Stress often rises when the outcome feels uncertain. We wonder, What will happen? How will this work out? What if the worst comes true?

Our minds run ahead into tomorrow, trying to solve scenarios that haven’t happened. We search for God in the future we’re afraid of and feel unsettled when we can’t sense him there.

But when Moses asked God his name, God answered, “I am.”

Not “I was.”
Not “I will be.”
“I am.”

This matters because God’s name is present tense. The place we most fully experience his presence is not in our imagined worst-case future but in the actual moment where we are breathing, praying, needing, and being held.

When tomorrow comes, God will meet us there too. But today, he is here. In this conversation. In this diagnosis. In this decision. In this ordinary or difficult hour.

Whatever is weighing on you, you don’t have to figure it all out before you come to God. You are allowed to bring him your questions, your fear, your tired mind, and your unfinished faith. His nearness does not depend on your calmness.

The future is uncertain, but God’s love is not. Nothing can separate you from him today, not even your worries about tomorrow.

Cheering you on,

Holley

Three resources for you:

Stress is part of being human, but sometimes it can feel like too much. I’ve written a 5-day Bible reading plan that will help you remember God is with you, he cares about every detail of your life, and nothing is impossible with him. He wants to give you less stress and more peace—not when life is perfect, but right in the middle of whatever you’re facing. Click here or on the image below for the 5 daily devos!

If the world feels overwhelming right now and you’re not sure what to do or say, I want to offer a simple invitation: pause and pray. Prayers for Peace of Mind was created for moments like these, with short reflections, grounding prayers, and steady truths you can hold on to and share with others. If that feels supportive, you can learn more and read a free excerpt here. There’s also a (free) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan! Click here for 7 days of Scripture-based encouragement, prayers, and truths… or share the Plan with a friend who is feeling anxious, stressed, or worried right now.

Lastly, if you’re feeling stress and pain from a relationship, Heal After You’re Hurt is a resource I created just for you. I treasure my folder full of emails from graduates that say, “You helped me feel less alone and gave me what I needed to move forward.” If you’d like truth, tools, and the insights that helped me heal from one of the hardest seasons of my life, you’re warmly invited to learn more.

But I’m finding so much of life is mystery and waiting. It’s uncertainty and change. It’s guessing and detours. What we need to know isn’t what’s going to happen; it’s what will still be true no matter what does.

The question we’re asking isn’t really “What’s next?” It’s “Am I going to be okay?” The answer is yes; we’re going to be okay. Perhaps not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday.

Our circumstances aren’t our identity, and our struggles aren’t our destiny. We are loved where we are right now. We will be loved wherever we end up tomorrow. We are part of a bigger plan than we can understand. We are not lost or forgotten, behind or ahead, early or late. We are on the confusing and glorious journey of being humans who are walking to our eternal home.

Let’s surrender to the not knowing.

Let’s rest in the certainty of God’s love.

It’s okay if you don’t figure it out today.

Gratefully,

Holley 

MORE FOR YOU

A prayer: God, so much of what you do is a mystery, but your love for me today is a certainty.

A reflection question: What unknown are you trusting God with today?

I went back-to-school shopping with my grandkids, Eula and Clem, this week. She’s eight, he’s six, and they both have more energy in an hour than I often do in a week. Ha!

(If you don’t know our family story, their Mama joined our family as an adult so we skipped a few steps to becoming Nana and Poppi.)

As we looked at notebooks and pens, lunch boxes and glue sticks, I thought about how as kids being a beginner is built into our lives.

We start a new school year, make new friends, and experience things we never have before. We show up and say, “I’m here to learn.”

Yet as adults, we tend to put pressure on ourselves to have everything figured out. We walk into a new situation and think we should know what to do right away. We face a question and think we’re failing if we don’t know the answer.

What if in this back-to-school season we let ourselves take a deep breath instead?

Maybe you’re going through a season of transition, navigating a shift in a relationship, or walking through an unexpected struggle. Perhaps you’re launching a business, stepping into a dream, or holding a baby who just came into the world.

Whatever is new in your life, you’re allowed to be a beginner. It’s normal to still feel like a kid on the first day of school sometimes—a little unsure, kind of confused, perhaps anxious or even excited.

So often what we want from ourselves is perfection when what we really need is permission to be human.

The God who created you and calls you beloved will walk with you into everything new.

And in whatever feels uncertain today, it’s still okay to say, “I’m here to learn.”

Cheering you on,

Holley

—

Do You Love to Write?

Through the years people have often said to me, “I’ve always wanted to write” or “I tried writing but now I feel stuck.”

I often find that feeling like we’re not allowed to be beginners is what’s getting in the way. Yet anytime we want to grow in an area, learning, encouragement, and helpful resources are simply part of the process.

So I created Be a Kick-Butt Writer by Friday for you. It’s what I wish someone had shared with me when I first started writing. It’s also what I still go back to whenever I feel stuck.

If this sounds helpful to you, you’re warmly invited to find out more.

You too?

We often learn early that approval comes from getting it right, working hard, making someone proud, or being who others need us to be. Before long, it’s easy to imagine God works the same way. But from the very beginning, his heart has been different.

The first words spoken over humanity weren’t instructions to earn his affection. They were the declaration that what he created, including us, was good. Before there was striving, there was belonging. Before there was proving, there was love.

What happened in Eden changed many things, but not that reality. We see this affirmed when Jesus welcomed the people who felt least qualified to come near. The weary. The overlooked. The ones who carried more questions than answers.

Jesus doesn’t treat people like an improvement project, as we often do with ourselves. Instead he reveals what has always been true about the heart of God. Love isn’t the outcome after we’ve finally become enough. It’s where God begins with us.

We spend so much of our lives asking, “What do I need to do?” Perhaps a more healing question is, “What’s God inviting me to receive?” His kindness. His presence. His delight. His voice reminding us that belovedness isn’t something we achieve but something we awaken to, again and again.

The beautiful surprise is that when we stop reaching for love as though it’s somewhere out ahead of us, we discover it’s already here. God has never been waiting for us to become more lovable. He’s been waiting with open arms, ready to help us live from the love that has been ours all along.

Wherever we find ourselves today, the truest thing about us is that we are beloved.

And whenever we start worrying love is a reward, that truth is the deeper reality we can trust, that we can relate to each other from, that we can always come home to again.

Gratefully,

Holley Gerth

GO DEEPER IN YOUR HEALING

Sometimes it’s hard to receive the love that’s already ours because past hurts have taught us to expect something different. If that resonates with you, I’ve created a resource to come alongside you. My online course, Heal After You’re Hurt, grew out of one of the hardest seasons of my own life and shares the truth, tools, and insights that helped me heal. If it would encourage you in this season, you’re warmly invited to learn more.

Maybe, like me, you’re wondering, How did it go by so fast?

My Granny Eula will celebrate her 95th birthday this Friday. Her life motto is, “Open door, open heart.” She also tells me time doesn’t slow down—it only speeds up.

That makes me want to create intentional pauses in my life, moments to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going.

We all live with limits on our time, energy, and emotional capacity. This isn’t a weakness; it’s simply part of being human. For much of my life, I responded to that reality by pushing harder.

But we can only do that for so long. Eventually our minds, hearts, and bodies say, “Enough.” It can be startling when we realize we simply can’t do all we once thought we could.

Yet that realization can also become a gift.

Our “yes” becomes a response instead of an automatic reaction. We move toward the people who make us feel like we can exhale. We remember our worth isn’t found in what we accomplish. Instead, we discover again that we are inherently beloved.

Today, perhaps we can pause and ask, “When I look back on 2026, what do I want to be true about it?”

For me, I want it to be a year when I created, loved, rested, and played.

Whatever your answer might be, it’s not too late for it to become true. Not perfectly, and perhaps not exactly as you imagined back in January, but in small ways that add up over time.

We’re already halfway there.

Now we get to choose how we move forward.

Cheering you on,

Holley

ANOTHER REASON TO CELEBRATE

Eighteen years ago this month, I started blogging at HolleyGerth.com. More than two thousand free posts later, I’m still grateful for every reader. Whether you’re new here or you’ve been with me from the beginning, thank you.

To celebrate this milestone—and being halfway through the year—my Find Your Purpose in This Season online course is on sale until midnight on Monday. You can sign up now, start whenever you’re ready, and go at your own pace.

“I found this course true to how it was described and I learned new things about myself that brought me deeper peace and understanding. It also got me through a very anxious time and helped bring me to clarity. I warmly recommend this gentle and inspiring course.” – Eszter

If this feels like it could be your next step, you can find out more here.

I imagine a hazmat team beating down the door at any moment. One of my in-laws showing up to repossess my husband. Paparazzi peeking in the windows to snap a scandalous shot of the wreckage.

I look at my husband and declare, “I feel like a failure because the kitchen is a mess.” I know these words are irrational. Everyone has messy times in their lives. But on this morning those words feel true. He chuckles at my perfectionist self. “We’ve been traveling and really busy,” he says with a grin and an arm around my shoulders.

This bit of grace is enough to throw me a lifeline. And into that space comes this reminder: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38-39).

And quite suddenly and unexpectedly I’m writing my own version….

Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Neither messy kitchens nor dirty dishes, neither stressful deadlines or chaotic travel, neither all I have to do today or what’s on my schedule for tomorrow—not even the lie of the enemy saying “You’re a failure” can separate me from God’s love.

How would you fill in those blanks?

Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Neither (screaming children, a hard diagnosis, the amount of wine I had last night, a crumbling marriage, the bad hair day) nor (what anyone says about me, how many times I’ve messed up before, my insecurity or feelings of inadequacy, the latest bad news on TV)—not even the sneaky attacks of the enemy (on my heart, my work, my family) can separate me from God’s love.

There’s always a reason to believe God isn’t going to love us anymore. But there is also one reason we can always know that isn’t true: The Cross. It is bigger than mountains of dishes or the hardest of divorces or the scariest diagnosis. It is the one constant in our crazy lives, the ever-present declaration telling us over and over again, “You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.”

Mark and I clear the counters and load the dishwasher. As we do, my thoughts begin to clear too. It’s so easy to let my circumstances or environment define me. But God alone gets to determine my identity. He looks at all that’s in my life, in my heart, in my kitchen sink and He still calls me always and without hesitation, “Beloved.”

He’s saying the same to you. To all of us. Whatever may happen, however we may feel, Love gets the final word in our lives today.

Cheering you on,

Holley

MORE FOR YOU

Mother’s Day is coming soon, and if you’d love to help a mom, daughter, sister, or another woman in your life feel truly seen and loved, my devotional 365 Truths for Every Woman’s Heart makes a meaningful gift. It’s on sale right now, and if you order soon, it should arrive in time for Mother’s Day!

And if you want a gift for yourself this Mother’s Day, then my Find Your Purpose in this Season course is a gentle guide to help you understand who God created you to be, what he’s calling you to do, and how to live that out in practical ways every day. If that resonates with you, you’re invited to find out more about the course.

You can feel it in small ways. The light lasts a little longer. The air shifts. There’s a sense that what felt dormant might not stay that way forever. And depending on where you are right now, that can feel really comforting…or a little complicated.

Because maybe part of your life does feel new. There’s fresh energy, a sense of movement, even excitement about what’s ahead. Or maybe you’re in a season that still feels heavy, the kind where you’re showing up, doing what you can, but things haven’t changed the way you hoped they would.

Most of us, if we’re honest, are holding a bit of both. Hope in one area. Hard in another. And sometimes we wonder if we’re doing it “right,” if we should feel more joyful or more certain about what’s next.

But God doesn’t ask us to choose between hope and honesty.

He meets us in both. He’s present in the places that are blooming and in the ones that still feel like winter. He isn’t waiting for everything in your life to line up neatly before He calls this season good. He’s already with you in it, right now, as it is.

You don’t have to get to a certain place before you can step into what’s next. You are already held, already seen, already invited into what God is doing, even if part of your story still feels unfinished. Even if it’s tender. Even if it’s slow.

New seasons don’t cancel out hard ones. Often, they grow right alongside them. A small shoot pushing up through the soil doesn’t mean winter never happened. It means life is still at work in the middle of it.

So wherever you find yourself today, you don’t have to force hope or deny what’s hard. You can hold both. You can say, “This is difficult,” and also, “God is still at work here.” You can notice what’s hurting and still stay open to what’s beginning.

One small way to lean into that today is to take a moment and gently ask, “Where do I see signs of life or growth right now?” They might be small, maybe barely even noticeable. They might not change everything. But they count, and they mean there’s more to come.

Because new seasons don’t always arrive all at once. Sometimes they come through little reminders that you’re not alone, you’re loved, and your story isn’t finished yet.

Gratefully,

Holley 

MORE FOR YOU

If you’re looking for extra support in this season or you’re ready for something new, my Spring Course Sale might be fun for you!

All four of my online courses are included: Heal After You’re Hurt. Be a Kick-Butt Writer by Friday. 7 Ways to Thrive as an Introvert. Find Your Purpose in This Season.

You can choose what fits where you are. If one has been on your heart, now is a good time to begin. Each course is self-paced, designed to fit your real-life, and give you what you need to take your next steps forward!

Take a look and choose the one that fits you best before the sale is over: See All the Courses 

In a world full of news headlines and shifting opinions, uncertainty and endless scrolling, so many of us are asking that question.

We long to know what’s real and true. What can get us through the moments when we wake in the night. When we answer the phone and hear words that change everything. If life feels like a tornado and we’re desperate for solid ground beneath our feet.

I keep coming back to these three words when everything feels unsteady: You are beloved.

Not just loved, which is an action toward you, but beloved. This is your unshakeable, eternal, imparted identity. It is your deepest security. It’s what can never be taken from you.

God is love.

Therefore, you are beloved.

There is no breaking news bigger than this reality. No mistake powerful enough to change it. No moment, breath, or second when you aren’t held in the center of this truth.

Because the source of your belovedness is God himself, and his character will not change.

He tells you to ask because he provides.
He reminds you to seek because he guides.
He invites you to knock because you’re welcome in his presence.

