5 Friday Favorites: September 5, 2025
It's time for my Friday link up with A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals.
On Fridays I share things that made me happy from the week - a photo, a song, a quote, a beauty product, a recipe, a pair of cute shoes, etc. If it's a product, sometimes it's something I actually own and sometimes something I just saw online that gave me a smile. Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's silly. I suppose I believe that God is in the simple details of life and yes, I can even find Him in a tube of lipstick.
Hello. Last week my heart was full of hope and optimism for the #1 Texas Longhorns. We had a crew of friends including Drew and some of his buddies for Labor Day weekend at Lake Anna. Just look at all the optimism pouring out of us at 11:59 am Eastern Standard Time.
Oh, the innocence.
Everything is fine. Let’s see what my favorite things from the week are that are not a 14-7 loss to Ohio State.
1. Both Sides Now by Drew Holcomb
Drew Holcomb’s beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now has been on repeat for me all week.
2. Short Sleeve Sweater
I think this short sleeve sweater is a great transition piece for moving from summer to fall. It comes in a bunch of colors.
PS Who do I think I am using the phrase “transition piece”? Anna Wintour? Feel free to roll your eyes at me.
3. Fun Coffee Mugs
Even though I drink coffee all year round when fall comes around it seems like it’s time for new coffee mugs. Ours are all mismatched and fading, which can be charming, I suppose, but I decided I needed some new ones. For the record, Steve does not think this is a necessary purchase. He’s fine drinking out of our Dole/Kemp ‘96 coffee mug. These are so pretty and come in lots of patterns and colors and do not cause any inadvertent early morning political discussions.
4. Broken Country
I usually don’t recommend a book before I finish, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that this one will continue to be as good as it was right out of the gate. I just started it a couple of days ago, but I have a feeling I’ll finish it quickly. It grabbed me right from the first page.
5. Thoughts on Purpose, Peace and Priorities
There’s a lot of talk (pressure?) in the Christian church about finding God’s purpose for your life. Listen for His voice. Discern His will. Discover the specific gift He has given you and use it for His glory. It’s all very exciting to believe that He created us on purpose for a purpose. Also, I might add, that it can be a bit stressful.
What if I miss it? What if He was just about to light that bush on fire when I got distracted by my gel manicure and spent that time obsessively peeling the polish off my nails instead of heeding the call of the Lord of the Universe?
On the other hand, what if you were paying attention? What if you feel in your heart that you’ve heard what God wants you to do? Even when you’re confident that you’ve determined your purpose, the peace that comes with that revelation doesn’t always last very long. Because NOW WHAT?
The Lord and I have been wrestling quite a bit about this purpose/calling concept for the past several years. Which is to say, “Hey, Jacob. I see your limp and I raise you one stiff neck and a knee that feels like it’s going to pop out of joint at any minute.”
Ultimately, I believe God’s purpose for each of us is to be in relationship with Him and to lead others into relationship with Him using whatever gifts He has uniquely equipped us with. I also contend that many of us have multiple calls on our one life. I think our callings might change depending on the season of life we’re in, on who God has planted in our families and in our communities, and on what skills we are physically or emotionally able to tap into at one time or another.
I have felt the peace that comes from being confident that I am living in the center of God’s will for my life a number of times. That doesn’t mean that sorting out all the particular avenues available to do so were always clear or easy.
For example, I felt absolute certainty that staying home to raise my boys was exactly what I was meant to do. I never once questioned the decision. That didn’t make it easy. It didn’t mean that many days weren’t tedious, exhausting and lonely. It didn’t make navigating the choices Steve and I had to make for our children crystal clear. It absolutely didn’t mean I didn’t make mistakes along the way.
What I have found in the past couple of years is that unfortunately, knowing what He wants us to do doesn’t promise sustained peace and contentment. He gives us a mission and then we have choices. We can ignore the call, sit on it for awhile (raises hand), or start moving. And if we choose to move we will likely face resistance, challenge and a lot of hard work. The peace we felt that moment we understood the call? That only returns from continually seeking His guidance for what our next step should be.
Discovering what He truly wants me to do in this season of my life might not make my path obvious, but on a practical level it can help determine my daily priorities - which in this world of multiple options and distractions is something your girl desperately needs.
The same trust that was required of me in determining the call He has placed on my life now that my boys are grown is the same trust I have to tap into to know how to proceed in that call. I must trust that He will reveal the priority of each step along the way. Jesus and I have been stepping together for quite some time. While I still might face stumbling blocks, frustration and confusion as I try to live according to His will, I’ll just keep stepping. As Eugene Peterson wrote when quoting the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the Christian walk is a long obedience in the same direction.
Have a great weekend.
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