Grow in Grace

Tag: #scriptureawareness

  • Grace for the Days I Fall Short

    Grace for the Days I Fall Short

    By: Wendy Morris

    When I finally learned to be by myself and not feel the need to have someone in my life just because I was lonely, it released a stronghold from my life that I can’t even fully explain.

    For so long, I thought companionship was the answer to the emptiness I felt. I searched for comfort in people, conversations, attention, and temporary connections — anything to avoid feeling alone. But loneliness will make you settle for things God never intended for you.

    I had to learn that being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.

    God began showing me that I was constantly trying to fill places in my heart that only He could heal. I wanted reassurance. Comfort. Validation. Companionship. And while none of those things are inherently wrong, they become dangerous when we depend on people more than we depend on God.

    The moment I became okay sitting alone with God, healing, growing, and learning who I was outside of needing validation from others, something shifted inside of me. The fear of being alone started breaking. The desperation faded. The constant need for reassurance faded. And peace finally began taking its place.

    I realized I wasn’t actually craving people as much as I was craving wholeness.

    Galatians 5:1 says,

    “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

    And John 8:36 says,

    “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

    Sometimes the strongest chains are not visible addictions. Sometimes they are emotional dependencies, fear of loneliness, unhealthy attachments, and believing we need someone beside us to feel complete.

    But God will sometimes allow seasons of solitude to heal what constant companionship was covering up.

    At one point in my life, I could not imagine being alone. I thought silence meant emptiness. I thought if I wasn’t connected to someone emotionally, then something was missing in me. But healing taught me otherwise.

    Healing taught me how to sit with myself.

    To face my wounds.

    To stop running from my pain.

    To stop looking for temporary comfort to cover permanent issues.

    To stop abandoning myself just to avoid loneliness.

    And through that process, I began learning how to love myself the way Jesus does.

    I couldn’t even love others the way Jesus does until I learned to love myself the way He does.

    For years, I poured into everyone else while neglecting myself. I confused self-sacrifice with self-abandonment. I accepted less than I deserved because deep down I didn’t fully understand my value yet. But Jesus never called us to destroy ourselves trying to keep others comfortable.

    Matthew 22:39 says,

    “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

    Psalms 139:14 says,

    “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

    The more time I spent with God, the more I realized His love restores identity. It restores dignity. It teaches you that you can love people deeply while still having wisdom, boundaries, and discernment.

    Don’t get me wrong though — I’m tempted daily by the world. I won’t lie and pretend it isn’t hard. Some days my flesh is loud. Some days my emotions get the best of me. Some days loneliness tries to creep back in. Some days I struggle with wanting temporary comfort instead of waiting on what God has for me.

    And some days, I fail.

    But praise God for His grace and mercy.

    I’m thankful I don’t have to stay stuck in my failures, shame, or weakness. Every single day is another opportunity to repent, realign my heart, and keep pressing toward Him. That is the beauty of God’s love — He corrects, restores, and keeps calling us closer instead of casting us away.

    Lamentations 3:22-23 says,

    “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your

    Reflection Questions:

    1. Am I seeking temporary comfort from people instead of true healing from God?
    2. What areas of my life reveal a fear of being alone?
    3. Have I confused loving others with abandoning myself?
    4. What strongholds or unhealthy attachments might God be trying to break in my life?
    5. Do I truly believe I am worthy of love because of who God says I am?
    6. In what ways have I grown emotionally, spiritually, or mentally over the last year?
    7. What does pressing toward God look like for me in this current season?
    8. Am I allowing shame from my failures to keep me stuck instead of receiving God’s grace and mercy?
    9. What boundaries do I need to create to protect my peace and healing?
    10. How can I intentionally spend more time with God instead of seeking validation from the world?
  • When Healing Taught Me My Worth

    When Healing Taught Me My Worth

    By: Wendy Morris

    After my divorce and everything I went through, I was left carrying insecurity, low self-worth, and an emptiness I couldn’t seem to shake — no matter how many people I surrounded myself with.

    I searched for comfort in distractions, conversations, staying busy, and even in being there for everyone else. I looked for healing in places, people, attention, and temporary comfort, hoping something external could quiet the pain I was carrying internally. But at the end of the day, when everything got quiet, I still had to face the parts of myself that were hurting. The rejection, betrayal, confusion, and grief had left wounds deeper than anyone could see.

    What I’ve learned is that brokenness does not always show up loudly. Sometimes it hides behind a smile, productivity, success, or being “strong” for everyone else. Sometimes you can look like you’re functioning while silently questioning your value.

