Encouragement · Faith

Collecting Moments That Matter

Alyssa DeLosSantos

In the garden of life, weeds are inevitable. Many times on my journey I’ve found myself walking in the fairy tale mentality. Are you acquainted with that line of thinking? In that place, everyone is kind, nothing tragic happens, and your life is filled with a lot of lovely, happy endings.

Because this is a broken world-filled with broken people, pain exists. Trouble weaves its way into the simplest of equations, and we are confronted with a fallen world reality. Weeds will inevitably show up in the beautiful. Weeds are strained relationships, disappointments, insecurities, and so much more.

Weeds aren’t the problem, though. Yes, they are ugly and usually poorly timed, but they don’t negate the beauty. I want to be a woman that recognizes all the beauty in my life (the many gifts of love, relationship, health, freedoms, etc.) before I ever ponder the weeds. I’m not asking to be blind to the trouble {weeds}; I simply would rather learn to give more attention/priority to the beauty.

I’m no green thumb, but I do know without pulling the weeds-they have a tendency to take over a garden. As I sit looking into my own backyard, I can confirm that multiplication {sigh}. The attention to the weed should be strictly about uprooting it-not giving in to it.

I think this idea of collecting moments that matter, which Annie shares in her new book, is such a good reminder. As I read her book, I was challenged to search for the beauty in the ordinary. I liked that part! But if I’m honest with you, I was also challenged to move toward the difficulties in my life. Annie shares openly about her “broken crazy” and because she did, I couldn’t help but see the broken areas of my life. I was challenged to enjoy the flowers along the way, but be brave enough to pull the weeds.

If you aren’t experiencing pain, you aren’t experiencing beauty. Darkness makes us appreciate the beauty of the light. If you aren’t allowing yourself to feel the hurt, sadness, loneliness, and disappointment this fallen world has to offer, you probably aren’t feeling the fullness of the joy and beauty the redeemed moments have to offer. Annie F. Downs 

I’m not sure where this season finds you, friend. If you find yourself only weed-hunting, can I challenge you to take note of the beauty in your life today? If you are walking in a fairy-tale mentality, can I challenge you to feel some of the feels about the struggles around you? Cry out for your suffering friends, neighbors, children, or yourself. Be brave enough to get your hands dirty from pulling a weed out by the roots.

Looking for Lovely Meme

If you are ready to start collecting some moments that truly matter, do yourself a favor and get this book in your hands. Me-too moments are woven throughout the entire text. It will be a wonderful companion as you journey toward a life of lovely.

18 thoughts on “Collecting Moments That Matter”

  1. I love how gardens appear throughout the Bible. And weeds are such a beautiful analogy for our struggles. We can’t just ignore them or they will continue to grow and crowd out the flowers and fruit.

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  2. My oh my, my love! I can hear your heart speaking through your effortless use of words and I am in awe of your beautiful heart and ability to render it on paper! May you continue to be blessed as you display His gifts for others to appreciate! You are the eternally beautiful, one of a kind flower that our Lord has planted in my life…so pretty…and our seedlings…! May the weeds that arise around us, continue to become the filler for the beautiful arrangement that is uniquely our family!

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  3. Just yes and amen! I am popping on over from the launch team and I am falling in love with this book over and over again as I read how we are all learning and relearning to look for lovely and to find it – to see the flowers through the weeds… and yes – to even see some of the lovely in the weeds themselves… (you know, before we pull them out and make room for more lovely!)

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  4. Re: your facebook status

    “On a day off, Alyssa would rather do this first because she thinks, wood floors are lovely”

    [or dark wood floors, or floors, or community groups]

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    1. Yes, beautiful, spotless, not-a-hint-of-debris clean to perfection wood floors! And all inhabitants of the home MUST say clear of footprints, or, well….

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  7. On a day off, Alyssa would rather do this first because she thinks clean floors are lovely

    Although I am not the first one to answer…I loved being part of this!

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