Create Your Now with Kristianne Wargo

Create Your Now® supports the purpose-driven mom and the purpose-driven entrepreneur with tools and strategies to become their best selves in areas of lifestyle, personal development & growth, mindset, business, spirituality, nutrition, fitness, parenting, relationships, marriage, motherhood, and everyday living. This DAILY podcast will empower and encourage you to rediscover, rejuvenate and renew who you are in mind, body, and spirit. Topics include healthy living, work-life balance, weight loss, exercise videos, overcoming adversity, burnout, inspiration, motivation, cooking and recipes, mind mapping, goal setting, marriage difficulties, Christian values and so much more. My Strength Is My Story® Series invites guests to share their hard life experiences where forgiveness, grace, and hope are the results. Life is better together. Real life. Real stories. Real transformations. Be blessed in your every day. Be Present. Be Incredible. Be YOU!!!

4113 The Garden We Were Given 07/04/2026

4113 The Garden We Were Given Two hundred and fifty years ago, somebody planted something for you. They didn't know your name. They couldn't picture your face. They had no idea what century you'd be born in, what your life would look like, or whether you'd spend this particular July Fourth at a backyard barbecue, watching fireworks from a blanket in the grass, or reading something on your phone while the kids run through a sprinkler out back. They couldn't have imagined any of it. But they planted anyway, the garden we were given. And today — 250 years later, on the semiquincentennial of the most consequential experiment in self-governance the world has ever seen — you are standing in the garden they gave you. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . The question worth asking on a birthday this significant is not just how did we get here? It's three questions, woven together like the strands of a flag: What did we receive? What did it cost? And what do we owe? What We Received Let's start with the gifts, because gratitude is the right place to begin any celebration. You received the right to say what you believe without disappearing in the night for saying it. You received the freedom to worship — or not worship — according to your own conscience. You received the ability to disagree with your government loudly, publicly, and without fear of a prison cell. You received courts and laws and a system built, however imperfectly, on the idea that no person is above accountability. You received the ability to build a life. To work, to own, to move, to dream, to fail, and to try again. You received a passport that opens more doors than almost any other document on earth. You received amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, and a Fourth of July sky that belongs to everyone who calls this place home. These are not small things. In the long sweep of human history, they are extraordinary things — things that billions of people across centuries and continents have lived and died never experiencing. Thomas Jefferson, who understood both the glory and the weight of what they were declaring, framed it this way: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Unalienable. Not granted by a king. Not loaned by a government. Endowed by a Creator — which means no earthly power has the authority to take them away. That is the gift. Receive it today with open hands and a full heart. What It Cost Gifts of this magnitude do not arrive without a price tag. The Declaration of Independence was not a document — it was a target. The moment those fifty-six men signed their names, they signed their safety away. They knew it. John Adams wrote to Abigail the day after the vote for independence with a mixture of joy and unflinching sobriety: "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration... Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory." Toil. Blood. Treasure. He listed them plainly, without flinching, because he was an honest man and he knew the cost was real. And he signed anyway, because the light was worth it. That cost did not end in 1776. It has been paid, and paid again, by every generation that came after. By the soldiers at Gettysburg and Normandy and Chosin and Fallujah. By the mothers who packed lunches and wrote letters and held everything together while someone they loved was far away and in danger. By the first responders who run toward what everyone else runs from. By the teachers, the volunteers, the quiet faithful who never made headlines but never stopped showing up. Freedom has a long receipt. It stretches back 250 years, and it is still being added to today. On a day of celebration, we owe it to all of them to remember that. Not to dampen the joy — the joy is right and good and worth every sparkler and parade and slice of pie. But to let the gratitude run deep enough to include the ones who made today possible. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13) That verse was not written about soldiers. But it has been lived out by them — and by parents, and firefighters, and a thousand kinds of ordinary people who chose someone else's freedom over their own comfort. Pause today, even briefly, and let their sacrifice land on you. They earned the right to be remembered. The K.I.S.S. ~ Happy Birthday, America! What We Owe Here is where the birthday gets serious for a moment — because 250 years is not just an occasion for looking back. It is a summons to look forward. The founders were remarkably clear-eyed about this. They knew what they were building would only survive if the people who inherited it were willing to tend it. Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government they had produced, reportedly answered with words that have echoed for two and a half centuries: "A republic, if you can keep it." If you can keep it. Four words that turn a gift into a responsibility. A garden given and then neglected does not stay beautiful. It goes to weeds slowly, almost imperceptibly, until one day you look up and realize that what was once tended and flourishing has become something you no longer recognize. The keeping of it — the daily, unglamorous, often thankless work of tending — is not optional. It is the price of the inheritance. So what do we owe? We owe engagement. Showing up, staying informed, participating in the ongoing experiment of self-governance rather than spectating from the sidelines and complaining about the outcome. We owe each other. A nation is not just a government — it is a people. And a people who have stopped seeing each other as neighbors, as fellow inheritors of the same gift, as human beings made in the image of the same God, cannot hold what was given to them. The care of the republic begins with the care of the person standing next to you. We owe the next generation. Just as the founders planted for people they would never meet, we are planting right now for children who will stand where we are standing and look back on what we did with what we were given. What will they find? A garden tended or a garden neglected? A nation strengthened or one that coasted on the courage of people long gone? The Psalmist put it beautifully: "One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:4) That passing down — of story, of valor, of faith, of responsibility — is not automatic. It requires intention. It requires people who believe the story is worth telling and the work is worth continuing. Two Hundred Fifty Years of Bloom Think about what has been accomplished in 250 years. A handful of colonies became fifty states stretching from sea to shining sea. A population of three million became a nation of three hundred and thirty million, woven together from every country, culture, and corner of the earth. A fledgling experiment in democracy became the longest-running constitutional republic in history. Men and women born on this soil have fed the world, healed the sick, walked on the moon, and carried a torch of liberty that has lit the way for nations that didn't yet exist when the Declaration was signed. None of it was inevitable. All of it was earned. And all of it — every freedom you will exercise today without a second thought, every right you take for granted because it has always been there, every firework that lights up tonight's sky — all of it traces back to that hot room in Philadelphia, where a group of imperfect, visionary, deeply human people decided that the idea of freedom was worth more than the safety of silence. So tonight, when the first firework climbs into the dark and bursts open over your head in a shower of light, let it mean something more than spectacle. Let it be a spark — the same spark that started all of this. Let it be a root — grown deep through 250 years of sacrifice and faithfulness. Let it be a seed — planted tonight in the hearts of your children, who will carry this forward long after we are gone. Celebrate loudly. Grieve humbly. Tend faithfully. This is the garden we were given. Keep it. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 33:12) Happy Birthday, America. Two hundred and fifty years young — and still becoming. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Relationships #CreateYourNow #Inspiration 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41951765

4112 The Home Front 07/03/2026

4112 The Home Front There are those days when you don't feel like a patriot. Instead, you feel like a referee, a short-order cook, a lost-and-found department for one sock, three chargers, and somebody's retainer. There are evenings when the dinner table looks less like the heartbeat of a nation and more like a negotiation between two very strong-willed people who share your DNA and absolutely refuse to eat what you made. And somewhere in the middle of the dinner, dishes, and dogs, you forget that what you're doing matters. So let's remember together —the home front. The Declaration They Never Tell You About On July 4th, 1776, fifty-six men signed their names to a document that would change the world. We celebrate them every year, and rightly so. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . But there is another declaration being written — quietly, daily, in kitchens and minivans and bedrooms and backyards all across this country. It doesn't have a single author. It doesn't hang in a museum. It's written in the habits you're building, the values you're repeating, the moments you show up even when you're exhausted and nobody is watching, and nobody is clapping. It's the declaration of your family. And if it had words, it might sound something like this: We hold these truths to be the foundation of our home: that every person under this roof is seen, known, and deeply loved. That we will tell the truth even when it's hard, show up even when it's inconvenient, and choose each other even when it costs us something. That we will fight for this family the way soldiers fight for their country — with everything we have — because the stakes are just as high and the cause is just as worthy. We pledge to these walls, to these people, and to the God who gave them to us, our full hearts, our imperfect best, and our unshakeable commitment to keep trying. That is not a small document. That is the bravest thing most of us will ever write — even if it never gets written down at all. Family Is the Heartbeat of America You want to know the real foundation of this nation? It was never just the Constitution. It was never just the military, the economy, or the institutions. It was always the home. John Adams understood this. One of the most decorated founders in American history credited not a fellow statesman but his own mother for who he became. John Adams is credited with saying the following: "All that I am, my mother made me." Not Congress. Not a university. Not a policy or a program. His mother. Four words that carry the full weight of what happens inside a home when someone decides to take the long view and pour themselves into another human being. Abigail Adams — one of the most remarkable women in American history, who raised children while her husband was away building a nation — wrote to her son John Quincy with words that sound less like a letter and more like a commission: "These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed." Great characters are not formed in easy seasons. They are formed in the hard ones — in the arguing and the correcting and the apologizing and the trying again. They are formed at dinner tables where someone insists on honesty. In bedrooms where someone prays over a sleeping child. In the car, on the way to school, in the ten-minute conversation that the child will remember for the rest of their life and the parent will forget by Tuesday. That's where great characters are made. In your home. By you. You Are on the Front Line Let's be clear about something: a soldier on the front line is not there because it's comfortable. They are there because the thing behind them is worth defending. They plant their feet in hard ground, face what is coming, and hold the line — not for glory, but because they love what's at stake. Moms and dads, that is you. You are not on the sidelines of history. You are not in a supporting role. You are on the front line of the most important battle being fought in America right now — the battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of the next generation. Nobody else can fight it for you. Nobody else has your assignment. The child at your table is not a coincidence. They are your post. The K.I.S.S. ~ The home front declaration! Moses didn't leave this to chance. Before the Israelites entered the promised land, before they built cities or established government or wrote laws, God gave them a charge that started at home: "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:6–7) When you sit. When you walk. When you lie down. When you rise. In other words — always. In the ordinary, unremarkable, un-photographed moments of daily life. That is where a generation is shaped. That is where a nation is either strengthened or slowly hollowed out. The enemy of the family has always known this. That's why the home is the target. Which means the home must also be the stronghold. The Imperfect Patriot in the Kitchen Here is the confession at the center of all of this: you are going to get it wrong sometimes. You are going to lose your patience on a day when you needed to keep it. You are going to say the thing you can't take back, miss the moment you can't rewind, and go to bed wondering if you're doing any of this right. You are going to have seasons when the family you're building looks nothing like the one you pictured, and the gap between your ideals and your reality will feel embarrassingly wide. Welcome to the front line. It has always been messy here. The founders weren't perfect men. The nation they built was not a perfect nation. But they kept showing up to the vision, kept tending the thing they'd planted, kept believing that the experiment was worth the effort. And 250 years later, we are the evidence that their imperfect faithfulness mattered. Your imperfect faithfulness matters too. The nights you got it wrong and went back to apologize — that's being mom. The days you held the line when it would have been easier to give in — that's being mom. The prayers you've prayed over children who have no idea you're praying for them — that's being mom. The ten-thousand ordinary moments of choosing your family over everything else competing for your attention — that is the declaration of your home, signed in real time, every day. Don't You Dare Underestimate This As America turns 250, we celebrate the generals and the statesmen, the documents and the monuments, all that got us to where we are today. But the truest monuments in this country are not made of marble. They are made of people — people who were raised in homes where someone decided they were worth fighting for. The home is the heartbeat of America. And the heartbeat only keeps beating because someone is tending it. And that someone is you! So on the days when it feels like nothing — when the laundry is unfolded, and the argument is unresolved, and the vision feels very far away — remember that you are not just raising children. You are planting citizens. You are shaping souls. You are writing the next chapter of something that started 250 years ago and depends, in ways you cannot fully see, on what happens inside your four walls. The founders bet everything on a dream they could not guarantee. You are the evidence, though, that it was worth it. Now go be the evidence for the generation coming after you. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) Don't let this be just a wooden sign hung on a wall. Let it be the home front declaration, and then be willing to sign it every day. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #ConfessionsOfAnUpsetMama #CreateYourNow #TodaysParent 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41929015