    I think one of the hardest parts after heartbreak is rebuilding the relationship you have with yourself. Learning that someone else’s inability to love you correctly does not determine your worth. Learning that being abandoned, lied to, or hurt does not make you unlovable.

    For a long time, I struggled with trying to find validation and companionship in other people. I wanted to feel chosen, wanted, valued, and loved so badly that I kept looking for things outside of myself to fill what was broken within me. But it was always temporary. No matter who was around, no matter the attention, conversations, or companionship, I never truly felt whole.

    Temporary companionship and temporary pleasures always eventually left me feeling emptier than before. At some point, I would always find myself feeling less than, overlooked, or questioning my worth all over again.

    Healing forced me to slow down and really look inward. To stop trying to fill emotional emptiness with temporary things and start allowing God to heal the places in me I kept trying to avoid. Because the truth is, no person can fully heal wounds they didn’t create in the first place.

    There were days I questioned everything about myself. Days I felt emotionally exhausted from carrying pain no one fully understood. Days I searched for reassurance from people instead of resting in God’s truth about me. But somewhere along the way, God slowly began restoring the parts of me that trauma tried to destroy. Not overnight. Not instantly. But little by little.

    Bible Psalm 34:18 says:

    “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

    And honestly, I clung to that. Because there were moments I truly felt crushed in spirit.

    God showed me over time that all I truly needed was Him. And honestly, one of the most healing things I ever did was finally start putting myself first in healthy ways. I started loving myself. Pouring into myself. Spending time with God. Protecting my peace. Working on my healing instead of running from it.

    That is when something inside me started changing.

    I began realizing I deserved more.

    Not from a place of pride or believing I am better than anyone else, but from finally understanding the kind of love, loyalty, effort, and care I give to others. I know what I bring into relationships, and I also know now that I should not settle for anything less than what is healthy, honest, peaceful, and aligned with God.

    My standards started rising, and honestly, I find them rising all the time the more I heal and grow.

    I started realizing my worth was never tied to who stayed, who left, or who failed to see my value. My worth was always found in who God says I am.

    Healing is not linear. Some days you feel strong. Other days old emotions resurface out of nowhere. But growth is learning not to unpack and live there anymore. It’s learning to give yourself grace while continuing to move forward.

    Looking back now, I can see how God used even my pain to teach me discernment, boundaries, strength, and dependence on Him instead of people. The emptiness I once tried so hard to fill with external things slowly began being replaced with peace. Real peace.

    Not because life suddenly became perfect, but because I finally understood that healing begins when you stop chasing validation from others and start believing what God already says about you.

    Now, more than anything, I choose to chase Jesus. And if someday a man values that and is also chasing Jesus wholeheartedly too, then maybe that is exactly what I need. Not someone to complete me, because God has already been restoring that within me, but someone equally committed to growing, healing, loving well, and keeping God at the center.

    Reflection Questions

    • Have I been searching for validation in people instead of God?
    • What areas of my life still need healing?
    • Am I settling for temporary comfort because I’m afraid of being alone?
    • What would it look like to truly believe my worth comes from God?
    • How can I start pouring into myself in healthier ways?

    Closing Prayer

    God, thank You for staying with me even in the moments I felt broken, rejected, and lost. Thank You for slowly restoring the parts of me that pain tried to destroy. Help me continue healing in the areas where insecurity and emptiness still try to linger. Teach me to fully believe what You say about me instead of seeking validation from people. Give me discernment, peace, healthy boundaries, and the strength to never settle for less than what You desire for my life. Help me continue chasing You above everything else, trusting that what is meant for me will never require me to abandon myself or compromise my peace. Amen.

    —Wendy

  • Having a Big Heart Hurts

    Having a Big Heart Hurts

    By Wendy Morris

    My best and worst trait is having a big heart.

    I’ve struggled with this for most of my life. I’m better than I used to be, but it’s still something I have to work on all the time. Because when you naturally love deeply, care deeply, and feel deeply, it can become very easy to overextend yourself for people who would never do the same for you.

    People with big hearts often give the benefit of the doubt too many times. We make excuses for people. We try to understand their pain. We stay longer than we should. We forgive quickly. And sometimes we ignore our own discernment because we want to believe the best in people.

    That kind of heart can be beautiful.

    But if it’s not balanced with wisdom and boundaries, it can also become exhausting.

    I think one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is that having a good heart does not mean I have to continuously sacrifice my peace to prove I care. For a long time, I thought loving people meant always staying, always helping, always understanding, and always giving another chance.

    But healing teaches you differently.

    Healing teaches you that you can love people deeply and still choose distance. You can forgive someone and still recognize they are not healthy for your life. You can care about people without carrying the weight of their choices. And you can have compassion while still protecting your peace.

