Sally Clarkson's Blog, page 12

Subduing The Domain Of The Home

Establishing and caring for a home is so much more than a decorating dilemma or an organizational challenge or even a call to love one's family. It is a commitment of heart, mind, and soul to the task of subduing a very specific part of the earth — the domain of the home. It involves teaching minds and nurturing hearts and shaping souls, in addition to getting the rugs vacuumed and dinner on the table.

To me, at times, this task has seemed almost overwhelming. But the example of so many lovely homemakers in my life has assured me it can be done with grace and patience. Every instance helped me to develop a vision for my home as a lovely gracious, lifegiving place.

This vision has kept me going through times of discouragement when my work seemed endless and thankless. It has helped me to keep my priorities straight and my budget focused. And because I knew what I was striving for, it has helped me to recognize the results when I saw them and give thanks to God for helping me shape my home according to his purposes.

Read more about this in The Mission Of Motherhood.

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon

The Heart Of A Reading Home

When my kinds were young, most days found us sequestered in our living room, sharing and engaging in a rousing book together. All four cherished this daily rhythm as one of the favorite memories of their lives and as the habit that shaped their souls.

What I discovered was that entering into rousing tales, great adventures, historical battles, and romantic tales does open children’s minds to wonder about infinite ideas, dreams, and creative possibilities and to truly enjoy the beauty of learning and growing. A sort of mutual intelligence and understanding through the discussions we shared and things we wondered about out loud formed patterns of imagination that fueled our children’s intellect.

Read more about this in Awaking Wonder.

Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child's Heart to the Beauty of Learning By Sally Clarkson Buy on Amazon

Tea Time Tuesday: Best Friends Are Built at Home

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

Tea Time Tuesday

Saying goodbye to my children as they foray back out into the world of their work and dreams is a melancholy experience for me. I want them to be happy and to flourish in their lives and work, and I will also have a hole in my heart when they leave. They have become my best friends, worthy companions who share memories, dreams, fears, success and failures, and know me and love me.

Over the holidays, I delighted in heart-felt conversations with Joy and Keelia who were home with us to celebrate. Cultivating deep, soul-filling, heart strong friendships with women who call you to your best self is becoming more and more rare. Yet, love, companionship, comfort, understanding, sympathy, “being known and loved” is one of the ways we were created to experience the Love of God in our lives. Love gives us the oxygen we need to breathe in grace through the taxing days of our lives.

Friendship is an imperative part of a healthy life!

I invited the girls to join me in a podcast today because I thought it might be fun for you to hear from them and what they are pursuing in this season of their lives. We have so much fun. And we took a photo on Christmas Day together to document a sweet time together. Enjoy!

Trust God With Your Days

You will always have a choice to make. Don’t look at the fear; keep the memory of His power and beauty always before your eyes and ever in your thoughts. Beauty will be strewn across your path so you can observe His fingerprints.

Our God, who created beauty for us to behold and who has shown His power through His creation, wants to fill you from the tip of your toes to the top of your head with the very same energy that created all of this so that you will know His full companionship, love, beauty, and wisdom each step in your journey ahead.

Read more about this in Own Your Life.

Own Your Life: Living With Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love By Sally Clarkson Buy on Amazon

All Lives Tell A Different Story

All lives tell a different story, and all of us are uniquely created by God to live our lives according to the hopes and desires and work He has set within us. An essential part of our role as parents is simply not to suppress these variances amongst our children.

It is clear that God values diversity in His creation. And so must we. How important it is that we look at the heart of who a person was created to be. To respect each person’s uniqueness is to worship God for His wonderful design.

Read more about this in Uniquely You — out now!

Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child's Extraordinarily Distinctive Design By Clarkson, Sally, Clarkson, Nathan Buy on Amazon

Uniquely You Launch Day

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

"Your children are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him! Through patience and commitment, we will eventually reap a harvest. Today, I encourage you to begin the journey of discovering the individual wonders of each one." (from Uniquely You)

Today my outside-the-box son Nathan and I officially release our second book together, Uniquely You. This book comes directly from our hearts and is a celebration and exploration of the beautiful uniquenesses God has created both of us, and everyone, with.

Our desire is that our stories, words, thoughts, and reflections will offer you comfort and hope, both in your and your family's story. Nathan and I continue our conversation about why we are so passionate about the themes in this book in our latest podcast, also out today. And we giggled the whole way through!

Order your copy today!

Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child's Extraordinarily Distinctive Design By Clarkson, Sally, Clarkson, Nathan Buy on Amazon

Every Child Reflects The Artistry Of God

Each child, and indeed every single person alive, is created with their own impossibly complex web of personality traits and opinions and ways of seeing their environment, and this complexity reflects the dynamic artistry of the great master artist who created us all.

Even as flowers have infinite colors, shapes, and scents, we too are created with effectively limitless possibilities of potential expression. God delights in this dynamic contrast, and it is part of our faith that we learn to see with God’s eyes the glory of His varied creation.

Order your copy of Uniquely You today.

Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child's Extraordinarily Distinctive Design By Clarkson, Sally, Clarkson, Nathan Buy on Amazon

Understanding Your Child As Unique

My whole life I wanted to be accepted as I was, cherished for my irrepressible questions, valued for the curiosity and vibrancy that danced within me. It was from that desire to be understood that I approached each of my children as totally unique and individual from every other person, believing that they would grow stronger and healthier when they were validated as a masterpiece from the hand of God within the context and limitations of their own God-given personalities.

This is the first step toward understanding your child as unique. Just like you and me, our children are fearfully and wonderfully made by God in a way that is particular to them and to the story they will tell with their lives.

Preorder your copy of Uniquely You today.

Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child's Extraordinarily Distinctive Design By Clarkson, Sally, Clarkson, Nathan Buy on Amazon

Nathan's & My New Book: Uniquely You

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

A few years ago my outside-the-box son Nathan and I released a book, Different, that detailed Nathan’s story of being a kid with mental illness and learning disabilities and my story of loving and raising him. We didn’t know what to expect when sharing our story but after an interview on The Today Show were blown away with the response.

In the years since its release we have received countless letters from all over the world of people who connected with our story. Not long ago, we felt God put it on our hearts to continue the conversation we began in different and explore further and deeper the beauty of the uniqueness God has created all of us and our children in. 

In our new book, Uniquely You, Nathan and I step beyond mental illness and learning disabilities and explore every way a child can be different. We have nine chapters covering topics of personality, learning styles, discipline needs, love languages, and so much more. We believe that every child is made entirely uniquely, and while navigating how to raise unique kids, God hasn’t asked us to fit our children into a constraining mold, but rather educate ourselves on and celebrate all the ways our children are unique for the purpose of helping them live out the unique story God has for them to tell.

You can preorder the book now wherever books are sold. It officially releases into the world on January 7th.

If you would like to have access to the course of ten short videos where Nathan and I discuss each and every chapter from the book, make sure to join our Life With Sally membership to follow along!

Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child's Extraordinarily Distinctive Design By Clarkson, Sally, Clarkson, Nathan Buy on Amazon

Decluttering Your Soul For 2025

Decluttering my soul is something I do every year before I plan my priorities, goals for the year. On New Year's weekend, I get away to a private place whatever it takes, to view the state of my heart, mind and soul. I ask God to help me clear out my conscience, leave my past burdens in the file drawers of heaven, by faith, trust God to move generously in my new year. I feel lighter, seeing what He will provide for me in the new year. Every year, I share these thoughts that I hope will give you a fresh wind blowing through your soul.

Even as we declutter our home, put it back in order after a busy holiday season, so I find that I must declutter my heart to go into my year free, with grace, hope and good plans. Proverbs tells us to “Guard our heart, for from it flows the springs of life.”

If we do not keep our heart free from those things that would bring darkness, discouragement, criticism, fear, despair, we will not be able to accomplish all of the other tasks we have planned for our year. He must be at the center of our peaceful, trusting heart. But even as in marriage, parenting, friendship, as issues must be communicated and discussed, so our heart issues must come to the light and be talked about with Him, so that we can declutter our souls.

Sometimes we are hold feelings of guilt, failure, disappointment, criticism, resentment, fear, blame. Yet, if we allow these feelings to fester, they will be a sort of poison to our hearts. So giving our burdens, regrets, issues into the hands of God and planning how we will walk forward in freedom is essential to keep a free, pure, loving heart.

Every year, we have sent out a “Decluttering Your Heart” planner to those how want to print it out and use it to plan their year. All you have to do is to join my blog mailing list and it will come to your email.

Stay tuned for announcement tomorrow about a new book by me and Nathan that we hope will be of help to you on the journey of decluttering your soul!

I wish you a happy and blessed new year.