4111 Plant What You Can't See 07/02/2026

4111 Plant What You Can't See No farmer has ever watched a seed disappear into the ground and known — truly known — what would come back up. They trust it. They have reason to trust it, built from experience and season and the testimony of every harvest that came before. But trust is not the same as certainty. The farmer plants anyway. The seed goes into dark soil. And then comes the hardest part of any growing season: the waiting. Plant what you can't see. That is where most of us live right now. Not at the spark. Not yet at the bloom. Somewhere in the middle — hands still dirty from the planting, eyes scanning the ground for any sign that something is actually happening beneath the surface. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . This is not a detour from the story. This is the story. They Planted What They Could Not See In the summer of 1787, the founders gathered again — this time not to declare independence, but to build something that would outlast them. The Constitution they drafted would govern a nation they would never fully see. The freedoms they framed would be exercised by generations not yet born. The "more perfect union" they envisioned was, by their own admission, still becoming. George Washington, who presided over that Constitutional Convention and understood perhaps better than anyone what they were actually doing, reflected on the weight of what they were planting: "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." An experiment. He called it an experiment. Not a guarantee. Not a finished product. A seed in the ground, entrusted to hands that hadn't been born yet — to your hands, and mine. That is an extraordinary act of faith. They planted what they could not see. And 250 years later, we are still living inside the harvest of their courage. You Are Always Planting for Someone Else Here is the part of planting that doesn't get talked about enough: most of what we sow, we will not be the ones to harvest. The tree you plant today will give shade to someone who hasn't been born yet. The faithfulness you practice in private will shape the character of your children in ways you won't fully see for decades. The kindness you extend without applause, the integrity you hold onto when no one is watching, the prayers you pray into what feels like an empty ceiling — all of it is going somewhere, taking root in soil you may never stand on again. Scripture has always understood this. One of the most quietly radical verses in the Old Testament appears in the book of Jeremiah, when God addresses a people living in exile — displaced, discouraged, far from everything familiar. His instruction to them is startling in its ordinariness: "Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce... seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:5, 7) Plant gardens. In exile. In the hard season. In the place that doesn't yet feel like home. Not because the harvest is guaranteed. Not because you can see the outcome. But because planting is an act of hope, and hope is an act of resistance against despair. The K.I.S.S. ~ Plant what you can't see! The Courage of the Unfinished There is a particular kind of courage required to begin something you won't finish. It's easier, in a way, to start something you can complete quickly — a project with a clear end date, a goal with a visible finish line, a risk where the outcome will be known by morning. That kind of courage is real, but it's bounded. You can see both ends of it. The harder courage is the long kind. The kind that keeps showing up to something that will take years. The kind that plants in a season of drought and trusts that the rain will come. The kind that hands something unfinished to the next generation and says, here — carry this further than I could. Paul described the endurance of faith this way in his letter to the Galatians: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) If we do not give up. That phrase is doing a lot of work. It acknowledges that giving up is a real option — that the in-between is long enough and hard enough that quitting is always on the table. And it calls us forward anyway. Not because the harvest is visible yet, but because the planting itself is an act of faithfulness. What Are You Planting? Two hundred fifty years ago, a group of imperfect, visionary, deeply human people planted something in the ground that would take generations to grow. They did it without seeing the outcome. They did it in the middle of a war. They did it knowing they were betting their lives on the possibility of something that had never existed before. You don't have to change the course of a nation to matter. You just have to plant what's in your hands today — faithfully, hopefully, without demanding to see the harvest before you've done the work. The seed you bury today might be a conversation you finally have. A commitment you quietly renew. A dream you stop waiting for permission to pursue. A child you keep showing up for, even in the seasons when it's thankless. A prayer you keep praying, even when the sky feels silent. Plant it anyway. You are not just living your own story. You are planting into the lives of people who will come after you — people who will one day stand in the shade of something you started, without even knowing your name. That is not a small thing. That is, in fact, everything. "One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:4) Plant what you can't yet see. Trust the soil. Keep showing up. The harvest has a way of coming exactly when it was always meant to. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41835445

4110 Grow in Grace 07/01/2026

4110 Grow in Grace There is a difference between a firework and a tree. A firework is glorious — sudden, bright, impossible to ignore. It commands the sky for a moment, and then it's gone, leaving only a faint trail of smoke where something beautiful used to be. On the other hand, a tree doesn't ask for your attention. It simply grows. Season after season, quietly sending roots deeper into the ground, wider beneath the surface, most of its work happening where no one can see it at all. Grow in grace. In yesterday's episode, we talked about how the spark gets the attention. But today, there remains a harder question: What are you doing with the slow years in between? Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . A More Perfect Union The founders understood something we often overlook. They didn't write "a perfect union." They wrote a more perfect union — three words that carry more honest weight than any polished declaration of arrival ever could. Read the full opening line of the Constitution and feel the humility in it: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." More perfect. Not finished. Not complete. Not arrived. The very document that governs the most powerful nation in the world begins with a phrase that admits there is still growing left to do. That is not a flaw in the language. That is the whole point. Grace works the same way. It doesn't arrive all at once and declare itself finished. It takes root slowly, grows down before it grows up, and does some of its most important work in seasons that look, from the outside, like nothing is happening at all. The Long Work of Roots When an oak tree is young, nearly all of its energy goes underground. What you see above the surface — a thin, unimpressive sapling — tells you almost nothing about what's actually happening. The roots are reaching into harder and harder soil, finding cracks, going around stone, pressing deeper in search of what they need. It's slow. It's invisible. And it is absolutely essential. Without that hidden work, the tree will never be able to hold its own when the storms come. Two hundred fifty years of American history is the story of a nation doing exactly this — reaching into hard soil, pushing around stone, sometimes fracturing under pressure and growing back stronger, sometimes failing and having to begin again. The arc was never straight. The roots grew slowly, through generations of people who chose to stay committed to the vision even when the cost was high. That is not a comfortable history. But it is a growing one. The Apostle Peter, who knew a thing or two about being broken and rebuilt, wrote words that sound like they could have been addressed to the nation itself: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) The K.I.S.S. ~ Grow in grace! Not arrive in grace. Not perform grace. Not achieve grace once and post it on the wall. It's not for you to proclaim it, but to grow in it — present tense, ongoing, never fully done this side of eternity. Grace Is Not Softness It would be easy to read "grow in grace" as an invitation to go easy on yourself — to excuse the gaps, to lower the standard, to look past what needs to change. But that's not what grace is, and it's not what it produces. Grace is the soil that makes growth possible, not the excuse that makes growth optional. John Adams — who, alongside the joy of what they were building, carried a clear-eyed awareness of its cost — wrote something that reads like a charge to every generation that would come after: "Let us tenderly and impartially investigate the causes of the evils that afflict our nation, that we may correct what is amiss." Tenderly and impartially. That pairing is grace in action. Not cold judgment. Not defensive denial. But the willingness to look honestly at what is wrong, with enough love for the thing you're examining to want it to be better. That's what a more perfect union demands. That's what growing in grace requires. It means sitting with the parts of your own story that aren't finished yet — the places where the roots haven't reached, where the soil is still hard, where you haven't grown into who you said you wanted to be. And rather than abandoning the vision or pretending you've already arrived, choose to stay in the slow, unglamorous work of becoming who God divinely designed you to be. What's Growing Beneath You Here is the question worth sitting with today, on this Wednesday in the middle of a week built around new beginnings: What is growing in you that no one else can see yet? The root work you are doing right now — the prayer that feels unanswered, the faithfulness that hasn't been rewarded, the character being built in a season that looks, from the outside, like nothing is happening — is not wasted time. It's the most important work. It's what will hold you upright when the storm finally arrives. America's Semiquincentennial (250 years of the Declaration of Independence) is not a finished nation. And neither are you a finished person. And grace — real grace, the kind that comes from God and not from our own best efforts — is not insulted by that. It is designed for exactly that. It meets us in the incompleteness, takes up residence in the gap between who we are and who we are becoming, and quietly, season after season, doing the deep work of growth. The firework gets the sky. But the tree gets the years. And in the end, it is the roots that hold everything together. "Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7–8) Grow down before you grow up. Stay in the slow work. Trust the soil. The bloom is coming — but first, let the roots go deep. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #WellspringWednesday #CreateYourNow #HealthAndWellness 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41835435

4109 Bloom with a Bang 06/30/2026

4109 Bloom with a Bang There is a moment, just before the first firework climbs into a dark sky, when nothing is happening at all. A small flame touches a fuse. A spark catches. And for a few seconds, there's only silence and a thin trail of smoke rising into the unknown. No one watching that fuse knows exactly what's coming. They just know something has been set in motion. That's how almost everything that matters begins. Bloom with a bang. It Started With an Idea In the summer of 1776, a group of men sat in a hot room in Philadelphia with no idea how their experiment would end. They weren't certain of victory. They didn't have the benefit of looking back at 250 years of history to know it would work out. What they had was an idea — and the courage to light the fuse anyway. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Thomas Jefferson wrote the words that would become the spark for a nation: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Read that again, slowly. That sentence wasn't a guarantee. It was a declaration — a statement of what could be, signed by people who had no proof it would come true. They were betting everything on an idea they couldn't yet see fully formed. John Adams understood exactly what they were risking when he wrote to his wife Abigail: "I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration... Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory." He saw light through the gloom — not instead of it. That's the part we tend to forget when we look back at history with the comfort of knowing how it ends. The signers didn't have that comfort. They had a spark, a sentence, and the courage to act before they knew the outcome. The Hard Part Isn't the Idea Ideas are the easy part. Anyone can have one. The hard part — the part that actually requires something of us — is what happens after the spark catches and before anything blooms. It's the in-between. The not-knowing. Change rarely arrives polished. It starts messy: a decision to leave something familiar, a conversation you've been avoiding, a risk that has no guaranteed return. The Declaration of Independence wasn't drafted by people who had already won the war. It was signed by fifty-six men who, in putting their names to it, were committing treason against the most powerful empire in the world. Benjamin Franklin reportedly summed up the stakes with dark humor at the signing: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." That's not the language of certainty. That's the language of people choosing courage in spite of uncertainty — because the alternative, staying silent and unchanged, felt like the greater risk. The K.I.S.S. ~ Bloom with a bang! What the Bang Is For A firework doesn't bloom quietly. It takes a charge, a controlled explosion, something forceful enough to break the shell before the light can spread across the sky. There's no version of that process that skips the bang and goes straight to beautiful. The same is true for us. The Bible doesn't shy away from this either. Isaiah speaks of new things breaking forward, often through upheaval rather than around it: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19) A way in the wilderness. Rivers in a desert. Those aren't peaceful images — they're images of something breaking through hard, resistant ground. Growth, real growth, almost always requires force somewhere along the way: the breaking of a seed casing, the push through soil, the bang before the bloom. If you are standing at the edge of a change right now — a hard conversation, a new direction, an idea you can't quite shake but also can't yet prove — you are standing exactly where Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin once stood. Not at the finish line. At the fuse. You Don't Get to Skip the Spark Two hundred fifty years later, we get to see the bloom. We forget there was ever a bang. But every freedom we now take for granted began as a sentence someone wasn't sure would hold. Every right we exercise without a second thought began as a risk someone took with a second thought — and chose to act anyway. So if you're holding an idea today that feels too big, too uncertain, too unfinished to act on — light the fuse anyway. You don't need to see the whole sky lit up before you're allowed to strike the match. You just need the courage to start, the same way fifty-six men once did, not knowing how the story would end, only knowing it needed to begin. That's how a nation was born. That's how anything worth becoming usually starts. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41835430