This is what you can know for sure today.

Cheering you on,

Holley

FUN NEWS:
I’m sharing a Guided Scripture video on the YouVersion Bible App about how God takes care of us, and I’d love for you to see it.

It will only be featured on the app’s homepage for one day, so be sure to check it out! Just open the Bible app on your phone and it should be right there.

If you miss it, don’t worry—you can access it along with more than 20 free devotional plans I’ve created for you on my partner page. And if you don’t have the YouVersion app yet, you can download it for free here: https://youversion.com/bible-app

—

God,

Whew, I am showing up tired today. It feels vulnerable to say those words to you. But then I remember Jesus napped on a boat in a storm, rested wearily by a well, and needed time away from the chaos of life to pray.

You know what it’s like to live in a world where all is not as it should be, and you said you would help me. I ask for you to empower me to trust that I am deeply loved as I am. My identity is secure in you. I don’t have to strive to earn approval or be perfect to gain belonging.

I release everything and everyone to you. I choose to place each person that I care for in your hands. I give you all of my worries and cares, stresses and anxieties, unanswered questions and what is unknown in my future.

In return, I receive your strength to sustain me through this day. You have promised I will never be on my own in anything I face. I ask for your peace that passes understanding in each moment. I pray for your protection around me and all those I love.

I believe that you have good plans for me, that even now you are working them out. Thank you for all you have done for me, and all you are still doing. Most of all, I’m grateful for your presence with me.

I am never alone. I am always loved. I trust this is true now and forever.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Will you pause for a moment to pray with and for me today? I would especially appreciate prayer for a book I’m finishing as well as protection around our family and friendships. Thank you so much!

More for You

I’ve created over 20 free devotional plans for you on the YouVersion Bible app (it’s the one that looks like a little Bible on your phone). To find all the plans, search for “Holley Gerth” in the app or go to my YouVersion page. If you click “follow” on the page, you’ll be notified about all my new plans too!

I’ve heard that sentence from dear friends, resilient clients, and strangers whose conversations I can’t help but overhear as I write in coffee shops.

It’s usually whispered. Sometimes it comes wrapped in a laugh. Other times it shows up after a long story about a relationship that didn’t work, an emotion that felt too big, or a habit someone can’t seem to change.

“There’s something wrong with me.”

I don’t instantly argue with those words. Not because I agree—but because that sentence is usually carrying pain, not logic. It’s an interpretation that comes out of disappointment, shame, or exhaustion.

When someone says this about themselves, what they’re often noticing is a pattern. I keep reacting this way. I can’t seem to fix this. Other people don’t struggle like I do.

And here’s the gentle truth: noticing a struggle doesn’t mean there’s something inherently broken about you. It means you’re human. It means you learned ways of coping that made sense at the time. It means your nervous system, your heart, and your history are all trying to keep you safe in the only ways they know how.

Instead of saying, “Something is wrong with me,” try responding to what you’re feeling with curiosity so you can understand what’s really happening.

“Something hurts.”

“Something needs care.”

“Something in me is worried.”

That shifts the focus from self-criticism to story. From condemnation to compassion.

When you say “something is wrong with me,” you can also pause and ask questions: What just happened that made me conclude this? Was it a mistake? A conflict? A wave of emotion that felt embarrassing or overwhelming? 

Then speak to yourself the way you would to someone you love.

If your child, your partner, or your closest friend said, “There’s something wrong with me,” you wouldn’t pile on evidence. You’d lean in. You’d listen. You might say, “Tell me more,” or “That sounds really hard.” You’d ask, “What do you need?” or “How can I help?”

Offer yourself that care.

Then pass it on to others.

Sometimes there is something that needs attention—an unhealthy pattern, a boundary that needs strengthening, a wound that needs tending. But seeking healing is very different from being hard on ourselves.

What the life of Jesus shows us is this:

You’re not a problem to be solved.

You’re a person to be loved.

So is every other human on this earth.

Instead of fixating on what we think is wrong with ourselves or each other, can we remember that truth together today?

Gratefully,

Holley

More for You

* More than Small Talk – Sometimes we say “something is wrong with me” when we don’t achieve a goal we’ve set. If that sounds like you, then our recent episode, Why Your New Year’s Resolution Didn’t Make it to February, will give you a new perspective and practical help!

* 365 Truths – If your heart needs daily reminders of what’s true, you’ll find them in 365 Truths for Every Woman’s Heart. To get started right now, download a free excerpt. You can also read the free YouVersion Bible app plan.

* Online Course – If pain in a relationship is making you say, “something is wrong with me,” then Heal After You’re Hurt is a resource I created just for you. I treasure my folder full of emails from graduates that say, “You helped me feel less alone and gave me what I needed to move forward.”