I stood in my greenhouse clutching scissors like I was about to commit a felony. These weren’t plants. These were my plant babies. I grew them. I watered them. I whispered encouragement like a slightly unhinged garden aunt. And now I was being told they were “too crowded.”
Excuse me??? They looked happy. Thriving. Living their best leafy lives. But apparently, love without boundaries leads to chaos. Who knew.
The word thinning showed up— and my heart heard destruction. Because when you’re wired like me, making room feels an awful lot like abandonment.
I mean, how do you explain to a perfectly healthy kale plant that it’s not being rejected— it’s just being relocated, harvested early, or “released into purpose”?
I felt like I was ruining everything. Until I realized… nothing was being wasted. Some plants were transplanted. Some were harvested and nourished something immediately.
And the ones left behind? They finally had space to become what they were always meant to be. That’s when it hit me. Pruning doesn’t change who we are. It reveals it. God isn’t cutting us down—
He’s cutting away what keeps us from becoming strong, rooted, and fruitful. Not every removal is punishment. Not every loss is failure. Some things leave so we can finally grow into ourselves.
“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” — John 15:2
Pruning feels personal when you’re emotionally attached to the leaves. But it’s the very thing that shapes the harvest. Thinning is not killing. It’s the painful, purposeful process of becoming.
And if I’m honest… I still apologized to my kale, needed a moment of silence, and may require counseling before the next round of thinning.
Because apparently God and gardening are both committed to making us who we’re supposed to be— even when we’re dramatic about it.
I couldn’t sleep, again, so I tuned into one of my favorite comfort-watch movies, Last Holiday (2006), starring Queen Latifah.
I’ve watched it more times than I’ll ever confess, but there is one scene I always slow down for. It’s the kitchen scene. My favorite one.
When Chef Didier looks at Georgia and gently compares her to the baby turnip — the smallest one in the bin, often overlooked, passed by for something bigger or flashier… yet the most tender, the most flavorful, the one a true chef treasures.
That scene gets me every time. Because the baby turnip isn’t flawed. It isn’t unfinished. It isn’t lacking. It’s just quiet. And early. And easy to miss if you’re in a hurry.
And if I’m being honest — part of why that scene hits so hard is because I’ve felt like that turnip. Overlooked. Passed by. Sitting there thinking, “Excuse me… I am organic, well-seasoned, and emotionally available.” But folks keep grabbing the big, loud potatoes.
Meanwhile, God is in the kitchen like a five-star chef saying, “Leave her. She’s tender. She’s not for everybody. And I don’t rush good ingredients.”
Whew.
That’s the holy pause in the story. Not the luxury. Not the bold declarations. But the moment when someone truly sees her.
And isn’t that what so many of us long for? We grow underground — faithful, steady, consistent — while the world keeps reaching for whatever looks impressive on the surface. We’re not trying to be flashy. We’re just trying to be faithful.
Still, being overlooked can sting. Especially when you know you’ve been planted, watered, and patient.
But the baby turnip reminds me of this truth: being passed over by people does not mean being passed by God. God delights in roots. He honors slow growth. He protects what is tender until the right time and the right hands arrive.
Sometimes you’re not hidden because you’re insignificant. You’re hidden because you’re delicate. Because you’re reserved. Because you’re meant for a table that understands flavor.
So yes — I may be under a blanket right now pretending I’m Queen Latifah — but I’m also believing, learning, and internalizing this: I don’t need to audition for worth. I don’t need to shout to be seen. I don’t need to rush my growth just because someone else is loud. If I’m being missed right now, maybe it’s because I’m being saved. And when it’s my turn? They’ll wish they hadn’t rushed past the produce section.
Lord, when I feel unseen, remind me that You see fully. Teach me to trust Your timing, even when I feel overlooked. Help me grow deep roots instead of loud leaves,and rest in the truth that being missed by people does not mean being missed by You.
“I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” — Psalm 27:13
1/7/18.
I will always remember that date like a star date in the Star Trek Captain’s Log.
It started as a normal Sunday setup. I had just finished cleaning around the sound booth and was adjusting everything to get ready for that morning’s praise and worship. Service was running a few minutes behind, but we were still riding the spiritual high of pre-worship hour prayer.
Then it happened. My phone rang.
I almost never answer my phone during service. In fact, just two minutes earlier, I had nudged one of our teenagers about using their phone during Sunday school.
But I recognized the number. That familiar 264 exchange—the one every “kidney family” in my region of Virginia knows by heart. Breathless. Full of anticipation. Almost terrified. Palms sweating, face flushed in seconds. I answered to the coordinator’s urgent voice:
“WHERE ARE YOU?”
You see, protocol dictates that when the organ sharing center receives a possible match, they must first confirm that the prospective recipient is within four hours of their chosen transplant hospital. Once your location is confirmed, they tell you they’ll call back—and promptly hang up.
