🌺 MOMENT: You Are Seen, Known, and Loved

Scripture

“Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee.”
— Isaiah 43:4, KJV

The Reflection

There is a kind of loneliness that is difficult to explain.

You can be surrounded by people and still feel unseen. You can love deeply and wonder why that love so rarely seems to find its way back to you. You can show up for everyone else while quietly wondering, “Who will show up for me?”

Sometimes that loneliness is tied to loss.

People you thought would be part of your story for years to come are no longer here. A parent. A sibling. A spouse. A friend. Someone whose voice you would give almost anything to hear one more time.

There are empty chairs and familiar dates that do not feel the same anymore. There are moments when you instinctively think, I need to call them, and then remember that you cannot.

And sometimes we grieve more than people.

We grieve the life we thought we would have.

Maybe you imagined marriage and it did not happen, or it did not look the way you expected. Maybe you wanted children and that was not your story. Maybe you pictured a close family, lifelong friendships, a certain career, financial security, or simply having people around you who would love you as thoughtfully as you have loved them.

There are losses we announce.

And there are losses we quietly carry.

Yet somehow, you have continued to give.

You remember birthdays. You check on people. You encourage. You pray. You make the phone call. You notice when someone is struggling. You give your time, your resources, and your heart, sometimes when you could use some of that care yourself.

And when that love is not returned, it can make you question yourself.

Maybe I am too different.

Maybe I do not fit.

Maybe there is something about me people do not understand.

Maybe I will always be the one on the outside looking in.

But today, I want you to pause long enough to hear something that may be difficult to believe when you are hurting:

You are not invisible.

Your value is not determined by how many people recognize it.

Your worth does not rise and fall according to who calls, who remembers, who reciprocates, or who chooses you.

Your life is not less meaningful because it looks different from someone else's.

And you are not incomplete because something you deeply wanted is missing from your story.

You are not God's forgotten daughter.

You are His beloved daughter.

Isaiah 43:4 does not say you are precious because of what you accomplish, how much you give, whether you are married, whether you have children, or whether everybody understands you.

God says:

You are precious in My sight.

There may be people who failed to see you clearly.

There may be people who received your generosity without understanding the heart behind it.

There may even be people whose rejection left you wondering what was wrong with you.

But someone else's inability to recognize your value does not erase your value.

You can be misunderstood and still be deeply loved.

You can be overlooked by people and completely seen by God.

You can grieve what you have lost without believing that your life has lost its purpose.

And perhaps there comes a point when we have to stop asking only,

“Why don't they choose me?”

and begin asking,

“God, how are You teaching me to receive Your love and live fully in the life You have given me?”

You do not have to spend your life proving that you deserve a place at someone else's table.

There is already a place for you at God's.

You are allowed to receive.

You are allowed to need people.

You are allowed to desire friendship and companionship.

You are allowed to acknowledge when a relationship hurts.

You are allowed to recognize when you have been giving from a place that has become empty.

Your generosity is beautiful.

But generosity should not require you to disappear.

God cares about the woman behind the giving.

The woman behind the smile.

The woman behind the strength.

The woman who encourages everybody else and sometimes goes home wishing someone would encourage her.

He sees her.

He sees you.

And He has not forgotten you.

Your story is not over.

There are still moments of joy you have not experienced.

There are still people you have not met.

There are still prayers you have not prayed.

There are still places where your presence will matter.

There are still ways God can use your life to bring comfort, wisdom, compassion, laughter, encouragement, and love into this world.

So do not allow what is missing to become the only thing you see.

Look again.

Your life is still here.

Your heart is still capable of loving.

Your voice still has something to say.

Your presence still matters.

And God is still writing.

You are seen.

You are known.

You are remembered.

You are precious.

You are loved.

Your MOMENT of Truth

What others fail to recognize about me does not determine my worth.

I do not have to be understood by everyone to be valuable.

I do not have to be chosen by everyone to be worthy of love.

I do not have to have the life I imagined to have a meaningful life.

Some losses cannot be replaced.

Some questions may never be completely answered.

But I can still live.

I can still love.

I can still laugh.

I can still hope.

I can still receive.

And I can trust that God sees the whole story, even the chapters no one else understands.

I am not forgotten.

My MOMENT Affirmation

I am seen.

I am known.

I am loved.

I am not incomplete because my life looks different from someone else's.

My losses do not define me.

My relationship status does not define me.

Whether or not I have children does not define me.

Other people's rejection does not define me.

My generosity is a gift, but I am worthy of receiving too.

I do not have to earn my place.

I belong.

I matter.

God has not forgotten me.

There is still purpose in my life, beauty in my story, and room for joy in my future.

My MOMENT Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

You know me completely.

You know the parts of my story I rarely talk about. You know the people I miss, the dreams I have grieved, the questions I still carry, and the places in my heart that sometimes feel empty.

You know how often I have given to others while quietly wishing someone would give back to me. You know the times I have felt misunderstood, overlooked, unchosen, or invisible.

Today, Lord, help me see myself through Your eyes.

Remind me that I am precious.

Remind me that I am loved.

Remind me that my life has meaning even when it looks different from what I once imagined.

Heal the places where rejection has caused me to question my worth and the places where grief has made me afraid to hope again.

Help me release the belief that I must constantly give in order to deserve love. Teach me how to receive love, care, friendship, and kindness without feeling that I first have to earn them.

Place people in my life who see me, value me, and love me well. Give me wisdom in my relationships and courage to create healthy boundaries where they are needed.

When loneliness becomes heavy, remind me that I am not alone.

When I miss the people I have lost, hold my heart gently.

When I feel forgotten, remind me that You remember me.

When I feel like the odd one out, remind me that I belong to You.

And when I cannot see what comes next, help me trust that my story is not finished.

Thank You for loving me, not because of what I do, what I give, or what I have accomplished, but because I am Yours.

Help me believe it.

Help me receive it.

Help me live from it.

I am seen. I am known. I am loved.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Take This MOMENT With You

Before you move on with your day, take a few minutes to sit with what came up for you while reading. You do not have to answer every question. Start with the one that speaks most directly to where you are today.

1. Where in my life have I been feeling unseen, overlooked, or misunderstood?

2. What am I still grieving, whether it is a person, relationship, dream, or life I thought I would have?

3. What do I freely give to others that I need to allow myself to receive too?

4. If I truly believed that I am precious, known, and loved by God, what might change about the way I see myself or live my life?

Finish this sentence:

I am not forgotten because ____________________________________.

A Final MOMENT

Be still for a moment.

Take a slow breath and remind yourself:

I am not invisible.
I am not forgotten.
I am not incomplete.
I am not alone.
I am God's beloved daughter.
And my story is not over.

You do not have to force yourself to feel every word immediately. Just allow yourself to receive them.

You are seen. You are known. You are loved.

Pause. Pray. Receive. Remember.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌸MOMENT Reflection | Start Where You Are

📖 Scripture

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18

🌸 MOMENT Reflection

Start Where You Are

Sometimes life changes before we are ready for it.

Someone we love dies. A relationship changes. A job ends. A child grows up and needs us differently. Our health, responsibilities, family, finances or plans take a turn we did not expect.

And suddenly, here we are.

That is when the words “begin again” can start to feel different.

They sound hopeful. And they can be.

But telling someone to begin again can feel like a lot when they are still trying to understand what just happened.

A woman who has lost her husband may not be thinking about her “next chapter.” She may be wondering how she is supposed to walk into the house without him.

Someone grieving a parent may be discovering that it does not matter how old you are—you can still feel the absence of being someone's child.

A caregiver whose life has revolved around someone else's needs may not even know what she needs anymore.

And sometimes there has been no major tragedy at all. You just know something has changed.

So maybe beginning again does not always start with a plan.

Maybe it starts with telling the truth about where you are.

God, I am tired.

God, I miss them.

God, I thought my life would look different.

God, I do not know what to do next.

God, I am grateful...and I am still hurting.

Those prayers count too.

Psalm 34:18 does not say God is near only after the brokenhearted have recovered. It says He is near to the brokenhearted.

Right there.

In the middle of it.

I think sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to turn difficult experiences into lessons too quickly. We start looking for the testimony before we have even had time to acknowledge the pain.

But God does not need us to rush.

There are seasons when faith looks like moving forward.

And there are seasons when faith looks like getting out of bed, doing what needs to be done, whispering a prayer and trusting God with the rest of the day.

That is still faith.

Maybe you are standing at the beginning of something you did not choose.

You do not have to erase what came before.

You do not have to know where this is going.

And you certainly do not have to pretend that you are ready when you are not.

Start where you are.

Because you are not starting from nothing.

You are starting from here.

And God is here too.

Take a MOMENT

Before you think about what comes next, ask yourself:

Where am I—really—right now?

What has changed?

What am I carrying?

What do I miss?

What am I afraid to say out loud?

And what do I need from God today—not next month, not next year, but today?

A Prayer

Lord,

You know exactly where I am.

You know what has changed, what I am carrying, what I miss and what I still do not understand.

Help me not to rush myself just because the world keeps moving.

Meet me here.

Give me what I need for today, and when it is time to take another step, help me take it with You.

Amen.

MOMENT: You do not have to be ready for a new beginning to begin.
You are not starting from nothing. You are starting from here.

Pause. Pray. Be honest. Begin.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌸What If You Are Already Living Your Purpose?

Scripture

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10

THE MOMENT

I have been thinking about purpose lately.

We hear so much about finding our purpose.

What was I created to do?
Am I using my gifts?
Am I making a difference?
Am I doing what God wants me to do with my life?

Those are good questions.

But I wonder if sometimes we make purpose sound like this one big thing hidden somewhere in the future—and if we pray hard enough, plan carefully enough, or finally get our lives together, God will reveal it.

A career.

A ministry.

A business.

A book.

A platform.

Something with a name attached to it.

But what if some of our purpose is much closer than that?

What if we are already living pieces of it?

Maybe purpose was the child you stayed up with last night.

Maybe it was the friend you called because something told you to check on her.

Maybe it was doing your job well when nobody was applauding.

Maybe it was caring for an aging parent when you would rather have been doing something else.

Maybe it was apologizing to your child.

Starting over.

Praying for somebody who will never know you prayed.

Using something you have learned through your own difficult season to make somebody else's road a little easier.

None of those things may ever appear in a biography.

But that does not make them insignificant.

PURPOSE DOES NOT ALWAYS COME WITH A TITLE

I think sometimes we confuse purpose with position.

We think we will finally be walking in our purpose when we get the job, launch the ministry, finish the degree, publish the book, start the organization, or reach some milestone we've been working toward.

And God certainly can use all of those things.

But Scripture says we are God’s workmanship, created for good works He prepared for us to walk in.

I love that Scripture describes it as a walk.

Not arrive.

Not achieve.

Not become famous for.

Walk.

That sounds much more like a life than a destination.

Maybe purpose is something God unfolds as we keep walking with Him.

Some seasons may be very visible.

Others may feel painfully ordinary.

And some seasons may leave us wondering, What in the world am I doing with my life?

But an ordinary season is not necessarily a purposeless one.

MAYBE THE QUESTION CHANGES

Instead of always asking:

“God, what is my purpose?”

Maybe sometimes we ask:

“God, what is my purpose here?”

Here—in this season.

Here—in this home.

Here—in this workplace.

Here—in this relationship.

Here—with these gifts.

Here—with what I have learned.

Here—with the person You have placed in front of me today.

Because I am beginning to believe that purpose is not only about what we accomplish.

It is also about who we become while God is using us.

The patience we develop.

The compassion we gain.

The wisdom we can now share because we've lived through something.

The courage it took to begin again.

The faith we learned when nothing made sense.

Even the detours can become useful in God's hands.

AND PURPOSE CAN CHANGE SHAPE

This matters too.

What God called you to do at 25 may not look exactly like what He is asking of you at 45, 55, or 75.

Motherhood changes.

Careers change.

Relationships change.

Our bodies change.

Our responsibilities change.

Doors close.

Other doors open.

And sometimes the thing that once gave our lives tremendous meaning ends.

That can leave us wondering:

Who am I now?

But perhaps the end of an assignment is not the end of our usefulness.

God is not finished with us simply because a season is finished.

There may still be something to learn.

Something to give.

Someone to encourage.

Someone to teach.

Something to create.

Something to repair.

Something to begin.

Or perhaps, for a while, something to simply be present for.

A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT

Maybe you don't need to figure out the rest of your life today.

Maybe you don't need a five-year plan for your purpose.

Look at what is already in your hands.

Your experiences.

Your gifts.

Your relationships.

Your story.

Even the parts you would never have chosen.

Then ask:

“Lord, how can You use what I have, where I am, in this season?”

The answer may eventually lead somewhere you never imagined.

But today?

It may simply lead you to the person standing right in front of you.

MOMENT PRAYER

Lord,

Sometimes I spend so much time wondering what I am supposed to do with my life that I miss what You are doing in my life right now.

Help me recognize purpose even when it looks ordinary.

Show me how to use what You have placed in my hands—my gifts, experiences, lessons, relationships, and even the difficult parts of my story.

When one season ends, help me trust You with what comes next.

And when I cannot see the whole plan, give me enough faith to be faithful in the part You have given me today.

Use my life in ways that matter, even when no one else sees them.

Amen.

Your MOMENT

Where might you already be living out your purpose without calling it “purpose”?

THIS WEEK'S MOMENT CHALLENGE

Don't try to figure out your entire calling this week.

Instead, each morning ask:

“God, what have You given me to do today—and who have You given me an opportunity to serve?”

Then pay attention.

The answer may not look impressive.

Do it anyway.

Because perhaps purpose isn't something we're supposed to spend our whole lives chasing.

Maybe it is something we discover while faithfully living the life God has placed in front of us.

Pause. Pray. Notice. Walk.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌸 A MOMENT: Still His Daughter

My daughter is a daddy’s girl from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

There is a special softness in the way she looks at her father. She knows she is loved. She knows she can call for him. She knows that when Daddy is near, she has his attention, affection and protection.

Sometimes, as I watch them together, I think, She is such a blessed little girl.

My parents were separated for years and eventually divorced when I was young. I did not grow up knowing what it felt like to be a daddy’s girl—not even close. For a long time, I thought that kind of relationship belonged to other daughters.

As I grew older, however, God began to show me something that my childhood had not taught me:

I am a Daddy’s girl too.

Not because my earthly experience was perfect.
Not because the years I missed no longer mattered.
But because I have a Father in heaven who has always known my name.

📖 “You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
— Romans 8:15

Abba is a word of closeness. It reminds us that God is not a distant figure watching our lives from far away. Through Christ, we are welcomed into a relationship with Him as beloved daughters.

Some women grew up with fathers who made them feel safe, seen and deeply loved. That is a beautiful gift.

Others grew up with fathers who were absent, emotionally unavailable, inconsistent or unable to give the love their daughters needed. Some are grieving fathers they loved dearly. Others are still healing from relationships that were complicated or painful.

Our stories are not the same.

But the invitation of our heavenly Father is extended to every one of us.

He does not ask us to pretend that an empty place never existed. He meets us there.

📖 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.”
— Psalm 68:5

God sees the little girl who wondered why her father was not there.

He sees the woman who learned to be strong because she felt she had no one to protect her.

He sees the daughter who is caring for an aging father, grieving a father or trying to forgive one.

And He says, You are still Mine.

You can call for Him.

You can bring Him the questions you never had the opportunity to ask. You can tell Him about the moments that still hurt. You can rest in His presence without earning His attention or competing for His affection.

His love is not inconsistent.

His presence is not temporary.

His promises are not dependent upon your performance.

Watching my daughter with her father reminds me of what a blessing it is for a girl to feel secure in her daddy’s love. But it also reminds me that the deepest security available to any of us comes from knowing that we belong to God.

Whatever your relationship with your earthly father has been, it does not determine your worth as a daughter.

You are known.
You are wanted.
You are protected.
You are loved.

Through our Father in heaven, we can all discover what it means to be held by a faithful Father.

We are still His daughters.

And in the most beautiful and eternal sense, we are all Daddy’s girls.

🌸 Your MOMENT to Reflect

What part of your earthly-father story do you need to place in the hands of your heavenly Father?

🙏🏾 A MOMENT Prayer

Father, thank You for calling me Your daughter. Meet me in the tender places of my story—the memories I cherish and the places that still need healing. Help me receive the love, security and belonging You offer me. Remind me that I do not have to earn Your attention or wonder whether You will remain. Teach me to rest in the truth that I am known, wanted and deeply loved by You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.
Every moment matters.

Trust God. Let’s Do This.

I recently heard the sweetest story.

Two little sisters, ages four and three, were walking into a new daycare classroom. The three-year-old was struggling with the change. Everything was unfamiliar, and she didn’t want to go.

Her four-year-old sister took her hand and said:

“Trust God. Everything is going to be okay. Let’s do this!”

Four years old.

She couldn’t promise her little sister what was waiting on the other side of that classroom door. She didn’t know whether she would like her teacher, make new friends, or have a good day.

But somehow, she knew enough to say, Trust God.

It made me think about Joshua.

God was leading Joshua and the Israelites into unfamiliar territory. There were things ahead that Joshua couldn't predict or control. Yet God didn't give him every detail about what was coming. He gave him something better:

“Be strong and of good courage… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9

The assurance wasn't that everything ahead would be easy.

The assurance was that God would be with him.

I wonder how many of us need that same reminder today.

Maybe you're standing at the door of something new. Maybe you're dealing with a change you didn't ask for. Maybe you know you need to move forward, but part of you would rather stay with what feels familiar.

Faith isn't having all the answers before we walk through the door.

Sometimes faith sounds like:

Trust God.
Take the hand that's reaching for you.
And take the next step.

And I love that she didn't stop at, “Everything is going to be okay.”

She added:

“Let’s do this!”

There comes a point when we have prayed, worried, questioned and thought about something long enough.

Now we have to walk.

Not because we know exactly what will happen.

Because we know Who is walking with us.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5

🌸 Your MOMENT to Reflect

What change, new beginning, or unfamiliar place are you resisting right now?

Maybe today you don't need to figure everything out.

Maybe you just need to hear the wisdom of a four-year-old:

Trust God.
Everything is going to be okay.
Let’s do this!

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Grow.

🌸 A MOMENT When “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough

Have you ever heard yourself say something and almost immediately thought, I shouldn't have said that?

That happened to me recently.

I was frustrated with my daughter because she hadn't done something she was supposed to do—or hadn't put the effort into it that I knew she could have.

In the middle of correcting her, I used the word lazy.

And almost immediately, I felt convicted.

Not because I shouldn't have corrected her. She needed correcting.

But I knew I had chosen the wrong word.

I could have said, “You didn't do what you were supposed to do.”

I could have said, “You didn't put enough effort into this.”

Or even, “I know you can do better than what you gave this.”

Those words would have addressed what she did.

Instead, I used a word that could sound like I was describing who she is.

And she's not lazy.

More importantly, that's not a word I want my child carrying around in her head in my voice.

So I apologized.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you lazy. I was frustrated with what you did, but I chose the wrong word. That wasn't fair to you.”

Later, I started thinking about that apology and something occurred to me:

Where in the Bible does someone actually say, “I'm sorry”?

I couldn't immediately think of an example.

What I could think of was something much deeper:

Repentance.

And there's a difference.

We can be sorry because we got caught.

Sorry because someone is upset with us.

Sorry because things became uncomfortable.

We can even be genuinely sorry that someone was hurt.

But repentance asks something more of us:

What am I going to do differently because I recognize that what I did was wrong?

That brought me to the prodigal son.

When he finally came to himself, he decided to go home. He had hurt his father, wasted what he'd been given and made some terrible choices.

But when he returned, he didn't begin with excuses.

He said:

“Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight…” — Luke 15:21

In today's language, I hear:

Dad, I was wrong.

No “but.”

No explanation of what was happening in his life.

No list of things his father might have done differently.

He owned what belonged to him.

That made me think about the way we sometimes apologize to each other.

I'm sorry, but you made me angry.

I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way.

I'm sorry, but that's not what I meant.

I've probably used some version of those myself.

Sometimes the explanation may even be true. Maybe the other person really did hurt us. Maybe they misunderstood our intentions. Maybe there really is another side to the story.

But sometimes we need to let our apology stand on its own.

I was wrong.

I shouldn't have said that.

I can see how my words hurt you.

Please forgive me.

And then there's Zacchaeus.

When Jesus came into his life, Zacchaeus didn't simply feel bad about the people he had wronged. He decided to do something about it.

He said:

“If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” — Luke 19:8

His repentance had feet.

I love that.

Because saying “I'm sorry” can take a few seconds.

Changing the behavior that keeps requiring the apology can take much longer.

For me, repentance in that moment with my daughter isn't simply apologizing for calling her lazy.

It's remembering the next time I'm frustrated to correct what she did without labeling who she is.

That's the change.

And maybe that's the difference between being sorry and being repentant.

🌸The Pause

Maybe there's someone we owe an apology.

A spouse.

A child.

A parent.

A sibling.

A friend.

Someone at church.

Maybe even someone we haven't spoken to in years.

And sometimes we're waiting for them to apologize first because, after all, they weren't completely innocent either.

I understand that.

But what if God isn't asking me to settle their part today?

What if He's asking me about mine?

That doesn't mean taking responsibility for something we didn't do.

It doesn't mean pretending someone else's behavior didn't hurt us.

And it certainly doesn't mean returning to a relationship that is unsafe or unhealthy.

It simply means that when God shows me my part, I don't hide behind theirs.

That's hard.

Especially when we believe we have a pretty good case for why we said what we said or did what we did.

But maybe healing sometimes begins with being willing to say:

I'm sorry.

I was wrong.

Please forgive me.

No “but.”

And then, when possible, living differently enough that our actions begin to say what our words already did.

🌸MOMENT Prayer

Lord, show me my part.

Not everyone else's. Mine.

Help me recognize when my words have wounded someone, even when hurting them wasn't my intention.

Teach me to correct without tearing down, especially with the people I love most.

If there is someone I have hurt, give me the humility to acknowledge it without immediately defending myself. Give me the courage to apologize when I need to, and then help me change whatever needs changing so that my repentance becomes more than words.

And when I am the one who has been hurt, help me leave room for repentance, grace and healing without abandoning wisdom or healthy boundaries.

Thank You for the grace You continue to give me every time I come to You and admit:

“Lord, I was wrong.”

Help me extend that same grace to others.

Amen.

🌸Today’s MOMENT

Is there an apology I need to give without adding a “but” behind it?

And one more question:

Am I correcting someone's behavior—or labeling who they are?

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

🌸 When Prayers Seem Unanswered

The MOMENT

Have you ever prayed for something for so long that eventually you stopped knowing what else to say?

Maybe it was the job you were sure you needed.

The baby you prayed to conceive.

The marriage proposal that never came.

The house you did not qualify for.

The child you raised in church who no longer wants to go.

The spouse who does not share your faith.

The retirement you thought would have happened by now.

Or maybe it is something so personal that you rarely say it out loud anymore.

You prayed.

You believed.

You waited.

And what you hoped for still did not happen.

Those are the prayers that can be difficult to talk about because sometimes well-meaning Christians are quick to remind us that God answers prayer.

And He does.

But sometimes His answer looks so different from what we prayed for that, at first, it can feel like no answer at all.

📖 Scripture

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” — Ruth 1:16

Today’s Reflection

I think about Naomi.

She left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons.

Then she lost her husband.

She lost one son.

Then the other.

When Naomi returned home, she was grieving so deeply that she told the women not to call her Naomi anymore.

Call me Mara—bitter.

Naomi was not pretending everything was fine simply because she believed in God.

She was hurting.

And yet, walking beside her was Ruth.

Naomi could not have known then what God was going to do with the woman who refused to leave her.

Ruth would eventually marry Boaz.

They would have a son named Obed.

Obed would become the grandfather of David.

And generations later, from that family line, would come Jesus.

Naomi could not see any of that when she was walking home grieving what she had lost.

And that is what stays with me.

God did not give Naomi back the life she had before.

Her husband did not return.

Her sons did not return.

God's answer did not erase her loss.

Instead, He began building something new in a place Naomi probably thought held nothing but emptiness.

That makes me wonder about some of my own prayers.

How many times have I decided what God's answer should look like before I even finished praying?

Lord, give me this job.

Lord, fix this relationship.

Lord, change this person.

Lord, open this door.

Lord, please let it happen this way.

And sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes it is not yet.

Sometimes it is no.

And sometimes I wonder if God is saying:

“Monica, you are looking so intently at the door that did not open that you have not noticed where I am leading you instead.”

That does not mean every disappointment will eventually make sense to us.

Some things hurt.

Some losses remain losses.

Some questions may stay with us for a very long time.

Faith does not require us to call something good when it hurt us deeply.

But faith does allow us to believe that God is still present in the part of the story we do not understand.

Naomi thought she was returning home empty.

She had no idea what God was already carrying home beside her.

Maybe there is something in that for us too.

🙏🏾 MOMENT Prayer

Lord, You know the prayers I have prayed over and over again.

You know the ones I am still waiting on and the ones I quietly stopped praying because disappointment became too painful.

Help me trust You when Your answer does not look like mine.

Give me peace when the answer is yes, patience when it is not yet, and faith when the answer is no.

And when I cannot understand what You are doing, help me recognize that You are still with me.

Keep me from becoming so focused on what did not happen that I miss what You are doing now.

Amen.

🌸 This Week’s Challenge

Think about one prayer that seems unanswered.

Instead of asking God only for the outcome you want, try adding one more sentence to your prayer this week:

“Lord, help me recognize Your answer—even if it looks different from mine.”

Then leave a little room to notice.

Before You Go

Naomi thought she came home empty.

But Ruth was walking right beside her.

Sometimes what feels like an unanswered prayer may be a chapter whose ending we simply cannot see yet.

Do not stop looking for God in the middle of the story.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Every moment matters.

—Monica

🌸 What Do You Need to Come Back To?

Scripture

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
— Malachi 3:7

THE MOMENT

Driving home from a short vacation, somewhere between “I could use another few days” and “I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed,” 😂 I started thinking about how good it feels to get away.

But I also thought about how good it can feel to come back.

There is something about returning home.

Your own bed.
Your own kitchen.
Your familiar routines.

Even unpacking the suitcase does not seem quite as bad when you are finally home. Well...maybe. 😂

But somewhere on that drive, I realized that coming back is not only something we do after vacation.

Sometimes we need to come back in life, too.

TODAY’S REFLECTION

Life has a way of pulling us forward.

The next appointment.
The next responsibility.
The next thing our children need.
The next work or ministry assignment.
The next family situation.
The next problem to solve.

We keep moving because that is what women so often do.

But sometimes, while taking care of everything and everyone, we can drift away from things we never intended to leave behind.

Our quiet time with God.

A friendship we meant to nurture.

Family dinners.

Taking care of ourselves.

A dream we put on the shelf.

The habit of actually sitting still long enough to hear ourselves think.

Maybe even the version of ourselves that laughed more, rested without guilt, called friends just because, and did not feel as though every minute had to be productive.

And sometimes we drift from God.

Not because we stopped loving Him.

Life simply got loud.

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO COME BACK

The beautiful thing about God is that He allows us to return.

We do not have to wait until everything is fixed.

We do not have to explain where we have been.

We do not have to pretend we never wandered.

We can simply come back.

Back to prayer.

Back to His Word.

Back to trusting Him.

Back to the people who matter.

Back to something we know God placed in our hearts.

Back to taking care of the woman in the mirror.

And coming back does not necessarily mean returning to exactly where we left off.

Sometimes we come back rested.

Sometimes wiser.

Sometimes a little bruised.

Sometimes more grateful.

Sometimes with clearer eyes about what deserves our attention—and what no longer does.

A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT

Maybe today is not about adding something else to your life.

Maybe it is about asking:

What do I need to come back to?

Is it God?

Prayer?

Your family?

A friendship?

Your health?

Rest?

Joy?

Something you once loved doing?

Or perhaps you need to come back to yourself—the woman God created before life became so busy that everybody else's needs started speaking louder than your own.

There is value in moving forward.

But there is also wisdom in knowing when to pause, turn around, and return to what matters.

And here's what I love:

God is not standing at the door asking why it took you so long.

He is simply glad you came back.

MOMENT PRAYER

Lord,

Thank You for being a God who welcomes us back.

When life becomes busy and I lose sight of what matters most, help me recognize it.

Bring me back to You.

Bring me back to prayer.

Bring me back to the people and things You have entrusted to me.

Help me release what no longer deserves so much of my energy and return my attention to what does.

And when I need rest, remind me that pausing is not quitting.

Sometimes stepping away gives me the clarity I need to come back differently.

Amen.

YOUR MOMENT

What is one thing you need to come back to?

Don't make a ten-item list.

Just name one.

And this week, take one small step toward it.

Maybe open your Bible again.

Call the friend.

Have dinner at the table.

Take the walk.

Pick up the project.

Sit quietly with God.

Or simply give yourself permission to rest.

You don't always have to start something new.

Sometimes you just need to come back. ❤️

Pause. Pray. Return.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌸Make Room for Her

Scripture

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11

THE MOMENT

Sometimes supporting another woman looks very spiritual.

We pray with her.
We send her a Scripture.
We remind her that God has not forgotten her.

And sometimes it looks like sitting on the floor helping her take braids out of her hair. 😊

It looks like watching her children for a couple of hours because she needs a break.

Dropping off dinner when somebody is sick.

Sitting quietly with a friend whose marriage is falling apart—and resisting the urge to give her a dozen opinions.

Checking on the woman who has lost someone she loves, not only the week of the funeral, but three months later when everyone else has returned to their lives.

It is supporting the woman trying to start something new. Showing up for her event. Sharing her work. Celebrating when something finally goes right.

Sometimes ministry looks a whole lot like friendship.

And sometimes friendship itself becomes ministry—even when we never call it that.

TODAY’S REFLECTION

We hear a lot about community.

But real community requires more than being friendly with the people we already know.

It requires making room.

Room at our tables.
Room in our schedules.
Room in our lives.
Room in our friendship circles.

Most of us already have our people. The friends we call first. The women we meet for lunch. The people whose children know our children. The ones who already know our stories.

There is nothing wrong with having a close circle.

But maybe every now and then, God asks us to pull up another chair and widen it.

And that woman may not look like us, worship like us, live like us, or come from the same background.

She may attend church every week.

She may not attend church at all.

She may be a neighbor you've waved to for three years but never really gotten to know.

A coworker.

Another mom at your child's school.

The woman who always seems to be sitting by herself.

Someone new to the neighborhood.

Or even someone you have known for years but never taken the time to really know.

Invite her to lunch.

Ask her to meet for coffee.

Take a walk.

Plan a girls' night and invite somebody new.

Offer to babysit.

Bring the casserole.

Make the phone call.

Help her take out her braids or wash her hair. 😂

Sit in the hospital waiting room.

Celebrate her good news without comparing it to your own life.

And when life gets hard—divorce, illness, caregiving, financial struggles, grief, problems with our children, or simply one of those seasons when life feels like too much—don't disappear because you don't know what to say.

Sometimes “I'm here” is enough.

A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT

Jesus had a remarkable way of noticing people.

He went to homes.

He ate with people.

He stopped along the road.

He talked with people others overlooked.

He crossed social and cultural boundaries.

And He made room.

Maybe we can do the same.

Not necessarily by starting another program.

Not with another group chat.

Not by collecting more followers or spending more time scrolling through other people's lives.

Maybe it starts by looking up from our phones and noticing the woman who is already right in front of us.

Sometimes building community begins with four simple words:

“Come sit with us.”

MOMENT PRAYER

Lord,

Help us become women who make room for other women.

Teach us to notice the woman who needs encouragement, practical help, friendship, prayer—or simply someone willing to sit beside her.

Help us look beyond our familiar circles and see the people You have placed around us.

Give us generous hearts, open homes, listening ears, and willing hands.

Help us love people without first requiring them to believe what we believe, live as we live, or already belong to our circle.

And when we say, “I'm praying for you,” remind us to also ask,

“Is there something I can do?”

Amen.

Your MOMENT:‍ ‍

What is one simple way another woman has shown up for you when you needed her?

THIS WEEK'S MOMENT CHALLENGE

Think of one woman outside your usual circle.

Not necessarily someone from church.

Maybe she's a neighbor, coworker, another mom, an old friend you've lost touch with, or someone you keep seeing but have never really gotten to know.

Invite her in.

Lunch. Coffee. A walk. Girls' night. A playdate. A phone call. A seat beside you. Or even a simple text:

“Hey, I was thinking about you. How are you—really?”

And if you already know a woman going through a difficult season, do one practical thing for her this week.

Nothing elaborate.

Just show up.

Because sometimes the MOMENT God gives us to encourage another woman may seem ordinary to us...

but it may be exactly the MOMENT she needed.

Pause. Pray. Notice. Make room.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌸 A MOMENT for the Mom Who Keeps Everyone Going

Sometimes the person who needs a moment the most is the one making sure everyone else is okay.

There is something beautiful about being someone people can count on.

To be the mother who remembers.

The wife who notices.

The friend who checks in.

The woman at church who sees what needs to be done and quietly does it.

But being dependable does not mean you never get tired.

Sometimes we become so accustomed to being the strong one that we stop noticing when we need strengthening too.

And sometimes everyone around us gets so accustomed to us being okay that they forget to ask:

How are you doing?

Not, Did you get everything done?

Not, What is for dinner?

Not, Can you help me with one more thing?

Just—

How are YOU doing?

Jesus understood the need to step away.

Even with people waiting for Him, needs surrounding Him, and important work still to be done, Scripture tells us:

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” — Luke 5:16

That little word often gets my attention.

Jesus did not wait until He had nothing left to give before He withdrew. Making room to be alone with His Father was part of how He lived.

Maybe there is something there for us too.

Rest does not mean that you love your family less.

Pausing does not mean that you have stopped being responsible.

And taking a MOMENT for yourself does not mean that you have stopped caring for everyone else.

Sometimes pausing is how we make room for God to care for us.

So today, before you move on to the next thing, take a MOMENT.

Put the phone down.

Sit somewhere quiet.

Pour yourself something you enjoy.

And ask yourself:

How am I doing—really?

What am I carrying that I need to put down?

What happened today that I do not want to rush past?

And while you are sitting there, ask God one more question:

Where did I see You today?

Maybe it was a phone call that came at just the right time.

A good laugh with your child.

A quiet drive home.

An unexpected kindness.

Or simply the strength to get through a day that asked a lot of you.

Sometimes the moments we almost miss are the ones worth remembering.

Today’s MOMENT

Before the day ends, write down one thing you want to remember about today.

Not the whole day.

Just one moment. 🌸

MOMENT Prayer

Father, sometimes I become so busy caring for everyone else that I forget how much I need You to care for me.

You know what I am carrying, even the things I do not say out loud. Help me recognize when I need to slow down. Remind me that I do not have to hold everything together by myself.

Meet me in the quiet. Renew my strength, and help me receive the same grace and care that I so freely give to others.

Amen.

This Week’s Challenge

Choose one MOMENT this week that belongs to you and God.

Not while folding laundry.

Not while answering texts.

Not while driving somebody somewhere.

Give yourself a few uninterrupted minutes.

Put the phone down. Sit somewhere comfortable. Take your coffee or tea if you would like.

And simply ask:

God, how am I really doing?

Then be quiet long enough to notice what comes to the surface.

Maybe you are more tired than you realized.

Maybe something has been bothering you that you have not made time to acknowledge.

Or maybe you simply needed a few minutes with God when nobody needed anything from you.

Before You Go

You can be the one everyone counts on and still need somewhere to rest.

You can love your family deeply and still need a little quiet.

You can be strong and still need strengthening.

Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds and made room to be with His Father.

So before you rush off to take care of the next person, remember:

You are someone God wants to care for, too.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Every moment matters—including the ones you make room for yourself.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins

When You Do Not Need Another Answer

An open Bible and journal beside a cup of coffee, reflecting a quiet moment to listen for God’s direction.

The MOMENT

I am a person who likes answers.

I like knowing what comes next. I like plans, calendars, lists, and knowing that something has been handled.

Maybe you can relate.

But lately, I have been reminded that there are moments when I do not need another answer. I need to become quiet enough to recognize the direction God has already been giving me.

Sometimes I pray about something and then immediately start trying to solve it myself.

What should I do? Who should I call? What is the next step? What am I missing?

And before long, my prayer has turned into another project for me to manage.

Perhaps the problem is not always that God has been silent.

Sometimes there is simply so much noise around us—and inside us—that we have trouble hearing Him.

Scripture

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
— Isaiah 30:21

Today’s Reflection

Listening to God does not mean that we will always receive an immediate answer.

Sometimes His direction comes through Scripture. Sometimes through wise counsel. Sometimes through a door that opens—or one that remains firmly closed.

And sometimes God asks us to wait.

That may be the hardest kind of listening.

I am learning that waiting does not mean God has forgotten about me. It does not mean nothing is happening. It may simply mean that I do not yet see what He is doing.

This lesson has followed me through motherhood, work, ministry, writing, and seasons when my own plans changed unexpectedly.

I still have questions.

I still make lists.

I still want to know what comes next.

But I am learning to leave a little more room between my question and my next move.

Room to pray.

Room to read God's Word.

Room to notice.

Room to listen.

Because sometimes the next step is not something I need to figure out.

Sometimes I simply need enough faith to recognize it when God shows me.

MOMENT Prayer

Father, there are so many voices competing for my attention, including my own. Help me recognize Yours. Give me wisdom when I need to move, patience when I need to wait, and faith when I cannot see what You are doing. Keep me close enough to You that when You say, “This is the way,” I am ready to follow. Amen.

This Week’s Challenge

Before making one decision this week, resist the urge to immediately solve it.

Pray about it first.

Read a passage of Scripture.

Give yourself a little time before responding.

Then ask:

God, is there something You want me to notice before I decide what to do?

