Women Can Find Purpose in this Grit and Grace Life

This Is Why Women Are Great Defenders of the Helpless

I grew up around resilient women who modeled for me the small ways that one could stand against the face of oppression and seek to right injustices. My mom was one of these women, and I wanted to be just like her when I was young. During a time when our country was drowning in gender wars, racial prejudice, and Vietnam, my mom made the bold choice to move into the inner city to live with marginalized groups of society. Mom knew that with each child she taught in the classroom, each story they exchanged with her, and each resource given toward advancing the welfare of others, she was standing in solidarity with those who lived in hardship and outright oppression. Now, […]

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Girl, It’s Perfectly OK to Just Be You!

By Catie Welvaert / Health & Beauty, Purpose

Each of us goes about life in our own, unique way. Though you may feel like some of your quirks are a bit ridiculous, we want you to know that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about; we all have them! While so many avenues tell us what we should like and how we should act, we are here to say something different: celebration is always better than comparison. So, ladies, it is perfectly okay if… You just had to get ice cream on your lunch break; you’re an adult, so it’s allowed. You make a detour and park at the garden center because…succulents. It’s your third caramel macchiato this week—it means you’re meeting up with a friend for a heartfelt chat. (Read this first, by the way!)

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5 Ways to Handle Hard Circumstances with Grit and Grace

By Darlene Brock / Purpose

Life does not offer constancy. Whether it’s because of a decision we’ve made, the choices of others, or simply due to life circumstances, we will all face seasons of change. Some are positive, exciting, and looked forward to with anticipation. Others can be created by heartbreak, disappointment, or circumstances beyond our control. But whatever the cause—they will come. If you are at one of those impasses, those crossroads of life, here are a few things you will want to do: 1. Remember it’s temporary. There are exceptions, but there is very little in life that you are facing, have faced, or will face that is permanent. 2. Review the past. It doesn’t take much life experience to discover you can and have

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Why I Can Now Embrace My Past as a Refugee

By Catherine Ojala / Purpose

I was a dreamer from the day I was born until eight years old. I was going to be the world’s very first Sierra Leonean Ballerina, violinist, singer, and actress all wrapped up in one, big entertainment bow. Although that’s a mouth full, my dreams were endless. It’s mostly in adulthood that we realize the reality of these endless dreams, and we shift to a more logical and reasonable path. For me, that realization came earlier, way earlier. Before I was a mom, I was a businesswoman. Before I was a businesswoman, I was a wife. Before I was a wife, I was a refugee. This last label stung. I didn’t want it on my resume of life, nor did I want

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Bombas: A Successful Business That Is Helping the Homeless

By Delaney Abroe / Purpose

The majority of us can walk into a store on any given day, pick up a pair of socks, throw it in the cart, and carry on with our day. Socks are nothing more than an afterthought for most; that’s why it is so shocking to learn that for some they are considered a luxury. After coming across a quote on Facebook that said socks are the number one most requested clothing item in homeless shelters, David Heath and Randy Goldberg knew they had to do something. The two decided to start a sock company called Bombas with the mission to donate one pair of socks to those in need for every pair of socks sold. The word Bombas is derived from

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Every Woman Is Unique, but This Is What We All Struggle With

By Shay Phillips / Purpose

I have spent the last four years of my career mentoring women through online health groups and business coaching. I spend every day talking to women who have fears, doubts, insecurities, but more importantly who have dreams and aspirations of growing both for themselves and their families. I love it. One of the biggest discoveries I have made through my experience is how women as a whole are all very unique but also very similar. I find comfort and sometimes heartache in that. Here are five basic truths I have learned on my journey while working one on one with so many wonderfully different women. We Are Resilient I love a good comeback story. What I have found time and time again,

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10 Ways to Boost Your Confidence

By Sheena Jeffers / Health & Beauty, Purpose

The word “confidence” dates back to the early 15th century. A direct descendent of the Latin word confidentia meaning “firmly trusting, bold” and confidere meaning “to have full trust or reliance.” When I try to trace the roots of confidence in my own life it leads me to questions: When did I first hear of this concept? When did I first feel it? Who taught it to me? How did they first present it to me? How did I integrate that into my daily being? When contemplating confidence, there are many areas to think of: The root of it, the implementation of it, and the strengthening and maintaining of it. But spending time to think about how confidence works in your own

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17 Things to Do to Make the Most of 15 Minutes

Love the Life You Have Today: Here’s How

By Daijona Kimbrough / Purpose

Yesterday, I felt like a hatchling building strength and in a state of preparation. Today, I feel like a soaring eagle, ready to take a risk. One thing our mind does subconsciously is give us second thoughts. We immediately respond to positive things in our life with excitement. In as little as one minute after good news, doubt and fear creep into our souls. It could be paralyzing. It could take away your happiness. I’m here to tell you that you should only focus on today. Your present moment could be your last moment, and we know, every new day is a gift. We are taught from a young age that it is important to build, but there must be balance. If

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Why Now Is the Time You Should Rethink Your “Purpose”

By Clare Marlow / Purpose

It may be time for all of us to stop obsessing about our purpose. Does that statement shock you? I can assure you it did me the first time I thought it! After all, our purpose is us, right? It’s our heart and soul, who we are, who we’re meant to be, what we’re meant to accomplish. Our imprint on the world. Purpose is a buzzword right now for women. Not so much for men, who seem to bind their purpose to their career easily. They may be a husband and father, but their worth and identity is so solidly wrapped up enough in their job that it’s uncommon to find one who ponders his “purpose.” I think we need to stop.