Yes. You read that right.
In one of the shakiest moments of your life, they hang up with a promise to call you back within an hour… or so… if it’s a good match.
I was still in the sound booth. My son was seated in his usual spot, about six rows in front of me. I didn’t know whether to tell him that his life might be about to change. We had already been disappointed by calls like this—twice before.
So instead, I texted him: “Be ready to go when I tap you.”
His response was simple: “Ok.” He didn’t ask why. He didn’t question me. He just trusted that if I said go, we go.
For me, however, the next 59 minutes would be the longest of my entire life. Time and space seemed to stand still. The room suddenly felt too warm, the air too stale. I can’t even remember if I set the microphones correctly. The pastor could have been shouting and I wouldn’t have heard him. The praise team was faithfully belting out worship songs my impatient ears could not discern.
All I could distinguish was the steady rhythm of the drum—now matching my racing heartbeat.
About 45 minutes into the wait, I had to correct my course. Not on the soundboard. In myself.
I found myself apologizing—to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit. I had become so consumed with the call that I had stopped truly worshiping. I had stopped listening to the Word being preached.
I was esteeming what I wanted from God more than I was esteeming God Himself. And in that moment, it felt as though the Holy Spirit was echoing the same question in my heart: “WHERE ARE YOU?”
I steadied myself. I readied myself. Through tears and trembling faith, I began to worship again—declaring that as desperately as I wanted this gift to free my son from five long years of agonizing dialysis, I wanted the Presence of the Lord even more.
As my spiritual hunger was met with the assurance that God was with me no matter what, I heard in my spirit, “Hang up.”
At that exact moment, I looked down at the phone I had been clutching in my hand—and it rang. With tears streaming, I answered. Joyfully, 58 minutes into the wait, the coordinator said: “HOW FAST CAN YOU GET HERE?”
And that is the stuff our walk with Christ is made of. How often do we approach God wanting—and even needing—something deeply tied to a promise we believe He made, only to find ourselves overwhelmed by the waiting? Too often, our “knock and the door shall be opened” faith quietly shifts into a heartsick lifestyle of disappointment, dissatisfaction, and even unbelief—unless we see the manifestation.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Notice it says seek Him. Not diligently seek it.
When God asks, “Where are you?” may we be found seeking Him—not just the thing we hope He’ll give us. When He seems to hang up, trust that He will call again. Trust God. Trust His goodness. Even when it feels distant—it is still His plan. Even when it unfolds differently than expected—it is still His plan. Even when the answer is no—for reasons greater than we understand—better is still His plan. Reset your need for control. Let God have His way.
One last question: Since we trust that God is always right on time… how fast can you get here?
I didn’t wake up asking for a lesson. I woke up asking a question.
When, Lord? When will things be different? When will healing finally arrive?
A year has passed since surgery. By my own calendar, I decided I should be past this. Past the restrictions. Past the tenderness. Past the reminders that my body has its own pace.
But today, my belly disagrees with my timeline.
If I’m being honest, it may also disagree with my choices. Perhaps the third cup of coffee was ambitious. Perhaps chocolate and I — though still emotionally attached — are currently not on speaking terms. And perhaps I should have remembered the boatload of readily available internet wisdom that calmly, repeatedly explains the very misery I have managed to create for myself.
Still, I find myself asking God the same question Scripture has echoed for generations.
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13)
That cry reminds me that impatience is not a lack of faith. It is often proof that we believe God hears us well enough to answer.
What if healing is not only about what is removed, but about what is relearned?
Without a gallbladder, my body asks for gentleness. Without certainty, my heart does the same.
Maybe the invitation today is not to rush healing, but to remember that restrictions are not punishment — they are protection still at work.
And maybe God isn’t offended by my when. Maybe He meets it with mercy.
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22–23)
That promise doesn’t say mercy arrives when I finally get it right — only that it shows up faithfully, even when I don’t.
So today, I loosen my self-imposed deadlines. I stop arguing with my body. I release the belief that progress must look linear to be real.
I may not control the timeline, but I can choose attentiveness over impatience.
And instead of asking, When will this be over? I ask a better question:
Lord, how do You want to meet me here?
Because even here — especially here — He is present.
There are days when the world feels too loud for jokes.
The headlines carry war, division, fear, and the slow erosion of freedoms we once assumed were permanent. The ground feels less steady. The future feels less certain.
And the little clown in me—the one who usually believes laughter can soften almost anything—finds herself mourning.
Not because hope is gone. But because peace matters too much to pretend this doesn’t hurt.
Psalm 91 doesn’t ask us to deny danger. It invites us to dwell. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)
Protection, here, is not earned. It is not performed. It is not proven by volume, certainty, or strength. It is positional. To dwell is to stay. To remain. To practice presence when the world feels unrecognizable.
