The Quiet Place

Tonight I opened my Bible App up to this verse image.  This tugged at my heart because I have been hearing the pull and yearning of God calling me back to himself. I so desire to pour more of myself and my time into Jesus. Yet, I see how I fill my time with tasks and entertainment day after day. I see myself struggling to give God my time and full attention. Yet my desire for intimacy with my creator increases, eventually this desire does pull me into Jesus and his word. I’m thankful for that. Today for the first time in awhile I opened up His words, the words of my God and spent a little time with him. I’m glad I did that but even that time was interrupted by a phone call. Sometimes I look at everything happening and I look at myself and I feel so imperfect. I feel guilty for not managing my time better, for not being better with my finances, and for not giving God the time that somewhere deep in my heart I truly do want to give him. I just wish I could handle it all perf...

What does it mean to "take up your cross"? Well, I'm finding that taking up my cross means completely submitting to God. It means letting him cut all the things off of me that need to go. It also means obeying what God has asked of me and letting things go when He says "no, my daughter, this isn't for you". Each of these things are challenging in their own way. That last one though, that has been the hardest for me. Yet, in all of the pruning, the pulling out and cutting off; I am still grateful, and I am still blessed. I'm still grateful because I know that God disciplines those he loves, I know that when he disciplines me it's because I'm HIS daughter. I'm grateful because I know that the pain of the pruning leads to an abundant life. It leads to a better Hillary, a better follower of Christ, and a better kingdom builder. It brings God more Glory, and it fills me overflowing with His spirit of peace and joy.  Taking up my cross...

God is at work in me constantly. I am feeling that truth right now more than ever before. He continues to baffle me with his love and mysterious ways. He continues to speak to me things I feel unworthy to know, teach me things I am most grateful to learn. Today I wanted to take some time and share with you what is happening in my heart right now. The past few weeks or maybe even before that, I have been dealing with a big bear called anxiety. Anxiety started to grasp me so much that it was difficult for me to get through the work day. At one point I even debated cutting my day short a few times. I never did leave the office but the consideration of it because of anxiety was definitely a red flag. You could say that this anxiety was brought on by a plethora of things but generally speaking it seems that my current life challenges were overwhelming me. Even though walking through this challenge of anxiety has been completely not fun and at times extremely hard; I am grateful for what ...

Though the blog has been quite, this past year has been a season of growth for me. God has met me in ways I never would have imagined. I continue to learn how his love abounds for me and yet I still can't grasp the depth of it. Even when my life circumstances are unsteady God is sovereign; he provides exactly what I need when I need it. He is transforming my heart to be even more compassionate, empathetic, forgiving, and merciful. I don't know yet what he has in store for me but I know it is something quite large and unimaginable. It's terrifying yet exciting to think of what the future might hold; I have found that I continually need to remind myself of God's great love as I shudder at his mightiness. Even though the Lord has revealed to me that he has great plans for my life, I tend to get lost in worries when I see that circumstances and resources don't seem to be adding up in a way that would promote success. I struggle with a very real fear of suffering and di...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9  Photo Credit Hillary Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18   Even in the midst of the darkest circumstances God is good.  That is exactly what this passage tells us. And I love how that last part brings the point home... "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I have learned that even in my darkest places God's hope is there shining through, providin...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have a guest post from Victoria, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can learn more about Victoria in her bio at the end of the post.  When I first saw this month’s theme here at The Quiet Place, my mind immediately started thinking about phrases like “beauty from ashes” and the songs that Superchick and Gungor made so popular.  Then last week happened. To put a long story short, I ended up having three very unexpected days with one of my friends. We took her daughter to the doctor together on one day and then a few days later that same friend came down to spend some time with us while she sorted things  out.  One evening, we sat in my backyard while her kids played. With tears in her eyes, my friend who I’ve never seen cry, told me about several stories she had heard from missionaries about the miracles that they have seen God work. I knew those tears came as a result o...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors Jayda, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can find out more about Jayda and her blog on are about page.  This month’s topic could not have come at a better time for me. I’ve been reading through Job, which if you ask me, is the perfect example of beauty in brokenness. If I were being completely honest, I would tell you that I don’t particularly enjoy the book of Job. It’s kind of depressing; I’m not someone who likes to dwell on pain and hardship, and Job is forty-two chapters of just that. Frankly, I don’t blame Job for being miserable. His wealth, his children, his health...all taken away from him. His skin is literally oozing (gross. So gross.), he’s withering away, and his wife and friends are the least caring and compassionate people you could possibly imagine. He cries out to God, but seems to be suspended in this painful, broken place for awhile. ...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of our August sponsors Madison of The Wetherills Say I Do . She is also one of my blogging friends, I have enjoyed working with her this month and am excited to continue in the future, she is a sweet girl with a big heart for others and Jesus! Today She is sharing her heart on this months theme: Beauty in the Brokenness. So be sure to check out her blog at the links below! If you've ever heard a group of people share their testimonies, a lot of them have a common thread: brokenness. A lot of now believers had to come to a very low point in their lives before they had their breaking moment of calling out to Jesus. Have you ever wondered why that is? Why is it that so many of us have to hit rock bottom before we'll realize our infinite need for a Savior? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that in my darkest moments, I've seen the Lord hand out grace and turn brokenness into beauty. We all tend t...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors Sophia, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can learn more about Sophia on the about page.  As I go through life I have come to learn that it is the struggles that I have gone through that makes me stronger.   There are many times in life where I feel I cannot be stretched enough and if I go through one more thing, then I will simply fall apart. Even though the trail may last for weeks, months, or even years; once I am through them, I can always say I have become a better person in the end.   Have you ever considered a diamond and what it must   go through in order to become a diamond.   It starts off as a lump of coal.   Through time, heat, and tremendous amounts of pressure a once dark, charred, lump of coal; has turned into a beautiful diamond.   When you think of this parallel, this process can be compared to our life. ...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors Courtney, she is sharing her heart on this  month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can find out more about Courtney and her blog on the about page.  When I was 12, I was horse CRAZY. Every item of clothing that I owned had a horse on it. Shirts, pants, sweatshirts, and socks were plastered with horses. I spent hours studying horses. I could tell you how many teeth a horse had and where each breed descended from. I was especially fascinated by horse training. If you are not familiar with equestrian lingo, training a new horse is called breaking it. It does not hurt the horse, but the horse is introduced to things that are very scary to it.  Unfamiliar things are put in its mouth and on its back. At the end of the training process, you have an animal that is gentle and ready to ride. As I was thinking about this month's topic, I thought how the Christian life is a bit like bre...