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10 Behaviors Found in the Inspired Woman

By Sheena Jeffers / Purpose

You cannot mistake an inspired woman. Right away there is something enchanting about her. But what exactly is it? Why is it so hard to put your finger on what makes her so? Here’s the thing: many of us are raised to believe that women are ethereal, dainty, delicate, gone at the poof of a strong wind. All of these images fall in line with the historically inspired woman. We immediately conjure images of a woman with long, flowy hair, beautiful bosoms, eyes closed in meditation while breastfeeding an almost-asleep, happy babe. As I’ve grown, however, my image of an inspired woman has become far more complex, developed, real, and tangible. When I run into an inspired woman, I want to high-five her!

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Every One Of Us Can Help Vulnerable Children

By Clare Marlow / Life & Culture, Purpose

In his book Doing Good Is Simple, Chris Marlow issues a profound four words of motivation: “Get in the boat.” Marlow is a North Carolina pastor who started a worldwide ministry after coming home from a “mission trip” and seeing starving orphans on the streets of Zimbabwe that he had absolutely no way to help. Ten years later, his ministry, Help One Now, provides homes, meals, school, and sex trafficking rescue to children in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and four countries in Africa. The point and purpose of Marlow’s 2016 book about his own journey from cushy church job to nonprofit orphan care is that every single one of us can help vulnerable children right where we are. We don’t need

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Reality: Behind the Scenes of the Happy Adoption Photo

By Dawn Seabolt / Motherhood, Purpose

There are a whole lot of orphans in the world, and there is a big push for more parents to adopt. Adoption is a great thing and a worthy cause, but in our passion and desperation to find homes for children, I feel that we often tread closely to manipulation. Look at this happy adoptive family photo! You could do this for a child! Yes, you! All they need is a home and a family to love them! And yes, so many need homes and they all need love, but how often do we gloss over everything else that they need—an exorbitant amount of patience and a ridiculous amount of grace? They don’t trust adults; they don’t feel worthy of love; they test limits; they tell

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The Heart of Milk & Honey Market: Ethical & Beautiful Fashion

By Taylor Smith / Purpose, Work & Money

My first exposure to human trafficking was the movie Taken, you know the one where Liam Neeson says, “If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills…” and then proceeds to save his daughter from being trafficked by a pimp in a foreign country. I had no idea how much of a global issue (meaning, YES this is happening here in the United States) it was until I heard Christine Caine, from The A21 Campaign, speak at the Passion Conference when I was in college. My eyes were opened, my heart was burdened, and my ignorance became too heavy to carry. How had I missed

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2 Ways to Break Free From Self-Sabotage

By Ashley Johnson / Purpose

In a podcast episode of This Grit and Grace Life, Julie and Darlene talk about ruts that women fall into. (You can listen to that episode here.) You know, those tricky little potholes we run over from time to time… Unfortunately, they often take us much longer to get out of than we’d care to admit. If you can relate and are currently stuck, I’d like you to know one thing: You’re not alone. Just because you’ve got company, though, doesn’t mean you should settle in. So, as our dear co-founder would say, “What’s a girl to do?” Let’s start by looking at two trenches women fall into… 1. The all-or-nothing mindset. It sounds good and noble to say, “I’m just an

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3 Surprising Signs of Strength in a Woman

By Maggie Bowling / Health & Beauty, Purpose

Our idea of what a strong woman looks like is brought to us by women of power, grace, and intelligence. Oprah. Mother Theresa. Patricia Heaton. Emma Watson. Each of these women spoke the truth that was important to them, even if it was unpopular. As we aspire to be strong women ourselves, the bar takes on something more monumental in scope, something that looks more like Wonder Woman: physically and mentally strong, forthright, always spouting justice in the faces of her enemies and doing the right thing. For the average woman just making her way through life, both images are flawed: for the first, most of us won’t have a podium from which to share our important truths. We may have a

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How to Participate in the Tim Tebow Foundation’s Night to Shine

By Teresa Christian / Purpose

You no doubt know that there are many, many worthy causes to which you could donate your money and your time. Throughout your community and across the world are charities that are seriously making a difference in the lives of people who are poor, orphaned, abused, abandoned, hungry, thirsty, or sick. You may choose to donate to organizations that care for endangered animals, build homes, tutor school children, or revitalize neighborhoods that are torn apart by violence or decay. There is no shortage of causes, and frankly the need can at times be overwhelming! When considering donating to various causes, you must find one that resonates with who you are…one that moves your heart and fuels your passion. I’ve found that donating

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Don’t Let Your Failures Become Flounders

By Ashley Johnson / Purpose

I’m a long-time flounderer. In fact, floundering has marked almost every area of my life at some point or another. You know why? Because I’m also a dweller. Yep, I dwell on my mistakes. I dwell on my failures. I dwell on my imperfections and misspoken words. I dwell on the ways that I don’t measure up, the boats I’ve missed, the shoulda, coulda, wouldas… But guess where that has gotten me? Nowhere. Hence, the floundering. Then, in the midst of my floundering, I look at my friends and my co-workers and I see hard-working, top-quality, nose-to-the-grindstone winners and producers. When I do this, I start to feel a little more, well, flounder-y, and then I’m just plain stuck. Next, my husband

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