Overcoming Discouragement

More Than My Struggles

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory:
While doing a yoga routine for fibromyalgia on YouTube earlier this week, the woman who does the video said that fibromyalgia is only a very small portion of who she is. She doesn’t let it rule her life or her daily activities. This idea really intrigued me because I live with fibromyalgia and other chronic symptoms every day. Those symptoms do tend to rule my day at times. Then I thought that this could be applied to all of us. What influences, emotions, health issues or other things do we let rule our lives and discourage us sometimes? Instead of allowing discouragement, fear, pain, or other influences rule us, what would happen if we chose to be guided by faith, hope, and truth? 

More Than My Struggles

I wake up every day with more chronic symptoms than I could say,
And even though I try, these symptoms do get in my way.
But I am stronger than I look on the outside,
Even though no one can see all the tears I have cried.

My health issues are only a small portion of me,
Even though the rest of who I am can be hard to see.
I have many days when I just want to stay in bed
And pull the covers back over my tired head.

I ask myself the question, “What will I let influence me today?”
Will I let my health issues lead my exhausted heart astray?
Will I let outside influences that aren’t important determine my worth?
Or will I remember that I have been loved by many since before my birth?

Will I cling to my Heavenly Father in prayer on bended knee
And ask Him to send His light to my life so I can more clearly see?
Yes, I will try to cling to Him who loves me more than anyone,
And to let His light into my life like the rays of the sun.

I am human and I know that I will occasionally stray,
But my loving Heavenly Father will be by my side every day.
He will help me when I am feeling down and blue,
Because He loves me and He is stuck to me like glue.

The Takeaway: Instead of letting things like health issues, emotions, or other people rule our lives, we should let our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father guide us the most. We are stronger than we look on the outside. Other people can’t see what we struggle with in our souls. We all may be facing difficult things while still choosing to trust and have faith in our Heavenly Father. He will be with us every day of our lives. We just need to turn to Him in faith and we can overcome whatever challenges await us.

Watch the YouTube short here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N8S2wEtKAMM

Held in God’s Hands

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-June 25th, 2026

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God sometimes seem to simply watch as we suffer?

Those are difficult questions, and I don’t know all the answers.

Listening to the audiobook Flying in Love by Chalon Linton, one of the characters asked this very question while his mother was dying of cancer. It made me think about my own life and the chronic illnesses I live with every day. While I have never faced something as terrifying as cancer, I do know what it feels like to struggle through hard days, to grieve the things my body can no longer do, and to sometimes battle feelings of darkness and discouragement.

So what keeps me going?

It is my faith that I am in God’s hands.

I believe that our Heavenly Father loves us deeply and is aware of every struggle we face. He knows our hearts, our fears, and the tears we cry when no one else sees them. While I may never fully understand why certain trials come into my life, I do believe that our challenges can shape us, refine us, and strengthen our faith if we allow them to.

Most of all, I believe I am never alone. Jesus Christ walks beside us in our suffering. Because of His Atonement, He understands every pain, every fear, every moment of exhaustion and weakness. He has felt it all.

Have you ever wondered why God allows suffering? And in your hardest moments, where have you felt His love and presence?

Even when the answers don’t come, I find peace in knowing that I am held in the hands of a loving Father and a compassionate Savior.

The Language of Hope

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

My Daily Musings-June 14th, 2026

Andrew Peterson once said, “The gospel gives me hope, and hope is not a language the dark voices understand.”

I love this quote because the gospel fills my life with hope. When discouragement tries to creep in, I remember that I have a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem me and walk beside me through every trial. Because of Him, I never have to carry my burdens alone.

There are many voices in the world that try to convince us that there is no hope, that our struggles are too great, or that things will never get better. But what happens when we choose to listen to the voice of faith instead? What changes when we fix our eyes on God rather than our fears?

Even on days when the clouds feel heavy and the road seems difficult, the gospel reminds me that I am never alone. Through Christ, there is always hope—hope for today, hope for tomorrow, and hope for eternity.

Bulletproof Faith

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My Daily Musings-May 29th, 2026

Sometimes life tests us in ways we never expected. I recently watched a Touched By an Angel episode where Monica said that the only thing truly bulletproof is faith—faith in God, not in ourselves or anyone else. That thought stayed with me.

Is my faith strong enough to withstand the hardest days? When discouragement, fear, or unanswered prayers come, do I still trust that Heavenly Father is near?

I know I have moments when I struggle, especially with my health. But when I look back over my life, I can see that faith has carried me through every difficult season. Even on the days when my strength feels small, God’s love and presence remain steady. He is always there, waiting for me to reach out to Him in prayer.

Maybe bulletproof faith doesn’t mean never doubting or never struggling. Maybe it means continuing to hold on to God, even in the middle of the storm.

The Names Heaven Calls Me

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
Lately, I’ve been working with my therapist on understanding my thoughts—especially the discouraging ones that seem to show up uninvited, often on my hardest health days. I’ve learned that while I can’t always control which thoughts enter my mind, I can choose what I do with them. We also talked about the labels I sometimes place on myself, like defining myself by my chronic illness. But deep down, I know that’s not who I truly am. I am a beloved daughter of a Heavenly King. This writing grew out of my effort to let that truth speak louder than the discouragement, and to gently redirect my thoughts back to who God says I am.

The Names Heaven Calls Me

Sometimes thoughts come into my mind
And honestly, they are not very kind.
They come in like a wind that I can’t control
But in my mind, they shouldn’t play a big role.

I sometimes define myself by my chronic illness
And I get discouraged when I am by myself in the stillness.
With fatigue and pain in my body each day,
And the weight on my shoulders is a heavy price to pay.

I am told that I can control each thought
That enters my mind so that I’m not so distraught.
So, I try to stay positive even when it’s hard
Because my illness makes my heart constantly feel scarred.

Just when I feel like I can’t make it anymore,
My Heavenly Father is there to get me up off the floor.
He knows my every struggle even when I feel alone
And like my worries and burdens are to everyone unknown.

I am the beloved daughter of a Heavenly King
And this should make my soul want to sing!
So I try to feel His warm embrace on my skin
And I know with Him, my daily battles I will win.

The Takeaway: Not every thought that enters your mind deserves to stay. You are not defined by your hardest days, your struggles, or the labels you’ve carried. When discouragement comes, you can choose—again and again—to see yourself the way God sees you: loved, known, and more than enough.