faith – Little Blessings Mama

The Kind of Friendships I Pray For

A little reflection on faith, discernment, and the kind of friendships I pray for-relationships filled with grace, understanding, genuine care, and people who bring us closer to the Lord.

Hi friends, good morning. 🤍

As many of you know, I created this little corner of the internet simply to share whenever I feel something placed on my heart. Sometimes that means sharing my thoughts, emotions, motherhood, or something the Lord has been teaching me.

But I also want this space to grow with me.

So, little heads up: you may start seeing a little more variety around here: things I love, products I genuinely use, little tips, motherhood things, home things, and whatever else feels worth sharing. Faith will always be at the heart of this blog, but there is so much more of life that I would love to share with you too.

For today, though, I simply wanted to wish you a beautiful and blessed week and leave you with something that has been on my heart lately.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the people we allow close to us.

One of the things I pray for is friendships that bring me closer to the Lord. Not friendships that simply look Christian from the outside, but friendships where faith is genuinely lived.

I want friends who will pray before a meal with me. Friends who will say, “Please pray for me,” when they’re going through something. Friends who will remind me to trust God when I’m struggling. Friends who will genuinely say, “I’m praying for you,” and actually mean it.

Because following Jesus isn’t just about saying the right things.

It isn’t always hearts and flowers. It isn’t about appearing perfect or appearing godly. Following Jesus requires obedience, humility, forgiveness, self-control, love, and sometimes doing the exact opposite of what our emotions are telling us to do.

And goodness, that can be hard.

Recently I was reading 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and one part especially stayed with me:

“Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

That really made me think about discernment.

Sometimes God allows situations to reveal things we couldn’t see before. Sometimes relationships change. Sometimes people we thought would remain close to us don’t. And sometimes what initially feels like disappointment may actually be God’s protection.

I’m learning to be thankful for that too.

At this season of my life, especially as a mom, I don’t want relationships that feel heavy or complicated. I pray for friendships filled with grace and understanding… friendships where we don’t have to talk every single day to know that we love one another.

I want friendships where months, miles, busy schedules, babies, work, and life don’t erase genuine care.

Where we come back to one another with kindness.

Where we pray for one another.

Where we encourage one another.

Where we make one another’s lives a little lighter instead of heavier.

And above everything else, where we help one another walk closer to Jesus.

I don’t want faith in my life to ever be something I simply display. I want it to shape the way I speak, forgive, love, choose my relationships, raise my children, and live my everyday life.

My prayer continues to be very simple:

Lord, place people in my life who bring me closer to You, and give me the wisdom to recognize the relationships that don’t.

And when God reveals something to us – even when the lesson hurts – I pray that we have enough faith to trust that He sees what we cannot see.

Sometimes being redirected is protection.

Sometimes losing something is actually being spared from something.

And sometimes God clearing space in our lives is simply making room for what He has next. 🤍

With love & grace,

Tay

Hang On, Mama: A Reminder for the Heavy Days

Finding Comfort in Faith: Overcoming Difficult Days as a Mama.

Hi friends, good morning.

Today, I wanted to share a little reminder for all the mamas who might be carrying a heavy load.

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend, and she had to go. Later, she sent me a message apologizing and explaining that she was going through a lot. She is a mama of three, with a home, a husband, and so many things needing her attention. Sometimes, all of that comes with emotions that are difficult to put into words.

And I understood. Because the load can be heavy, right?

We all have those days when we think, Okay, I’ve got this. We feel confident, we find our rhythm, and we move through the day feeling pretty good about how we are handling everything.

Then there are the other days.

The days when everything feels difficult. The house is a mess, everyone needs something, and we barely have a moment to hear our own thoughts. We feel overwhelmed, touched out, emotional, and tired in a way that one good night of sleep might not even fix.

Mama, if that is where you are today, I want you to know that you do not need to apologize for having a hard time.

You are allowed to have moments when you need to step away, catch your breath, or say, “I need a little help.”

A difficult day does not make you a bad mother.

Living by faith does not mean that we never struggle. Giving grace to others, and especially to ourselves, can be difficult when we feel stretched so thin. We can love our families with our whole hearts and still feel overwhelmed by everything we carry.

But even here, we have a loving, powerful Father beside us. We can reach for Him when we do not know what else to do.

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
– 2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV

I find so much comfort in that reminder. We do not have to arrive before God with everything figured out. We can come tired. We can come crying. We can come with a prayer that is nothing more than, “Lord, please help me right now.”

He hears that prayer, too.

And mama, you do not have to be strong all the time. You do not have to be patient every single second, have a spotless house, or finish everything on your list to be worthy of love and care.

You are enough, even while you are learning and growing. Your worth does not disappear because you lost your patience or needed a break. God made you with care, and there is so much love you bring to your family that you may overlook on the days when all you can see is what went wrong.

Sometimes, you need rest. Sometimes, you need someone to hold the baby while you eat a warm meal. Sometimes, you need a quiet moment, a good cry, or a friend who will listen without expecting you to explain everything perfectly.

You are allowed to need those things.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
– Matthew 11:28, KJV

So today, take a breath with me. Slowly, in and out. Let your shoulders relax. You do not have to solve everything in this moment.

The Lord is our shepherd. Even when we feel lost, He has not lost sight of us.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
– Psalm 23:1, KJV⁠

We may not know how every problem will work out, or when a difficult season will become easier. But we can trust Him to guide us through the next moment, the next conversation, and the next thing that needs our attention.

