God is with you.
Photo by Timothy Tarasov on Unsplash

Perhaps you know God is with you. However, pausing long enough to let His presence seep down into the empty crevices of your heart is rare at this time of year. Would you consider taking a few minutes right now to reflect on the fact the Lord never leaves your side?

During the holidays, I usually tend to overbook my schedule, commit to too much, and pausing seems like a luxury other people know how to enjoy. However, this year has been different. There has been a slower pace.

How have you slowed down this year?

Featured Post

As I snuggled up on the couch, admiring the sparkly Christmas lights and sipping a cup of tea, I read Jeanne Takenaka’s post. Her words unexpectedly, powerfully washed over me. Although the concept is something I often write about, I had no idea it was a reminder my heart yearned to hear on this particular day. I hope Jeanne’s words do the same for you. Please do come back and share  

Now for our Featured Post

Emmanuel: When It’s Hard to Remember God is With Us

By Jeanne Takenaka

Click here to read.

Our featured post today, on Grace & Truth Link-Up, is written by Jeanne Takenaka – “Emmanuel: When It's Hard to Remember God is With Us” #graceandtruth #featuredpost Share on X

But maybe while reading our featured post, you didn’t have the same experience, and God seems far away. In those times, we must shift to what we know and not what we feel.

God is with us in our unexpected Christmas.
He is with us in the joy of the moment.
God is with us in our pain.
He is with us in our delight.
We are never alone.

Do you know God is with you?
No matter what season we find ourselves in today – Remember, our Lord is with us. #neveralone #Godiswithus #Mareedee Share on X

Please share with us how you know God is with you.


Now for this week’s link-up!

Let’s bless and encourage one another.

Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.


Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

To receive a weekly reminder of when the link-up goes live, subscribe to Maree Dee | Embracing the Unexpected by clicking here.


Grace & Truth Hosts

Maree Dee – Embracing the Unexpected
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Heather Hart & Valerie Riese – Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.
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Lauren Sparks
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Lisa Burgess
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  1. Following your hosts via their blog and social media channels is not mandatory, but appreciated!

  2. Leave 1-2 of your most recent Christian Living posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. We will delete these links. We also reserve the right to remove articles that don’t align with the theme or are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

  3. Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community among us, so please don’t link and run!

  4. We sort all links randomly – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

Featured Post Requirements

    1. Please grab a button and link it back to one of our hosts to encourage new linkers. It is not mandatory to participate but is required to be featured.

    2. Each host will choose one blog post to emphasize and promote via their social media channels each week.

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      You can display the Grace & Truth badge on your blog’s sidebar, at the bottom of your post, or on a “link-ups” page.

      God is with you

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      God is with you
      Join us for the Grace & Truth Christian Link-Up. #graceandtruth #bloglinkup #christianbloggers Share on X

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Intentional Christmas Love

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Intentional Christmas Love
We will be embracing “Intentional Christmas Love” on social media each Wednesday. We would be honored to have you join us as we turn our hearts and minds towards love.
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10 Comments

  1. Maree, I’ve had to remind myself many times that “it’s not all on my shoulders.” God is with me always. I tend to burn myself out by trying to do too much rather than just resting in His presence. Thanks so much for featuring my post. 🙂

    1. Jeanne, It is so easy to try to do things on our own. I am guilty all of the time with this one. I am so glad you wrote this post. It has blessed me immensely. Maree