Her Smile: parenting through the hard stuff

That first real smile from a baby is one of those precious gifts that elicit feelings of pure joy upon the lucky receiver. It’s often followed by the craziest of antics of the silliest sort of baby talk, regardless of how dignified said receiver is under normal circumstances, all in order to get another smile from the baby. And the first laugh? That can send many loving caregivers over the moon with happiness! Of course, a baby’s smile or laugh is adorable, and all but the grumpiest of people can’t help but smile back when they gaze upon a happy baby.

familyDawn KlingeApril 6, 2015free book, stories, parenting, family

5 Ways God shows his Unfailing Faithfulness

God is unfailing in his faithfulness. He shows that in so many beautiful ways. I’ve shared several personal stories about how he has shown himself in my life. He is a personal God, who makes himself known to anyone who asks, but he also shows his faithfulness in big picture ways. His faithfulness extends to all of his creation, and that’s what I want to focus on now. This is not a comprehensive list- but here are five ways that God shows his faithfulness.

Dawn KlingeApril 5, 2015trust, trustworthy, faithfulness

What I Learned in March

Just for fun, I'm joining in with Emily of Chatting at the Sky for a link-up called What I Learned. This is a mix of treasures that I picked up along the way this month.

what I learnedDawn KlingeMarch 30, 2015just for fun, What I Learned, family

Your Grace Abounds in Deepest Waters

"Your grace abounds in deepest waters," comes from the song, Above the Waves (Where Feet May Fail), by Hillsong. I've been using the lyrics of this beautiful song as a framework for this book/blog. The overarching theme is trusting in Jesus, and most recently, I’ve been writing about trusting God when it really hurts-in the deepest waters.

trustDawn KlingeMarch 29, 2015trust, pain, God's love, God's purpose

Dear Loved One, (how Jesus endured his pain)

Dear Loved One,

It breaks my heart to see you suffering. I want to offer you comfort and I feel helpless. I’ve tried to make you happy. I can tell you that I love you and offer you kind words. I can buy you flowers and trinkets. I can send you funny pictures that I think will make you laugh. I can take you out for a cup of coffee and listen if you want to talk. These are all good things, and I’m happy to do them. I won’t stop. But I’m learning something. I might be able to bring a smile to your day and offer you a momentary amount of happiness, but I can’t take away your pain.

trustDawn KlingeMarch 25, 2015perfect love, wisdom, God's love, God is sovereign, God's purpose, gospel, Jesus, pain, trust

Trusting God When It Really Hurts

Today, I've got all kinds of pressing matters upon me, things like pulling the dryer out from the wall, to sweep behind and scrubbing the bricks around the fireplace. Rearrange the pictures on the walls? Yes. Suddenly the arrangement they’ve been in really bothers me. But sit down and write? I want to. I really do, but these words are not easy. Today’s topic is about trusting God when it really hurts. I tend to shy away from pain, both my own and other people’s. Jesus didn't shy away from pain though, so tough as it is, by His grace, neither will I.

trust, most popularDawn KlingeMarch 23, 2015trust, what trusting in God is, Jesus, pain

An Everyday Story About Trusting God

It wasn’t what we wanted. It would only be for a little while-or that was the idea. It ended up being eight years. The plan after college was to move to southern California. Instead, we ended up moving back to Wenatchee, Washington, our hometown.

trustDawn KlingeMarch 22, 2015stories, Holding Hands, what trusting in God is, trust

The Sign- a goodbye tradition

The walk to school each morning isn’t long enough. I understand better now, why my son has a million and one stall tactics for bedtime each night. One more drink, a sudden episode of utter starvation, a missing stuffed animal that he simply cannot sleep without, a request for more snuggles...the list goes on and on. He loves life and he doesn’t want to miss out on anything. If he hears laughter after he’s been tucked into bed, he’ll come running, footed pajamas shuffling along the wood floors, to the living room.

familyDawn KlingeMarch 18, 2015tradition, family, love, parenting

Your Sovereign Hand Will Be My Guide

’ve written a lot up to this point on why God is trustworthy and how it helps us live a life of joy and peace when we put our trust in him, but today, I want to write about how trusting God is an act of worship that we can give to him. It’s hard to understand how much it means to God, for us to say, your sovereign hand will be my guide, until we understand how much he really loves us. Pause for a moment and think about this…. God loves you so much, that even if you were the only one on earth who needed saving, who needed his Son to die for your sin; he still would have made that sacrifice for you alone.

trustDawn KlingeMarch 16, 2015worship, love, worry, Jesus, trust