    I used to think boundaries were harsh.

    Now I see them as necessary.

    Because not everyone deserves unlimited access to your heart.

    Some people will take advantage of your kindness. Some people will drain you emotionally. Some people only show up when they need something. And some people will mistake your softness for weakness.

    But having a big heart is not weakness.

    In fact, I think it takes incredible strength to continue loving people after life has given you reasons not to. The key is learning discernment. Learning where your love is safe. Learning who truly values your presence and who only values what you provide for them emotionally.

    The older I get and the closer I grow to God, the more I realize that protecting your peace is not selfish. It’s wisdom.

    God never called us to become cold because we’ve been hurt. But He also never called us to pour endlessly into places that leave us empty, anxious, confused, or emotionally drained.

    I still have a big heart.
    I probably always will.

    But now I pray for wisdom just as much as I pray for love.

    Because a soft heart needs strong discernment.

    Maybe that’s the balance God teaches us over time:
    To stay loving without losing ourselves.
    To stay kind without tolerating dysfunction.
    To keep our hearts open while still guarding them wisely.

    Scripture

    “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” — Proverbs 4:23

    Reflection Question

    Have you been loving others in a healthy way, or have you been sacrificing your own peace trying to keep everyone else whole?

    Closing Prayer

    Lord, thank You for giving me a heart that loves deeply. Help me use that gift with wisdom and discernment. Teach me how to care for others without abandoning myself in the process. Show me where I need stronger boundaries and where I need greater wisdom. Protect my heart from bitterness, but also protect it from people and situations that disrupt the peace You placed within me. Help me love the way You intended — with grace, truth, and wisdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

    —Wendy

  • Spiritual Compromise: The Cost of “Just This Once”

    Spiritual Compromise: The Cost of “Just This Once”

    What does spiritual compromise really mean?

    Spiritual compromise occurs when we begin to drift from the core principles of our faith—sometimes subtly, sometimes knowingly—blending truth with what feels convenient, acceptable, or easier in the moment. It doesn’t always look like rebellion. More often, it looks like justification.

    It’s found in the quiet decisions—
    the ones no one else sees,
    the ones we convince ourselves don’t really matter.

    But they do.

    Spiritual compromise rarely starts with a dramatic fall. It begins with a small step in the wrong direction.

    Where It Begins

    It sounds like this:

    “Just this one time.”
    “No one will know.”
    “I deserve this.”
    “Everyone else is doing it.”
    “I’ll ask for forgiveness later.”

    We’ve all heard those thoughts—and at times, believed them.

    Compromise doesn’t usually arrive loudly; it whispers. It slowly reshapes our thinking until what once convicted us no longer does. What once felt wrong begins to feel normal. And before we realize it, we’ve drifted further than we ever intended.

    The Warning We Often Overlook

    In Deuteronomy 28:15, it says:

    “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you.”

    (Continue reading verses 16–68 for the full passage.)

    These words are not meant to instill fear, but to awaken awareness. Scripture reminds us that our choices carry weight—real, lasting impact that extends beyond the moment.

    Even the smallest decisions matter.

    Temporary Pleasure, Lasting Consequences

    Let’s be honest—compromise can feel good in the moment.

    It satisfies a desire.
    It fills a void.
    It offers temporary relief.

    But what it gives quickly, it often takes back slowly.

    Peace becomes disrupted.
    Conviction grows quieter.
    Distance from God becomes greater.

    What once seemed small begins to influence everything—our thoughts, our actions, our relationships, and our sense of spiritual alignment.

    The Internal Battle

    Choosing obedience over comfort is not easy.

    Some days it feels like a battle within yourself—your flesh pulling one way, your spirit urging another. In those moments, the decision you make matters more than you realize.

    Growth in faith is not about never facing temptation; it’s about recognizing it and choosing differently.

    A Call to Be Intentional

    This journey is not about perfection—it’s about awareness and intention.

    It’s about catching the moment before “just this once” becomes a pattern. It’s about recognizing when something is pulling you out of alignment and making the conscious decision to return.

    Because compromise is rarely obvious.
    Sometimes it’s subtle… until the distance is undeniable.

    Closing Reflection

    This isn’t about living in fear—it’s about living in alignment.

    A heart that pauses.
    A heart that reflects.
    A heart that chooses obedience, even when it’s difficult.

    Because temporary pleasure is never worth long-term distance from peace, purpose, and the presence of God.

    So the next time you hear that quiet thought—
    “Just this once…”

    Pause.

    And ask yourself:

    Is this leading me closer to who God is calling me to be… or further away?

    –Wendy