personal growth

When I Fail Again

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory

Sometimes I am hard on myself when I make the same mistake over and over again. Then I feel like I’m a failure. I wonder if I will ever measure up and become a better person. As I thought about these feelings, I remembered the story in John 8:1–11 about the woman accused of adultery who was brought to Jesus. He didn’t condemn her. Jesus said to her accusers, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” After her accusers were gone, Jesus then spoke these powerful words to her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” I think it is the same with us today. He doesn’t condemn us. He doesn’t abandon or reject us when we fail. However, He knows who we can become and He wants us to turn away from sin and grow.

When I Fail Again

I make the same mistakes over and over again,
And I feel like a failure as I myself condemn.
I get discouraged in my mind and heart,
As I try to become better and do my part.

I tell myself that I’ll never measure up,
As oil runs low within my faith’s small cup.
I ask myself, “Why can’t I get anything right?”
On my journey of becoming, I might give up the fight.

I don’t know if I can keep going,
Because all of my mistakes must be showing.
As I am hard on myself, I feel strength coming from above,
My Savior is there for me with His amazing love.

I can’t imagine why He would come to me,
Because I’m not yet who I want to be.
I carry the weight of all of my mistakes and that is tough,
As I ask Jesus, “How will I ever be good enough?”

Jesus reassures me that I can come to Him just as I am,
And He will help me because He is the perfect Lamb.
He knows all of my mistakes and He loves me anyway,
And because of Him, my sins can be washed away.

The Takeaway: We are all human and we constantly make mistakes. We might feel unworthy to go to Jesus for help. He knows what is in our hearts. He knows all of the mistakes we have made and He loves us anyway. We can reach out to Him whenever we need Him. He will be there to strengthen us and help us become better.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your mistakes and wondered if Jesus could still love you despite them? What has helped you feel His love and mercy?

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Watch the YouTube Short here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z3bmYvg7Kjs

The Beauty God Placed in You

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-October 18th, 2026

“Like a butterfly that cannot see its own wings, you may not recognize the beauty God placed in you-but others can.”

I used to be very hard on myself, especially about my physical appearance. But I have learned over the last few years that my Heavenly Father created me the way I am for a reason. I should learn to love my outward appearance the way my Heavenly Father does. The outward appearance of a person doesn’t matter to Him. He loves us the way we are, the way He created us. A person’s outward appearance doesn’t determine their worth to Him. So we should love ourselves and not be hard on ourselves.

I love this quote because it’s true. A butterfly cannot see its own wings. The wings of a butterfly are so beautiful, possibly its most beautiful feature. I think it’s important to notice the good we see in others and tell them about it. They might not notice the good in themselves.

We should also give ourselves and others more grace and kindness because we are doing our best in our different circumstances. Our Heavenly Father loves us the way we are. But He also wants us to change and become better. That’s what this life is all about. He gives us so much grace and kindness. We should do the same for ourselves and others.

Have you ever had someone point out something good in you that you hadn’t recognized in yourself? How can you show yourself more grace and kindness while still working to become the person God wants you to be?

Enjoyed this piece? Click here to read more in this series, or visit the main blog to explore more reflections.

Grieving the Life We Once Knew

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory

In Isaiah 53:3, Isaiah is speaking of Jesus, and he tells us that “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” In Sunday school last Sunday, the teacher handed me a notecard with that scripture on it and the question, “How has the Savior carried your griefs and sorrows for you?” For someone like me, having to deal with chronic illness symptoms every day, this question really stood out to me. It made me think of my grief over how my life used to be and how different it is now because of my health issues.

Grieving the Life We Once Knew

I look back on my life and how it used to be,
And it is very different now with this new me.
There is a grief that comes with chronic illness,
Some days it is hard to be alone in the stillness.

I used to be able to work and do things at home,
Before I got sick and stepped into the unknown.
Sometimes I wish I could get my old life back,
Then maybe my future would be more on track.

But I just have to realize this is my life now,
Although I’m not sure why this happened or how.
Even though I wake up with more fatigue than I can say,
And sometimes it is difficult to get through each day.

But when darkness starts to creep in to my mind,
I cry out to my Savior, and His love I always find.
He knows exactly how I feel and of this I am sure,
Even though with my health there might not be a cure.

So yes, I know what grief feels like more than I can say,
When I wish my life was different than it is today.
I just need to remember that I am in my Savior’s care.
And to know that He will always be there.

The Takeaway

I think most of us, at some point, wish our lives had turned out differently. There is grief we have to deal with as adults. For those of us who deal with chronic illness symptoms every day, it is hard not to think of how different our lives were before we got sick. We just need to remember that we are never alone and that our Savior knows exactly how we are feeling at any moment. We can cry out to Him and He will be there for us whenever we need Him.

How has the Savior carried your griefs and sorrows for you?

Watch the YouTube Short here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QWNTlJtSLk0

Enjoyed this piece? Click here to read more in this series, or visit the main blog to explore more reflections.

Lessons from the Trees

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-September 27th, 2026

“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go.”

I have always loved the fall season. I love the cooler temperatures. I love seeing the leaves on the trees changing colors. I think it is amazing that when the temperatures start to cool, the leaves naturally know it is time to start changing color. Then as the fall season continues and winter comes closer, the leaves start to fall to the ground. The trees are showing us that it is all part of the plan to let their leaves go.

I really love this analogy because in our ever-changing and chaotic lives, we all need to let some things go in order to function as we need to. Sometimes if we let go of things that have been negatively affecting us, it can be freeing and relieving to let those things go.

As I have been trying to work on myself as a person over the last few years, I have realized that it can be a great thing to let go of some of the qualities in myself that aren’t helping me, like stubbornness and pride. It can also be a very difficult process to change my natural instincts or behaviors. But I pray multiple times a day that my Heavenly Father will help me in this process and that, through the grace of His Son, I can become better.

Change is just a normal process in this life. If we look at the beauty of nature, it is constantly changing and maturing. We need to do the same. Our Heavenly Father wants us to change and become more like Him. Sometimes that means letting go of things we hold dear. He will be by our side through it all. We are never alone in this life.

What is something you have had to let go of in your life in order to grow? What do the changing seasons of nature teach you about change and growth in your own life?

Because He Is Good

/ 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-July 19th, 2026

1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; and his mercy endureth for ever.”

I love this scripture because it reminds me of two simple but powerful truths: God is good, and His mercy never ends.

Lately I’ve been trying to focus more on my blessings instead of my chronic illness and the worries and stresses that naturally come with it. That isn’t always easy. Some days our trials feel so heavy that they seem to block our view of everything else. But even on those days, God’s goodness hasn’t changed. His love is still there, and His blessings are still all around us.

What blessings has God quietly placed in your life today? Have you taken a moment to thank Him for them?

I’ve found that when I pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me see His hand in my life, He opens my eyes to things I might have otherwise overlooked. Along with those blessings comes something even greater—the reassurance that He is near. He is always ready to listen, to comfort, and to remind us that we are deeply loved.

No matter what we are facing today, there is hope because we have a Heavenly Father who is perfectly good, perfectly loving, and whose mercy truly does endure forever.