Welcome to Real Life + Grace
Real Life + Grace is a gentle place for honest stories,
faith-filled reflections, and encouragement for
living your next chapter with clarity and heart.
When Life-Changing Turns into Blah Blah Blah
I recently spent an hour or so on a webinar that promised life-changing insight.
You know the kind.
Big claims. Big smiles. Big energy.
And then...
nothing.
No breakthroughs.
No sparks.
Just me staring at my screen thinking, Why didn't I trust my gut and log off sooner?
At first, I started to get mad at myself.
You should've known better.
You wasted your time.
You fell for it again.
But then I caught myself.
I remembered something important.
I'm human.
And God already knows that.
Grace shows up in small moments.
I didn't hear a booming voice or have some grand realization - but I did feel a quiet nudge reminding me I don't have to be hard on myself to grow.
Grace doesn't always arrive wrapped in clarity or wisdom.
Sometimes it shows up as resting - choosing not to spiral, not to shame, not to overthink.
Instead of beating myself up, I chose to move on.
I closed the tab.
I took a breath.
I let it go.
And honestly, that felt like a holy moment.
Not every hour has to be meaningful.
We often think God is only at work when something big is happening -
when we're learning, striving, improving.
But I'm learning He's also present when things fall flat.
When plans disappoint.
When expectations aren't met.
When all we can say is, Well...that wasn't it.
God doesn't ask us to squeeze meaning out of everything.
Sometimes he just invites us to release it.
If today feels a little flat
If your day didn't sparkle...
If something you hoped would help didn't...
If today feels a little blah...
You're not behind.
You're not missing anything.
You're not disappointing God.
You're just human.
And He's gentle with that.
A small, faithful practice
Here's a simple question I'm trying to ask myself:
Is this nourishing my spirit - or draining it?
If it's draining, I don't need permission to step away.
God isn't keeping score.
Rest and discernment count too.
Closing thought
Support doesn't always look like a big insight or dramatic breakthroughs.
Sometimes it looks Ike choosing kindness toward yourself.
Closing the tab.
Releasing the pressure.
Trusting that God can work just as well in the quiet as He can in the loud.
So if today feels a little flat, that's ok.
You showed up.
You listened.
You learned something - even it it was simply what doesn't serve you anymore.
And God is still right there with you.💖
The Lord will guide you always.
- Isaiah 58:11
Elizabeth Hagen
Real Life + Grace / Your Next Chapter Strategist
The Voice Behind Real Life + Grace
Meet Elizabeth!
She is a writer, speaker, and coach who believes real life is the best classroom - and grace is always the lesson.
She is the author of Organize with Confidence: Simplify Your Life and Make Every Moment Count and Confidence: Now is Your Time - 31 Days to a More Extraordinary You, and has spent more than 20 years speaking to thousands of women about confidence, clarity, and living fully in the chapter they're in.
Elizabeth's writing blends faith, honesty, and practicality - offering encouragement that feels like a conversation across the kitchen table, not a lecture from the stage. She writes for women who are thoughtful, capable, and quietly wondering if there's more.
When she's not writing, Elizabeth coaches women in their next chapter - helping them stop playing small, get organized around what matters most, and step into the purpose God has already placed in them.
Longtime wife, proud mom of five adult children, grandma to five, and lives in South Dakota - where wide skies and God-sized next chapters go hand in hand.
