quiet

The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)
 
Life is loud.
Notifications constantly going off. Opinions coming from every direction. Busy schedules. Work stress. Social media scrolling. Television running in the background. People talking. Music playing. News updates. Alerts. Noise everywhere.
Sometimes I don’t think we even realize how mentally exhausted we are until we finally sit in silence.
Saturday mornings used to be one of my favorite times of the week when the kids were younger. I would curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee, a good book, and usually a cat stretched out beside me while my husband and the kids were still asleep. The house would be completely quiet, and honestly, it felt peaceful in a way that’s hard to describe.
One morning, one of the kids wandered out into the living room and asked, “Do you want me to turn on the TV?”
My response may have been a little quicker — and maybe a little sharper — than I intended:
“There doesn’t always have to be noise.”
But honestly? I still think about that moment.
Because somewhere along the way, we started filling every quiet space. We reach for our phones while standing in line. We turn on background noise the second we walk into the house. We scroll while watching television while also carrying on conversations. We are constantly surrounded by input.
Yet in this passage, God was not found in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire.
He came in a gentle whisper.
I wonder how often God is speaking softly while we are too distracted to hear Him.
Not every moment needs to be filled. Not every silence needs to be fixed. Sometimes the most holy thing we can do is sit quietly in the presence of God and simply listen.
Maybe today we all need a little less noise and a little more whisper.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

unfinished

This is the reason I am working. God’s great power is working in me.
- Colossians 1:29 (NLV)
 
I’m a planner. I like things organized, timelines laid out, and checklists neatly completed. I like knowing what comes next and feeling like everything is moving according to plan.
But life rarely cooperates with my carefully arranged schedules.
Some things take longer than we expected. Some dreams get delayed. Some healing takes years. Some lessons have to be learned more than once. And sometimes we simply run out of energy halfway through something we were sure we would finish quickly.
I actually have a cross stitch project that I started back in the 1990s that is still unfinished. At this point, I honestly do not know if I will ever go back and finish it. Somewhere along the way, life happened. Priorities shifted. Time moved on.
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because maybe that unfinished project is a reminder that all of us are still unfinished too.
We are all works in progress. None of us have perfectly figured out faith, relationships, patience, forgiveness, or trust. We are still learning. Still growing. Still stumbling and getting back up again.
The beautiful thing is that God is not intimidated by our unfinished places.
In fact, when we admit that we are unfinished, we open our hearts to the work He still wants to do in us. Pride says, “I’ve got this.” Faith says, “Lord, keep working on me.”
God’s power is still working in us even when we feel incomplete.
Maybe especially then.
So if you feel like your life is a little unfinished right now — if plans changed, progress slowed down, or things don’t look as polished as you hoped — take heart. God is still writing your story, one stitch at a time.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

mom

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
- John 19:26-27 (NIV)
 
Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day. Honestly, this should never be the only day we stop and acknowledge all the things moms do, but I do love that there is a special day set aside to say, “We see you. We appreciate you. We love you.”
The older I get, the more I realize I was raised by a whole tribe of mamas.
My birth mother loved me enough to give me a chance at a better life through adoption, and for that I will always be thankful. My adoptive mother fed me, clothed me, encouraged me, and did the best she knew how to do. My mother-in-law became part of the family that shaped my life into what it is today.
And then there were the other moms. The friend’s moms who stepped in during moments when I needed comfort, guidance, laughter, or simply someone to notice I wasn’t okay. The women who hugged me just as tightly as they hugged their own children. The women who loved without obligation.
When I read these verses in John, I love that even while Jesus was suffering on the cross, He was still thinking about His mother. In one of the most painful moments imaginable, He made sure she would be cared for and loved.
That says something beautiful about the heart of God.
Motherhood is not just biology. It is sacrifice, nurturing, protecting, praying, comforting, guiding, and loving. Sometimes motherhood comes through birth, sometimes through adoption, sometimes through marriage, friendship, foster care, mentorship, or simply showing up for someone when they need it most.
We celebrate all moms.
The moms who are raising babies and the moms who are raising grown children. The moms whose children are far away serving our country. The moms who carry grief because their children are no longer here. The women missing their own mothers today. The women loving children that are not biologically theirs. The spiritual moms. The bonus moms. The foster moms. The adoptive moms.
And yes, even the fur-baby mommas — we see you too. 💙
Love like that leaves fingerprints on hearts forever.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible 

grow

Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.
- Hebrews 5:12–14 (NIV)
 
I do not have a green thumb. In fact, I joke that I have killed an air fern and several plastic plants.
Gardening sounds simple enough. Plant the flowers. Water them. Let them grow.
But every time I try, I feel like a beginner.
I get excited when something starts to bloom or finally pushes through the soil. There’s something satisfying about seeing growth happen.
And then life gets busy, I forget to water the plants or I water them too much. And somehow, they still don’t survive.
It feels a little ridiculous at times — especially for a girl who grew up in Iowa, surrounded by farm towns where growing things seemed to come naturally to everyone else.
But maybe that’s exactly why gardening reminds me of faith. Spiritual maturity doesn’t mean we have everything figured out. Faith isn’t about arriving at some perfect place where we suddenly “get it right.”
It’s about growing.
There are still things to learn.
Still places God wants to shape us.
Still lessons we revisit because growth is ongoing.
Even after years of faith, there are moments when I still feel like an infant spiritually — still learning, still needing guidance, still asking God to take my hand and gently point me in the right direction.
And I’m not ashamed to admit that I need Him.
Maybe maturity isn’t about needing God less.
Maybe true maturity is realizing just how much we need Him every single day.
Because growth takes time.
And God is patient with the process.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

thoughts

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
- Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
 
