"The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them."

‭Psalm 25:14 (NIV)

𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨

It may sneak up on you, surprising with its sharpness, as pleasantly startling as a splash of cool water on a sticky summer day.

Or it may slide over you, soothing in its softness, as warmly comforting as a hand-stitched quilt on a bitter winter night.

It may come in a flash and leave in an instant, like a firefly’s light pulsing in the dark.

Or it may rise slowly and grow gradually, like the sun peering over the horizon.

In whatever way it comes and however long it lasts, you want it. You may search long and strive hard for it, but it is hard to define and even harder to find.

What is it, you ask?

In a word—belonging.

Oh, how we want to belong. To find a place where we are accepted for who we are, to be among a group of souls who understand us, to share a language we all can speak—these are some of the deepest longings of the human heart. More than our words could ever express, we long to be known and understood with no striving or pretending required.

Yet in our desire to find a place to belong, that is exactly what we do. We strive. We pretend. We play a role and act a part. We work hard to gain acceptance in others’ eyes, and then we wonder why our sense of belonging feels fragile, like a gossamer butterfly’s wing that could be crushed at any moment.

But deep inside we know the truth we dare not deny: that is not the way to find belonging. The path that leads to the destination we seek is not the street called “Strive.” It is the road named “Rest.”

When we strive, we lose ourselves in the process.

When we rest, we find ourselves along the way.

By resting in who we are as sons and daughters of the Creator, we find an identity that does not change and is not affected by shifting surroundings. Others may influence us, but God alone has the power to transform us. And we need not fear losing His love.

He provides a place where we will always belong: in the center of His heart.

“... your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3b NIV)

𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴

While things have been fairly quiet as far as my own writing is concerned—no pieces published elsewhere and no new major projects—when it comes to the world of publishing, things have been busy. We finally closed submissions for the Charlie Kirk anthology and are currently editing pieces for that. Once that's done, I plan to get started on the formatting and interior design, which will be a new endeavor for me.

It's true I didn't get published, but I did get interviewed. Victoria Julieann, co-host of the Counter Culture Teen Podcast, recently invited me on the show to talk a bit about what drives the work of Flame of Faith Publishing and to offer practical advice and encouragement for others seeking to discover and develop their gifts. Victoria also happens to be my writing partner and mentee, and it was great to get to talk with her. You can find our conversation here. (And if you're a Christian teen wanting to be challenged in your faith, or you know someone who fits in that category, I would definitely recommend Victoria's podcast!)

On a different note, I recently started working as an intern for a brand-new Christian magazine for girls! Crown of Beauty Magazine is intended to encourage and inspire girls in the pursuit of godly womanhood. I'm truly honored to be able to have a small part in it. I've never helped with the behind-the-scenes tasks of putting together a magazine before, but it's been fun. Our debut issue is so close to coming out—it's due to launch this summer. If you'd like to find out more about the heart and mission behind Crown of Beauty, feel free to check out our introductory post here: "Reviving Dreams: Welcome to Crown of Beauty"

𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 (𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴)

Kendall Mariah

Over the past several months, I've been maintaining a (highly sporadic) presence on Substack and really enjoying the great content there. It's one of my new favorite places to hang out online. While I don't post much myself (at least, not at this point), I appreciate the things others share and like how supportive the community is in general. Here's one note from a little while back that has stuck with me, and I thought I'd share it with you:

ⓡⓔⓐⓓⓔⓡ ⓠⓤⓔⓢⓣⓘⓞⓝ

Have you found a community where you feel like you belong? Whether the answer is yes or no (or something else), I'd love to learn from where you are at in your journey toward belonging. Please tell me more about your experience.