4108 The Road After Failure 06/29/2026

4108 The Road After Failure Failure isn't just a setback — it's a message disguised in discomfort and disappointment. It arrives uninvited, often at the worst possible time, and it doesn't come quietly. It brings shame, regret, second-guessing, and a chorus of voices — most of them your own — asking how you could have let this happen. But if you're letting the anguish and frustration of failure call the shots on your next step, you're likely circling the same block, not advancing. The road after failure is real. It exists. But it doesn't open itself to those still standing in the wreckage, rehearsing the crash. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Step Back Before You Step Forward Proverbs 3:5–6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths." Notice what this doesn't say. It doesn't say your paths will be straight because you figured it out fast, or because you were hard enough on yourself, or because you refused to rest until you recovered. It says in all your ways acknowledge him — which requires the willingness to stop, to release control, and to trust something wiser than the storm inside you. God's got you! Failure floods the mind with emotion: panic, self-blame, the urgent need to do something. Those feelings rush in, pretending to save you. In reality, they often keep you stuck — reactive rather than strategic, spinning rather than moving. Wisdom demands that you step back from the chaos of your emotions and seek clarity beyond what feels immediate and urgent. The smarter move is to decouple feeling from learning. Failure as a Lesson, Not a Trap When failure happens, two responses compete for your attention. The first is emotional: panic, self-doubt, retreat. The second is analytical: examine what went wrong, extract the lesson, identify the next best step. Only the second will free you. The first puts you on repeat — exhausted, spinning your wheels, and no closer to where you're trying to go. Romans 8:28 offers a perspective that changes everything: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." All things. Not just the victories. Not just the comfortable seasons. The failures, too, have a purpose — and that purpose is not to paralyze you but to reposition you. The question is whether you'll stay long enough in the lesson to receive what it's actually offering. C.S. Lewis put it plainly: "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." Failure is one of those hardships. It is doing something to you, whether or not you're paying attention. The only choice you have is whether to be shaped by it intentionally or dragged by it blindly. Turn failure into forward motion. The K.I.S.S. ~ Turn failure into forward motion! Three Strategic Steps to Turn Failure Into Forward Motion 1. Separate Your Feelings From Your Facts Name the emotions without judgment — anger, embarrassment, disappointment, grief. They are real, and they deserve acknowledgment. But don't make your next decision inside that storm. Journal it. Talk it out with someone you trust. Then step away. Return when you're emotionally neutral and ready to dissect the failure clearly, not reactively. The facts of what happened will look different when you're not standing in the smoke. 2. Extract the Lesson, Then Map Your Next Step Against It Ask honest questions: What exactly went wrong? What part was within my control? What assumptions did I make that turned out to be false? Your next step must logically address the core failure — not just react to the pain of it. There's a difference between a move that solves the actual problem and a move that simply makes you feel like you're doing something. One builds; the other just burns energy. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That future is real — but it's built on honest reckoning, not avoidance. 3. Anchor Your Next Step in Principles, Not Passions If your next move relies primarily on feeling better or proving something to someone, it's built on unstable ground. Decisions driven by wounded pride or emotional urgency rarely lead where you actually want to go. Anchor instead in values, clear criteria, and strategic goals. Ask: Does this align with who I'm trying to become? Does this address the real problem, or does it just feel good right now? This is how you stay clear-eyed. This is how you stop letting "save me" emotions masquerade as forward momentum. You Are Not Who You Were The person who failed is not the person standing here now. Something has shifted — your awareness, your humility, your understanding of what you were missing or what you assumed too confidently. That version of you has been refined. What remains is clearer, if you're willing to see it that way. This is not a call to minimize what happened or rush past the weight of it. Grief is legitimate. Disappointment is real. But there is a difference between acknowledging the loss and being defined by it. "Your failures are not the end of your story. In fact, they're just the beginning: my strength is my story!" ~ Kristianne Wargo You are being created in real time. Failure is part of the process. God is the potter, and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8). The question worth sitting with is not only what went wrong but who is being shaped in the aftermath — and whether you are cooperating with that process or resisting it. The Road Is Open The goal is not simply to survive failure — to get past it, put it behind you, move on. The goal is to use it. To let it become the specific, irreplaceable fuel for the next version of what you're building. Failure is not a detour from your story. Handled with honesty and wisdom, it may be one of its most important chapters. You might be amazed by what comes from "Oh my goodness storms," to "Oh my goodness rainbows." The road after failure is not smooth. But it is open. Take the lesson. Anchor your steps. And walk forward as the woman you are and who you are becoming. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #MindsetMonday #CreateYourNow #PersonalDevelopment 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41835425

4107 Faith Moves First 06/28/2026

4107 Faith Moves First There is a moment before every miracle. A quiet, often terrifying pause between the word of God and the evidence of it — a space that can only be crossed one way. Not by strategy. Not by certainty. Not by the accumulation of enough resources or enough confidence in our own ability. It is crossed by faith, and faith alone; faith moves first. God does not ask us to leap after everything is guaranteed. He asks us to step forward because He has guaranteed it. That is the tension at the heart of the Christian life — and it is one of the most beautiful invitations in all of Scripture. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . The Water Does Not Part Until Your Feet Are Wet The story of Israel's crossing of the Jordan River in Joshua 3 is one of the most striking pictures of this principle in the entire Bible. The Israelites stood at the bank of a river swollen with floodwater, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, with no visible way across. God's instruction through Joshua was clear but audacious: the priests were to step into the water first. "Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing." — Joshua 3:15–16 NIV You noticed that the water did not part while they stood on the shore debating it. It did not part while they prayed for clearer conditions or waited for a better season. It parted the moment their feet touched the water. The miracle was contingent on the movement. God was not waiting for better circumstances — He was waiting for faith. This is not an isolated moment in Scripture. It is a pattern. Small Steps, Sovereign God We often disqualify ourselves from stepping out because what we have to offer seems too small. The task looks too large. The resources feel too thin. The gap between where we are and where God is calling us to seems impossible to cross. But the Word speaks directly to this fear: "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." — Zechariah 4:10 NLT The context of this verse is significant. The prophet Zechariah spoke it to Zerubbabel, the governor tasked with rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after the exile — a monumental work that had stalled, that the people had largely given up on, that seemed laughably inadequate given the grandeur of what once stood. Zerubbabel had only a small foundation laid. A remnant of a people. Modest tools. And yet God said: begin. He did not say "wait until you have enough." He said "I rejoice to see the work start." God is not moved by our finished products. He is moved by our first steps. Not in Our Strength, But His The essential shift that faith requires is a fundamental reorientation of trust. We are not stepping out because we believe in our own ability to hold things together. We are stepping out because we believe in His. The Apostle Paul understood this deeply. Writing from a Roman prison — about as stripped of human resources as a person could be — he testified: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." — Philippians 4:13 NKJV This verse is often quoted as motivation, but read in context, it is something far more profound: it is a declaration of utter dependence. Paul had learned — through shipwreck and imprisonment, through abundance and hunger — that his own strength was not the variable. Christ's was. That changed everything. Faith is not the courage to try harder. Faith is the surrender that says: I cannot, but He can, and so I will move. The K.I.S.S. ~ Faith moves first! Abraham Walked Without a Map Perhaps no figure in Scripture embodies this principle more completely than Abraham. When God called him to leave Ur for a land he would be shown, there was no itinerary provided. No map. No timeline. No guarantee of comfort along the way. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." — Hebrews 11:8 ESV Not knowing where he was going. That phrase should stop us in our tracks. We tend to think of faith as the thing we exercise once we understand the destination. Abraham teaches us that faith is often what moves us before the destination is revealed. The direction came one step at a time — and only to someone who was already walking. God rarely shows us the whole staircase. He illuminates the next step. Why God Works This Way Why would a gracious God require the step before the miracle? Why not show us the parted water, the open road, the guaranteed outcome — and then invite us to walk? The answer is worth sitting with. When we step out in faith and watch God move, something irreplaceable happens in us. We learn, at the level of lived experience, that He is faithful. Not as a theological proposition, but as a personal history. Each step of faith becomes a stone of remembrance — evidence we carry forward into the next uncertain season. There is also this: when we move in our own strength, we carry the weight of the outcome. When we move in faith, we carry only obedience — and leave the outcome to Him. That is not passivity. It is the deepest form of courage, and the lightest kind of yoke. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." — Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV The Invitation Before You You may be standing at a river right now. Something God has spoken over you, a calling, a reconciliation, a step of obedience, a dream quietly laid on your heart — and the waters have not yet parted. The conditions do not look right. Your strength does not feel sufficient. The beginning, if you made it, would look embarrassingly small. Step in anyway. God does not rejoice in your perfection. He rejoices in your beginning. He is not waiting for you to be capable enough — He is waiting for you to trust Him enough. The miracle is on the other side of the step, not before it. Faith moves first. And when you get that, you discover the ground was always there. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." — Hebrews 11:1 NIV "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #SweetSpirit #CreateYourNow #SoulfulSunday 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41835420

4106 Don't Cross the Line 06/27/2026

4106 Don't Cross the Line Have you ever drawn a boundary in your marriage—a clear line keeping your spouse on their side, preserving your pride like a fortress around your heart? Maybe you think that protecting yourself means shutting down tough conversations, rejecting correction, or dodging the deeper questions about who you are. But stop and ask: who really wants a love so fragile that it breaks under honesty? Don't cross the line. Marriage isn’t about guarding your ego at all costs. It’s not a delicate dance where criticism is a threat and probing questions are an ambush. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . When you say, “Don’t cross the line,” what line are you protecting? Your pride? Your comfort zone? Or is that line an invisible prison trapping you both apart? Yes, there’s a natural fear of letting someone see your cracks. The “prying” can feel like an invasion of privacy, pushing you to put up walls or erase the moments shared. Yet this kind of communication avoidance doesn’t keep your marriage safe—it keeps it stuck. You might feel like you’re winning when you hold the line, but every “no” to vulnerability chips away at your love’s foundation. Marriage asks you to be brave. To weather criticism, to hear tough truths, and to give each other space to grow—even when it stings. If you want to stop the slow erosion of love, you have to stop hiding behind boundaries that shut connection down. So how do you find the middle ground? How do you avoid the extremes of either tearing each other apart or building cold walls that prevent true intimacy? The K.I.S.S. ~ Walk the line! Life is all about choices, and you get to choose how you show up in your marriage every day. You can be the one who demands and controls. But that will not get you anywhere except in front of a judge. You must be willing to learn more about your spouse and share a part of you too, so your foundation can become stronger and less brittle. Here are three things spouses can do to walk that line—and sometimes, cross it courageously: Set Boundaries… But Not Silos It’s healthy to say what’s off-limits—like disrespect or harmful accusations—but don’t confuse boundaries with avoidance. Make sure the line you draw invites open dialogue on tough topics rather than shuts it down. Boundaries should protect your heart, not isolate it. Choose Vulnerability as a Strength, Not a Weakness Being open about fears, failures, and doubts isn’t giving your spouse ammo—it’s giving them trust. When you invite honesty, you model courage and create a safe space where love can deepen. Vulnerability is the soil where connection grows. Practice Constructive Feedback, Not Criticism It’s not about pointing fingers or “fixing” each other. It’s about sharing observations with kindness, focusing on solutions, and making “we” the priority. When your spouse hears “I want us to be better,” instead of “You’re wrong,” the line becomes a path to growth—not a barrier. Now, it’s time to reflect: What invisible walls have you quietly built to protect yourself and your pride? When have you crossed the line between protecting your heart and putting up a fortress? Are you ready to invite your spouse deeper into your world—and let them speak more honestly into yours? Love isn’t about staying safe. It’s about risking closer, learning harder, and sometimes crossing the line together. Guard your pride, yes—but never at the cost of your connection. Don’t just protect the line. Know when to cross it—and watch how your marriage changes. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #RelationshipBuilders #CreateYourNow #LoveAndMarriage 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41812855