Before You Go

You do not have to have every answer today.

You only need enough light for the step God is asking you to take next.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Every moment teaches us something. The question is: Are we paying attention?

— Monica Lynne Wilkins

The Grace to Begin Again

Woman standing at a fork in a wooded path beside signs reading “Stay the Same” and “Choose Growth,” illustrating the choice to course correct and grow.

This morning I heard a simple statement that stayed with me:

“You are not limited to the first version of yourself that shows up. You can course correct.”
— Coach Val

I kept thinking about those words because, honestly, some days I need the reminder.

Some mornings we wake up already carrying yesterday’s burdens.

Some days we respond out of frustration.

Sometimes we speak before we pray.

Sometimes we assume instead of listening.

Sometimes we simply get it wrong.

But one difficult moment does not have to define the rest of the day.

God has never waited for perfection before inviting us to walk with Him.

One of the beautiful gifts of God’s grace is that we do not have to stay where we started.

We can stop.

We can apologize.

We can forgive.

We can listen again.

We can choose humility over pride.

We can replace fear with faith.

We can choose kindness over criticism.

We can pause...and begin again.

I think sometimes we imagine that changing direction means we have failed. But what if recognizing that we need to change direction is actually evidence that we are growing?

Maybe the first response was not our best response.

Maybe the plan we were so sure about is no longer the right plan.

Maybe we need to have the conversation differently.

Maybe we need to admit, I was wrong.

Maybe God is showing us something we could not see before.

There is grace for that.

That is part of what repentance is—not simply feeling sorry about where we have been, but being willing to turn when God shows us another way.

And I love that God allows us to do that.

He does not say, Well, you already started down that road, so I guess you have to keep going.

He invites us to turn.

To listen.

To learn.

To grow.

To begin again.

Every day gives us opportunities to course correct. And sometimes the smallest change in direction can eventually take us somewhere very different.

📖 This Week’s Scripture

“Search me, O God, and know my heart... See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24

I especially love the last part of that prayer:

Lead me.

Not simply show me where I was wrong.

Lead me somewhere better.

Today’s MOMENT

Think about one area of your life where something has not felt quite right lately.

A relationship.

A habit.

An attitude.

A decision.

A direction you have been heading.

Ask yourself:

Do I need to keep pushing forward—or is God giving me permission to course correct?

You do not have to figure everything out today.

Just be willing to listen.

🙏 MOMENT Prayer

Father,

Thank You for the grace to begin again.

Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and that You do not give up on me when I fall short.

Search my heart. Show me where I need to grow, and give me the humility to receive correction without shame or defensiveness.

When I need to apologize, help me apologize.

When I need to listen, help me listen.

When I need to let something go, give me the courage to release it.

And when You show me that I am headed in the wrong direction, give me enough faith to turn around.

Keep shaping me into the woman You created me to be.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

🌿 This Week’s MOMENT Challenge

The next time you catch yourself reacting in a way that does not reflect Christ, do not allow one moment to become the whole day.

Pause.

Invite God into that moment.

Then make one small course correction.

It might be an apology.

A conversation.

A prayer.

A changed attitude.

A decision to listen instead of defend yourself.

Or simply choosing grace instead of judgment.

Do not underestimate the power of a small change in direction.

💛 Before You Go...

You are not required to keep becoming a version of yourself that God is asking you to outgrow.

There is no shame in saying:

I know better now.

I see it differently now.

I need to change this.

I need to begin again.

That is not failure.

Sometimes, that is growth.

And thank God for the grace that allows us to grow.

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Grow.

Every moment matters—even the ones that change our direction.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
Founder, MOMENT Moms

🌿When I Thought I Was Falling Behind

This Week's Scripture

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."
Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)

A few days ago, I heard John Maxwell speak at the SURGE Conference about learning to get a return on failure.

His message stayed with me, but not because it was about leadership.

It stayed with me because it made me think about my own life.

There have been seasons when I quietly wondered if I had fallen behind.

Not because I wasn't trying.

Because things simply weren't happening the way I had prayed they would.

There were opportunities I thought were meant for me that never came.

Plans that changed.

Doors that closed.

Prayers that seemed to linger without an answer.

For a long time, I looked at those moments as interruptions.

Now I see them differently.

They weren't interruptions.

They were invitations.

Invitations to trust God when I couldn't see where He was leading.

Invitations to grow in ways I never would have chosen for myself.

Invitations to discover that my identity was never tied to a job title, a promotion, or even my own timeline.

One of the reasons I created THE MOMENT is because I needed that reminder myself.

To stop.

To breathe.

To notice where God was already working before I rushed ahead trying to fix everything.

I've learned that some of God's greatest work happens while we're waiting for the next door to open.

Sometimes He isn't changing our circumstances.

He's changing us.

Looking back, I wouldn't choose every difficult season again.

But I also wouldn't trade who I've become because of them.

Perhaps that's what it means to fail forward.

Not that we enjoy disappointment.

Not that failure suddenly feels good.

But that we allow God to use every experience to move us closer to the person He created us to be.

💛 Today's MOMENT

Is there a season in your life that you've labeled a failure?

Take a fresh look.

Ask God to show you not only what you've lost, but also what you've gained.

You may discover that while one door was closing, God was quietly preparing another.

🙏 MOMENT Prayer

Father,

Thank You for never letting our setbacks be the end of our story. When life doesn't unfold the way we expected, help us remember that You are still directing our steps. Give us eyes to see Your hand in every season, courage to trust You when the path feels uncertain, and faith to believe that You are using every experience to shape us into who You've called us to be.

Teach us to pause long enough to recognize that You never waste a moment.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

🌿 Live the MOMENT This Week

Write down one disappointment you've carried for a while.

Then answer this question:

"How has God used this experience to help me become the woman I am today?"

You may be surprised by your own answer.

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Live It.

Because every moment—even the difficult ones—matters.

Monica Wilkins

When God Says Wait

This Week's Verse

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

Today's Reflection

If I'm honest, waiting has never been one of my strengths.

I like to make plans, check things off my list, and see progress. Waiting can feel like standing still while everyone else is moving ahead.

But over the years, I've begun to realize something important: God's "wait" is not the same as God's "no."

Sometimes He asks us to wait because He's preparing us.

Sometimes He's preparing the opportunity.

Sometimes He's preparing the people we'll meet along the way.

And sometimes He's preparing our hearts to receive what we've been praying for.

There have been moments when I questioned why doors weren't opening as quickly as I had hoped. Looking back now, I can see that many of those delays became some of God's greatest blessings. If things had happened according to my timeline, I might have missed the lessons, relationships, and growth that only came through waiting.

As I prepare for a new season, I'm reminded that faith isn't just trusting God when the answer is "yes." Faith is also trusting Him when the answer is "not yet."

Waiting doesn't mean God has forgotten you.

It doesn't mean your prayers aren't being heard.

It doesn't mean your purpose has been put on hold.

Sometimes waiting is where God does His deepest work.

So if you're waiting today—for a new job, restored health, a relationship, direction, healing, or an answered prayer—don't lose heart.

Keep praying.

Keep growing.

Keep trusting.

The same God who gave you the promise is faithful to fulfill it in His perfect time.

The MOMENT Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Waiting isn't always easy, but I know Your timing is better than my own. Help me to trust You when I don't see immediate answers. Give me peace while I wait, wisdom while I prepare, and faith to believe that You are working even when I cannot see it.

Teach me to embrace each moment, knowing that You are shaping me for what lies ahead.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

This Week's Challenge

Is there an area of your life where you've been feeling impatient?

Instead of asking, "God, why is this taking so long?"

Try asking,

"Lord, what are You teaching me while I wait?"

You may discover that the waiting itself is part of the blessing.

MOMENTS I LEARNED

Waiting isn't wasted time.

It's often where faith grows, character is strengthened, and God quietly prepares us for what's next.

Before You Go...

If this Reflection encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who may be waiting on an answer from God today.

You never know how a few words of hope can make all the difference.

Until next week,

Monica Wilkins

Founder, The MOMENT

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Grow.

Do I Recognize God's Voice?

Woman sitting quietly in prayer beside a sunlit window, reflecting on recognizing God’s voice amid the noise of everyday life

Pause. Pray. Listen.

Before you continue reading...

Pause for just a moment.

Ask God to quiet the noise around you and help you recognize His voice today.

📖 Scripture to Read This Week

1 Samuel 3

Psalm 23

John 10:27

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

—John 10:27

🙏 A MOMENT Prayer

Lord,

Quiet the distractions around me so I can recognize Your voice.

Help me become so familiar with You that following You becomes my natural response.

Amen.

🌿 MOMENT Reflection

This morning I was reading 1 Samuel 2 and 3, and one verse just stayed with me.

"In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions."

—1 Samuel 3:1

I kept rereading this verse and asking myself...

Why was hearing from God so rare?

As you read these chapters, you can't help but notice what was happening around Eli. His sons were serving in the tabernacle, but they were living in ways that dishonored God. Eli knew what was going on, yet he failed to deal with it.

The people were still worshipping.

The sacrifices were still being offered.

But something was missing.

God's voice had become rare.

Then there's young Samuel.

Samuel was in the tabernacle.

He was serving faithfully.

Yet when God called his name...

he didn't recognize His voice.

That made me stop and think.

I wonder if sometimes we can become so familiar with doing church that we forget the most important part is knowing the God we're there to worship.

Sabbath is such a beautiful gift because it strengthens what we've hopefully been building all week long.

It's possible to know the praise songs...

the order of service...

the traditions...

and even the Scriptures...

yet still struggle to recognize when God is speaking to our hearts.

Recognizing God's voice doesn't begin when we walk through the church doors.

It begins in the quiet moments throughout the week—

when we open His Word...

when we spend time in prayer...

when we listen instead of rushing...

and when we invite Him into our everyday lives.

Then I thought about the next generation.

Whether we're raising children...

loving on grandchildren...

mentoring young people...

teaching a class...

serving in ministry...

or simply living as women of faith...

someone is watching how we follow Jesus.

Are we only teaching them how to attend church?

Or are we showing them what it looks like to have a real relationship with God?

Do they see us praying because we love talking with Him?

Do they see us reading His Word because we want to hear His voice?

Do they see us trying to obey Him—even when it's difficult?

As I continued reading and reflecting this week, my thoughts kept returning to Psalm 23.

"The Lord is my Shepherd."

Those simple words reminded me that our Shepherd is still leading His sheep today.

He still provides.

He still restores.

He still guides.

And just as sheep learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd by spending time with him, we learn to recognize God's voice by spending time with Him.

Maybe that's what God was reminding me through these passages.

He is still our Shepherd.

He is still speaking.

The question isn't whether God is speaking.

The question is...

Are we becoming so familiar with our Shepherd that we recognize His voice, trust where He's leading, and willingly follow Him?

As I continued reflecting on these passages, one thought kept coming back to me.

Maybe God's voice wasn't rare because God had stopped speaking.

Maybe it was rare because so few hearts were truly listening.

That thought challenged me.

God still speaks today—

through His Word...

through the Holy Spirit...

and through those quiet moments when we choose to be still before Him.

The question is...

Am I slowing down enough to listen?

Today I'm asking the Lord to help me—and all of us—

become women who know Him well enough to recognize His voice...

trust Him...

and obey Him when He speaks.

Because one day...

someone we love may recognize God's voice...

because they first saw what it looked like in us.

💛 Today's MOMENT Thought

Every moment we spend listening to God prepares us to recognize His voice when He calls.

Have a wonderful Sunday and an even better week.

My prayer is that each of us will make time this week to pause, listen, and allow God to speak to our hearts.

Until next time...

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Every MOMENT matters. 💛

— Monica

The Waiting Isn't Wasted

There are seasons in life when it feels as though everything is on pause, but God is still at work.

Lately, I've been thinking about seasons of waiting.

Waiting for answers.

Waiting for feedback.

Waiting for clarity.

I've learned that waiting isn't just about time. It's about trust.

Over the past year, I've realized that waiting doesn't have to mean standing still.

Some of the most meaningful work God has done in my life hasn't happened after reaching a milestone. It's happened while I've been writing, learning, serving, spending time with family, building ministry, and simply trying to be faithful with what's already in front of me.

Looking back, I realize those weren't interruptions to God's plan. They were part of it.

Purpose isn't found only in the destination. It's found in how we choose to live while we're on the journey.

Every day we're becoming someone. The question is, who are we becoming while we wait?

I've come to believe that even when we can't see the full picture, God is still working. Sometimes He's opening doors we don't yet see. Other times, He's quietly preparing us for what comes next.

Sometimes the greatest MOMENT isn't when God changes our circumstances. It's when He changes us while we wait.

So if you're in a season of waiting, don't assume nothing is happening. Whether you're waiting for direction, healing, a breakthrough, an answer, or simply the next step, God is still at work.

Keep learning.

Keep preparing.

Keep serving.

Keep showing up.

Trust that even when you can't see what God is doing, He is still at work.

MOMENT Prayer

Lord, thank You for reminding me that waiting is never wasted when I place it in Your hands. Help me to trust You when I can't see the whole picture. Teach me to keep learning, serving, growing, and walking faithfully in the purpose You've already given me. Shape me into the person You are calling me to become while I wait. Help me to trust that Your timing is always better than my own. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Pause & Reflect

Before you move on with your day, take a MOMENT to ask yourself:

Who am I becoming while I wait?

Sit quietly for a moment.

Invite God into your thoughts.

Then ask Him to help you see this season not as time lost, but as time He is using to prepare you for what comes next.

Every moment matters.

Monica Wilkins

Standing in the Gap

Sometimes We Need Someone to Pray Over Us

Welcome, friend. I'm so glad you stopped by today. 💕

There's something powerful about knowing another woman has called your name before God. To have someone pray over your fears, your family, your health, your children, your marriage, your dreams—even the things you've been silently carrying.

God always hears our prayers. And in His love, He often encourages us through the prayers of others.

I've learned that I don't always need someone to have the right words or the perfect advice. Sometimes I just need someone to place a hand on my shoulder and simply say, “Let's pray.”

There have been seasons when I didn't even know what to pray for myself. In those moments, God faithfully used the prayers of another woman to strengthen my faith and remind me that I wasn't carrying the burden alone.

Today's Scripture

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16 (NIV)

Sometimes standing in the gap doesn't require knowing exactly what to say. It simply means being willing to bring someone else's name, need, hurt, or hope before God when they may not have the strength to do it themselves.

And sometimes, we are the ones who need someone to stand in the gap for us.

🙏🏾 MOMENT Prayer

Lord, thank You for the people who have prayed for me when I needed it most. Today, place someone on my heart who needs prayer. Help me not simply to say, “I'll pray for you,” but to actually stop and pray. And when I am the one who needs help, remind me that I don't have to carry everything alone.

Amen.

💛 Today's MOMENT

Think of one person who may need someone standing in the gap for them today.

Don't just think about praying for them.

Call their name before God.

And if someone has stood in the gap for you, take a moment to thank God for them too.

With love,
Monica

Every Moment Matters.

Faith

Earlier this week, I prayed about something that was heavy on my heart.

And God answered.

Not only did He answer, but the answer came in a way that was even better than I had imagined.

I was so thankful.

And then...I shared it with someone.

The questions came.

The doubts started creeping in.

And before long, I found myself wondering:

Was this really God?

