Juanita Philips

“Then I replied to them, ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.’” — Nehemiah 2:20 Have you ever thought of yourself as a builder? I hadn't really thought about motherhood this way until I spent time reading the book of Nehemiah. But, sweet mom, we are builders in God’s Kingdom. Every day, we are helping shape our families. We are teaching our children what love looks like, how

I woke up that day feeling heavy. It was hard to get out of bed. My mind kept returning to the pregnancy tests I had recently taken. I couldn’t bear the thought of walking through another trial. My husband and I had been married for three years, and it felt like one hard thing after another. My health had declined, creating challenges in different areas of our lives. Our marriage had been filled with worries and anxieties, and I think we both quietly wondered, When will our l

In the midst of feeling as if in the pit of despair, the Lord lifted me up from the mud and placed my feet on solid ground ... (Psalm 40:2) It has been exactly three days since I received a disheartening diagnosis regarding my mental health. I had a telehealth appointment on Saturday with a psychiatric nurse, and just the sound of it made me feel uneasy. I woke up that morning not knowing what to think. I combed my hair and drank some water; it was already too late to take a

What does peace look like for a busy mom? I have been thinking about it since my son was born last year. What happens when the responsibilities of life and exhaustion seem to make peace feel unattainable? Peace was a struggle to live out in the first year after giving birth. However, here is something that I’ve come to realize: I think that, as human beings, we often get used to the idea that our peace depends on our circumstances. We allow our emotions and thoughts to get in