Sunshine Days
Faith
Today's post is something I've been looking forward to - a new post in the series called "My Sunshine Days" where we get to peek inside the days of other women who are seeking to grow their faith. (You can see my original post about this series here.)
My guest today is one of my sweet friends from college. Sam & I met through a mutual friend & eventually become such good friends that we ended up living down the hall from each other during our senior year. (Our college didn't let you request roommates, but we could request being down the hall from each other, so that's what we did.) We had a little group of 5 girls that we hung out with & we thought we were so clever because our initials spelled out CAKES. (Yes, we even named our friend group. We were that cool - ha!) We also ministered in off-campus outreaches together. Sam eventually was one of my bridesmaids in my wedding.
She & I don't get to see each other very often. And we're both introverts, so it's not even like we sit and chat on the phone for hours. But Sam is such a blessing to me. She's one of those loyal friends who is always there for you - no matter what. We had such similar experiences growing up - similar church & school backgrounds, same Christian college education - that it's so easy to pick back up anytime we do get to talk.
She & her husband are getting settled more into a new church body & community. And she'll share how important that community has been to her. And how filling our lives with the Gospel takes work, but is so worth it.
So, I'll stop talking & let Sam speak for herself. Enjoy!
Hi, my name is Sam! My husband and I are celebrating 9 years of marriage later this month. We live in Columbus, OH with our new puppy and we recently bought our first house! My day job is in IT and in my “spare” time I blog over at samsdish.com.
I grew up in a Christian home and am the oldest of 7 children. My parents taught us the importance of making church and family a priority. They also shared with me a love of reading, cooking, and board games.
Growing up my parents took me to church every time the doors were open and I heard all of the Bible stories. When I was about 6 years old I prayed a prayer because my friends were and I thought that was what I was supposed to do. When I was in high school, I really struggled with whether my relationship with God was personal and real. After months of these thoughts consuming me, I finally sat down to talk with my mom about how saying a prayer wouldn’t save me, but it was my faith in Christ alone. I can’t point to a huge outward change in my life, but I had a new peace that came from my personal relationship with Jesus. Over the years God has used His Word, different women in my life, and especially my husband, to deepen my relationship with him.
One thing I keep coming back to is where do I find my worth? Is it in me and what I have done or accomplished with my life? Does my worth change with how organized my house is, if I get a promotion at work, or how involved I am in my local church? The answer is no. Nothing I have done or could do has anything to do with my worth. My worth is only found in what Jesus did for me on the cross.
My worth is only found in what Jesus did for me on the cross.
What you fill your life with is what is going to come out. There are so many Bible passages that talk about this, but one that is stuck in my mind is the end of Matthew 12:34: For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. Spending my time mindlessly scrolling on social media is so easy to do! Listening to a faith-based podcast or reading a book that challenges my relationship with Jesus is harder. But if I really do want to live out gospel principles, gospel principles are what I need to put into my life.
Find other women who also want to grow their faith. It doesn’t need to be a large or formal group but have other women in your life who will speak the gospel into it. Having women in my life who give gospel filled advice and encouragement, has helped me as I grow in my faith.
As an introvert, it means getting up early and enjoying a cup of coffee before the busyness of the day starts! Time at home to try a new recipe or read a good book. Then spending time with my husband, exploring our city and trying a new restaurant or coffee shop. Playtime with the puppy is a new favorite thing and I love to end the day watching a movie with my husband.
Sam, thank you for sharing! I love that encouragement to reach out to other women. That is not a natural tendency for me, but when I'm connecting with & learning from others, it makes a huge difference in how I'm feeding my soul. And that's what I want to build here at Sunshine Days - a community of like-minded women who speak Gospel truth into each other's lives.
OK - before you go, I need to share my top 5 favorite recipes from Sam's blog. One of the best things about many of her recipes is that they're simple & you probably have the ingredients in your pantry already. That said, it was hard to narrow down to just a few!
You can follow her blog on Facebook & Instagram & Pinterest for more amazing recipes (& cute puppy pictures).
Let's make sure we thank Sam in the comments! Let her know how her words encouraged your heart today.
And maybe share one of her recipes that you think you might try!
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