Hey friend,

I’m popping into your feed with a little in-between-seasons update, and in true Return to Jesus fashion, I’m showing up exactly as I am. Sweaty, fresh from a run, and definitely not polished.

After an ankle injury and a month and a half away from running, I was finally cleared by physical therapy. As I finished that first run back, I kept thinking about seasons. The ones that change before we’re ready. The ones that ask us to slow down. And the ones that remind us just how quickly life is moving.

Life is short, friends.

We’ve spent the past few seasons talking about grace, joy, and most recently, peace. As I look toward season four, there’s another word I can’t stop thinking about: abundance.

Not abundance as the world defines it. More followers, more success, more money, more stuff, more proof that we are enough. I’m talking about the abundance that is already here. The gifts God has planted right in the middle of our ordinary lives that we can so easily miss when we’re focused on what we don’t have.

I’m feeling that tension in my own life right now. Two of my four kids are in college. My house is getting quieter. I’m approaching 49 and becoming increasingly aware of how quickly these years pass. There is so much joy in watching my kids grow and step into their own lives, and there is grief there too. It’s exciting and sad and beautiful all at once.

And maybe abundance is learning to see the gift in all of it.

Here are two things I hope you’ll carry with you:

✨ Abundance begins with noticing. We don’t always need more to experience a full life. Sometimes we need to slow down long enough to recognize the gifts God has already placed in front of us.

✨ Two things can be true at the same time. A season can be beautiful and hard. We can be grateful and still grieve what is changing. God is present in all of it.

As we head into this next season together, I want to invite you to start looking for abundance in your own life. Where are you seeing God’s gifts right now? And maybe even more importantly, where are you struggling to see them?

This is also the heart behind my book, Return to Jesus: An Invitation to Abide with Him in Every Beautiful, Stressful, or Tedious Moment. Because whether the season feels abundant, uncertain, joyful, or completely ordinary, the invitation remains the same.

Return to Jesus.

Truly Yours, 

Jen

About Jen Thompson:

Jen Thompson is the host of The Return to Jesus Podcast and author of Return to Jesus: An Invitation to Abide with Him in Every Beautiful, Stressful, or Tedious Moment. Through honest stories, thoughtful conversations, and simple spiritual rhythms, Jen encourages women to slow down, breathe deep, notice God’s presence, and return to Jesus in every season of life.

Grab your copy of Return to Jesus HERE