1 Samuel 16:7  So as you may know, this months theme here on the Quiet Place is beauty in the brokenness and it's one of those topics that I personally just want to flesh out and be real with you all. Merriam Webster defines beauty as :  the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. And brokenness is a place that each of us has been in at one time or another.  For me personally I would say that I find beauty in the brokenness in my life, in the seasons that I am in. Weather it be singleness, loss, etc. There's always that feeling that nothing will ever change, but then one day you begin to find beauty in it.  Singleness has always been on of those things for me, that I share a lot about both here and on my personal blog but it's something that I've always seen as a  line between something that is beautiful and just plain hard. I have emailed back and fort...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of our monthly contributors Buife, sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can find out more about Buife and her blog on the about page.  The egg has proven to be a great reservoir of wisdom. The lessons that God so carefully wrapped in it are amazing. From the illustration that uses an egg to explain the Holy Trinity, to the one that shows how the life and destiny God has given us is as delicate as an raw egg, to this one that I'm about to share. I haven't really heard this one before but every time an adult condones an improper behavior from a child around me, it gives me that 'irks' feeling. Like I know you don't always have to spank a child when he or she errs , but you don't look the other way, indulge the child's 'attitude' and make yourself feel good by adding, "what the child needs is prayers". Every time I encounter this scenario, many S...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have Meg. She is sharing her heart on this month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can learn more about Meg and her blog on the About page.  When I think of the idea of “beauty in the brokenness” I think of adoption.   The earthly adoptions of our boys, and our adoption by God into his family have shown us so much beauty in the midst of brokenness, in ways that have helped us see the crazy grace God wants to give. I think a lot of people realize how amazing adoption is, but don’t even understand half of it, and when you get to see that part of it, it becomes this thing you get so excited about and want to shout about from the rooftops. Everyone gets that adopting a kid is great. But why? What’s behind it that makes it so great? God and the redemptive power of grace. Preparing a way for His plan to be made known in a beautiful birth mom,   a sweet baby, and a new family about to be formed. We’ve had the p...

Happy August! This month's theme is... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26  This is one of the first verses that I came across when I started out to write this post. At first I wasn't sure how I would relate it to this month's theme, but after some thought, I've realized that this verse is perfect for August. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you have probably heard me mention about a thousand times this year that life has been a bit hard for me. A lot of that has to do with what God has been doing in my heart. During my time at Grad school, God brought me out into the wilderness where I was alone. And as you can imagine, being alone is a really difficult thing. Some say that loneliness is the worst feeling in the world to live with. But what I realize now is that God brought me to that broken place so that he could ...