🌸When Someone Else's Blessing Makes You Question Your Own

Scripture: Psalm 51:10 (KJV)“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Have you ever heard someone's wonderful news, smiled, congratulated them, and genuinely meant it—only to find yourself thinking about it later?

Maybe someone got the job you've been praying for. Someone else's child received an honor while yours is struggling. A friend is celebrating another anniversary, another vacation, another milestone. Someone bought a beautiful home, published a book, started a business, or received an opportunity you've been hoping would come your way.

You're happy for them.

At least you want to be.

But somewhere between celebrating their good news and going about your day, a little thought slips in.

Lord, what about me?

And sometimes that thought turns into something else.

Why her? Why not me?

I don't think we always recognize jealousy or envy when it first shows up. Sometimes it doesn't look like resentment. Sometimes it looks like disappointment. Sometimes it's comparison. Sometimes it's the quiet sadness of watching someone else receive what you've been asking God for.

And sometimes, if we're willing to admit it, we simply don't like seeing someone else get ahead.

That's not particularly comfortable to say out loud, is it?

But God already knows what's in our hearts.

The question is, what are we willing to let Him do about it?

When Comparison Changes Our Perspective

One thing I've noticed about comparison is how quickly it can make us forget what God has already done.

We can be perfectly content with our lives until we see what someone else has.

Suddenly, what was enough yesterday doesn't seem like enough today.

The home we thanked God for feels too small. The work we were grateful to have seems less important. The accomplishments we were proud of begin to lose their shine.

Nothing about our circumstances has changed.

Only what we're comparing them to.

And isn't that something?

We can go from gratitude to dissatisfaction without losing a single blessing.

Proverbs 14:30 reminds us:

“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”

Envy doesn't just affect how we see other people. It affects how we experience our own lives.

It can rob us of peace, strain friendships, and make it difficult to appreciate what God is doing right in front of us.

Sometimes the Problem Is Deeper Than Jealousy

I think it's important to ask ourselves what is underneath those feelings.

Are we jealous because someone else has something we want?

Or are we hurting because we've been waiting so long?

Maybe we're disappointed. Maybe we're afraid we've missed our opportunity. Maybe we feel overlooked, forgotten, or left behind.

Those feelings deserve our attention, too.

God doesn't ask us to pretend we're not disappointed. We can tell Him that we're tired of waiting. We can admit that it hurts to watch others move forward while we feel stuck.

But there's a difference between bringing our disappointment to God and allowing it to become resentment toward someone else.

Someone else's answered prayer is not proof that God has forgotten yours.

And another woman's blessing does not diminish your worth.

God's love isn't something we have to compete for.

Lord, Change My Heart

David's prayer in Psalm 51:10 has been on my mind:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Notice that David didn't simply ask God to help him behave better.

He asked God to change his heart.

Because we can say all the right things and still carry the wrong spirit.

We can congratulate someone while secretly resenting their success. We can offer a compliment while wishing we had what they have. We can smile on the outside while struggling on the inside.

And sometimes we may need to pray something as simple and honest as:

Father, I don't like what I'm feeling right now. I want to be happy for her, but I'm struggling. Please help me.

I believe that's a prayer God welcomes.

Not because envy is harmless, but because we're bringing Him the very thing that needs to change.

We don't have to clean up our hearts before coming to our Heavenly Father. We come to Him because we need His help.

And the beautiful thing about God is that He doesn't merely tell us to stop being jealous.

He can teach us to become genuinely content, generous, and joyful.

Learning to Celebrate Without Comparing

What would happen if we began looking at other people's blessings differently?

What if, instead of asking, Why not me? we simply said, Thank You, Lord, for what You've done for her?

Not because our own desires no longer matter.

Not because waiting suddenly becomes easy.

But because we trust that God is still at work in our lives, too.

We can celebrate a friend's promotion while continuing to pray about our own career.

We can rejoice over someone else's family milestone while trusting God with the concerns we carry about our children.