4105 How Heavy is Your Diaper Bag? 06/26/2026

4105 How Heavy is Your Diaper Bag? Mom life isn’t for the faint of heart. You start by carrying your baby — literally — and then you carry a bag full of every imaginable thing that might save the day: diapers, wipes, bottles, snacks, toys, extra clothes. The diaper bag becomes your lifeline, kind of like Mary Poppins, stuffed to the brim with solutions for every little crisis. And then one day, everything changes. How heavy is your diaper bag? And that one day, you have a strange wish for the diaper bag to disappear. The weight, the clutter, the constant reminder of your need to be everything for your child — maybe you're tired of lugging all of it around. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . But then, you look inside the bag, and it’s still there. Just not diapers anymore. Instead, it’s filled with new things: permission slips, cell phone chargers, water bottles, homework notes. Your child’s needs evolve, but the bag — that relentless, ever-heavy diaper bag — never really goes away. It just changes shape. So here’s the question: How heavy is your diaper bag now? The Diaper Bag as a Mirror of Mom Life Your diaper bag has always been more than just a bag. It’s a symbol — a perfect reflection of the stage of motherhood you’re in. When you peek inside, you don’t just find pacifiers and rash creams. You find the tools to solve screaming meltdowns, soothe thirsty lips after a playground run, replace a fidgety hand held too tightly. That bag, no matter what you call it, carries the weight of your love, responsibility, and endless giving. But what happens when your child grows — and so do you? When the demands don’t disappear, but just morph? When you still feel like you need to carry the weight of it all, even if the load looks different? Here’s the truth: the diaper bag you carry now isn’t about baby gear. It’s a mental and emotional burden that can weigh you down just as heavily. The same supermom magic can quickly turn into overwhelm and exhaustion, leaving you feeling worn thin without a clue how to drop the load — or even if you should. How Heavy is Your Diaper Bag? You might not call it a diaper bag anymore — maybe it’s a backpack, a tote, or just that corner of your mind packed full of “shoulds” and “have tos.” But it’s still there, still heavy. QUESTION: How do you lighten your load without losing the essence of who you are as a mom? How do you step back without feeling like you’re stepping out of the mom role you cherish — and the difference you make every single day? Maybe it just begins without the diaper bag. The K.I.S.S. ~ No more D.I.A.P.E.R. bag! You might be carrying other bags, but you don't have to carry it all just for your children. Look at your bag as a bag, and carry what helps them grow. It's time to rethink that mental diaper bag and clean out the clutter. The DIAPER Method for Lightening the Load D – DECIDE What Really Matters You can’t carry everything, and you’re not meant to. Choose the essentials — your child’s emotional needs, your own wellbeing, and the truly impactful moments over the noise and distractions. Ask yourself: What really moves the needle for my child right now? I – IDENTIFY What You Can Let Go There are tasks, worries, and pressures weighing you down that might belong to someone else or belong in the past. Pinpoint what feels like dead weight — and practice releasing the guilt that comes with it. Saying no or asking for help is not a failure. It’s strategy. A – ALIGN with Your Child’s Growing Independence Your kids are capable of more than you might realize. Empower them to take responsibility for parts of their own journey. That means less to carry for you, but more growth for them. P – PRIORITIZE Your Self-Care You can’t pour from an empty bag. Make room in your schedule and your heart for moments that refill your energy. Self-care isn’t selfish — it’s survival. E – ESTABLISH Boundaries Set clear limits on how much you take on. Teach your child—and others—that your time and energy are finite. Boundaries protect you and model healthy habits for your children. R – REFLECT Regularly and Readjust Motherhood is a moving target. What you needed to carry yesterday differs from today and tomorrow. Check in with yourself regularly. What can shift? What’s new? Your “diaper bag” isn’t forever fixed. Your Bag is Heavy, But So is Your Impact Mom, your “diaper bag” isn’t just about stuff. It’s about the role you play — a constantly evolving as a mom, guardian, guide, and cheerleader for your child. The load feels heavy because it matters. But you don’t have to carry the world alone. Let go of the weight that wears you out, and keep hold of what empowers you as a woman and a mom. You are enough with or without that bag; your impact doesn’t depend on how many items you tote around, but on the steady unconditional love and support only you can provide. So, how heavy is your diaper bag today? Can you lighten the load? And if so, what’s the first thing you’re ready to put down? "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #ConfessionsOfAnUpsetMama #CreateYourNow #TodaysParent 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41800660

4104 Be Still in the Noise 06/25/2026

4104 Be Still in the Noise Life has a way of dragging us into a relentless cycle—running full throttle while feeling like we’re drowning at the same time. Just when you think you’ve caught up, something else crashes in, pulling the rug from under your feet. No wonder the harder you try to get ahead, the more you feel like you’re slipping behind. That’s when you need to stop. Take a deep breath; be still in the noise. That noise—it's everywhere. The shout that screams your name, breaking your concentration. The sounds of nails on a chalkboard that fray your nerves. The symptoms of stress, doubt, and distraction that pile up and pour gasoline on your internal fire. It all clamors for your attention, demanding responses you don’t have left in you. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . But listen closely: Be still in the noise. Stop shaking the chaos like a rattle, trying to wake something inside you. Stop expecting calm when what surrounds you is anything but. The truth is, if you’re making excuses, it's an unspoken permission slip to give up on that responsibility. You’re telling yourself that somehow you’re exempt from the promises you made—to yourself or to others. The K.I.S.S. ~ Be still in the noise! You’re called to something greater. Something that won’t let you off the hook. That higher place demands integrity—doing what you said you’d do, speaking your truth when it matters most, not covering it in half-truths or silence. Don’t lie when you need to speak honestly. Say it with love or hold it in with courage, but don’t bury it deep because hiding the truth only keeps you stuck. It’s a roadblock dressed as quiet. Be still in the noise. I don’t know exactly what storm you’re facing right now. But God does. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lip. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." ~ Proverbs 4:23-27 Be still in the noise. Don’t let another day slip by trapped in Excuse Land—where inaction is dressed up as justification. The sun sets every single day, and when it goes down, so do chances to rise above. In the midst of that screeching, that fire, that clatter—pause. Breathe. Stand still. The noise doesn’t get to set your pace. You do. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685910

4103 Tomorrow is Today 06/24/2026

4103 Tomorrow is Today We all do it. We push off the things that matter most, telling ourselves we’ll handle them “tomorrow.” It’s a seductive lie, wrapped in the promise of extra time. But when we look back, what we usually have the least of is more time. The hours slip through our fingers, and the projects, conversations, or personal goals we set aside keep piling up. Whether you’re scrambling to catch up or banking on finishing yesterday’s work today, don’t lose track—tomorrow is already here. Tomorrow is today. Ask yourself: What have you been trying to squeeze into your day these past few days, maybe even weeks? What have you postponed, justified, or rationalized away with one excuse after another? Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Too often, we get comfortable drowning in excuses that make us feel safe and productive at the same time. “I’ll start Monday,” or “I’ll get to it after this busy week.” But those phrases are traps. They rob you from the momentum you need and keep you frozen in place. On the other side, there are those who ask a different question: “What’s the one step I can take today that will set tomorrow in motion?” That mindset is a game-changer. One deliberate, focused action today accumulates fast, becoming miles of progress toward whatever greatness you seek. "One step at a time leads to miles of greatness." ~ Kristianne Wargo And the key is showing up consistently—not waiting for the perfect conditions but owning the imperfect now. The K.I.S.S. ~ Own the imperfect now! So, how do you snap out of the cycle that disconnects you from today’s power? How can you stimulate your mind, body, and spirit so you feel the urgency that tomorrow doesn’t wait? Here are three actionable moves anyone can do right now: Mind: Commit to a “5-minute daily priority.” Stop overwhelming your brain with to-do lists that stretch your attention into oblivion. Instead, pick the single most important task related to your goal and commit just five focused minutes to it. It’s enough time to build momentum, yet small enough to dodge paralysis by analysis. Do this every day, and you’ll train your mind to recognize that small actions compound. Body: Move with intention every morning. Morning movement isn’t about hitting the gym for hours—it’s about signaling to your body and brain that today matters. Whether it’s simple stretches, a brisk walk, or ten minutes of deep breathing, this physical activation releases tension, sparks clarity, and grounds you in the present moment. Your body remembers when you respect its rhythm; your will follows suit. Spirit: Reflect on your “why” before your first task. Connection to purpose is fuel when the clock says you can’t pause. Before you dive into letting your phone drown you in distractions or binge through emails, take thirty seconds to center yourself on your “why.” Why does this next step matter? Who does it serve? What happens if you don’t do it? Reanchoring in purpose pulls you out of procrastination and lights a fire to start now, not later. Tomorrow will always be a sneaky illusion if you entrust it with your dreams and priorities. The real power sits in the choices you make today—the small steps that reject “someday” thinking. So don’t wait. The clock is ticking, the moment is here—tomorrow is now, tomorrow is today. What’s your first step going to be? You’ve got one day at a time. Make today count. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #WellspringWednesday #CreateYourNow #HealthAndWellness 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685905

4102 Step Up or Step Aside 06/23/2026

4102 Step Up or Step Aside Too many people sit on the sidelines of their own lives, waiting for the perfect moment, the crystal-clear sign, or the complete certainty before making a move. Here’s the brutal truth: confidence doesn’t show up fully formed. It shows up when you choose to step forward, when you put your convictions into action, even if you’re shaking in your boots; step up or step aside. Confidence is a shadow—without movement, there’s no form. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Sure, thinking, planning, and dreaming have their place, but they remain just that without a bold decision to break the inertia. It’s only when you act that confidence takes shape, builds momentum, and commands presence. What’s holding you back? Fear? Doubt? The haunting voice that warns you to ‘just wait a little longer’? It’s a mirage. Waiting won’t build your business. Waiting won't improve your relationships. Waiting won't change your life. Action will. The K.I.S.S. ~ Step up or step aside! Being bold doesn’t mean reckless; it means deliberate courage. It means owning your choice, standing by it, and putting your energy behind it. It means showing the world—and, more importantly, yourself—that you’re done playing small. Now is the time to rise—take a stand and make the moves that scare you. Because the only thing worse than failing is never trying at all. Confidence is forged in the fires of action, not the safety of hesitation. Create your now: decide with all your guts, move with all your heart, and watch your confidence finally earn its place. Your future self won’t thank you for playing it safe today. Your future self will thank you for rising up. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685855

