Look at You — You’re Not the Same Woman Who Started This Month

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

— Romans 15:13

Hello, dear friend. Today I want to do something a little different. Instead of diving straight into a lesson, I want to start with something we don’t do nearly enough: I want to celebrate you. You showed up. Day after day this month, you opened the Word. You wrestled with hard truths. You prayed honest prayers. You sat with reflections that challenged you to go deeper. That matters. And God has seen every single moment of it.

Romans 15:13 gives us one of the most beautiful benedictions in all of Paul’s writing. He calls God “the God of hope” — not the God of performance, not the God of perfection, but hope. And he prays that this God would fill us — not trickle into us, not partially infuse us, but completely fill us — with joy and peace in believing.

Joy and Peace Are Signs of Spiritual Growth

Notice that Paul says joy and peace come “in believing.” Not in achieving. Not in arriving. In the act of trusting God, right where you are. If you have grown in your ability to trust God this month — even just a little — that is a reason to celebrate. Because trust is the soil in which all of the fruits of the Spirit grow.

You may not feel dramatically different than you did on April 1st. Growth rarely announces itself. But look back at the woman you were a month ago and look at the woman you are today. Have you grown? Has the Word taken deeper root? Have you been more honest with God? Have you trusted Him more, even just in one area? Then friend — you have grown. And that is worth celebrating.

How to Celebrate Your Growth Well

• Write a gratitude list to God: Fill a full page with everything He has shown you, done in you, and given you this month. Be specific. Let each line be an act of praise.

• Share your wins with someone: Tell a friend, a mentor, or your accountability partner what God has done. Celebration multiplies when it’s shared. Don’t keep your growth story to yourself.

• Do something that expresses joy: Put on worship music. Take a walk and thank God out loud. Treat yourself to something you enjoy. Joy is not a feeling to wait for — it’s a posture to practice.

You have been embracing joy in the wait all month long. Today, let the joy be full. The God of hope is filling you right now — with joy, with peace, and with hope that overflows through the power of His Spirit. Receive it today.

Reflection Prompt

In your journal today, write a letter to yourself from God — imagining what He would say to you about this month. What would He celebrate in you? What encouragement would He speak over you? Then read it back to yourself slowly, and receive it as the truth it is.