In case you’re new here . . .
I’m Sarah, and I am loved by God, a wife, dog mom, and writer. I live in a harbor town in Wisconsin, value authenticity, and delight in a cup of pour over coffee in the morning. I tell stories for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as my day job, which I love! When I put my author-cap on, I like to write about finding God’s goodness in everyday life, the hard and the beautiful, and explore the deeper questions of life and faith. My writing addresses wounds, doubts, and challenges with honesty, while gently pointing toward hope and healing. At least, I try for it to!
My debut book All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley, will be released through Harvest House Publishers in February 2026. I’m glad you’re here!
And now, on to today’s letter…
Rain dances lightly down the thick green of tree leaves, makes the grass glisten, beads of crystal perched on long blades. It’s unusually cool for this time of year, a reprieve from the blistering heat that hammers us along with the humidity.
I watch the rain on this sleepy day, light a candle called “Daydream” and settle to check the state of my heart. In this long game of mental health, book writing, and full time ministry work, I tell God to forgive me if I’m scattered and can’t seem to find the shape of His outline in my view. I’m not sure where to go from here, no longer where I was, yet unable to see my way forward.
Why is the middle, the not-yet, such a hard place to perch? Wouldn’t it be lovely if God gave us the game plan ahead of time and we knew exactly what was coming? Rarely does this happen, and we linger in limbo longer than we’d like.
What do we do when the path before us isn’t really revealed?
When we can’t see God’s plan clearly, look to the “shadowed” spaces, the thin line of visibility where His fingerprints linger. Where a glint of light leads us to His presence, His handiwork around us. There’s a luminescence that gives us life where we have a hard time seeing. God is at work.
He’s weaving light within our days; will we have eyes to see?
Will we watch the light spread of simple moments throughout our day, and mark it as a touch from Him? He is bringing a delicate beauty in our everyday circumstances, inviting us to slow down and see Him. In the call of a robin outside our window, in the smooth rustle of trees above our heads, in a perfectly timed word from a friend, in the honest gaze of our children or nephews. Hold these reminders, these translucent glimmers of God where His heart calls us a little closer. Sometimes, we need to not just see, but see through to something deeper, a collective breath beyond what we are able to exhale on our own.
We may not have all the pieces to put together what God is forming. And we may not ever have them all. The grand plan is up to God, but His grace is illuminated in those “shadowed” spaces, moving around the shapes from His Kingdom that come into focus a little more than the previous blink of our eyes. All it takes is a willingness to expand our sight and trust we will see the One who brings the visibility our faith needs, one shadowed space at a time.
There’s Always Grace,
Sarah
Questions to Consider: Where do you need to “see through” a situation today? Where can you look for glimmers of God’s presence along the way?
Hit reply and share with me; I’d love to hear and encourage you in it!
An Update on My Yard
Grass. Lush and green, a square carpet or a swaying sea. Blades curl beneath my feet, catch the heat of the sun, support my body as I lay down and look up at the sky, marvel at the making of a yard.
It grew. Just as Eric said it would. Just as nature does its work. Just as God promises.
Just as God promises, growth will happen. In our hearts, in our circumstances, in our healing. At the pace and length required. Patience and faith. Keep both close by.
Recommendation and Giveaway
Congratulations to LeeAnn Humphrey for winning last month’s book, Every Breath, Every Blessing!
All That Is Made by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt
My fellow Redbud Keren has a new book on contemplative mother Julian of Norwich coming out September 9th!
As a modern-day mystic anchored to home by chronic illness, Dibbens-Wyatt offers these lyrical, concise meditations on contemplation, creation, and learning to accept our smallness and fragility. This hazelnut wisdom is wholly reassuring and stirs a deep and abiding faith in a God who created us, cares for us, and sustains us in love. All That Is Made invites readers into Christ-centered prayer and into perceiving the world and themselves as made, kept, and loved.
**If you’d like the book, hit Reply to the email and put “Giveaway” in the subject line. One random winner will receive a copy!
Published Pieces
The Freedom in Putting God First - Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Think about a coach you had who was fun, connective and positive.
What did you enjoy about him or her? How did it help you in your practices and games? When we have a coach who sees us as people and not just a jersey, who understands there’s more to the game than the pressure to succeed, it gives us grace to have fun while we play. There is freedom and lightness in us knowing we won’t have mistakes held over us and that we don’t have to think too hard about how our coach will react to something we do.
There is even greater freedom in living out our lives in Christ, knowing God sees us with love and never holds anything against us. He is for you (Romans 8:31), He has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11) and is always making a way for you in every circumstance (Isaiah 43:19).
Back to the Basics - Crossmap
… make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. – 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
As we shift into a new season that marks the end of summer and as fall activities start up, we can look at the fullness of summer and be thankful. We can take a deep breath, exhale, and start anew into a fresh cycle and structure.
Back to school. Back to rhythms. Back to routine and regular, and yet, there is also a season of newness that comes with the start up of this season. What will the fall to spring calendar bring?
First, before anything, we go back to the basics. Be with the Lord. Seek Him in all we do. Look to the example of Jesus and how He interacted with others. And live a life directed by the Holy Spirit.
From the Blog
A Visit from Joy
I woke up with joy in my heart,
white clouds soft and plump,
pillowing my soul.
Today is nothing special—
I will do my job,
eat lunch, run in the humid air—
typical.
But the house sparrows
are singing,
the blades of grass
in my yard curve
and hold diamond
drops of dew,
and I am breathing
in and out,
in and out.
Connect with Me
I’d love to hear from you - send me an email at sarahefreymuth@gmail.com to say hi, share a thought that’s on your heart, and let me know how to pray for you. You can connect with me on my social handles, as well: