Today marks the one year anniversary of my blog, Sparrows + Lily! It has been such a whirlwind of a year. I genuinely never could have have dreamed or imagined that this simple venture would become what it has. I know for a fact that every blessing, every promotion and every opportunity has been a gift from God. I am so incredibly thankful for the people (all of you!) who have supported me when you had no obligation to do so. There hasn’t been one post share, comment or like that has gone unnoticed by me. I see each and every one of you going out of your way to remind me that I’ve never been alone in this journey that God has placed me on and it fills my heart with more joy than you could ever imagine!

I was recently at Disneyworld and read a quote on the wall that said, “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you.” These words have become my motto for Sparrows + Lily; I know that I would absolutely, without a doubt, not be where I am today without every single one of you who have been willing to be there for me as an incredible support system.

I recently had a post shared by Relevant, Focus on the Family and Faith.it called, “To the Girl Who Wished She Hadn’t.“ It was about sexual purity and what waiting for marriage looks like when you’ve already had sex. This post was written in about 15 minutes (compared to my other posts that often take me days to write) because I had such an incredibly heavy conviction on my heart and knew that it was something that needed to be shared. This post was filled with many things that I had honestly never talked about before, and yet, here I was, sharing it with the world.

I tend to meticulously go over my writing, perfecting it and ensuring that it sounds exactly how I want it. And yet, with this post, I felt God telling me to just post it – unedited and unfiltered. I never could have expected the response that I received from the words that He gave me, and it was just another reminder that He is in beautiful control of every single thing that I type on this keyboard.

I received over 2,000 emails and messages from that post, and much to my surprise, over half of them came from women in Africa, Brazil, India and Australia. Since then, I have had the opportunity to create relationships with some of these women who may have never heard of Jesus or don’t have anyone in their lives that they can talk to about faith or any difficult topics. The purpose of my life  and blog is, and will always be, to love God and love people. I pray, and ask for your prayer, that that remains my focus until this journey comes to an end.

sparrows + lily one year anniversary

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I have had many, many moments where I feel like what I’m doing is futile and empty. I have days where I feel like an impostor – just faking it until I make it. I have moments where I feel absolutely ridiculous for spilling my guts to the world, not knowing how my words will be received. I have had people that I’ve never met criticize me with words that stung me to my core. But then, hope. Throughout it all, the people who have encouraged me in this endeavor and shared their own stories of hurt and joy have reminded me exactly why I do what I do. They remind me that everything I have is God’s. This blog is His and the victory is His to have, not mine. He will make it what He will as long as I continue to entrust it to Him.

So to all of my readers: Sparrows + Lily is what it is because of you. I hold this blog/ministry/business with open hands (wise advice that I received from a sweet friend) and know that if it were all gone tomorrow, it would not shake my foundation or define who I am. But as long as I have the opportunity to share Truth and love with people all over the world, I will continue to ‘do it all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor. 10:31.)

Thank you to those of you who have supported by sharing my writing, for those who were willing to give me counsel and wisdom that I could bestow upon others, for those who have sat with me in my living room as I cried from discouragement or criticism, for those who have challenged me to remember the purpose of this blog when my vision becomes clouded, for those who have shared your lives with me and allowed me to share your stories with others and for those who have reminded me that I am never alone in the battles that I face as a wife, mom, friend and family member.

And a special thank you to my husband who believes in this blog even more than I do and has pressed me to continue every single time that I feel like I’m ready to give up.

I love, cherish and thank you all for allowing one of my biggest dreams of my life to come true! I am eternally grateful and pray that this blog continues to fill your life with just a little bit of encouragement, joy and a reminder that you’re never, ever alone.

With Grace,

Lindsey

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