Hang on, mama. There is room for you to rest, ask for help, and begin again.

You are loved. Your efforts matter. And you are not walking through this alone.

Let’s pray together.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being our shepherd and guiding us when we feel lost. Thank You for holding us close when we feel shaken.

On the days when the house is a mess, our patience is thin, and everything feels like too much, help us pause and turn to You. Give us peace for this moment and strength for the next step.

Lord, sometimes all we can say is, “Please help me. Remind me that I will get through this.” Meet us there. Help us receive Your grace, accept support, and rest without guilt.

Bless every mama reading this today. Bring comfort to her heart, gentleness to her words, and people who will care for her as she cares for her family. Remind her that she is deeply loved.

We trust You, Lord. Thank You for staying beside us through every season. Bless our homes, our families, and our day.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

——-

Have a blessed week 💕

With love & grace,

Tay

Forgiveness: Letting Go Without Going Back

A heartfelt reflection on forgiveness, letting go of hurt, setting healthy boundaries, and trusting God throughout the journey.

Hi, friends. Good morning! I hope you’re all doing well.

It’s early.. about 6:30 in the morning.. and I’ve been awake since 4:30. I have so much to get done today: work for my studio, things around the house, responsibilities for my daughters, packing, and what feels like a never-ending list of little tasks.

But we’ll get it all done. This is life, isn’t it? We always seem to be busy. Even when we stay home, there is constantly something (or someone) needing our attention.

Today, though, I want to slow down for a moment and write about something that is a sensitive subject for me. I talk about it openly with close friends, but I feel like it’s time to open my heart and write about it here, too.

I want to talk about forgiveness.

The truth is, I have a difficult time forgiving people. When someone hurts me – or especially when someone hurts somebody I love – I take it very personally. I hold on to what happened, replay it in my mind, and sometimes carry the hurt for much longer than I should.

I hold grudges.

That isn’t something I’m proud of, but it is something I’m aware of, and I have been working on it for a long time. Holding on to hurt gets in my way. It affects my heart, steals my peace, and keeps me emotionally attached to situations I wish I could leave behind.

This morning, I read a short devotional about forgiveness, and it made me think: Why is forgiving so hard for me? Why do some people seem able to forgive so easily while I struggle so much?

I don’t have a simple answer. Maybe it’s because the pain was deep. Maybe it’s because I remember exactly how someone made me feel. Maybe part of me thinks that forgiving means pretending what happened wasn’t wrong.

But I am learning that forgiveness does not mean giving someone another chance to hurt me.

Forgiveness does not mean I have to trust that person again. It does not mean I have to invite them back into my life, restore the same relationship, or pretend that nothing ever happened. Forgiveness does not remove wisdom, boundaries, or consequences.

Sometimes, forgiveness simply means letting go and not looking back.

It means placing the hurt in God’s hands instead of carrying it everywhere I go. It means deciding that what someone did will no longer control my thoughts, my emotions, or my peace.

The other person may never even know that I forgave them. Forgiveness is not always a conversation or a reconciliation. Sometimes it is a quiet decision made between my heart and God.

And forgiveness is not only for the other person. It is also for us.

When we hold on to anger, resentment, and pain, we continue carrying the burden of what happened. The person who hurt us may have already moved on, while we are still living inside that moment. Forgiveness allows us to put that burden down.

The Lord tells us to forgive because He knows what unforgiveness can do to our hearts.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
– Ephesians 4:32

We are all sinners. We make mistakes every day because we are human. We try to follow the Holy Spirit and live in a way that pleases God, but we still fall short. We say the wrong things, make poor decisions, and sometimes have thoughts that do not reflect the heart we want to have.

Still, the Lord continues to forgive us.

He forgives us again and again, and He asks us to extend forgiveness to others. He invites us to lay our burdens at His feet and trust Him with the pain, the injustice, and everything we cannot fix on our own.

That is what I am trying to do.

I am doing much better than I used to, but forgiveness is still a journey for me. Every time I am hurt, I have to work through it again. I have to pray, surrender my feelings to God, and remind myself that forgiving does not make me weak or foolish.

It means I am choosing freedom.

Sometimes forgiveness happens quickly, but sometimes it is a decision we have to make repeatedly. We may forgive someone today and feel the pain returning tomorrow. When that happens, perhaps we simply bring it back to God and say, “Lord, I gave this to You before, and I am giving it to You again.”

It hurts, and it is difficult – but I know I am getting somewhere.

Every time we study forgiveness, pray about it, and intentionally work on our hearts, we are making progress. Every time we choose peace instead of resentment, we are growing. We may not get there overnight, but with God’s help, we will get there.

If you are carrying something that someone did to you – or to someone you love – I want to encourage you to begin letting it go. Forgive them, even if you need to do it one day at a time. Forgive them even if they never apologize. Forgive them while still keeping the boundaries you need.

Do it for your own heart. Do it for your own peace. Most importantly, do it because God has forgiven us and calls us to forgive others.

I believe the Lord sees every sincere effort we make to grow. He knows when forgiveness is difficult for us, and He will patiently help us through every step of the journey.

We are going to make it. We will get there, and the Lord will be beside us every step of the way.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, friends.

With love and grace,

Tay