How do I know this was not just a coincidence?

Isn't it interesting how quickly that can happen?

We can pray and pray for God to move. We can ask Him to open a door, provide an answer, make a way, give us clarity—and then when something finally happens, we start analyzing it.

At least I did.

This morning, while I was thinking about the blessing and questioning what had happened, my mind went to the Israelites.

God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. He had done what they could never have done for themselves. Yet once they were in the wilderness, they became so focused on what they did not have that they struggled to trust the God who had already shown Himself faithful.

And still, God provided.

He gave them manna.

They had not asked Him specifically for manna. They did not even know what manna was.

But God knew what they needed.

That stopped me.

Because I realized I was doing something similar.

I had asked God for help.

He answered.

I thanked Him.

And then I started questioning the very thing I had just thanked Him for.

My doubt was making me suspicious of my own blessing because I could not completely explain how it had happened.

I even caught myself wondering whether God might somehow take the blessing back because I had allowed doubt to creep in.

Our minds can take us to some interesting places, can't they?

But thankfully, God is far more gracious than our fears.

Sometimes we become so concerned with figuring out how God answered that we forget to simply say:

Thank You.

There is certainly a place for discernment. Not every open door is necessarily God's direction, and Scripture tells us to seek wisdom.

But discernment and doubt are not the same thing.

Discernment asks, “God, is this You? Help me follow Your direction.”

Doubt can keep asking questions long after God has given us reason to trust Him.

And that is what I am learning.

I want to trust God while I am waiting.

But I also want to trust Him after the answer comes.

📖 This Week’s Scripture

“Give us today our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11

Such a short prayer.

But there is so much trust in it.

Give us what we need today.

Not necessarily what we expected.

Not always in the way we imagined.

Not with every detail explained beforehand.

Just the confidence that our Father knows what we need.

Today’s MOMENT

Think about something you have been praying about—or something God has already provided.

Then ask yourself:

Am I receiving what God has given me with gratitude, or am I allowing fear and overthinking to steal the joy from it?

Maybe today you do not need another explanation.

Maybe you simply need to say:

Thank You, Lord. I trust You with this.

🙏 MOMENT Prayer

Father,

Thank You for hearing me when I pray.

Help me trust You not only while I am waiting for an answer, but also when the answer comes.

Give me wisdom to discern Your direction without allowing fear to make me question every good thing You place in my life.

When You provide differently than I expected, help me recognize Your hand.

When I cannot explain everything, remind me that I do not have to understand everything in order to trust You.

And when doubt starts getting louder than gratitude, bring me back to what I already know:

You are faithful.

Help me receive Your gifts with an open and grateful heart, trusting that You know what I need even before I ask.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

🌿 This Week’s MOMENT Challenge

This week, notice one answered prayer or unexpected provision that you might normally overlook.

It does not have to be something big.

Maybe someone calls at exactly the right time.

Maybe an opportunity appears.

Maybe something you were worried about works itself out.

Maybe God simply gives you peace about something that has been troubling you.

Before you analyze it, explain it away, or call it coincidence—

pause and thank God.

You can ask questions later.

But first, practice gratitude.

💛 Before You Go...

Faith is not only trusting God when you are waiting for the blessing.

Sometimes faith is trusting Him enough to receive the blessing when it comes.

You may not understand every detail of how God is working.

You do not have to.

Remember the manna.

The Israelites did not know what it was when they first saw it.

But God did.

He knew what they needed.

And He knows what you need, too.

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Grow.

Every moment matters—even the ones that remind us to simply say thank You.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
Founder, MOMENT Moms

The Pause

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause.

I know that sounds strange in a world that celebrates movement.

Keep going.
Push through.
Stay busy.
Get it done.
Figure it out.

And sometimes we do need to move.

But I am learning that there are also moments when God is not asking me to move faster. He is inviting me to be still long enough to notice Him.

A pause isn't necessarily doing nothing.

A pause isn't necessarily doing nothing.

Sometimes the pause is where we catch our breath.

Sometimes it is where we realize we have been carrying something God never asked us to carry.

Sometimes it is where we finally admit, Lord, I don't know what to do next.

And sometimes it is simply where we stop talking long enough to listen.

I've had moments when I wanted God to give me an answer, change a situation, open a door, or tell me exactly what came next.

Instead, He gave me a pause.

At the time, it felt like nothing was happening.

But looking back, I can see that God was doing something in me while I was waiting for Him to do something around me.

Maybe that is why Scripture says:

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📖 Scripture to Hold Onto

“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10

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Not be still because everything has been figured out.

Not be still because there is nothing left to worry about.

Just:

Be still. And know.

Know that He is God.

Know that He sees what you cannot see.

Know that He is working even when you cannot see movement.

Know that you don't have to solve everything in this moment.

There will be time to move.

There will be time to make the phone call, send the email, have the conversation, make the decision, start again, or take the next step.

But perhaps before all of that, there needs to be a MOMENT.

A moment to breathe.
A moment to pray.
A moment to listen.
A moment to remember that God is God—and you don't have to be.

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🙏🏾 MOMENT Prayer

Father, sometimes I become so busy caring for everyone else that I forget how much I need You to care for me.

You know what I am carrying, even the things I do not say out loud.

Help me recognize when I need to slow down. Remind me that I do not have to hold everything together by myself.

Quiet the noise around me and the noise within me. Help me recognize when You are asking me to move and when You are inviting me to be still.

When I feel pressured to have all the answers, remind me that You already see what I cannot.

Meet me in this pause. Renew my strength. And when it is time to move again, help me move with You.

Amen.

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🌸 This Week's MOMENT Challenge

Choose one MOMENT this week that belongs to you and God.

Not while folding laundry.
Not while answering texts.
Not while driving somebody somewhere.

Give yourself a few uninterrupted minutes.

Put the phone down. Sit somewhere comfortable. Take your coffee or tea if you would like.

And simply ask:

God, how am I really doing?

Then be quiet long enough to notice what comes to the surface.

You may realize that you are more tired than you thought.

You may realize that something has been bothering you that you have not made time to acknowledge.

Or you may simply realize how much you needed a few minutes with God when nobody needed anything from you.

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💛 Before You Go

You can be the one everyone counts on and still need somewhere to rest.

You can love your family deeply and still need a little quiet.

You can be strong and still need strengthening.

Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds and made room to be with His Father.

So before you rush off to take care of the next thing—or the next person—remember:

You are someone God wants to care for, too.

Pause. Pray. Reflect. Rest.

Every moment matters—including the ones you make room for yourself.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins

Small Steps Create Big Shifts

Sometimes I think we underestimate what God can do with a small step.

We are often looking for the big change. The answered prayer. The breakthrough. The moment when everything finally falls into place.

A woman tending young plants in a garden, illustrating how small, faithful steps can grow into meaningful change over time.

But so much of life does not happen that way.

Sometimes growth looks like getting up and trying again.

Making the phone call you have been putting off.

Reading one chapter.

Walking for twenty minutes.

Saving a little instead of waiting until you can save a lot.

Praying for five quiet minutes because an uninterrupted hour simply is not happening today.

Choosing not to respond the way you would have responded six months ago.

None of those things may feel particularly life-changing in the moment.

But small does not mean insignificant.

I think about how often God works through small beginnings.

A shepherd boy with a sling.

A widow with a little oil.

A boy with five loaves and two fish.

A mustard seed.

Again and again, Scripture reminds us that God is not limited by what looks small to us.

Sometimes the shift we are praying for begins with one faithful step repeated over and over again.

And that is where I would place the new branded graphic.

Then we can build the remainder around the same format we have established:

📖 Scripture to Read This Week
The MOMENT
🙏 MOMENT Prayer
🌿 This Week's MOMENT Challenge
💛 Before You Go