Resilience

Still Standing

/ 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-August 25th, 2026

“I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past. Be proud of your scars and that you’re still standing.”

It’s true that we all have trials that can help us grow and develop. But they also create scars on our hearts that can take a while to heal or that never completely heal. For me, the biggest scar on my heart is from my experience with infertility. Many years ago, I had a miscarriage and I was unable to have children after that. Now I’m in my 40s and the scars from that part of my journey haven’t completely healed and I don’t know if they ever will.

I believe that our difficult seasons can make us stronger and remind us that we are still standing. Even though they hurt our hearts and can make us feel weak and discouraged, they can also help us grow.

When I read stories in books or in the scriptures of people who have gone through hard they do strengthen my faith that I can do hard things. But it’s different when you are going through it than when you are reading about it. I just need to keep the faith that I can keep going, even when life is hard.

The source of constant hope and peace for me is knowing that I’m never alone. I know that I can always pray to my Heavenly Father and He will be there at a moment’s notice. My Savior, Jesus Christ, knows how I’m feeling, even when my heart is breaking because of my trials. He will be there for me as well.

What difficult experience in your life has helped make you stronger? When you are going through a difficult season, what helps you remember that you are not alone?

Learning to Carry the Trunk

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-July 25th, 2026

I saw this post on Facebook recently that I really liked. It said, “There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk. Meaning: Accept your responsibilities and challenges in life as part of your journey. They exist to make you stronger and more resilient.”

When we are going through hard trials, some that we may think will never end, we tend to focus on the weight of those heavy burdens on our shoulders instead of being grateful for what they can teach us. They do exist to make us stronger and more resilient, I really believe that in theory, but it’s harder in practice in my daily life.

The last week has been really hard with my health. The humidity in the air in northern Utah has been higher lately and has caused some of my symptoms to flare-up. But when I pray, I still thank my Heavenly Father for the moisture we have received because we need it. However, it’s still hard for me to be grateful for my chronic illness symptoms, that’s something that I’m always working towards.

Maybe that’s what this quote is trying to teach me— not that I have to be grateful for every symptom or every difficult day, but that I can accept this season as part of my journey. Even if I don’t understand it, God can use it to make me stronger, deepen my faith, and build resilience in ways I couldn’t otherwise learn.

Have you ever looked back on a trial and recognized something valuable it taught you? What helps you find gratitude even when life feels especially heavy?

Finding the Light After the Storm

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Community Conversations

I recently finished an audiobook called The Heiress of All Things Beautiful by Anita Stansfield. It’s a poignant story—at times quite heavy—centered on a family escaping a cycle of abuse. While their early years were defined by hardship, the heart of the book is really about what happens next: the way they find a new life filled with love, friendship, and the difficult path of forgiveness.

I feel incredibly grateful to come from a very loving family, and because of that, I have such deep admiration for those who navigate deep-seated family struggles and emerge stronger. It’s a reminder that while our trials look different, the capacity to learn from them and become “better” rather than “bitter” is a beautiful part of the human spirit.

We all face “storms,” but we also all have the capacity to find our own version of joy on the other side.

To My Subscribers:

We all carry experiences that have shaped who we are today. When you look back at a particularly difficult season of your life, what is one “beautiful thing” or lesson you gained that you wouldn’t have found any other way? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s walk together in this conversation.

The Miracle of Still Standing

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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

Backstory:
This writing was inspired by a conversation with a dear friend who is a breast cancer survivor. She is a living miracle, but she still lives with the lasting effects of her treatments every day. In many ways, I can relate through my own health struggles. There are days when the weight of it all feels heavy, and hope feels distant. But she reminded me of something powerful—miracles don’t always mean the struggle is taken away. Sometimes, the miracle is that we are still here, still standing, still believing.

The Miracle of Still Standing

If you ever feel like the dark night will never go away,
And the weight of your burdens on your shoulders will always stay.
If you ever get so lost in your emotional state
And you get tired of your blessings having to wait.

If you feel the cold of winter seep into your soul,
Because your burdens are taking an emotional toll.
If you feel tired of situations in your life staying the same
And you feel like you are off your game.

If you feel like you are constantly on your own
And like your worries and cares are not known.
Just remember that you are Beloved of your Father
Because your cries to Him are never a bother.

Even on days when your struggles seem more visible,
Just remember that every day you keep going is a miracle.
The fact that you get out of bed every morning is proof that you are strong,
Even when you feel like everything in your life is going wrong.

Because the dark night always turns into day,
And even in the dead of winter, spring will always come your way.
Just trust that your Heavenly Father has you in His Loving embrace,
And He will always be by your side to help you run your race.

The Takeaway: We all have days that feel dark and heavy, like a long night or a never-ending winter. But just as morning always comes and spring always follows, there is a promise that light and life will return. The miracle is not always in being healed, but in being held. It’s in God’s presence in our lives—the strength to rise each day, the faith to keep going, and the quiet assurance that we are never alone and always deeply loved.

Failure Is Not the End

/ 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-March 14th, 2026

“Do not be embarrassed of your failures…
learn from them and start again.”

Sometimes we can be very hard on ourselves. We see our mistakes, our weaknesses, and the ways we fall short, and we feel discouraged. But the truth is that none of us came to this earth to be perfect. We came here to learn.

Our Heavenly Father knew we would stumble. He knew we would make mistakes. That is exactly why He gave us a Savior. Through Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us—they can refine us.

Every time we fall and choose to stand up again, we grow a little stronger. Every time we turn back to Him, we move a little closer to becoming the people He knows we can be.

So don’t be ashamed of your failures. Let them teach you. Let them humble you. And then begin again—with faith, with hope, and with the quiet knowledge that you are deeply loved.