4101 Words That Strangle Progress 06/22/2026

4101 Words That Strangle Progress There is a particular kind of cruelty we practice on ourselves, and we don't even recognize it as cruelty. We call it being realistic or waiting for the right time. We dress it up in practicality and patience, and we never notice that what we're actually doing is slowly, quietly, systematically putting our own lives on hold. So instead of looking to what's next, we focus on 'I used to...'; words that strangle progress. Life doesn't slow down for us. The calendar doesn't pause while we gather our courage. The years move whether we're moving with them or not. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . And yet, somehow, we convince ourselves that there will always be more time — more time to get healthy, more time to chase that dream, more time to feel alive again. So rather than pressing forward, we turn around and look backward, and we begin to speak the most stagnating words in the human vocabulary: I used to. "I used to run." "I used to dream big dreams." "I used to giggle more." "I used to be energetic." "I used to travel." "I used to feel strong." "I used to do more." Stop for a moment and feel the weight of those words. There is grief in them, yes — but more than grief, there is surrender. "I used to" is the language of someone who has already written their own ending. It is a closed door, a drawn curtain, a period at the end of a sentence that still had chapters left to write. How unfair to yourself. You stop yourself in your tracks. You plant both feet in the past and there you remain, stuck — not because life ran out of room for you, but because your words ran out of room for life. The Power Hiding Inside Your Sentences Words are not neutral. They are not simply sounds or symbols we use to describe the world — they actively construct it. The sentences you form in your head build the architecture of your belief, and your belief determines where your feet are willing to go. Words construct the sentences that form the thoughts that either secure fear in your chest or ready your heart for a leap. "I used to" secures the fear. It tells your mind: that version of me is gone, and I have accepted that loss. And the mind, ever obedient, stops looking for exits. But there is another phrase available to you. Three words that crack the door back open. "I'm starting again." The K.I.S.S. ~ Start again! Not "I'll try someday." Not "I used to, but maybe one day I could again." Starting. Present tense. Now. This phrase doesn't require you to pretend you haven't struggled, that time hasn't passed, or that the road back is short. It simply requires you to face forward. So how do you get there? How do you trade a language of stagnation for a language of progress? Here are three practices that can change everything. 1. Audit Your Inner Monologue — Then Rewrite It The first step is unflinching honesty about the words already living rent-free in your mind. Most of us have never stopped to listen — really listen — to what we tell ourselves on repeat. But those repeated phrases become your operating instructions. Pay attention to your "I used to" inventory. Write them down if you have to. Then, one by one, perform a single act of linguistic rebellion: replace "used to" with "am returning to". "I used to run" becomes "I am returning to running." "I used to dream big" becomes "I am returning to dreaming big." This is not word games or self-help cheerleading. The difference is neurological. Research in cognitive behavioral therapy has consistently shown that the language we use about ourselves shapes our expectations, and our expectations shape our behavior. You cannot outperform your self-narrative. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." — Proverbs 18:21 That verse wasn't written about dramatic moments. It was written about the everyday conversation you have with yourself, the one no one else hears. Speak life — even if your voice shakes at first. 2. Stop Waiting for Permission from Circumstances One of the great lies we tell ourselves is that forward motion requires ideal conditions. We're waiting to feel ready. Waiting until the kids are older, the job stabilizes, the weather changes, the finances increase, the chaos settles. We keep placing the start line further and further away, and then we wonder why we never seem to reach it. Theodore Roosevelt, a man who refused to let circumstances write his story, put it plainly: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." That is a sentence of progress. It doesn't wait. It doesn't require a better version of your situation to begin. It simply begins. Consider the runner who quit training after an injury, who gained thirty pounds, who hasn't laced up her shoes in four years. She can spend another four years grieving her former pace — or she can walk to the end of the driveway and back today. The walk isn't a failure. The walk is the first sentence of the next chapter. Small action taken consistently will always, always outpace grand intention sitting still. Words that create forward motion are almost always words that operate in the present tense. I am. I will. I'm starting. They don't require tomorrow's version of you — they invite today's. 3. Surround Yourself with a Language That Pulls You Forward You become, in no small part, what you repeatedly hear. This includes what you hear from the people around you, the media you consume, and the community you call your own. If every voice in your environment traffics in "I used to," "it's too late," and "that's just how it is," those words will settle into your vocabulary, too. Choose your voices deliberately. Jim Rohn, who transformed his own life and went on to transform countless others, made this observation with characteristic precision: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Look at your five. Do they speak in the past tense or the future tense? Do they talk about what they're building or only what they've lost? You don't have to abandon people you love — but you may need to seek out additional voices who speak a language of progress, the mentor, the podcast, the community, the friend who is also in the middle of starting again. The Apostle Paul, writing from a prison cell — a man with every reason to speak in the past tense — instead wrote this: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:14 Press on. Not "I pressed." Not "I used to press." Present tense. Active posture. Forward lean. That is the language of someone who refuses to let their story end before they do. The Chair You're Sitting In So where are you today? Be honest with yourself. Are you deep in the cushions of the La-Z-Boy recliner, surrounded by all the things you used to do, all the dreams you used to carry, all the energy you used to have? Are you watching life through the window, narrating it in the past tense? Or are you ready to choose a different posture? You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to feel confident. You don't have to see the whole road. You just have to change the sentence. Not "I used to." "I'm starting again." Say it out loud. Say it like you mean it — even if you're not sure yet. Say it until the words start building something new in you, until the language of forward motion becomes your native tongue, until the life you put on hold remembers that it was always, only, waiting for you to show up and claim it. The time you spent looking backward? It's done. Let it go. This is where the road begins. Start with one sentence. Speak it forward. Create your now! "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #MindsetMonday #CreateYourNow #PersonalDevelopment 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685845

4100 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus 06/21/2026

4100 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” — Helen H. Lemmel, 1922 Most of us know that moment. The ground beneath us feels less solid than it did yesterday. A diagnosis that changes everything. A relationship that fractures without warning. A door that closes with a finality we weren’t prepared for. A season of waiting so long it begins to feel less like patience and more like abandonment. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . In those moments, the world offers noise — advice, distraction, hustle, worry. But Scripture offers something different. It offers a place to look. And what I want to explore today isn’t a list of things you need to do when life gets hard. It’s something better than that. It’s what God does when you can’t. He Goes In With You There’s a passage in Isaiah 43 that I keep coming back to. God is speaking to Israel — a people worn down by exile and silence — and He says this: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." — Isaiah 43:1–2 Notice what He doesn’t say. He doesn’t say if you pass through the waters. He says when. God is not surprised by the season you’re in. He knew it was coming long before you did. And the promise He makes isn’t that you’ll avoid the deep water — it’s that He goes in with you. That is not a small thing. That is everything. He Moves Toward You in the Storm When the disciples were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee, these were experienced fishermen — men who knew how bad a storm could get. And they were terrified. The boat was getting swamped. And then Jesus came walking across the water toward them and said: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid." — Matthew 14:27 He didn’t say, “Here’s what you should do.” He said, It is I. His presence was the answer. Not a strategy, not a plan, not a formula. Him. When you are in the storm and you can’t do anything, God is not waiting for you to figure it out. He is already moving toward you. He Is Familiar With Your Pain One of the most stabilizing truths in all of Scripture is that Jesus didn’t watch our suffering from a safe distance. He entered it. He wore it. "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain." — Isaiah 53:3 Familiar. That word deserves to sit with you for a moment. Jesus is not unfamiliar with your fear. He is not unfamiliar with your grief, your betrayal, your sleepless nights, or your unanswered prayers. He wept at a tomb (John 11:35). He sweat drops of blood in the garden the night before He died (Luke 22:44). He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — and meant it in His body and His soul. So when you wonder whether God understands what this feels like — He does. He went there. He went all the way to the bottom of the dark. And He didn’t stay there. The K.I.S.S. ~ Turn your eyes upon Jesus! He Guards What Fear Is Trying to Break Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison. He didn’t know how his story would resolve. And yet he testified to something that had nothing to do with his circumstances: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:6–7 Guard is a military word. It means to stand watch, to hold a position, to protect. Paul is saying that God’s peace — not peace you manufacture, not peace that requires resolution first — will stand guard over the very place fear is trying to break in: your heart and your mind. And notice, this peace doesn’t arrive when the circumstances change. It arrives in every situation. Including the one you’re in right now. He Pioneered the Trail Through The writer of Hebrews was writing to a community under real pressure — people who had lost property, faced public shame, and were tempted to walk away from their faith entirely. His counsel wasn’t a strategy. It was a direction: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." — Hebrews 12:2 Pioneer. He went first. He blazed the trail through suffering and out the other side. He is not asking you to go somewhere He hasn’t already been. And perfecter — He finishes what He starts. Your faith, your story, your life — none of it will be left half-done. He completes it. He Is With You. Always. The last words Jesus spoke before He ascended were not addressed to people who had everything figured out. They were spoken to a ragged, still-uncertain group of disciples who were still processing all of it. And He said this: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." — Matthew 28:20 Always. Not when your faith feels strong. Not when your circumstances cooperate. Not when you’ve managed to pray the right words. Always. Right now, in whatever you’re sitting in today. Isaiah 26:3 promises that God keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast — those who keep looking at Him rather than rehearsing what they fear. Not because steadfastness earns peace, but because Jesus is genuinely worth looking at. And He doesn’t look away from you. Whatever is unresolved in your life right now. Whatever is heavy. Whatever you’ve been trying to fix and can’t — He’s already there. He’s already working. He’s already holding what you cannot hold. That is what it means to turn your eyes upon Jesus. Not to try harder. But to look up, and find that He has been looking at you the whole time. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” — Psalm 121:1–2 "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #SweetSpirit #CreateYourNow #SoulfulSunday 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685830

4099 Keep Holding On 06/20/2026

4099 Keep Holding On Life has a way of cycling through seasons — some radiant with joy, others heavy with struggle. Marriage is no different. There will be mornings when everything feels effortless and evenings when nothing seems to work. Couples can find themselves wondering if they are doing anything right, questioning whether the effort is worth it, or quietly waiting for the other to make the first move. But your marriage is worth it. And you don't have to fall into the norm of giving up when things get hard. Keep holding on. Marriage was never designed to be easy. It was designed to be meaningful. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . It calls two imperfect people into a covenant that demands more than feelings — it demands commitment, sacrifice, and a willingness to show up even when you don't feel like it. The Apostle Paul captured this beautifully: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." — 1 Corinthians 13:4–5 That kind of love isn't passive. It's a daily, deliberate choice. You can sit back and wait for your spouse to do all the heavy lifting — and perhaps, for a season, they will. But a marriage in which only one person works isn't a partnership; it's a performance. True love, sacrificial love, opens hearts to love deeper and to love well. It creates the kind of closeness that no argument, no season, and no storm can permanently unravel. So when things get tense — when the argument lingers a little too long, when the distance feels a little too wide, when the season feels more like labor than laughter — what can you do? The K.I.S.S. ~ Keep holding on! Here are three things that will help you do exactly that. 1. Choose Humility Over Being Right Arguments in marriage rarely end when one person "wins." They end when both people choose to value the relationship more than their need to be right. Pride is one of the most destructive forces in a marriage, because it turns a partner into an opponent. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." — Philippians 2:3 When tension rises, pause before you respond. Ask yourself: Am I fighting for my marriage, or am I fighting against my spouse? There is a significant difference. A humble heart doesn't mean you never express hurt or frustration — it means you approach those conversations as teammates looking for a solution, not adversaries looking for a verdict. The writer C.S. Lewis once observed, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." In marriage, this translates to choosing your spouse's peace alongside your own, and letting go of the scoreboard. 2. Communicate with Intention, Not Just Emotion When we are hurt, our instinct is to react — to say the first sharp thing that comes to mind, to go silent, or to replay grievances. But reactive communication rarely builds anything; it usually tears down what took time to construct. "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." — Colossians 4:6 Speaking with grace in marriage means choosing your words carefully, especially when emotions are running high. It means saying "I felt hurt when…" instead of "You always…" It means listening to understand, not simply waiting for your turn to respond. Marriage counselor and researcher Dr. John Gottman spent decades studying couples and found that it takes five positive interactions to counteract the damage of a single negative one. That's a sobering reminder that the words we speak to our spouses carry immense weight — in both directions. Choose words that build. Choose words that heal. Choose words that remind your spouse that they are chosen. 3. Recommit — Again and Again One of the most powerful things you can do when your marriage feels hard is to quietly, intentionally recommit. Not with a grand gesture (though those are welcome too), but with a daily decision: I am in this. We are worth fighting for. "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." — Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 Recommitment isn't a sign of weakness — it's a sign of covenant. It's what separates a lasting marriage from one that only survives the easy seasons. Every morning you wake up and choose your spouse again, you are laying another brick in the foundation of something that can weather any storm. Author and pastor Gary Thomas writes in Sacred Marriage, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" That reframe is revolutionary. When you stop expecting marriage to only feel good and start allowing it to make you better, holding on stops feeling like a burden and starts feeling like a purpose. Your Marriage Is Worth It Marriage is about unconditional love. It is about sacrificial love — the kind that gives when it doesn't feel like giving, that stays when leaving seems easier, that softens when hardening feels safer. But that love requires willingness. It requires both hands on deck, both hearts open, both people showing up. Your marriage will face storms. Every marriage does. But a marriage built on humility, intentional communication, and daily recommitment has a foundation strong enough to hold. So when the weight feels heavy, when the season feels long, when the work seems to outpace the joy — don't let go. Keep holding on. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9 "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #RelationshipBuilders #CreateYourNow #LoveAndMarriage 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685785

