trusting God Archives - Mandy Hale - Just a single girl with a story to tell

The Hardness of Life. The Goodness of God.

March 29, 201629 CommentsMandy Hale

It’s impossible to REALLY know God if you’ve only known good.

This is the phrase that keeps running through my head these days. Hard days, for more reasons than one. I’ve found myself increasingly attune lately to the hardness of life. My dear friend, probably my best friend, Caroline, has lost two friends in six months. One to disease, another to addiction. Another friend of mine is facing a huge life challenge and spiritual battle that … » Read More

One Year Ago Today

March 14, 201625 CommentsMandy Hale

I woke up this morning with snapshots from one year ago today running through my mind.

The phone call on that fateful Monday morning. My mom’s voice, tearful and frantic, on the other end. “Kevin has been in an accident and we don’t know how bad it is. Cher and Daddy are on the way to him at Vanderbilt. Mandy…pray.”

Trying to throw on clothes while intermittently throwing myself on the floor before God to beg, to beseech, … » Read More

Endings…& Beginnings

July 25, 201516 CommentsMandy Hale

I’m leaving the ranch.

For those of you who follow my Instagram feed, you know that for the past year I’ve lived at a peaceful little ranch (the road to the ranch is pictured in the photo here) out in the country that is almost too beautiful to be real. And you might be surprised to learn that I’m leaving, given how much affection I have for this place, this magical place, that saw so many ups … » Read More

40 Days of Surrender

May 25, 201541 CommentsMandy Hale

As a follow-up to 40 Days to Feeling Good, my dear friend Caroline and I have decided to kick off 40 Days of Surrender, and we want to invite all of YOU to join in with us! Basically the goal of this process (for me, at least) is to learn to loosen my grip on the things that I can’t control (which is most things). To stop trying to force and manipulate and endlessly overthink life and … » Read More

Dash of Sass: God’s Plan Vs. Our Plan

May 7, 201534 CommentsMandy Hale

How many times do we get angry and upset with God, thinking He has forgotten us or is ignoring us or isn’t answering our prayer? Only to later look back and see how detrimental it would have been to us had He brought us the thing we were begging for and thought we couldn’t live without? We’re stuck down here in the details of everyday life, but God sees all. He sees the big picture. … » Read More

And Then Suddenly…Everything Changed

March 28, 20159 CommentsMandy Hale

This winter in Tennessee seemed to stretch on forever. One gray, cold day after another passed…the trees bare and stripped of life, the flowers hidden far beneath the winter snow, the sky heavy with clouds that looked like they might never part. Every day for the past few weeks I have looked around as I drove these country roads home, searching for any sign of LIFE. I remember even saying to my mom: “Why is … » Read More

Dash of Sass: Wait.

March 24, 201534 CommentsMandy Hale

Wait. Don’t lose your cool, don’t assume the worst, don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t throw in the towel and say “God must have forgotten about me” or surrender to the idea that change is never coming or give up hope of ever falling in love or listen to the naysayers who want you to believe you’ll never find your way. WAIT. Breathe. Give things time to work out. Let God bring things to pass in … » Read More

Dash of Sass: What’s For You is For You

January 22, 201530 CommentsMandy Hale

I didn’t write this quote, but this could well be my mantra for 2015. RELAX, I just keep hearing God whisper into my spirit. Stop striving. Stop seeking after things that others have. Stop DOING so much and just learn to BE. Because here’s the thing. You can easily scroll through Twitter or Facebook or any other social media stream at any given time on any given day and feel completely lacking and inadequate when … » Read More

Not Settling for Less Than Someday

January 9, 201554 CommentsMandy Hale

Those of you who follow my personal Twitter page know that my email inbox has long been a thing of abject horror and dread for me, based on my inability to properly keep up with it (and also my desperate need for a personal assistant who will work for smiles.) Well, last night, with the help of Pandora and my hilarious Twitter friends cheering me on, I FINALLY dove headfirst into my inbox and managed … » Read More

Dash of Sass: Patience & Grace in an Unexpected Place

December 20, 20148 CommentsMandy Hale

There’s a ranch kitty, Effie, who I have bonded with who sort of seems to consider my deck her unofficial home. Because she’s out there so much, I’ve put a bowl out just for her and have started feeding her. Effie has taught me such a lesson in patience. I will often wake up and see her sitting so still and quiet in front of my front door, obviously hoping I am coming to feed … » Read More