MY VICTORY VOYAGE || A Surrendered Celebration

In MY VICTORY VOYAGE I’m sharing various trials I’ve faced and how God’s faithfulness has carried me through. Join me on the 2nd Friday of each month in 2025 as we reflect on His restoration and grace.

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. — Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

Preface: This post comes from a deep place in my personal journey. I write it with humility—not to accuse or expose, but to process what God is teaching me about love, surrender, and the long road of restoration. If you’re carrying heartbreak of your own, I pray my story gives you courage to keep walking with Jesus—especially when the path is painful.

Turning 68 this month feels… surreal. Gratitude and grief swirl together in my heart as I reflect on the road I’ve traveled. I’ve lived a full life—one filled with sacrifice, joy, mistakes, forgiveness, and deep, enduring love. But there’s a silent pain that rises in me as this birthday approaches: the estrangement of adult children.

For years, all our children were distant. By God’s grace, one has come back to us. Their perspective, now shaped by the responsibilities of adulthood and parenting, has brought a gentler understanding to the years we labored to raise them well. They know now how hard it is—how easy it is to fall short, and how much love can live in the same heart that sometimes gets things wrong. But others still remain estranged with no children of their own.

This past Mother’s Day carried a quiet ache. When your role as a mother goes unacknowledged, especially by those you gave everything for, it can feel like being erased. I held my peace that day—but not because I wasn’t hurting. I was. It’s because I believe healing comes from the Lord, not from social media.

Some days, the ache feels unbearable. I made mistakes. I own them. But I also gave my life to raise my children with everything I had, doing the best I knew how to at the time. I set aside a college education, a career, and in almost ten years of homeschooling I poured myself into motherhood. I sacrificed my body, my dreams, and countless nights of sleep. I loved them fiercely. I still do.

And yet… here we are.

Even so, I return to the altar. Again, and again. I lay my children down with trembling hands and say, “Lord, they are Yours.” I ask Him to do what only He can do: bring salvation, correction, and restoration in His time.

Even in my sorrow, I am held.
Even in heartbreak, I walk in victory.
Not because everything is right, but because God is still good.
He has kept me. He is not finished.

As I reflected on the ache of estrangement and the quiet faith it takes to keep surrendering my children to God, this song became a balm to my soul.

Rescue by Lauren Daigle is a reminder that even in our darkest valleys, we are never alone. God sees. He hears. He comes for us. If you’re walking through heartbreak of your own, may these lyrics wrap around your heart like a blanket of truth and comfort. Remember:

You are not forgotten. You are not hopeless. You are deeply loved. 💛

BOOK STUDY: The Search for Significance | Chapter 5: Approval Addict

On the fourth Friday of each month in 2025, we’re studying The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee. Join me as we confront the enemy’s lies of self-doubt and find our victory in the truth of who we are according to God’s Word!

We’ve already uncovered some big truths together in this study, and I’m so glad you’re continuing the journey. In Chapter 5: Approval Addict, we shine a light on one of the most common struggles for women—the need for others’ approval to feel worthy or loved. If you’ve ever found yourself saying “yes” when you really wanted to say “no,” or feeling crushed by someone’s disapproval, this chapter speaks directly to that deep need and offers a better way forward.

 

Summary: Chapter Five – Approval Addict

In this chapter, McGee addresses our craving for acceptance and the pain we feel when we perceive rejection. Many of us live as though our value depends on what others think, becoming people-pleasers, chameleons, or emotional wrecks when approval is withheld. This addiction to approval stems from a false belief: “I must be approved by others to feel good about myself.” But Scripture tells a different story—God’s acceptance is unchanging and not based on our ability to meet human expectations. True freedom comes when we begin to live from God’s approval, not for people’s applause.

“When we trust in others to affirm our worth, we give them the power to control our emotions and identity.” – Paraphrase from Robert S. McGee


Biblical Truths

  1. Galatians 1:10“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? … If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

    • We must choose God’s approval over people’s opinions.

  2. Romans 15:7“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

    • Our acceptance of others should flow from our own deep security in Christ’s acceptance of us.

  3. Isaiah 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass?”

    • Fearing people’s opinions dishonors the comforting authority of God’s voice in our lives.


Key Idea

We don’t need human approval to be valuable. God’s acceptance of us is complete, unshakable, and not dependent on our behavior or popularity.


Reflection Question

In what situations do you find yourself craving others’ approval the most, and how might embracing God’s unconditional acceptance help you walk in more confidence and peace?


Practical Application

  1. Approval Detox Journal: Keep track of moments when you change your behavior to gain someone’s approval. At the end of each day, write a short prayer releasing those moments to God and thanking Him for already accepting you.

  2. Say No with Love: Practice setting one healthy boundary this week—say “no” kindly, knowing your worth isn’t diminished by disappointing others.

  3. Affirm Your True Identity: Speak this truth aloud daily: “I am already accepted by God. I don’t need to earn anyone else’s approval to be valuable.”


My Personal Reflections

This chapter really hits home for me. For much of my life, I’ve been someone who wanted to be liked and appreciated. I can look back and see so many times I said “yes” out of fear that someone would be upset if I didn’t please them. And when I didn’t get that approval? I’d spiral into self-doubt, feeling unloved or unworthy.

But God has gently and consistently reminded me: I am already fully accepted by Him. When I really sit with that truth, I can feel the chains of people-pleasing loosen. I don’t always get it right—but now, I’m more aware. And when I catch myself looking sideways for validation, I turn my eyes upward instead. His love never wavers. His approval never fades.


Sisters, if you’ve been caught in the cycle of seeking affirmation from others, I pray you’ll rest in this truth today: You are already fully accepted in Christ. You don’t have to earn approval. You don’t have to be everything for everyone. You can simply be who God created you to be—loved, valued, and seen by Him.

Next month, we’ll continue with Chapter 6: God’s Answer – Reconciliation, where we’ll learn how God’s acceptance sets us free from fear of rejection and draws us into deeper relationship with Him and others.

Until then, rest in this beautiful truth:
You don’t need to perform or people-please to be loved. You already are. 💗