4098 Love Without Limits 06/19/2026

4098 Love Without Limits Life has a way of building walls around us. Past experiences, fears, and doubts stack up like barricades, shaping how we see the world—and sometimes boxing us in with limits we don’t even realize we’ve accepted. As parents, it’s easy to carry those walls into our children’s lives, unintentionally capping their potential because we’ve learned caution the hard way. But love that leans on limits isn’t love at all. Our kids deserve something greater: love without limits. Being a parent who loves without limits means choosing to break down those walls every day. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . It means stepping into your child’s world with fresh eyes, ready to understand their dreams and fears on their terms—not just through the lens of your past. It means setting aside your own “what ifs” and “don’ts” to create space for their growth, exploration, and even failure. Sure, life’s scars serve as signals—they’re reminders of what’s at stake. But when those signals turn into cages, the gift of unconditional love is lost. Instead, offer courage. Offer belief. Offer curiosity. The K.I.S.S. ~ Love without limits! Here are three ways you can inspire your child today by loving without limits: Show Up with Presence, Not Just Protection It’s natural to want to shield your child from life’s difficulties. But protection can easily turn into control. Instead, show up as a guide who listens deeply. Let your child lead you into their world without judgment. When you’re present—not hovering—you teach them that their feelings and ideas matter, fostering trust and confidence. Encourage Exploration, Not Perfection Limitless love doesn’t demand flawless outcomes. It celebrates the messy path of trying, failing, and trying again. Encourage your child to take risks—even if they lead to mistakes. Celebrate effort over achievement. This mindset fuels resilience and creativity, showing them the world is bigger than fear or failure. Lead with Curiosity, Not Assumptions Our life experiences can tempt us to see potential barriers everywhere: “That’s too hard. That’s unrealistic. That’s dangerous.” Instead, lean into curiosity. Ask questions. Seek to understand your child’s unique perspective. When you approach with openness, you model the very courage you want them to embody. Parenting without limits is hard work. It calls for patience, humility, and daily commitment. But the payoff? A child who knows they are seen, heard, and loved for exactly who they are—and who they’re meant to become. That’s the kind of love that breaks barriers instead of building them. So, this Father’s Day or any day, step into your child’s world without the weight of limits. Love boldly. Love without boundaries. Because your love is the wind beneath their wings. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #ConfessionsOfAnUpsetMama #CreateYourNow #TodaysParent 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41685775

4097 Refined By The Fire 06/18/2026

4097 Refined By The Fire Life doesn’t always add up when you look at it from the surface. Each day comes packaged with its own set of challenges, victories, and yes—moments that just don’t make sense. Your next step is shaped by the now, but the day itself could be good, bad, or downright ugly. The question is this: will you let your failures define you, or will you be refined by the fire? Being refined by the fire means choosing boldness in the face of uncertainty. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Too often, people get stuck. They dwell too long with what’s not working—because it’s easier. No planning, no decisions, no action. Just sitting. But sitting is not the place of growth. It’s a comfort zone disguised as safety. TRUTH: You are made for more!! You’ve got a calling bigger than your setbacks. The pain, the struggle, the fear—they don’t get the final say unless you let them. Being refined by the fire means stepping forward with courage, even when you don’t have the full picture. You don’t wait for clarity to strike like lightning. You move, you risk, you trust that the path will emerge beneath your feet. The K.I.S.S. ~ Refined by the fire! “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” ~ Proverbs 27:17 The fire of challenge burns away the weak and rough edges of your character, and hones your strength and resolve. You don’t come out the same. You come out harder, sharper, and more ready to face the next fight. When you know you’re made for more, you stop being a passenger in your own life. You decide how you show up—bold, relentless, and unafraid to make a move. The fire doesn’t consume you; it creates you. It steels your mind and shapes your actions into something unstoppable. So don’t wait for perfect conditions to begin. Don’t let fear freeze your next step. Be refined by the fire. Rise up. Make that bold choice. The world doesn’t owe you chance after chance, but you’ve got what it takes to create your now. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about avoiding the fire—it’s about letting the fire forge you into exactly who you are meant to be. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41672655

4096 Ready to Love Yourself 06/17/2026

4096 Ready to Love Yourself We can be our own worst critics—harsh judges who punish ourselves over tiny mistakes, old regrets, and perceived failures that refuse to loosen their grip. But beating yourself up doesn’t help you grow. It doesn’t fix the past or erase the pain. At some point, you have to let go and be ready to love yourself. Love isn’t just a warm, fuzzy feeling that floats away with the morning breeze. Love is an action word. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Love requires deliberate practice, intention, and courage to show up for yourself consistently. But feelings? They’re slippery, unreliable, and often betray us. You need more than feelings—you need roots. So what does the Bible say about love and how we should view ourselves through God’s eyes? Who exactly does God say we are? God’s Take on Love and Identity In 1 John 4:7-8, it says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” God isn’t just someone who loves—we are meant to embody love because God is love. But what about ourselves? Psalm 139:14 reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In God’s eyes, you are a masterpiece, crafted with intention, value, and purpose. Despite your scars and mistakes, God calls you His beloved child (1 John 3:1). Not because you earned it, but because that’s your identity rooted in grace. So, how do you start loving yourself that way? How do you mirror God’s love in your own life? The K.I.S.S. ~ L.E.A.R.N. to love yourself! We are taught many things in life, but rarely do we take a look at what we need to gain in order to give. So today, it's time you pause and learn to love yourself as God loves you. L – LOOK in the Mirror with Grace Begin by seeing yourself the way God sees you, not through the harsh lens of your past failures or self-critical voices. Psalm 103:12 says God “removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west.” Your mistakes don’t define you. When you look in the mirror, practice grace. Stop feeding the shame—replace it with truth. E – EMBRACE Your Story, Scars and All Don’t shrink from your broken parts or the chapters you wish you could rewrite. Romans 8:28 promises that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Your story—even the ugly, painful parts—is part of that good. The apostle Paul testifies in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Learn to embrace your imperfections as the soil from which strength grows. A – ADOPT a Habit of Kindness Toward YourselfKindness isn’t a feeling that magically arrives; it must be cultivated until it becomes a natural part of how you treat yourself. To adopt kindness means intentionally incorporating it into your daily life—through your thoughts, your words, and your actions. Proverbs 11:17 says, “A kind person benefits themselves.” Make kindness toward yourself non-negotiable. When self-criticism creeps in, consciously replace it with encouragement rooted in God’s truth. Start replacing “I’m not enough” with truthful affirmations backed by scripture: “I am loved” (Ephesians 3:17-19), “I am chosen” (Deuteronomy 7:6), “I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). This isn’t about being naive or soft; it’s about strengthening your spirit by creating a habit of grace that reflects how God loves you. R – REMIND Yourself You Are God’s Beloved Especially on the rough days, keep a spiritual toolkit handy: memorized verses, prayers, or even a meaningful phrase like “child of God.” When the enemy whispers lies, tune your heart to God’s voice. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Remind yourself regularly that you belong to God—and belonging means you are worthy of love, first from Him and then from yourself. N – NURTURE Your Soul Through Community and Prayer God designed us for connection. Loving yourself doesn’t mean going it alone. Hebrews 10:24-25 urges us to encourage one another and not give up meeting together. Surround yourself with community that reflects God’s love back to you. Pray for the strength to love yourself even when it’s hard. Nurturing your soul is key to internalizing love beyond fleeting feelings. Are You Ready? Ready to love yourself—the real you, scars and all, beauty and ashes? If so, stop waiting for your feelings to catch up. Love is a choice. Action. Commitment. It starts with seeing yourself through God’s eyes and putting into practice the steps above. You won’t become your own biggest lover overnight, but every intentional step you take toward God’s love is a victory against lies and self-condemnation. So, what’s your move today? Will you look in the mirror with grace, embrace your story, and choose kindness? Because loving yourself isn’t selfish. It’s your foundation. And from it, everything else grows. You’re worth it. Always have been. Now it’s time you believe it. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #WellspringWednesday #CreateYourNow #HealthAndWellness 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41618970

4095 Start Counting Possibilities 06/16/2026

4095 Start Counting Possibilities It’s all too easy to get stuck staring at the shadow of your past mistakes and setbacks. Failures have a way of lingering—they’re familiar, loud, and convincing. But if you want the kind of life that feels right in your bones, the life that’s waiting for you beyond what’s comfortable and familiar, then it’s time for a shift. It’s time to start counting possibilities. That means making a choice, right now, to scan the horizon for opportunities instead of fixating on the obstacles. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Yes, the darker moments might feel louder or more numerous, but that doesn’t mean they define the whole landscape. Somewhere beyond the noise, there’s a different path. And that path is paved by the questions you ask yourself. Hold on tight to what you know, but don’t get trapped there. Instead, flip the script. When faced with a hurdle, ask yourself: “What does this make possible?” That simple question cracks open your view and invites fresh directions. It forces you out of ‘what went wrong’ into ‘what can go right.’ The K.I.S.S. ~ Start counting possibilities! Possibilities don’t just appear by chance—they appear when you’re willing to look beyond your current box. When you’re tired of the same results and truly ready to change the trajectory, you have to do something different. No exceptions. No shortcuts. Growth demands movement. Take A.I.M. — And start counting possibilities. Give yourself permission to notice the doors opening instead of the walls closing. Watch how your everyday shifts. Because once you decide to see options, you shake loose from the gravitation toward failure and pull yourself instead toward progress. Your future is counting on you. Will you start counting with it? "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41618965

4094 Designed to Succeed 06/15/2026

4094 Designed to Succeed What if you shifted your mindset and looked at your life through the lens of what you have to offer — your unique gifts and talents — instead of fixating on the failures you've accumulated? That sounds a little backward, doesn’t it? But you must know that you are designed to succeed. Yes, designed. You were created on purpose, for a purpose. So why would you not be wired to win? To push through, to get back up, and to carve out a path toward your own version of success? Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Now, don’t get me wrong. Designed to succeed doesn’t mean the road will be smooth or handed to you on a silver platter. Life doesn’t owe you an easy ride. Success demands grit, hustle, and the willingness to face obstacles head-on. Anything worth having requires work, and work thrives on belief — belief that despite setbacks, you were built for more. So how do you stop getting trapped in the gravity of your failures and start seeing the bigger picture — the journey you’re meant to take? The K.I.S.S. ~ Dial into your unique design! Here are three things high achievers do to reframe their path and dial into their design for success. 1. Focus on Strengths, Not Shortcomings It’s easy to tally up the times you failed or fell short, but that’s only half the story. Every win — no matter how small — starts with recognizing your unique strengths and talents. When you zero in on what you bring to the table, you shift from scarcity to abundance. Ask yourself: What skills, experiences, or qualities do I own that others don’t? Use those as your foundation, not your doubts. 2. Redefine Failure as Data, Not Defeat Failures aren’t dead ends; they’re feedback. Instead of labeling setbacks as proof you can’t, treat them as valuable information about what to tweak next. This flips your mindset from victim to strategist. When you see each stumble as a stepping stone, you build momentum — and momentum trumps fear every time. 3. Set Purpose-Driven Milestones Success isn’t a vague “someday” dream. It’s a series of concrete, purpose-driven goals that keep you moving forward. When your milestones align with your “why,” you generate clarity and urgency. Write down what each step looks like — how you’ll measure it, the timeframe, and how it feeds into your bigger mission. This keeps your eyes on the prize and away from the distractions of self-doubt. You’re not just chasing success — you’re living out the design of your life. That design includes the grit to push through hard days and the vision to see beyond the stumbles. Remember, your ability to succeed isn’t accidental. It’s baked into your DNA, a gift from God. You’ve got what it takes; now look at your life through that lens. Stop counting failures. Start counting possibilities. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #MindsetMonday #CreateYourNow #PersonalDevelopment 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41618955

