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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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The Weight of the Wait

Shuffling through my small Kentucky kitchen, I flipped the calendar page. October 2008 — new month of the year, same cry of my heart.

Time was younger then, and so were we. We’d moved a lot, and while I believe those years of wandering were part of God’s plan, I longed to feel at home…somewhere. We’d had happy times; there wasn’t an absence of joy. But my heart craved home.

That October day, we had a house for sale in one state while living in another. Life was less than settled, and I was less than patient.

Weary and spent, I lifted the calendar page to expose a new month — more time that wouldn’t cooperate with the longing of my heart.  Join us over at Proverbs 31 to continue reading…

Click to continue reading…



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Comments

  1. Michele Morin says

    December 28, 2017 at 6:29 am

    So glad your heart has found its home in Jesus — heading over to read at P 31.
    Blessings, Brenda!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 28, 2017 at 3:55 pm

      ♥♥♥ I pray the Lord blesses you as well, friend.

      Reply
  2. Debby says

    December 28, 2017 at 7:58 am

    You’re singing one of my heart songs that seems to be on repeat. No, we will never find place or peace in the temporal, only the eternal. Thank you for your words today. Wise reminders as we turn another calendar page.

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 28, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Only the eternal…amen, friend. Thanks for sharing, Debby. ♥

      Reply
  3. Sarah Geringer says

    December 28, 2017 at 8:16 am

    Loved your devo, Brenda! Congratulations!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 28, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Thanks for your sweet encouragement, friend. ♥

      Reply
  4. Paris Renae says

    December 28, 2017 at 9:08 am

    Congratulations on P31 publishing 🙂 Great job!

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 28, 2017 at 3:57 pm

      Your encouragement blesses my heart, friend. ♥

      Reply
  5. misty says

    December 28, 2017 at 8:55 pm

    Loved your devotion, Brenda! Esps my friend. Especially, the last line so powerful. Congrats my friend! Blessings to you in the New Year! <3 Misty

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 30, 2017 at 10:26 am

      Praying so many blessings for you in the new year as well, friend. Thank you for all your encouragement this year. ♥

      Reply
  6. Maree Dee says

    December 29, 2017 at 11:21 am

    I am leaving a duplicate comment here as well as what I left at P31. I wanted you to know how much your words spoke to me this morning.

    Brenda, You have no idea how timely your words are to me. I have tears streaming down my face as this is exactly what I needed to hear. I went to bed last night longing for home, friends, and what I thought my life would like. I know I am right where God wants me, but somehow over the last few days, I have gotten hung up with longing when I needed to just abide with him. He is with me. Thank you, my beautiful friend, for your words. Blessings, Maree

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      December 30, 2017 at 10:29 am

      This makes my heart smile, Maree. Thank you for sharing that. Prayers for you, friend. I know the longing well. May we continue to find all the Home our hearts need — in Him. Happy New Year, Maree. ♥

      Reply

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Many a time in life I’ve felt I was standing at Many a time in life I’ve felt I was standing at the edge of a sea, hemmed in by its boundary, unable to discern a path forward.
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If this feels familiar, friend, I have the sweetest of news…
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God has not misplaced His plan for your life.
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Our great God is not bound by limitation. His roads can cross right through our seas, on pathways no one knew were there! 🙌
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Oh friend, may you rest quietly before your God at the water’s edge, trusting Him to bring you to a place of abundance.
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The mighty waters of your circumstances are no match for His power, His heart, His purpose.
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You’re not alone, for He goes before you, ordering unique pathways along His timeline—all for you, my friend.
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Set your every hope into the tender palm of God and walk in freedom, for He is able. 💕
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Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…hea Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…healing isn’t hopeless.
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So often it can feel easier to tamp hurt upon hurt deep into our spirits, than to do a new thing.
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But, friend, our God is a God of fresh beginnings who makes pathways through the wilderness and steams in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
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You don’t walk alone, for His kindness and faithfulness walk with you through it all.
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This book _Good Boundaries and Goodbyes_ by @lysaterkeurst is a beautifully honest resource for learning to understand & create healthy, Godly boundaries in our lives.
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If you’re looking for a good resource to begin forming healthy boundaries, or are looking for help to understand others’ healthy boundaries, this book is a great place to start.
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I have an extra copy I’d love to give away. Leave me a comment on Instagram if you’d like to be entered to win.
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Also, OBS (Online Bible Study) is beginning a free online community study of this book January 23rd. If you’d like to sign up, head over to proverbs31.org.
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May this be a stream in your desert, dear friend, the dawn of a beautiful new thing God’s set apart for you. 💕
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About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing tha About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing that, at the time, didn’t feel like anything radical or life-changing.
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I simply started trying to stop eating around 7pm, and not start eating again until 11am.
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At the time, I’d never even heard the term “intermittent fasting;” I was just trying this new-to-me thing to help with weight management.
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Over time, I learned that what I was doing was called intermittent fasting, and that it has health benefits well beyond the weight management realm.
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(Search the word “autophagy” if you’re interested in learning more about that.)
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I’m not gonna lie, back when I started, 7pm to 11am was hard! It took some time, and I didn’t always do it “perfectly.”
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These days, I typically go from 6-7pm to 1-2pm. My body has adapted and most days it’s very easy. Often, I’d fast longer except that I take supplements that keep me awake at night if I take them too late in the day.
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Yes, I came to intermittent fasting for the weight loss. (30 pounds has long been gone.) But, I stay because I’ve never felt better. Allowing my body the restorative time each day has been a game-changer for me.
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For a few weeks now, I’ve been feeling like I’m supposed to share this…like someone needs to hear it.
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If that’s you, friend, I want you to know that it’s not as hard as it seems. Start as slowly as you need to. Add another hour or 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes per week until your body adapts.
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There’s no right or wrong. There are no bad days. It’s a lifestyle of freedom. You can switch it all up when you need to or want to for social reasons. It’s easier than it seems.
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I’m no doctor. I’m not medically advising. I’m just a girl who has always longed to make a difference, so I share in hopes of helping.
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No matter what your goals are this year, whether they’re health or relational or work related, it’s okay to go slow. It’s okay to get off track by January 10th and start over again.
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All is progress, my friend. Baby steps count. 💕
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As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I s As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I search for words of hope and inspiration to meet us here on this beautiful fresh ground called 2023.
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Words and energy may escape me, but, as we tip-toe into this newborn year—I wish you adventure and abundance, goodness and growth, peace and every joy this year, dear friend.
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It’ll go by fast, 2023. Let’s make some memories and leave it better than we found it. 💕
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