5 Friday Favorites: July 24, 2026
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.
Happy Friday, Friends! If you’re keeping track of my version of The Summer I Turned Pretty which has been renamed The Summer I Turned into a Hobo, today I’m writing to you from the home of some of our dearest friends. We are house and dog sitting for them while their family is at the beach.
If you aren’t caught up on why Steve, Drew and I have become squatters in various places around the country, here’s the boring explanation you didn’t ask for.
In addition to our very generous friends and their sweet puppy dogs, here are some favorite things from the week.
Whistler by Ann Patchett
I listened to this audio book this week. It is read by the author, whose talent is so out of this world, I can’t even wrap my head around it. I adored this book. Such a beautiful story.
2.Ilia Skin Blur Concealer
I’ve tried all manner of concealers over the years from Tarte Shape Tape to Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser to Jane Iradele Circle Delete but it seems it’s a whole new day for my undereye situation. sigh. I’m not sure if this one from Ilia is the answer to my woes, but it seems to sit on top of that thin skin under my eyes, rather than seeping into the creases and caking around the fine lines. This seems like a win - a small win, but still a win.
3.Hitster: The Music Party Game
My hair stylist just got back from a beach vacation and said he and his family loved playing the game, Hitster. while they were together. It sounds like a blast for music-loving families and since the songs span several decades, all generations can enjoy playing together.
4.Speaking Terms by Ella Langley
I’m still on an Ella Langley kick and this song is a beautiful one about wondering if God is still present when you aren’t sure you’re hearing His voice.
5.Some Thoughts on Colossians 3:12
Confession: If you, Dear Reader, thought that since I write a lot about Jesus, it would follow that I have a long-established, consistent quiet time with my Bible, my journal and my morning devotionals, you shall henceforth be called, Misled Reader.
I’m not at all consistent. I’m not at all established. I am constantly striving for a better, more reliable routine - one to which I will magically be able to commit that will result in a deeper, sturdier connection to Him and in a better, more Christ-like version of me.
Alas, Jesus and I are still working at it. In the last several months, I’d guess that I’ve successfully opened my Bible before my phone about five times.
PLEASE HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE.
On one of those five days, I read Colossians 3:12 and I realized again - DUH - why it is so important to spend time in Scripture. This is a verse I’ve certainly read before, but obviously one that I needed to read again because OH MY WORD, did it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Of course, I’m not surprised by the list of items of “clothing” we are asked to wear. These are not words we need to look up in the dictionary. They aren’t confusing or vague. As believers, we ought to find this instruction fairly obvious. And most of us would contend that we aren’t out in the world attempting to be apathetic, cruel, arrogant, harsh and impatient. But just because we aren’t intentionally clothing ourselves in those negative attributes, it doesn’t mean we’re automatically following the directive.
Confession 2: In the past several months, I have found it very hard to clothe myself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. In fact, it seems that I have misplaced all those things of late. Perhaps when we moved last month and I cleared out my closet, throwing jeans, leggings and sweaters into boxes, I somehow buried compassion and kindness deep under those clothes. Maybe I threw gentleness and patience right into the giveaway pile.
Shamefully, I have justified this with the idea that I simply don’t have the bandwidth right now. Somewhere in the depths of my tiny, selfish pea-brain, I convinced myself that I was too busy during this summer of transition and chaos to be expected to clothe myself with anything other than focus, productivity and hustle.
YIKES.
It’s perfectly appropriate to cram heavy sweaters into a box at the top of my closet during the blazing heat of summer. A sweater would be burdensome, uncomfortable - even unbearable. But that’s not true for the clothing Paul speaks about in Colossians. I’m not allowed to pack away compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience simply because I’ve determined they won’t fit adequately during a certain season of my life. For the past several months, as I’ve bulldozed through tasks attempting to manage my new (ab)normal, I’ve decided it is reasonable for me to throw on a heavy jacket of anxiety and self-centeredness on top of all of my busy-ness. “This is the season I’m in right now”, I’ve told myself. “Surely no one can expect more from me.”
Maybe many of my family members and friends don’t expect more from me right now. They’ve been incredibly understanding and supportive. But guess who does expect more?
Bingo.
Life is gonna keep on life-ing. Jesus told me so in John 16:33. But He never told me I could take a sabbatical from opening my eyes to the needs of others. He didn’t say I was allowed to be impatient because I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. He didn’t say I can have a pass on kindness just because that person legitimately annoys the fire out of me.
It should be easy for me to dress this way. But it’s not. And the only way I can ever get those items of clothing to fit - no matter what season I am in - is to first fully understand how dearly loved I am by our Savior. A Savior who entered a season when He knew He was about to give up His very life. A season of such intense agony that when He prayed, His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
And what did He do during that season of chaos and fear? Did He turn inward and ignore the people God had called Him to serve?
No.
He washed His disciples’ feet - an act of such great compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility and patience that it would only be eclipsed when He was nailed to a cross to die for us.
I don’t know what season you’re going through right now, but we don’t get a pass. We have to open up our closets, pull down those boxes and unpack the clothing He requires us to wear in every single season. Let’s go get dressed.
Y’all have a great weekend.