Get to Know Laila
Name: Laila Schell (LYE-luh SHEL)
Where are you from? Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Share your age or Generation (Baby boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z): Millennial
Laila Schell x Grit & Grace
Are you naturally more grit or grace, and has that changed over the years? I am definitely more grit. If anything has changed over the years, it’s that I am learning to offer myself more grace.
What subjects do you speak to for Grit & Grace Life? Faith and Motherhood
Tell us about a time you dug deep for grit?
I have had to dig deep for grit my whole life. Living on the streets and overcoming addictions, through my teen pregnancy, and then every season after that. And most recently, our family moved from Canada to Florida. We sold our house, gave away everything we owned, and moved to a new place where we knew no one.
Watching my kids struggle to make new friends and be uprooted was so incredibly hard in the moment, and making friends at my age was hard too! I had to trust that God was ordering our steps and keep putting one foot in front of the other. It has been a really beautiful season of trust!
Tell us about a time you offered grace to yourself.
I constantly need to offer myself grace as a mom. The mom guilt is real. With two older kids who have moved out now, it’s easy to look back and see where I failed or where I wish I had done better. With two kids still at home, I still find ways to feel like I am failing there, too. I have to remind myself that God knew all my shortcomings and failures and saw all the mistakes I would make, and he still chose me to be their mom. I have to trust that He is also at work and will make up for where I am lacking.
The Woman Behind the Writing
What does life look like in your current season and what is one thing that has you excited right now? Life right now is busy!! My son plays travel baseball, my daughter does competitive cheer and my older two are keeping busy with work and school. We’ve also got church ministry, homework, real work, writing, and on top of it all, my husband and I are going through Leadership College, a 10-month program through Christ Fellowship church and its partner, Southeastern University, which really excites me right now.
It’s been a minute since I’ve been in school, and to be honest I was super overwhelmed at the beginning but I have loved learning about God in new ways and seeing how God has been using it to mold and shape me alongside my husband has been incredible so far!
What is your favorite hobby, activity, or creative outlet? I LOVE to cook and try new recipes and foods. A trip to the grocery store excited me! I love a good book or doing a puzzle. A 4 p.m. happy hour dinner and an 8 p.m. bedtime is my love language. I promise I am 41 and not 81!
What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people? I am SUPER shy and have a terrible fear of public speaking! I have about 50 million things I want to do on my wish list, I am a dreamer. I’d love to climb an active volcano, work at Cracker Barrel, become a beekeeper, open a food truck, write a book, go on a safari. I want to do all the things!
Quotes From Laila’s Articles:
“See, when you realize that God has given each of us our own measure of seeds each day, and it’s up to us to decide how to sprinkle them, every moment becomes holy. God is weaving together a tapestry that spans across multitudes and generations, and we get to play a part in it every day.”
“Searching for Your Calling? You Might Be Asking the Wrong Questions”
“We won’t always make the right decisions for our kids and things aren’t always going to be pretty, but all we can do is hang on for the ride and trust that it’s going to be okay. Because it will be. Kids are resilient, but guess what, Mama? So are you, and you didn’t get this far without a little grit and grace. You got this.”
“Sure, It Was a Disaster… But Not a Failure“
“Listen, I have a good marriage… But that doesn’t mean it can’t get better. That doesn’t mean that it’s not super important to keep investing time into our relationship as husband and wife and not just as mom and dad. I want our children to have an example of a thriving marriage. And I want my husband to get the best version of me.
I don’t know what that looks like; I’m still trying to figure it all out. But today I will start thinking intentionally about how I can be the best version of myself possible.”
“I’m a Good Mom, But Can That Make Me a Bad Wife?”
A ‘Lil Fun
Describe your ideal weekend. My perfect weekend would be spent on a boat with a few of my closest family and friends. Soaking up the sun with really good food at every meal! Food is my love language! A good book, maybe a puzzle in the evening, with laughter and good conversation!
What’s your favorite nickname someone has given you and how did you get it? Some of my closest friends call me Lai. It just happened!
If money were no object, what’s the first thing you would buy? I would buy a big compound with a lot of land. Lots of beautiful Spanish moss trees and a large pond! Something big enough that I could build a home for each of my kids so we could always be close together!
Where would you most like to travel to and why? I’d love to travel to Austria to meet my mom’s family!
Faith
I’ve done life without faith and it didn’t work out for me. I’m never going back. Faith sustains me. It has anchored me in every season. And trust me, there have been a LOT of seasons. When the world tosses me around and life hits in every direction, it’s Jesus who anchors me and keeps me grounded. Every single time! The promises in His word are true. They have kept me grounded through so many seasons. Jesus saw a future in me when noone else even saw me and I’ve been clinging to him ever since.
One Last Thing
What is your favorite quote? “God just doesn’t throw a life preserver to a drowning person. He goes to the bottom of the sea, and pulls a corpse from the bottom of the sea, takes him up on the bank, breathes into him the breath of life and makes him alive.” —R.C Sproul
What is your favorite Bible verse? “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.'” —Exodus 34:5 ESV
