their life too.

Amen.