Feelings should be indicators, not dictators.

I can face things that are out of my control and not act out of control.

Maybe God's goal wasn't for me to raise a good rule-following child. Instead, His goal was for me to raise a God-following adult.

Compromise built upon compromise equals failure. Instead, resisting temptation allowed promise upon promise to be built up in my heart, and that creates empowerment.

Sometimes we miss the miraculous of all that we have been blessed with because we're so focused on the one thing we don't have. When this happens, we become disillusioned with all that we do have.

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places … In the most unlikely places I will bless your efforts and reward your perseverance with small indications of your victory.

We aren't supposed to strive for perfection everyday. If we were perfect, we'd have no need for Jesus. And it's through our imperfections that we really feel the pull toward our need for a Savior. So the imperfections serve a wonderful purpose if we'll let them.