Celebrating the W.I.N.S with Jesus

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been my own worst critic. My inner voice doesn’t often applaud—it measures, critiques, diminishes. Somewhere along the way I picked up the belief that celebrating growth is prideful, that naming success is somehow unholy. So I learned to shrink, to focus only on my weaknesses, and to hush any whisper of joy over progress.

But here’s the truth I’m learning: this is not God’s heart toward me.

God doesn’t just walk with me through my struggles, He delights to walk with me in my victories. Scripture says:

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you;in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

This past May, I experienced what should have been a great victory. I finished writing a book. I held a book signing. I even launched this very website to celebrate the stories of other women. Outwardly, it was a season of fruitfulness. Inwardly, though, I wrestled. My thoughts were clouded with fear of failure and rejection—What if no one shows up? What if no one cares? And when someone cautioned me, “Don’t let it get to your head,” my fear deepened.

Instead of embracing God’s joy, I shrunk back into old patterns of minimizing. I couldn’t savor the beauty of what He and I had accomplished together.

Now, as I stand at the threshold of my 42nd birthday, I feel Jesus inviting me to pause and truly see.

Five years ago, my life felt like a wilderness. I was stuck, afraid, forgotten, and drowning in grief. I questioned every choice, every path. Yet in that wilderness, God whispered the courage to step into counseling. That season was messy—it unearthed grief, pain, and loss I had buried—but it was also holy. Slowly, the Lord exchanged my garments of mourning for garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3).

Looking back now, I see the valleys we walked, the deserts we crossed, the mountains we climbed, and even the seasides where He let me rest. Through it all, Jesus was there—faithful, patient, singing over me even when I couldn’t sing for myself.

So today, I want to practice something new: celebrating the W.I.N.S. Not in arrogance, not in pride, but in gratitude.

W.I.N.S = What I Notice Sacred.The moments where I see His fingerprints. The victories that mark His faithfulness. The small and big milestones that whisper, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

Here are a few sacred W.I.N.S I notice today:

• I wrote a book. Not just with my pen, but with God’s healing woven into the pages.

• I stood in front of others, sharing my story, even while trembling inside.

• I built this website to celebrate women’s voices, because God has celebrated mine.

• I kept walking, step by step, even when wilderness seasons tried to silence me.

• And perhaps the biggest W.I.N of all: I am not the same woman I was five years ago.

Paul’s words echo in my heart: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

I still have far to go. There are still valleys ahead, still deserts to cross, still pruning to come. But today I choose to stand in awe of the journey so far and whisper to Jesus:

“Lord, we have done some good work together.”

And that, my friends, is worth celebrating.