4093 If God Is For Us 06/14/2026

4093 If God Is For Us Life has a way of making you feel boxed in, attacked from all angles, and never quite good enough. The voice whispers that you should be doing more, that the hurdles are too high, and that maybe—just maybe—this is too much for you to handle. If you’re honest, there are days when you want to retreat, hide, and protect whatever you have left. “If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)” But here’s the real and raw truth. You don’t have to live like that. When God takes your side, the opposition—no matter how loud or relentless—is outmatched. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Consider what it means when the Creator of the universe stands with you. The thief in the night, the critic, the doubter, the setbacks, the failures—they all pale in comparison to God’s power and presence. It doesn’t erase the struggle, but it changes everything about how you face it. So why do we keep living like we’re under siege? Because fear whispers lies—about our worth, our ability, our future. And when you believe those lies, you spend all your energy defending instead of advancing. You shrink back when you should step forward. You carry the burden alone when you have the strongest ally imaginable. The K.I.S.S. ~ If God is for us! Stop hiding. Stop thinking you have to control every outcome to survive. Instead, live like God is actually for you—because He is. Walking forward with God means boldness. It means following even when the path looks unclear or scary. It means trusting that no matter the opposition, His presence overpowers it all. So today, trade defensive mode for confidence. Trade doubt for trust. Life will challenge you, most definitely, but know this: if God is for you, who—really—can stand against you? You don’t have to prove your worth. You only need to walk in the assurance that God’s got you. There is no reason to hide with God on your side. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #SweetSpirit #CreateYourNow #SoulfulSunday 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41618950

4092 Marriage is the Ultimate Stanley Cup 06/13/2026

4092 Marriage is the Ultimate Stanley Cup Marriage is the ultimate Stanley Cup—a hard-fought victory that only comes to those willing to play the toughest game of their lives. It’s not just about feeling in love; it’s about showing up day after day, battling through unexpected setbacks, and trusting your teammate when the pressure’s crushing. Like a hockey team on the ice chasing the biggest prize in sports, couples who win this game know that every pass, every hit, and every moment of grit counts toward the ultimate goal: a marriage that lasts. Think about a hockey team chasing the Stanley Cup. They’re not just skating around for fun. Every pass they make, every shot they take, every shift they endure under brutal pressure—it's coordinated, intentional, and high stakes. Missing a play can cost them a chance at the big prize. Yet, despite bruises, setbacks, and fatigue, they push forward, leaning on each other, trusting their skills and instincts, and adjusting their game plan as they go. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Marriage works the same way. It isn’t about being perfect or avoiding conflict; it’s about learning how to play together through the chaos. When you hit rough patches—arguments, disappointments, external stressors—those are like the big hits on the ice. You don’t fold. You support, strategize, and roll up your sleeves to push through. Examples of the Game vs. Real Life The Comeback Play: A hockey team might trail 3-0 at the end of the second period but come back with a fierce third period that wins them the game. In marriage, that’s like weathering a particularly bad season—financial strain, illness, or loss—and emerging closer and stronger through teamwork and resilience. Line Changes & Shifting Roles: Hockey teams rotate players to keep energy high. Couples have to shift roles and responsibilities too—sometimes one partner leads on finances, the other on parenting, or one takes a step back professionally to support the other. Flexibility keeps momentum alive. Penalty Kill: When a team is short-handed, they defend harder and play smarter to avoid conceding a goal. Marriage’s penalty kill moments are the times you face crisis—disagreements that threaten the relationship, tough life changes. How you defend your bond in those moments determines whether you survive or lose ground. Marriage is the ultimate Stanley Cup, and it can be strengthened to the point of winning it all!! The K.I.S.S. ~ Play to win it all! You have to be in it to win it! And that takes commitment and dedication. 3 Things Couples Must Do to Win Their Stanley Cup in Marriage Build Relentless Teamwork Trust isn’t a given. It’s built in the daily passes—the small acts of kindness, honest talks, dependable follow-through. If you don’t have each other's backs in the trenches, you won’t win the long game. Communicate Like Pros Under Pressure No one’s perfect on the ice. But great teams talk through plays, share intel, and keep each other alert. Couples must master honest, clear communication—especially when it’s hard. Speak up before issues snowball and listen to understand, not just respond. Keep Adjusting the Game Plan What worked in season one might not work in season five. Life throws curveballs. Growth demands that you adapt—your parenting styles, financial goals, even your lifestyle habits. Stubbornness is a quick way to lose the cup. Flexibility is your best offense. Make no mistake—marriage is a brutal, demanding game. But like hockey’s greatest trophy, it’s the hardest-earned prize with the sweetest victory. If you commit to it like a Stanley Cup team, your marriage doesn’t just survive the season—it wins for a lifetime. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #RelationshipBuilders #CreateYourNow #LoveAndMarriage 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41618945

4091 Trust the Nudge 06/12/2026

4091 Trust the Nudge As parents, we gather countless observations about our children over time. We watch them grow, stumble, laugh, and learn. We see patterns in their behavior and glimpses of who they truly are beneath the surface. When you’re deep in the trenches of raising a child, you get to know them inside and out. And sometimes, you just feel it—something feels a little off. That gut feeling or inner whisper, trust the nudge. It’s that quiet but insistent voice inside a mama (or dad) that says, “Pay attention.” Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . It’s the knowing that doesn’t always come with clear reasons or words. You simply know. This is not about paranoia, panic, or overthinking. It’s about trusting yourself enough to hear what your instincts are telling you, even if you can’t quite put it into sentences. The K.I.S.S. ~ Trust the N.U.D.G.E.! So, what ways can a parent learn to trust this N.U.D.G.E.—and use it to guide their child’s growth and development without getting stuck in doubt or fear? As parents, the lifetime of watching your child unfold creates a deep, intuitive knowing — a “nudge” that something’s worth your attention. That feeling every parent recognizes but can’t always explain: You just know. Trust the nudge. Here’s how to own that instinct—and turn it into smart parenting decisions, using the acronym NUDGE: N — Notice the Small Shifts Parenting is detail work. When your gut nudges you, it’s usually triggered by subtle changes — a new mood, a quiet withdrawal, or a pattern just threading through daily behavior. Notice these shifts without dismissing them or blowing them up. Your nudge is rooted in the sum of these small signals. U — Understand Your Bias Your feelings, stress, or history can color your instincts. Pause to ask: Is this nudge coming from a place of clarity or worry? Be honest with yourself. When feelings run high, it’s harder to trust the nudge accurately. Ground yourself with perspective before moving forward. D — Dig Deeper, Don’t Jump The nudge isn’t an emergency alarm; it’s a prompt to investigate. Seek facts, gently ask questions, and seek input from teachers, caregivers, or experts you trust. Let this deeper digging confirm or calibrate your initial instinct. G — Get Intentional With Action Trust isn’t passive. Once you notice, understand, and dig, you must act—carefully. Set small, deliberate steps: talk with your child more, adjust routines, or try new ways of connection. Avoid drastic moves until you have a full picture. E — Evaluate and Adjust After acting on your nudge, reflect. Did your actions clarify the concern? Did new information shift your understanding? Be willing to refine your approach. Parenting is a cycle of learning and adapting, led by your intuition but grounded in results. The nudge is your parenting compass. When you follow N.U.D.G.E., you trust your instincts and make smart moves that keep your child’s growth on track. You know because you know. Now go trust that nudge with courage and clarity. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #ConfessionsOfAnUpsetMama #CreateYourNow #TodaysParent 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41607715

4090 Be Original 06/11/2026

4090 Be Original In a world flooded with imitation, where everyone seems eager to copy the latest trend, personality, or success formula, standing firmly in your own skin is a radical act. Too often, the temptation to be someone else—or even just a version of someone else—whispers that life will be easier, better, or more exciting if we can just fit a mold closer to what’s popular or profitable. But the greatest power you hold is being unapologetically yourself. Be original. Why chase shadows when you were made to shine in your own light? Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Psalm 139:14 reminds us, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” This is a declaration that your uniqueness is intentional and worthy of celebration, not concealment. Pretending to be someone else might seem fun in the moment—it might even buy you temporary acceptance. But pretending is a game for children. As we grow, mature, and gain wisdom, the masks become heavier, and the cost of not being ourselves becomes too great to bear. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Now is the season to shed pretense and stand firmly in who you truly are. The K.I.S.S. ~ Be original! Being original takes courage. It demands that you confront self-doubt and defy the pressure to conform. Brené Brown says, “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” This is a call to boldness. To bravery. To freedom. You are created for more. Not a copy of someone else’s success story, but the author of your own. The world doesn’t need another imitation; it needs the raw, brilliant, imperfect you. The you that’s been shaped by your struggles, your hopes, your faith. So don’t shrink to fit a mold that wasn’t made for you. Don’t quiet your unique voice or hide your uncommon perspective. Be bold. Be brave. Be original. Your story, your gifts, your voice—they are needed now more than ever. Remember what God said to Moses in Exodus 3:11 when Moses doubted his calling: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh...?” The answer was not about Moses being flawless or ordinary. He was chosen to lead because of who he was—authentic, with all his fears and imperfections. And so are you. Stand in your own skin. Be proud of who you are and who you are becoming. The world is waiting for your original. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41594375

4089 Let the Truth be Told 06/10/2026

4089 Let the Truth be Told Digging deep into who you truly are—and who you’re meant to be—isn’t a simple journey. It’s uncomfortable, often messy, and demands a level of honesty most of us aren’t trained to give ourselves. Let the truth be told. Why bother? Because if you want to be stretched and shaped God’s way, surface-level honesty won’t cut it. You gotta be willing to stare down your real self: your fears, your failures, your longings. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . You need that raw, unfiltered truth. Not the curated version you present to the world or even yourself. Real clarity—true clarity—comes when your heart and head both own the same story. Only then do doors open for next-level growth and purpose, where God has you going. But let's be really honest: honesty tends to come with fine print. We reveal what’s comfortable, what paints us well. The darker, tougher stuff gets pushed under the rug. That’s human nature. What sets apart those who grow beyond their current selves is their willingness to admit what’s hidden, uncomfortable, and vulnerable. It’s the admissions you keep private that hold back your breakthrough. So how do you get there? How do you let the truth be told without self-sabotage, without sinking into shame? You have to be willing to step into the truth. The K.I.S.S. ~ Step into the truth! And it's the truth where your head and heart are connected. No longer are you relying on feelings that can lead you astray. These are the facts that shape who you are now and who you are becoming. Here are three no-nonsense ways to step into the truth you need to become who God created you to be: Own your story—warts and all. Don’t sanitize your past or your feelings. Say it out loud or write it down. What mistakes did you make? What insecurities have been driving your choices? Naming these doesn’t make you weak—it makes you real. Real is the soil where growth takes root. Sit with discomfort, don’t run from it. When honest self-reflection triggers pain, resistance is your enemy. Instead of diverting or defending, ask why it hurts. What’s behind the defensiveness or denial? Many times, those pain points lead to your next breakthrough. Stretching God’s way means embracing the hard stuff—not avoiding it. Align your head and heart through prayer and reflection. Honesty isn’t just intellectual—it’s spiritual. Ask God to reveal blind spots and grant courage to face them. Be open to what He shows—even if it challenges your current identity. When your beliefs and emotions line up, your honesty becomes clarity, and clarity moves you forward. Let’s be real—when you let the truth be told, it's not quick or easy. But it’s a non-negotiable if you want to step into your full calling rather than settle into comfort zones disguised as faith. The reflection you once feared? It becomes your greatest guide. And the person you become is far beyond what you thought possible. Let the truth be told, because only truth clears the path ahead. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #WellspringWednesday #CreateYourNow #HealthAndWellness 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530815