We can appreciate another woman's gifts without questioning the value of our own.

And when those jealous thoughts return—and sometimes they will—we can take them right back to our Father.

Changing our hearts may not happen in one prayer. Sometimes God works on us through repeated moments of surrender.

We notice the thought. We acknowledge it. We ask Him for help. And we choose not to feed it.

Little by little, gratitude begins to replace comparison.

And love makes more room for someone else's joy.

A MOMENT to Reflect

Maybe today is a good day to ask ourselves a few questions.

Am I genuinely able to celebrate someone else's good news?

Have I allowed comparison to make me dissatisfied with something I once thanked God for?

Is there a disappointment I've been carrying that I need to talk to my Heavenly Father about?

And perhaps the most important question:

Am I willing to let God change my heart, even when the change needs to begin with me?

We don't have to pretend that jealousy and envy never visit our hearts.

But we don't have to invite them to stay.

A MOMENT in Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You know my heart better than I know it myself.

You see the places where I've compared my life to someone else's, the times I've struggled to celebrate another person's blessings, and the disappointments I've carried quietly.

Forgive me when envy has taken the place of gratitude.

Help me recognize the blessings You've already given me. Teach me to celebrate others without questioning my own worth or Your love for me.

And Father, where jealousy is rooted in hurt, disappointment, or unanswered prayers, please help me bring those feelings to You rather than allowing them to grow into bitterness.

Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

Help me trust You with my life while genuinely rejoicing in the good You are doing in someone else's.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

A MOMENT to Remember

You can celebrate what God is doing in someone else's life while trusting Him with what He is still doing in yours.

Every MOMENT Matters.
Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT MOMS
MOMENTMOMS.org

🌸 The New Men-o-Pause — What Our Mothers Never Told Us

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

Last week, I was at my routine dental appointment with my hygienist, Tinishia.

Now normally, having someone flossing and cleaning your teeth is not when you expect to have a deep conversation about womanhood. But somehow, in between the flossing, rinsing, and me trying to answer questions with dental instruments in my mouth, we started talking about menopause.

And I laughed.

Not because menopause is always funny.

But because sometimes when women finally start comparing notes, you realize that things you thought were happening only to you are apparently part of a club nobody told us we were joining.

Tinishia started sharing some of the symptoms she and her friends had experienced.

Night sweats.

Mood swings.

Changes in sex drive.

Feeling hot for absolutely no reasonable reason.

And, of course, the experience of sitting somewhere perfectly respectable—work, dinner, or even church—when suddenly your body decides:

This would be an excellent time to become a furnace.

One minute you are listening to the sermon.

The next minute you are wondering whether anyone would notice if you quietly removed three layers of clothing.

😂

I have been having more of these conversations with women “of a certain age,” and what surprises me is how many of us experienced things years earlier without realizing they could have been connected to perimenopause or menopause.

Some women started much earlier than they expected.

I did.

Looking back, there were nights when I had to change out of my pajamas twice because I had sweated through them.

Twice.

I did not think, Oh, this must be perimenopause.

I thought something along the lines of:

What in the world is wrong with me?

At another point, I remember feeling emotionally unlike myself and wondering whether I was experiencing some strange, very delayed postpartum-type change.

In hindsight, my body may have been beginning a transition that I did not yet have words for.

Nobody had really explained it to me.

And that is what I keep hearing from other women too.

One part of the conversation kept coming back to me:

Why did so many of us know so little about what could happen to our own bodies?

Some of our mothers told us about periods.

Pregnancy.

Having babies.

Maybe “the change.”

But for many of us, menopause was presented almost like a light switch.

Periods stop.

Menopause begins.

The end.

Except apparently there can be quite a bit happening in the hallway between those two rooms. 😂

Sleep can change.

Energy can change.

Our bodies can change.

Our moods may feel different.

Our temperature-control system can apparently resign without giving two weeks’ notice.

Our interest in intimacy may change.

Our hair, skin, concentration, weight, and even the way we feel in our own bodies can shift.

And because every woman experiences this season differently, it can be easy to wonder:

Is this menopause—or am I slowly turning into a sleep-deprived version of She-Hulk? 😂

But underneath the humor is something I think women need to hear.

Our changing bodies are not betraying us.

They are changing.

And change can be uncomfortable, confusing, frustrating, and sometimes deeply emotional.

There can even be grief in realizing that the body we knew so well for years suddenly feels unfamiliar.

But God is not unfamiliar with us.

The God who created us as little girls, walked with us through young adulthood, motherhood, careers, marriages, disappointments, celebrations, and everything in between is still with us in this season too.

Menopause does not make us less feminine.

Less beautiful.

Less useful.

Less desirable.

Less ourselves.

And it certainly does not make us less loved by God.

Maybe part of entering this season with grace is learning to become curious about our bodies instead of immediately criticizing them.

To ask questions.

To talk to our healthcare providers.

To keep track of what we are experiencing instead of assuming we are imagining it.

To ask the questions our mothers may not have known to ask.

To say to another woman, “Wait—you too?”

And sometimes simply to laugh.

Because there is something healing about discovering that the 2:00 a.m. pajama change, the forgotten word that was absolutely in your brain five seconds ago, or the sudden personal heat wave in the middle of Sabbath service may not mean you are falling apart.

It may mean your body is moving through a season that deserves attention, information, patience—and grace.

And I think we should talk about it more.

Not because menopause needs to become the subject of every conversation. 😂

But because women should not have to quietly wonder what is happening to them while sitting next to three other women who are secretly wondering the exact same thing.

There is wisdom in sharing what we have learned.

There is comfort in hearing, “I experienced that too.”

And there is freedom in realizing that growing older does not mean disappearing.

Maybe this is the new Men-o-Pause.

Not simply a time when our bodies force us to pause—

but a season when we intentionally do it.

Pause long enough to listen to our bodies.

Pause long enough to ask better questions.

Pause long enough to stop comparing ourselves to the woman we were at 30.

Pause long enough to appreciate the woman God has carried into this season.

She has lived.

She has learned.

She has survived things.

She has raised people, loved people, lost people, helped people, prayed for people, worked, served, started over, changed her mind, changed her hair, changed her priorities—and apparently changed her thermostat too. 😂

She deserves some grace.

And perhaps she deserves a fan.

A very good fan.

🌸 The MOMENT

Maybe your body has been doing something lately that made you stop and think:

What exactly is happening here?

Instead of beginning with criticism, begin with curiosity.

What have you noticed?

What questions do you want to ask?

What would it look like to care for the woman you are becoming instead of wishing you still felt exactly like the woman you used to be?

And perhaps call another woman “of a certain age.”

You may discover she has been sitting in church trying not to melt too. 😂

🙏 A Prayer for This Season

Father,

Thank You for being present in every season of our lives—even the ones nobody adequately explained to us.

Help us treat our changing bodies with patience instead of criticism and with wisdom instead of fear.

Give us the courage to ask questions, seek appropriate care, listen to what our bodies may be telling us, and extend grace to ourselves when we do not quite feel like ourselves.

Remind us that our worth has never been determined by our age, our weight, our energy level, our appearance, our fertility, or how comfortable we feel in our skin on any particular day.

Help us see ourselves through Your eyes.

And when the night sweats come, the moods swing, or our internal thermostat decides to do whatever it wants…

Lord, please send wisdom.

And maybe a ceiling fan.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen. 😂

🌸 Carry This With You

Your body may be changing, but your value is not.

You are still growing.

Still becoming.

Still beautiful.

Still useful.

Still deeply loved.

And God is still with you in this season.

❤️ Every MOMENT Matters.

— Monica Lynne Wilkins
MOMENT Moms™
MOMENTMoms.org

🌺 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

🌸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

🌸 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

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

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