Dress: SheIn || Boots: Target || Suggested Earrings: Kendra Scott || Suggested Handbag: BP

One of my go-to places to shop lately has been SheIn. It is an online shop with seriously low prices. I'm talking SUPER low. For example, this velvet dress was a total of $20. That is a price you can't beat. What I have learned when shopping at SheIn, is you need to read the reviews. They help a lot in determining the quality of the fabric and how it might actually fit. I also like that the prices allow you to play around with different styles without having to make a huge financial commitment.

Velvet is one of those styles you might be scared to embrace. So picking up a piece from SheIn would be a great way to see how you really feel about the style. Me, on the other hand, can't wait for the weather to velvet ready. I think it is such a fun detail to add to a look.

Wearing velvet at just the right time isn't the only kind of waiting I have been doing these days. The week my daughter was born I had been having different levels of contractions for days. Some were mild, others would be a little more intense. With each increase in strength of contraction my hope of potentially getting to meet my girl that day would also rise. So after about two days of this and the contractions coming to a stop, my patience was starting to wear on me.

That Sunday we went to church and a card with the verse "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14) was laying there on my seat. Which of course lead to a powerful message on the importance of trusting the process of His plan. It was one of those moments where I looked up and said "ok I get it Lord." As if He had finally gotten through to me that I wasn't in control.

Later that night my daughter made her arrival into the world. So the waiting process wasn't what I expected at all. In fact, I remembered thinking that if He was trying to teach me to wait, I didn't really have to wait that long. So what was I going to be waiting for? Or was God just trying to teach me a quick lesson?

It would be in the coming weeks where the joy and stress of a newborn can cause you to feel completely overwhelmed with emotions. Don't get me wrong, being a mother is the greatest gift in the world. But those first couple weeks of trying to figure out how to adjust to this new world is a waiting process. Not to mention you are waiting to just feel like yourself again. The baby blues are a real thing, y'all.

I think when I heard the message on waiting it wasn't about waiting for her arrival, it was about waiting to realize that I was going to be able to be a good mother. It was about getting through those first couple weeks where you a smiling through the tears because you are so tired and so incredibly grateful all at the same time.

The part I thought I was waiting on was really just the first step into a whole new waiting game. A game where I would find myself wishing for her to reach the next phase, while praying for time to slow down. Realizing somewhere between feedings and the diaper changing that I needed to live in the now and trust God with the steps towards the future. I had to find the courage to hand over that control to Him.

What are you waiting on today? Is it a new job, a new house, a new relationship, the next step in a relationship, or maybe just for the weekend? While you wait for that next moment I hope you will see the beautiful steps God is taking in your life. Use the strength He provides in you to just wait. It's hard. But it's worth it.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord." - Psalm 27:14

This post was sponsored by SheIn. Opinions are my own. All products were selected by me. Thankful for partnerships like these that make a TAD more faith possible

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

Outfit details are all from Target: Dress || Shoes

In Genesis 1 you can read the scripture of God creating the earth. How God took 6 days to make this amazing world for all of us. On the 7th day, He rested. And on the 8th day, He started making plans to bring all the women of the world a place of pure happiness called Target. Well ok, probably not. But I do consider Target to be a blessing from the Lord above.

Isn’t it so exciting to walk into Target to pick up something so simple, only to know you will actually walk out with probably a new outfit, a pair of shoes, maybe even a new comforter for your bed. Whatever it is, you will likely get inspired at Target. And this dress is one of those things that I did NOT walk into Target to buy – but left with anyways. I mean it is so hard to turn down an adorable summer dress that cost a total of $20. Am I right?? Something I love and hate about Target all at the same time.

What I have learned over the years of shopping at Target is as long as you walk in with a budget in mind, you will walk out happy. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten to the register and suddenly spent $100. Which then follows with a frantic check and recheck of the receipt trying to figure out how the heck that even happened. So nowadays I try to keep a plan, a target in mind, for when I enter this store. That means I actually walk into the store telling myself “you will not go to the shoe section today.” Oh the struggles of first world problems.

But shopping isn’t the only place where we might miss our mark. We can run into trouble in hitting our target when it comes to following our dreams. I struggle greatly with following through with goals and plans I have for my book and for this blog. One week the ideas will be flowing like crazy and the next week it is all I can do to pick up my computer and get to work.

Same is true for our faith. One day the Lord is present in every situation. You are talking with Him throughout each step of the day. The next morning you wake up in a rush to handle the daily tasks and forget He is even there to greet you with the blessing of a new day. We lose our target. We get off track.

Similar to every good shopping trip to Target, our faith requires discipline and focus. It is a gift to be given peace and love from Jesus Christ. But it isn’t a gift we can just accept, write the thank you note for and move on. It is one we accept and work at everyday. And with each amount of work on our end, in building our foundation in Jesus, the gift becomes even greater. The targets sometimes become clearer. And our walk with God can turn into a beautiful adventure.

So whether you are making a trip to Target today or just going through your daily to-do list, I pray that you will remember where to keep your true focus. Remember the target you should be aiming towards. And that is growing, with Him, and His love for you.