Quarterly Newsletter
Something on my mind…
This image has been on my mind a lot lately—including the analogy it represents. On the last day of our family road trip last year, we drove through a vast national park and pulled off at the final lookout before we were set to head home. It was hazy, painfully hot, and the air was filled with smoke from fires in the surrounding areas.
And yet, as I neared the edge of a slightly nerve-wracking drop off, something caught my eye. This glorious sunflower stood tall, striking against the backdrop of the hot, dry, and rocky terrain. Its radiance was not only in the bright yellow pedals that adorned it, but the beauty of life and growth amidst its harsh surroundings.
A sunflower mixed in with a field of sunflowers would be beautiful but nothing out of the ordinary. A sunflower growing where you least expect to flourish will cause you to stop and wonder in awe.
Much like the beauty of this sunflower sprouting from dry, rocky soil, the believer who God tends to with his grace in rocky seasons of suffering will often begin to display the strength of enduring hope and the beauty of his character in ways that also cause others to stop and marvel.
Christians flourishing when life is going well is nothing out of the ordinary. Christians growing in faith, character, hope, and joy when everything is stacked against them? That is something beyond what this world can make sense of.
Friend, if you find yourself is a long season of suffering in a barren wilderness, much like this lone sunflower, God is likely sowing something beautiful in you amidst the harshness and difficulties of your circumstances. Romans 5:3-5 assures us, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
The Lord may have planted you in the place and circumstances you find yourself in, but he hasn’t abandoned you there. Instead of allowing you to remain hardened and lifeless, if you remain rooted in him, he is able to adorn you with his character, glory, and beauty in the least likely of places.
Today, although you may be keenly aware of the difficulties of living where it feels impossible to endure, let alone thrive, he promises to sustain you and tenderly provide, even in a seemingly barren place. Your Heavenly Father is growing deeper roots within you that will not only stand the test of eternity, but he will adorn you with a beauty that’s lasting. Lord willing, it will cause others to stop and marvel—not because of how great you are, but because of the beauty of Christ shining through you against the backdrop of a harsh world.
Press on with the hope that God is at work in ways that you may not yet see. May your life (and mine) be a striking display of beauty and life despite the harshness of your circumstances. As you persevere in hope, you are being adorned with Christ’s beauty to a watching world.
“Consider the lilies (or sunflowers), how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Luke 12:27
Home is around the corner,
Sarah Walton
Something brewing…
For the future:
As you may have gathered from some of my more recent posts, God has given our family a difficult road to walk over the past two decades. Although chronic illness in myself and all four of our kids has been a difficult area of testing, our son’s challenges with neurodivergence and mental illness has brought us to the end of ourselves in ways like nothing else has. This unpredictable journey has broken us, humbled us, and changed us. But God has been faithful every step of the way—even if it’s left lasting scars.
I will share more in the months ahead, but God has been doing something remarkable in our family’s life, something I never imagined. He has stirred our son’s heart to share some of his story alongside of me and my husband for the encouragement of other parents walking this hard road.
For now, I’m keeping details close to the vest, but I would love prayer for the months ahead as we finish writing.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this little nugget of goodness that our son recently wrote, which immediately brought tears of gratitude to my eyes:
“As I look back, even though I struggled to believe and receive the love my parents assured me of, deep down, their unwillingness to give up on me spoke louder than words. I couldn’t understand it at the time, but no matter how bad things got, they would remind me that they’d never stop fighting for me. And their unwillingness to give up on me is what eventually led me to believe that maybe Jesus wouldn’t either.” – Ben Walton
From the past month:
“The Long Road Home” won an award! I was so honored to learn that “The Long Road Home” won in The Colorado Author’s League “Best Illustrations” and “Best Children’s Book” categories. It’s a large secular organization for the arts that has been around since 1931, so it was an honor for a Christian children’s book to be awarded! (If you haven’t read it, it’s still 72% off on Amazon, only $4.99!) Get it HERE.
Lastly, it’s been a busy month since “Jesus Will Meet You There” released! My co-author, Kristen Wetherell, and I have had the joy of interviewing several guests on the six topics of our book, as well being interviewed by many wonderful podcast and radio programs. I’ve shared a few below if you’d like to check any of them out.
The greatest highlight of them all was the privilege of interviewing Joni Eareckson Tada. It was truly a top ten moment of my life. She is a remarkable woman of faith amidst such pain and suffering. You can listen to that below as well.
- Interviews with Laura Wifler (on doubt), Tim Challies (on grief), Jared Wilson (on loneliness), Brad Hambrick (on fear/shame), Katie Blackburn (on weakness), and Vaneetha Risner (on pain).
- Interview with Joni Eareckson Tada (on trusting God in suffering)
- This Unexpected Life Podcast –
- Redeemed Podcast — When God Doesn’t Answer the Way You Hoped
- Unseriously with Holly Mackle – Why my Life has Become Plain Chicken and Sadness (the funniest and most fun podcast I’ve done)
- The Happy Home Podcast with Arlene Pellicane – Hope, Chronic Illness, and Trusting God with Your Kids
If you’d like to learn more about “Jesus Will Meet You There”, you can find that here and here.
Something worth checking out…
New (or new to me) books:
This Side of the Sky, Laura Wifler. If you enjoy poetry, this is going to be worth getting! Laura’s book is currently for pre-order, but I’m excited for this one!
Kinda Judgy, Shannon Popkin. I have yet to read this personally, but I have heard good things from others and it’s on my list to.
The Inspired Homeschool, Jennifer Pepito. If you’re a homeschool parent, you might find Jennifer’s new book inspiring and helpful!
Dust to Dust, Jen Wilkin. This just released, so I haven’t read it yet. However, I love that Jen is taking on the topic of aging. I’ve heard excellent things so far.
From the Rising of the Sun, Tim Challies and Tim Keesee. Another book on my TBR list. I love how Tim (well, two Tims in this case) broaden our view of the Global Church. So often, we get caught up in the tiny little part of the world we live within, losing sight of the incredible reality of what God is doing through his Church across the globe. I’m excited to see how this book increases my understanding of worship and the greatness of our God.
Theo of Golden, Allen Levi. I know, I know. I’m late to the party. But I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this best-selling book. It took me a bit to get into it, since it moves with a slower pace (part of its charm), but I’ve found myself savoring it and moved by the deeper lessons within it. I haven’t quite finished it, but it’s been worth the read. I want to be more like Theo.
Are there any recent books that you would recommend?
Something I’ve been enjoying…
Our family has been enjoying something…unique lately.
Due to our dietary issues, we’ve had to branch out and try some new foods. One thing we’ve surprisingly enjoyed is black bean brownies.
Bear with me.
If it sounds gross, I encourage you to give it a try (I’m not even a big fan of black beans in general). But we’ve really enjoyed them! We even took a batch to a 4th of July party at the neighbors and waited to tell them what was in them until after they declared how yummy they were.
Classic bait and switch. ; )
If you want to give them a try, here’s the recipe we’ve used. I’d love to know what you think!
Thanks for reading Deep Well of Hope. Thanks for reading Deep Well of Hope.
May you experience the bottomless well of hope and joy that is only found in Jesus Christ.
Set Apart 