4088 Last Chance! 06/09/2026

4088 Last Chance! How many times have you scrolled through your inbox only to be hit with another email screaming “Last Chance!”? Another flash sale, another expiring offer, another time-sensitive invitation to act now before it’s gone. It’s a tactic as old as marketing itself—create urgency, push for commitment, seal the deal. Yet if you really want something or genuinely need it, why the hesitation? Why drag your feet when the opportunity is right in front of you? Because commitment is uncomfortable. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . It demands you choose a path and own it. But here’s the truth everyone sidesteps: commitment is where momentum begins. Without it, you stay stuck in the endless “considering” loop, never moving forward, never gaining traction. You’ve heard me talk about A.I.M.—Action Ignites Motivation. That’s not just something to say. It flips the script. Take A.I.M.!!! Don’t wait for motivation to strike; create it by taking the first step. Once you act, momentum builds, confidence grows, and suddenly the mountain looks more like a series of manageable steps. The K.I.S.S. ~ Last chance! So what’s really holding you back? It’s not the offer, the price, or even the time—it’s the doubt buried deep inside. The quiet voice that secretly fears you’ll fall short of your own expectations. You keep yourself paused, not because you don’t want the goal, but because you’re scared to try and fail. To risk finally moving forward only to stumble. Let’s get real: that’s wasted energy and opportunity. This isn’t just another “last chance” email blaring in your inbox. This is your last chance on YOU—the chance to quit holding back, to stop waiting for the elusive perfect moment, to stop letting fear dictate your future. You owe it to yourself to be present—to show up fully, unapologetically, and without hesitation. Because here’s the secret no one tells you: you don’t have to be perfect. You just need to be you. And that is enough. So, take that chance today. Commit to the move that scares you because it’s the same move that propels you. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #Inspiration #CreateYourNow #DailyMotivation 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530805

4087 The Power of 'Might Be' 06/08/2026

4087 The Power of 'Might Be' Life has a sneaky way of throwing curveballs. Sometimes, it feels like our dreams and our lives are at odds, each stealing time and energy from the other. You wake up one day, tired and discouraged because what you aimed for yesterday didn’t come through today—or maybe not last week, last month, or even last year. But what if the power of 'might be' keeps you going even if it took 15 years to reach the pinnacle of what you’re made for? You’re not alone if that sounds daunting. Most people give up somewhere along the way when the “now” doesn’t match the “dream.” Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . But here’s the thing: sometimes, the “might be” is the very moment that changes everything. When Do You Know to Keep Going? The Bible offers no sugarcoating either. Take Galatians 6:9: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." It doesn’t say it will be easy or quick. It promises a harvest at the proper time — which might look like years, even decades, of persistence. Look at the story of Joseph. Fifteen years of betrayal, slavery, and prison led him to the pinnacle—not overnight, but through relentless faith and patience. He stayed true to his calling long before his breakthrough, showing us that the grind can be the proof of purpose. The power of 'might be' could be the way you stay on course. The K.I.S.S. ~ Stay on course! Part of the plan needs to be willing to trust the process, trust God, so you can stay on course. What Three Things Will Keep You on Track? Don’t Give Up Every day you think about quitting, remember Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Hope is a muscle. You have to flex it even when the gains aren’t visible. The moment you quit is when the distance you ran becomes irrelevant. Keep Going Elijah ran from his calling, but God told him in 1 Kings 19:9-12 that often, breakthroughs come not in storms or earthquakes but in a “still small voice.” Persistence is hearing that voice and stepping forward anyway. Movement builds momentum, no matter how small. Believe More In Yourself Psalm 139:14 declares: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Your dream is not random. You are wired for it. Believing in yourself is backing the design God put in motion from the start. When you believe more in yourself than in the noise outside, your dream becomes a calling stronger than any setback. Hope in the Long Game Don’t measure your progress by a day or a year. Measure it by faithfulness to your true self. It’s the long game, the 15-year grind, that molds you into the person who can wear success without losing sight of why it matters. Remember the words of C.S. Lewis: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." If 15 years is what it takes, then 15 years is what it takes. But those aren’t just years passing—they’re years of becoming the person who deserves that dream. What’s your move today? Remember: Keep going. Don’t quit now when 'might be' is just a step away from 'is.' "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #MindsetMonday #CreateYourNow #PersonalDevelopment 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530785

4086 But God... 06/07/2026

4086 But God... Sometimes, the loudest battles we fight are the ones no one else can see—but God. These battles rage in the quiet corners of our hearts and minds, behind the smiles we wear and the strength we show. These are the struggles we try to control, the fears we wrestle with, the outcomes we demand. And in the chaos of it all, we miss the main thing—but God is already in control. Here’s the thing most of us don’t get—we spend all our energy chasing what we want to control Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . We try to micromanage every detail of our lives, our futures, and the people around us. But control is an illusion, and the harder we grip it, the more we suffer. The real power lies in surrendering what we cannot control and trusting what we can’t see. But God… Look at the story of David and Goliath. On the surface, it’s about a young shepherd boy facing a giant, armed with nothing but a sling and stones. What most miss is that David wasn’t fighting the battle alone—or even primarily with his own strength. In 1 Samuel 17:47, David says, “The battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” David knew he wasn’t in control of the outcome. He understood that the fight belonged to God. This is a lesson we need burned into our bones: sometimes, the battles you’re exhausted over, the anxiety that wakes you at night—they are not yours to fight. God has already taken the reins. Our role is to surrender, recalibrate, and hold fast to faith. The K.I.S.S. ~ But God! Consider Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” When we stop battling against the current and start trusting the One who is steering the ship, we can rest in the truth that every situation is under divine orchestration—even when it looks like chaos. Every chord, major or minor, belongs to Him. Why waste your energy on fights that drain your spirit and weigh you down? Why try to carry burdens God never intended you to bear? The wisdom isn’t in conquering every problem by your own might but in recognizing which battles to let go of and which to stand firm in with God beside you. Your invisible battles don’t happen alone. God sees. God fights. And God wins. So next time you’re caught in that silent war, remember the power of those two words that change everything: “But God…” Surrender the fight that isn’t yours to claim and watch what happens when you let Him take over. You don’t have to control it all. You just need to trust and have faith in the One who does. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #SweetSpirit #CreateYourNow #SoulfulSunday 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530770

4085 Find Freedom in Your Confession 06/06/2026

4085 Find Freedom in Your Confession Most people hear the word “confession” and instantly think of shame, guilt, or secrets left buried. And when it comes to marriage, it’s easy to assume confessions only mean admitting mistakes or airing dirty laundry. But what if confession wasn’t just about revealing the bad or the hidden? What if confession was the key to unlocking freedom, deeper connection, and true intimacy with your spouse? You can find freedom in your confession. Marriage is a daily exercise in being known and accepted. Two people bring their fears, hopes, and imperfections into a shared life. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . Let that sink in. Marriage is not just all about the thrills and adventures, stuff that puts a smile on your face. Marriage is about doing life together in ALL things, and learning to love the way Christ loves us. So when you think about confessing in marriage, what comes to mind? Is it having to bear it all, but really the negative side of it all? Or is it sharing what's in the deepest part of your heart? The act of confessing—honestly sharing your inner world, your struggles, your trials, your triumphs—can create space for healing, trust, and growth. This isn’t about piling on blame or opening old wounds. It’s about choosing vulnerability as a path to freedom. You get to choose how your marriage evolves over months to years to decades. But that comes at the cost of your vulnerability and confession. You want to confess to be free, to be you, to be who you are becoming. The K.I.S.S. ~ Confess to be free! Now I understand that this is not an easy concept, simply because of how we connect the word "confession" to actions. Today, I want you to open your mind and heart to see how confessing can be freeing for you and your spouse, ultimately building capacity for your marriage to thrive. Here’s how a spouse can build the security needed to genuinely confess the good, the bad, and the ugly—and find the freedom in doing so: Create a Non-Judgmental Space Fear of criticism or rejection is the number one barrier to honest conversation. To confess anything hard, your spouse needs assurance that their words won’t be weaponized or dismissed. Practicing active listening—without interrupting, defending, or minimizing—builds trust. Make it clear that honesty won’t lead to anger or withdrawal but is valued as a bridge to understanding. When your partner feels safe, the walls come down. You want to create this for your spouse, but it, in turn, needs to be created for you, too! Ask for or create that non-judgmental space for each other. Practice Radical Honesty in Small Moments Confession isn’t only for the big bombs or crises. Start by sharing small truths regularly—the good, the quirky, the uncomfortable. This drills the muscle of vulnerability and makes honesty a habit, not a last-ditch effort. When you consistently communicate—even about minor feelings or frustrations—it establishes a pattern of openness. Over time, sharing the harder stuff becomes less scary and more natural. Own Your Role and Invite Feedback Without Defensiveness Confession requires humility—not just admitting what’s wrong, but receiving your spouse’s honesty without shutting down. Approach feedback as a gift, not an attack. Staying curious rather than defensive encourages your partner to be truthful without fearing your reaction. Leading by example—owning your missteps and inviting corrections—lowers the stakes for hard conversations and builds mutual respect. Confession in marriage isn’t about dwelling on faults or weaknesses. It’s about courage—the courage to be fully known and fully loved despite imperfection. It’s about freedom from the lies and pretenses that keep you isolated. When you choose to confess openly, with empathy and trust, you’re not only owning your truth—you’re inviting your spouse to meet you there, where real love lives. So don’t wait for a crisis or a catastrophe. Find freedom in your confession today, and watch your marriage grow stronger through the honest connection these conversations create. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #RelationshipBuilders #CreateYourNow #LoveAndMarriage 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530760

4084 Stop Waiting for the Applause 06/05/2026

4084 Stop Waiting for the Applause As parents, there’s an unspoken pressure to be seen as the best—whether it’s the parent with the most achievements, the most thoughtful gestures, or the most engaged family life. But at what cost does this spotlight come? Stop waiting for the applause. The truth is this: your main responsibility as a parent isn’t to rack up compliments or win approval. It’s to raise your children in a way that suits their unique needs, not your image. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . The Reality Check Ask most parents if they want the best for their kids, and you’ll hear a resounding "yes." But when you dig deeper, the question becomes—best according to whom? Is it based on how the parent wants to be perceived by others? Or is it based on the real, present needs of the child? We live in a self-centered culture, where it’s easy—even natural—to slip into the trap of parenting for our own validation. Social media is a prime example: crafted photos, highlighted milestones, perfect moments. In all this theater, the child sometimes becomes the background actor, and the parent plays the lead and director. But there’s a better way. Instead of vying for attention, stick to the child's development. The K.I.S.S. ~ S.T.I.C.K. to your child's development! Here’s a straightforward acronym to help parents stop waiting for the applause and start deepening their investment in their children and themselves at the same time. S – See Your Child Clearly Forget who you want your child to be or what image you want to show others. Look at your child for who they are right now. What are their strengths? Their struggles? Their curiosities? Seeing your child clearly means setting aside your ego and expectations and meeting their real needs. T – Tune Into Their World Get beneath surface-level interactions. Listen to their stories, worries, and dreams. Understand the context of their daily life—from friendships to school pressures. This creates connection, builds trust, and lets your child know they come first—not your reputation. I – Invest in Growth, Not Perfection Parenting isn’t about crafting a flawless résumé of childhood achievements. It’s about consistent, patient effort toward growth. Your child’s wins might be quiet and incremental, but they’re far more meaningful than one-off highlight reels. C – Cut the Noise Ignore the comparison trap and external approval. Parenting isn’t a contest. The applause fades anyway; what lasts is the impact you make in your child’s life every day. Focus on what matters, not on others’ opinions. K – Keep Your Priorities Straight Your child’s well-being should be your compass—always. Before making a decision, ask: Does this serve my child’s best interest? If the answer is no, don’t do it just because it looks good or gains social points. Stop Waiting for the Applause When you pause the chase for applause, you free yourself to parent with clarity and courage. You stop performing for others and start showing up fully for your child. That’s the kind of parenting that changes lives. Your children don’t need the world’s approval—they need you. So stop waiting for applause. Start investing in what truly matters. Because at the end of the day, the only standing ovation that counts is the silence of your child sleeping safely, knowing they are loved beyond the spotlight. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!" #ConfessionsOfAnUpsetMama #CreateYourNow #TodaysParent 🔔 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the . - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. () 🙏 on Pray.com () 🎥 on YouTube () 🎧 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. 🎶 () ✍️ Instagram Twitter Facebook Cover Art by Photo by Music by - Overcomer Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright © 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. /episode/index/show/createyournow/id/41530755

Create Your Now with Kristianne Wargo

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