Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Graduation: Moving Up

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

We just returned from Tennessee for our grandson’s high school graduation. I was surprisingly stirred on several levels.

Graduation, from a school (or a feat of any kind), speaks of leaving the past and moving forward to something more, something better. The satisfaction of accomplishment collides with expectation and hope. I find it all quite emotional, beginning with the processional.

“Pomp and Circumstance” always moves me, and I must not be alone because it’s been played at graduations since 1905. The music is celebratory and triumphant. Like every grandparent in the arena, my eyes sought only one graduate in the processional.

The students’ addresses in Tennessee, 2025, echoed other graduation speeches I’ve heard, sprinkled with teen emotion. When they speak of the challenges they’ve survived, the lows and hard times, I kind of cringe. They have no idea! I don’t downplay the angst of the teen years, but I’m well aware that the hardships they’ll likely face as adults will be far heavier. But I digress, back to the second-best part of the graduation—the tassels!

I love the move of the tassel from the right to the left. I can’t even describe why. I just know it touches me. And then the tossing of the hats—the pure, uninhibited joy of it!

When I reflected on the ceremony and the emotion of it, I thought about the graduation in my future.

  • I thought about triumphant music accompanying Christ’s return.
  • I savored the realization that I was leaving behind all hardship and pain.
  • I imagined moving a metaphorical tassel to indicate absolute separation from my old life and entrance to my new life.
  • I saw hosts of “graduates” throwing down their crowns before the Lord of Lords.

The celebration of any graduation—high school, college, or beyond—is a mild foretaste of the joy that awaits us. (Even as I wrote this post, I couldn’t help smiling.)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise… to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 
Therefore encourage one another with these words.
I Thessalonians 4:16-18

Image by Gillian Callison from Pixabay

Sunshine & Growth

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Is it just me, or does the sun shine brighter in the spring? Does the sky seem bluer and the clouds puffier, or do we just see things differently?

Science tells us that sunlight stimulates serotonin, provides vitamin D, and regulates our natural sleep-wake cycle. Simply put, it affects our mood for the better. Sunshine makes us happier and more productive.

This makes me wonder, how can I increase sunlight in my spiritual self? I finished my reading of Romans this morning and Paul gave me some pointers.

  • Be alert. “Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way… Keep away from them” (16:17). 

I will watch for thoughts and instigators that cast shadows on my love for others.

  • “Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (16:19).

I will exercise discernment in what I absorb, eager to see, read, and watch what is good and resist glorification of evil—that which brings light, not darkness.

  • Be strong. God “is able to establish you” through faith in Him (16:25).

Establish is such a strong word! I don’t want to be washed away by storms—I want to be deep-rooted in faith, established, and growing in the light of God’s Word.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Seeds Sown

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

Spring reveals the hidden miracles that developed below the earth’s surface. Dormant seeds had begun to drink the soil’s water, then germinated and grew roots. Shoots developed and instinctively reached for the sun. Green seedlings broke through the ground to declare the arrival of spring, thrilling us with flowers in a variety of colors and petal designs. Though it’s an annual ritual, it never ceases to fill us with wonder.

Our lives are not unlike the process we see in nature. What we plant, whether intentionally or unintentionally, searches for water and sun and develops roots. The shoots that appear are evidence of what seeds were sown. Some produce beautiful flowers, others annoying weeds.

These thoughts were stirred while reading through Romans, reminding me that although I am dead to sin, weeds still appear. Yes, I pull them out and rue the poor decisions that encouraged their growth, but my battle seems as futile as my husband’s war with the dandelions dotting our lawn.

He spends a day spraying and digging up roots to awaken the next morning to dancing yellow heads mocking his efforts. I will not be mocked. I will work at pulling out the weeds that are eager to blemish my life. Although my sin nature is still alive, it is doomed—I see its final demise in my future. In the meantime, I sow good seeds that promise beauty and nutrition.

I plant a seed from Charles Spurgeon before sleep, allowing it to germinate overnight. I intake the Word every morning, cultivating the soil of my heart. I converse with God throughout the day, watering our relationship with praise and prayer. I walk in His light to assure goodness will grow and fruit will come.

Friends, our lives are fertile soil—let’s be selective about the seeds we plant.

Springtime in Jersey

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

I love the coming of spring and its promise of new life. What a wonder to behold!

The tiniest hint of green appeared on tree branches. So tiny, I wondered if my eyes deceived me. But then it happened—the green spread, and deepened, and intensified. Now, New Jersey is swathed in varying shades of green.

Forsythia and daffodils burst out in yellow, bringing spontaneous smiles to our faces. Crocuses and hyacinths complemented them with their pink and purple petals. Trees blossomed into bloom—dogwoods, magnolias, and flowering cherry.

I love the onset of fresh fruit and the promise of backyard barbecues.

I love packing away winter coats and walking out the door without thought of the cold.

I love opening the windows and allowing in fresh breezes.

I love to watch the seemingly synchronized arrival of birds at our feeders, each singing their unique song.

I love seeing people taking walks or out in their yards, especially the children.  

I love living in New Jersey where each season is distinctive.

I love that the seasons are ordained by God. We can do nothing to alter them, slow their arrival, or delay their passing.

I love seeing God’s fingerprints in nature, ever changing but displayed in patterns that never change.