The Best Thing for Now

a reflection on seasons, faithfulness, and limits

Hello sweet sisters,

I want to apologize for starting the Titus 2 series and then not finishing it. I had big plans to write it, and big plans for this Substack in general, but the Lord had other plans.

“A man’s heart plans his way,

But the LORD directs his steps.”

— Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

To tell the truth, this has become the busiest season I’ve ever had as a homemaker. Between training a very spirited three-year-old, teaching my son to read and write, managing my “middle girls’” (as I affectionately call them) homeschool for third, fourth, sixth, and seventh grades, and mentoring my two oldest daughters who are in high school (they are 16 and 17), I truly had no idea how much time, mental focus, and emotional energy it would take.

Discipling and caring for the hearts of teen girls has been far more weighty than I expected. They are amazing girls who love the Lord, and we have a very close mother-daughter relationship. But that closeness also means I am the one they come to with all of their big and small life questions. I am so incredibly thankful for this gift and this season, but it has left me with very little time—or brain capacity—for writing online biblical teachings.

I really believe this has been providential. Over the last few years, the Lord has been pruning me of sin, chastening me for discontentment and pride, and teaching me much about what it truly looks like to walk the path of a biblical woman through the various seasons of life. I am still growing into a Titus 2 older woman, but I am not there yet. I am still very much in the trenches of raising my children, and it is right and good that my husband and children come before any online ministry or endeavors.

This past Sunday, the men of our church reminded us of the importance of Deuteronomy 6 ministry to our children, and one of them said something that really struck me. He said, “Sometimes we are doing good things, but not the best things.” The first thing that came to mind for me was this Titus 2 series. It is a good thing, but for this season, it isn’t the best thing.

So I’ve decided to make my writing here much more casual. Writing is something I genuinely enjoy and can do for fun in the small margins of my day—as long as it doesn’t involve studying and preparing a full biblical teaching through a passage.

The other thing I’ve decided to do is start a book club here. My plan is to choose a book, let you all know about it, and then we can read and discuss it together. This takes the pressure off of me to “teach,” and instead allows us to learn alongside one another. I’ll be announcing the book soon and sharing more details about how the book club will work.

I’m really looking forward to this, and I hope many of you will participate. It will be completely free.

Until next time,

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Abiding in Christ,

Stacey