Author: ivy.sweeney1
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I Don’t Want to Be an Influencer
I don’t want to be an influencer. I want to be a beacon. A place where someone can come for guidance, encouragement, clarity, or reflection, then grow and continue on to their next move. I don’t want to be a permanent destination for anyone. Well, maybe my husband. Lol. But even then, I don’t think Read more
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Returning to Me
It has been a while since I have posted here. It is not because I stopped writing. I think I started to feel like everything had to become a product. Like I was selling myself, my story, and my experience. I do not like that feeling. I do not like feeling like I am the Read more
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Life and Reflection
This is not a crisis note. It is a reflection on grief, aging, motherhood, mortality, and the strange ache of being alive. Life is fragile, and no one makes it out. Nothing really matters in the way we sometimes want things to matter. Nothing will be remembered forever. Chaos is always waiting to take over Read more
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December Week 3: Midweek Reflection Honesty
Mid-Week Reflection is a great time to think about the role of honesty in our lives and how we can incorporate it more into our daily interactions. Midway through the week, I’m honestly starting to wonder what in the world I was thinking choosing honesty as a reflection theme so close to Christmas. This is Read more
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December Week 2: End of Week Reflection
Learning to Hear God Without Interpreting Him Through Myself As this second week of December comes to a close, I can feel the quiet work God has been doing beneath the surface. Listening sounded simple at first, just pay attention, stay open, make room. But real listening has turned out to be more challenging and Read more
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Week 1: Returning to Stillness
What This Week Taught Me As I close out the first week of December’s theme of stillness, I am noticing quiet but meaningful shifts happening beneath the surface. Nothing dramatic. Nothing explosive. Just a gentle realignment of how I am seeing myself, how I am approaching God, and how I am responding to the places Read more
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Dec Week 1: What Stillness Is Revealing in Me
This week, stillness revealed more than quiet moments. It showed me the patterns I run to when life feels uncertain, and the ways God is calling me to anchor my identity in Him rather than in movement or achievement. Read more
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Dec Week 1: Beginning Stillness
This week I am beginning my December reset with stillness, creating space for God to steady my inner pace and quiet the noise I usually reach for. Through intentional silence and a focus on “The Theology of Quietness,” I am learning what it means to protect stillness as something sacred. Read more
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Returning to Center: My December Reflection
This December, I’m slowing down to rebuild clarity, ground my spirit, and return to center. After a demanding year, I’m moving through gentle weekly rhythms of stillness, listening, honesty, and alignment as I reconnect with God and with myself. Read more
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Pain Made Me Hurry
Sometimes, the thing that finally moves us isn’t clarity—it’s pain. In this final post of the series, I reflect on how discomfort became divine direction, and how God used the ache to pull me out of what I would’ve stayed in too long. Read more
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100%: Why 85% Isn’t Enough
I thought I was doing well—showing up, doing my part, keeping things going. But deep down, I was moving through a fog. This post is about what it looks like to give 85% and call it faithful—and how God gently calls us back to wholeness. Read more
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You Were Built to Shine Like Him
Post 8 of 10 in the series: The Grace to Make Changes. You can read the full series here. What Do You Reflect When Life Presses In? I think about mirrors a lot—especially the ones that don’t lie. The fluorescent-lit bathroom ones. The ones that catch you off guard when you weren’t expecting to see Read more
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Grace for This: When You’re Called to Hard Things
This post is part of the 10-part series: The Grace to Make Changes. You can read the full series here. I used to think grace was mostly about forgiveness. A quiet covering for my mess-ups. A soft voice telling me, “It’s okay, I still love you.” And it is that. I’ve been learning that grace Read more
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The Glory Rests on Big Steppers
Not everyone can carry what you’re called to build—and that’s okay. In this post, I reflect on what it means to take bold, obedient steps even when they feel lonely or misunderstood. With a personal tribute to my husband Desmond this Veterans Day, I explore the quiet strength it takes to keep building, not for… Read more
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God Won’t Protect What You Won’t Build
This post is part of the 10-part series: The Grace to Make Changes. You can read the full series here. There’s never been a shortage of ideas in me. When God gives me a blueprint, I don’t hesitate to get started. I’ll clear the space. I’ll gather the materials. I’ll sketch the vision. I’ll even Read more