Moving Forward in Faith

☕Monday, September 21, 2026

Good morning, friends. ☕❤️

This weekend was busy, but it was busy in the very best kind of way. It was full of friends, family, and God’s blessings, and honestly, it was exactly the kind of weekend that leaves your heart feeling full as you head into a new week. Mondays can be hard because they mean going back to work, going back to the schedules, the responsibilities, and all the craziness that comes with everyday life. Today is my first day back after having a long weekend last week, so I’m trying to walk into this Monday with a positive attitude and remember that a new week is a new opportunity.

This morning I was reading in Mark about the disciples and how they didn’t always understand what Jesus was telling them. He told them that He would have to go away, and they didn’t completely understand what was going to happen or why. And honestly, I find myself relating to them more than I probably want to admit. They were men just like us. They had questions. They had doubts. They worried. They didn’t always understand what God was doing.

Neither do I.

I struggle to understand things every day. There are things I pray about that I don’t understand the answer to, things that happen that I don’t understand the reason for, and seasons where I wonder what God is doing. But what I do know is that God has a plan. My job isn’t always to understand the plan. Sometimes my job is simply to trust Him enough to keep moving forward and do what He has called me to do.

We got a beautiful reminder of that this weekend.

We had baptisms, including a young child and a grown adult who had recently been saved and joined the church. They were baptized yesterday at my friend’s home, in the creek that runs in front of their house. Our church believes in baptism in a flowing, natural body of water rather than a traditional baptismal, and that’s part of what we believe based on Scripture.

Watching those baptisms was such a beautiful thing.

• 

It also brought back a very personal memory for me because two years from tomorrow was when my youngest was baptized. It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes. Baptism is important, but I’ve always understood that baptism isn’t what saves us. Being born again and being saved is what matters. Baptism is the outward acknowledgment of what has already happened inside.

• 

And sometimes I think we need those outward reminders in our own lives, too.

We need moments that remind us where we’ve been and what God has already done.

This weekend wasn’t just about church, though. It was also about family and friends, which is one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. We had dinner with friends, and I got to celebrate my firstborn, as I call her. Matt and I had only been married about six or seven weeks when my best friend, who is also my cousin, had a little girl. Macy became our first kid in so many ways. I babysat her during that first year, and over the years we’ve built a relationship that has never gone away. Now she’s 27.

• 

I don’t know how that happened because I’m pretty sure I blinked somewhere along the way. She’s grown into an amazing woman, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of her life.

That’s what I love about weekends like this. They remind me of how blessed I am. Life can be stressful. Work can be crazy. There are always things to worry about and things I don’t understand. But then I look around and realize how much God has given me through the people He has placed in my life.

And this week brings another blessing I’m looking forward to.

Clayton is coming home.

To say Mom’s heart is full is an understatement. I cannot wait to see my kid. It’s been about six weeks, going on seven, since we’ve seen him, and I’m counting down the days until I get to hug him again.

So as I head into this Monday, I’m choosing to focus on that.

I’m choosing to move past the doubt.

I’m choosing to move past the fear.

I’m choosing to move forward with faith.

I may not understand everything God is doing. I may have questions. I may have moments where I wonder why something is happening the way it is. But the disciples didn’t understand everything either, and that didn’t mean Jesus had abandoned them. It meant they had to learn to trust Him even when they couldn’t see the whole picture.

That’s something I need to remember today.

I don’t have to know everything that is coming this week. I don’t have to have every answer. I don’t have to understand every circumstance before I can move forward.

I just need to keep moving forward with faith.

Mark 9:23 says, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

So that’s where I’m starting this Monday.

Not with the fear of everything that could go wrong, but with faith in the One who already knows what’s ahead.

Whatever this week brings, I’m going to try to meet it with an open heart, a willing spirit, and a little more faith than I had yesterday.

And maybe that’s something you need to hear this morning, too. You may not understand what God is doing right now. You may have questions. You may even have doubts. But you don’t have to understand the entire plan to take the next step.

Sometimes you just have to trust Him and keep moving.

So, friends, what are you walking into this Monday carrying with you—doubt and fear, or faith and the expectation that God is still working even when you can’t see the whole picture?

Until tomorrow…

Keep your coffee warm, your Bible close, and your eyes open for the blessings God places in your path today. I’ll meet you back here tomorrow—with another cup of coffee and another conversation.

❤️ Mandy