in the midst of the everyday.

Hi. It's Ellen. Jessi and I pray for y'all daily. For the burden of being wives and mothers and friends and feeling successful and significant and just plain not like a failure. And I was thinking of you and our conversations as I was posting this on my own blog. So I'm posting it here, too. We're thankful for each of you.

there’s a thrum building.

it’s the just a bit mores and the striving and the if onlys.

it’s the restlessness of a heart grasping for something more. something else. somewhere else.

maybe your house doesn’t feel like enough. if you could just fix that one thing.

maybe money is thin. if it would just stretch and not give out.

maybe you aren’t who or where you thought you’d be last time around. if you were just better, brighter, bigger.

there’s a thrum building.

a restlessness eluded by happiness.

tomorrow?

i hope happiness and joy creep up and hit you so hard in the chest that you can’t even catch your breath. that tears sting your eyes.

i’m praying it for me, too.

this striving?

this restlessness?

this thrum?

it’s not the road to abiding joy.

cease striving.

stop. notice. let the joy of your everyday life smack you to the core.

be still.

it’s going to smart. so much.

but. it’s the only way to resist the underlying discontent that can snake it’s way over our hearts at this time of year.

a season intended for Joy. for Rescue. for Promise. for Hope.

not for not enough. not for just a bit more.

this life given to you is enough.

enough.

stand under that hope. it’s right here.

even if it crushes you. even if you can’t breathe because it hits you so hard.