Nourishing hearts as faithfully as we nourish our tables.
Welcome to Soul Food Sunday — because feeding our bodies is not enough.
Do you have a favorite verse? Maybe even a life verse?
A verse you cling to in hard times, repeat in the good ones, share with others when they need encouragement… one you tuck into your heart and come back to again and again.
I remember being at a youth retreat years ago when a speaker challenged us to pray and ask God for a verse to carry with us through life. Something personal. Something anchoring.
My 16- or 17-year-old self chose Proverbs 3:5–6 (leave it to me to choose 2 verses, because I am a more-is-more girl).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
I’ve carried these words with me ever since.
And I know I’m not alone in choosing this verse. It meets you right where you are. It wraps itself around anxiety, uncertainty, parenting, marriage, the future… all of it.
Let’s just sit with it for a minute.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”
We could stop right there.
Do I trust Him… with all my heart?
Not halfway. Not when it’s convenient. Not just when things make sense.
If I’m honest, this is both a comfort and a challenge. Because trusting means handing over my heart. And in a world where trust feels fragile, I want to place mine in the hands of the One who created it all. The One who holds my future. The One who is good… even when life doesn’t look like it.
“…and lean not on your own understanding.”
Oh, this one.
How quickly I lean on what I think is right. As if I can see the whole picture. As if I have all the answers.
Truth is, I don’t. Not when it comes to my life, my marriage, my boys, or what’s ahead.
“In all your ways submit to Him…”
In all my ways.
That’s the part that gets me. Not just the big decisions. Not just the hard seasons. Not only in the good times. But the everyday, ordinary moments too.
Some translations say “acknowledge Him,” while others say “submit to Him.” And to me, those carry slightly different shades of meaning… but maybe they’re really two sides of the same coin.
The original Hebrew word used here in Proverbs 3:6 is yada, which means far more than just knowing something in your head. It means to know deeply, personally, relationally. To walk closely with. It’s the difference between knowing about someone and knowing that person. (Source: Bible Project)
To acknowledge Him, then, is to be aware of Him, to recognize His presence in your life.
And to submit to Him is to trust Him.
It’s choosing to bring Him into everything, to talk with Him, to listen for His voice, to invite Him into every part of your day, not just the big moments, but the ordinary ones too.
Maybe acknowledging leads us to submitting… and submitting deepens our awareness of Him.
Either way, it draws us closer.
“…and He will make your paths straight.”
There’s the promise.
Not that life will be easy. Not that it will look the way I expect. But that He will guide me. Lead me. Direct my steps. Stay with me when everyone else leaves.
And it all circles back to the beginning…
Do I trust Him?
Because when I do, when I truly place it in His hands, I can rest in this: He is leading me. Even here. Even now.
Do you have a life verse?
I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment or send me an email, I read every single one and I’m so grateful you’re here. 💚
And if you don’t have one yet, you’re welcome to mine.
Write it down. Put it on a sticky note. Tape it to your mirror or your kitchen cabinet. Let it meet you in the middle of your everyday life.
I keep this one on my mantle most of the year. I see it daily. And daily, I try to live it out. Albeit so imperfectly.
Because when the worries creep in, when I start gripping too tightly, when I want control…
I look up and remember:
He’s got me. I can trust Him! He will direct me!
And friend, He’s got you too.
Just a quick reminder that I read and respond to every email, and I’m truly thankful for every one of you who comes back week after week! Your support means the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read and click through to a few recipes—I’m incredibly grateful!
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