Humans are creatures of habit. For me, most mornings follow familiar patterns. Monday through Friday, I usually turn on the local news while getting ready — mostly to catch the weather, but sometimes to hear what’s happening in the world.
But Sunday mornings are different. I love watching CBS Sunday Morning — the slower pace, the interesting stories, the feel-good moments, the reminders of creativity, humanity, and hope.
My husband would much rather watch Meet the Press. He listens to politics. I tend to avoid it. Politics make me cringe.
Even in the car, we alternate between his stations and mine. But Sundays are always Christian music.
And over time, I’ve realized something simple but important: everything we hear, see, and read affects us.
We may not notice it immediately, but what enters our minds eventually influences our mood, perspective, emotions, and even our sense of peace. Study after study shows how negative input impacts stress, anxiety, and emotional health — just as positive input can improve outlook, calm the mind, and shift perspective.
We don’t have to search very hard to find evidence of that, the truth is, we are constantly feeding our minds.
And what we feed grows.
When we intentionally create space for God in our lives, something changes.
Spending time in the Word before reaching for our phones. Listening to worship before the noise of the day begins. Starting with prayer instead of distraction.
Those small choices shape the atmosphere inside us.
Leaning into Him doesn’t just change our thoughts, it protects our hearts and steadies our minds.
And it reminds us that peace often begins with what we allow to take root.
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

focused

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
- Romans 8:5 (NIV)
 
There are a lot of things I love in life — my husband, my cats, music, reading, motorcycles, quiet moments, and little things that make life feel full.
But something I’ve learned over time is this: what we put in often comes back out.
Years ago, I worked in a factory where we were allowed to wear Walkmans during the day. (That sentence alone might age me a little.)
I quickly figured out that fast-paced music helped me work faster. The beat kept me moving, helped the hours pass, and gave energy to repetitive work.
But faster music didn’t always come with uplifting lyrics.
And without realizing it, what I listened to throughout the day began affecting my mood.
The same thing happens with books. Mystery novels or crime stories may be entertaining, but sometimes I notice they leave me feeling uneasy, nervous, or more on edge than before.
Even riding my motorcycle reflects my state of mind more than I once realized. Riding through heavy traffic feels different than riding an open road. One carries tension. The other feels freeing.
And while there’s something oddly fitting about hearing “Highway to Hell” on the way to a job you dislike, there came a point where I started listening to Christian radio while driving.
And honestly, there are times it completely shifts my perspective.
A worship song. A scripture shared between songs. A reminder of truth when my mind has been racing.
It changes the atmosphere inside me.
Because what fills our minds doesn’t stay there.
It shapes our thoughts, influences our emotions, affects our reactions, and slowly becomes part of the lens through which we see life.
A Spirit-focused life doesn’t happen by accident.
It grows through small daily choices — what we listen to, what we dwell on, what we allow to take root in our hearts.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

stress

Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
- Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
 
Stress touches every life. Bills, responsibilities, health, work, relationships, uncertainty — there’s always something demanding our attention.
Stress is part of being human. There will always be responsibilities to manage, decisions to make, people to care for, and seasons that feel heavier than others. Following Jesus doesn’t remove stress from our lives. But it does change how we carry it.
We were never meant to hold the full weight of life on our own.
Sometimes stress doesn’t come from one major problem. Sometimes it comes from being the person who always says yes.
I’m a “yes” person. If someone asks me to do something, chances are I’ll say yes — whether I truly have the space for it or not. It’s just how I’m wired.
But people notice that quickly.
Before long, the calendar fills. Responsibilities stack. Commitments multiply.
And suddenly, the weight of too many yeses starts affecting everything — work, family, relationships, rest, and even the things that once brought joy.
I can look at a week and think, I finally have two nights free. Then almost instantly, something slips into that space and suddenly I’m overwhelmed again.
I’ve been told to ask for help. But sometimes asking for help comes with excuses. And if I’m honest, one of my biggest struggles is patience — sometimes it feels easier to just do it myself than wait for someone else to do it differently.
Stress has a way of convincing us that everything depends on us.
But Jesus never asked us to live clenched-fist lives.
He invites us to come to Him with what is heavy.
To stop carrying every obligation like it belongs solely on our shoulders.
To understand that saying yes to Him may sometimes require saying no to other things.
Maybe peace isn’t found in doing less.
Maybe peace begins when we stop believing we have to carry everything.
And maybe there’s wisdom in choosing fewer “have to” moments so we can make room for more “want to” moments.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible