APRIL NEWSLETTER 2026

 Right about now, all my gardener friends might be starting to see the first fruits of their work. My strawberry bush is starting to bud these green little strawberries. It will be a bit before they ripen and are ready to eat. Nonetheless, this was the whole goal of the planting, watering, and weeding: to produce something good.
In humans, we call this personal growth. In these past couple of months, I’ve started to see these green little strawberries growing in my own life. Nothing dramatic compared to a full harvest, but enough to spark excitement in the gardener.
I thought to myself, “Yes, this was the whole point.” All those hours listening to books on neuroscience and comparing them to Scripture. All the changes and choices I made were meant to cause this reaction.
And what exactly is beginning to grow? Not perfection, but evidence of life. Confidence to dance on the dance floor without shrinking back. Courage to try new things, like teaching myself to illustrate my own books. Peace enough to stop overexplaining myself when accusations come. A steadier heart, a freer spirit, and surprisingly, humor.
These may look like small, green strawberries right now, but I know what they are becoming. Growth can be difficult to recognize while it is happening. Sometimes the adjustments are so subtle we barely notice them. Other times, we see a few steps forward, then one stumble back into an old habit and convince ourselves we have gone nowhere at all. 
In the past couple of months, I’ve watched myself do things nineteen-year-old Jessica would not have been mentally able to do. Then recently, I had a moment where I slipped into an old response. I knew a way I could have blessed my husband, but I froze, not because of him, and truthfully, not because of anyone in the message, but because the voice of old abuse screamed in my mind and made me freeze. 
It would be easy to look at that one moment and think, “I will always be this way.” But that simply is not true. The growth I’ve seen in just this past month proves that things can change. Although I may never see it to completion on this side of heaven, I am ever grateful for the grace of God that allows for any kind of change in me. A humbling memory when you remember that any good you ever do in this life is all because God gave you the grace to do it. 
So let’s raise the metaphorical glass to everything God will ever allow to change in our lives!

Jessica Railsback