This is protection without performance. Not faith that shouts. Not hope that rushes to fix. Not peace that pretends everything is fine. Just presence—steady, near, covering.
The promise of Psalm 91 is not that trouble will disappear, but that God does not. The shadow does not move. The refuge does not close. The shelter does not require us to be unafraid—only willing to come close.
So today, the clown in me removes her red shoes. She sits on holy ground— trusting the same God who once said, “Stay.” Trusting that what marks the door also guards the dwelling. She mourns for peace honestly. And still—quietly—she dwells in hope.
Today’s practice is simple: not fixing, not proving, not performing— just dwelling in His Presence.
—- God of refuge and nearness, When the world feels unstable and peace feels fragile, help me to dwell rather than strive. Teach me to trust Your presence more than my ability to understand what is happening around me. Let Your covering be enough today. Amen.
This wasn’t a quiet, reflective night moment. This was a stressed 3 a.m. morning, when sleep clocks out early and your brain clocks in loud — with opinions.
I wasn’t trying to hear from God. I was trying to finish a work email before coffee, which already tells you I was operating without full emotional supervision.
I kept shortening it. Not because I didn’t know what I wanted to say — but because I know my boss. I know there may still be a meeting. I know she’ll ultimately direct and take charge. So I trimmed. Simplified. Took out the pre-explaining and the imaginary rebuttals. I said what needed to be said and stopped trying to manage the outcome.
And somewhere between rereading sentences and realizing I was too tired to argue with myself, it landed:
This is exactly how we treat God.
We make plans — good ones — and then we hover. We explain too much. We brace for redirection. We add footnotes to obedience.
Not because we don’t trust Him — but because we really like being on the steering committee.
Meanwhile, God has already given us the playback in His Word.
He’s already shown us how authority works. How obedience works. How trust works.
We do our part. We speak honestly. We move wisely. And then we let go — preferably before caffeine convinces us we should take over.
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
Not might. Not if He agrees. He does.
This morning reminded me that obedience isn’t about directing God — it’s about participating with Him. Doing what’s mine to do without trying to edit the ending.
I don’t need to manage God the way I manage emails. I don’t need to anticipate His response. And I definitely don’t need to rewrite His plan before coffee.
Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is hit send, make the coffee, and trust God with the meeting that follows.
Prayer Lord, help me do my part without trying to control Yours. Teach me to trust You with the outcome, even before the coffee kicks in. Order my steps, steady my heart, and remind me that You’re already ahead of me. Amen.
I woke up smiling this morning. Not because everything is fixed. Not because the season has suddenly gotten easier. But because I was reminded—before my feet even hit the floor—that God still speaks.
An old friend texted me a few days ago wanting to send me a birthday gift. A cash offering. She said it might be late and she wasn’t sure how much.
I immediately told her no.
Not because I didn’t need it—but because I know her story. I know her struggles. I didn’t want her putting herself out for me. My heart was in the right place… or so I thought.
She gently stopped me and said, “God told me to sow—and I won’t interfere with God talking to me.”
Well then. Message received. Loud and clear.
Here’s the part I hadn’t said out loud to anyone: With a season of illness, deaths, job issues, a roof repair, and the bills that follow close behind, one of the quiet things I let go of was me. Specifically—my hair. Long twist locs reduced to a ponytail (which is no small feat), creative parting, strategic styling, and gray hairs hollering, “Didn’t you just get old?”
I was debating whether to cancel my usual four-hour appointment this weekend—or worse, swipe a credit card while praying over the interest rate.
But look at God.
With exactly what she sent, the Old Lady Rescue will be in full effect. No debt. No guilt. Just provision—with intention.
But the real miracle wasn’t the money.
“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)
It was confirmation—on both sides—that God still speaks. And He doesn’t just speak to pastors, prophets, or people with microphones. He speaks to friends. To women who listen. To hearts that say yes before they fully understand why.
I was reminded this morning that God provides for all things. Even the things we label as “extra.” Even Saturday-morning self-care. Even hair.
And I was reminded of something else: sometimes our well-meaning “no” gets in the way of someone else’s obedience.
I thought I was protecting her. Instead, I would’ve robbed us both— her of the joy of obedience, and me of the grace God had already assigned.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV)
There’s a line from the old sitcom Will & Grace that came rushing back to me this morning. One character is frustrated, asking why God doesn’t talk anymore. Another replies: “When having conversations with God, make sure you’re not doing all the talking.”
Lesson learned.
Sometimes God’s answer sounds like a text message. Sometimes provision looks like hair being restored before pride is. And sometimes Grace shows up laughing—right alongside gratitude, when we submit to His Will.
Today, I’m thankful. Not just for the gift—but for the reminder to listen… and not interfere when God speaks.
Love, Chelle
PS. A BIG thank you to my Christmas music loving, sugary named, millionaire by multiplication, friend who knows how to hear God !!!
I still don’t know what I’m doing. The sweet potato in the jar in my window can confirm it.
I stood it upright like a microphone instead of laying it down like a seed. Slips are forming anyway—which feels both rude and deeply grace-filled.
By every measurable standard, I am grossly underqualified for this harvest. I don’t garden with confidence — I garden with Google and apologies. I whisper encouragement to my plants like they’re on a faith journey too.
And yet… green keeps showing up.
Scripture says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” — Zechariah 4:10
Apparently, this applies to gardeners too.
The sweet potato didn’t ask for my credentials. It didn’t wait for me to feel confident. It just responded to warmth, light, and the fact that I didn’t give up on it.
That feels uncomfortably familiar.
God has never waited for my expertise before growing something in my care. He responds to availability, not mastery. To people who stay put long enough for growth to decide it’s safe.
I keep expecting God to say, “You’re not ready for this yet.” Instead, He keeps saying, “Watch.”
Watch what grows when you stop over-correcting. Watch what happens when you don’t uproot yourself every time doubt shows up. Watch what slips free when the season is right.
Turns out God grows things even when the gardener is winging it.
I may be underqualified. But I’m determined. And apparently… that’s enough for a harvest.
Disappointment doesn’t usually knock loudly. It just keeps adding weight.
Brick by brick, we pack the backpack: • unmet expectations • things we thought God would do by now • roles we keep carrying because “someone has to” • stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what’s possible
And if I’m honest, this is the same part of me that tries to carry all the groceries in one trip. Because clearly, asking for help would be admitting weakness… and making two trips would be a personal failure.
So there I am — keys dangling, bags cutting off circulation, dignity questionable — determined to prove I’ve got this. I call it independence. Heaven calls it unnecessary.
And somewhere between the car and the kitchen, I’m reminded that even Jesus sent the disciples out two by two.
Inevitably, something falls. Or worse… something gets left in the trunk.And a couple of days later, there’s a smell. A mysterious, soul-searching smell that forces a reckoning.
Nothing humbles you faster than realizing the real burden wasn’t the bags — it was the banana you refused to admit you dropped.
That’s how unexamined burdens work too. What we refuse to set down eventually announces itself. Some of the limits we feel aren’t placed by God — they’re placed by our own expectations of how we think He should move.
We overpack faith with control. We leave no room for surprise. No room for grace. No room for God to have His way — because the backpack is already full.
Jesus never asked us to be strong and burdened. He asked us to come — and let Him carry what we were never meant to hold.
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you.” — Psalm 55:22
Maybe today isn’t about pushing harder. Maybe it’s about making two trips. Or — heaven forbid — asking for help.
When I think of the most important birthdays, I don’t start with cake or candles. I start with life.
I think of the 37th birthday when I helped deliver my grandson, Jayon — my eldest son’s first child. On that day, I didn’t just celebrate another year of my own life; I welcomed new life, new hopes, and new dreams into the world. In a way, our birthdays became twins. His arrival was proof that God was still creating, still trusting the future to fragile hands. And year after year, Jayon has never disappointed — not because he’s perfect, but because he has lived into the promise of that moment.
I think of my 50th birthday — the day I was scheduled to start chemotherapy for breast cancer. Fear tried to claim that day, but my husband gave me a birthday slumber party instead with the ladies in my crew.. Laughter showed up before dread could unpack its bags. It felt like God whispering through cupcakes and pajamas: Fight. Fight. You are not done.
On my 55th birthday, the fear shifted again. Instead of waiting anxiously for scan results, I stood on a stage wearing a crown and a “Drive 55” shirt — a playful, holy reminder to pace myself and keep going. Sometimes courage looks regal. Sometimes it looks ridiculous. Both can preach.
But my favorite birthdays are always the next one.
Whether they arrive loud and celebratory or quiet and reflective like today, they carry the same invitation. I call January 5th my second New Year — a moment to pause, look back at all that happened since last year, the good and the not-so-good. To thank God for the joys He brought us into, and for the things He delivered us out of.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” — Psalm 118:24
Not the perfect day. Not the painless day. Just this one.
And today includes crumbs. Crumbs from a Kentucky Butter Cake I made with more butter than I’m fairly certain a woman of my age should publicly admit to.
But here’s the truth: butter makes things richer. Grace does too. And neither one asks permission before doing its work.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” — Lamentations 3:22–23
Even on birthdays. Especially on birthdays.
These years aren’t measured by candles alone. They’re marked by crumbs of grace — small evidences left behind that say I was fed, I was held, I was carried through
. And if that’s what this year leaves behind — crumbs, butter, joy, survival, and gratitude — then it has been a very good year indeed.
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