A Quiet Simple Life | Sallie Borrink

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

A Quiet Simple Life

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Our Family Life

Weddings: So If You Could Do It Over Again…


What would you do differently? Or what do you wish you could have done, but at the time were unable to do so?

We had a lovely wedding even though we were on a tight budget and tight timeframe. Overall I still like pretty much all of the choices we made. It was a joyous day. David’s grandmother said it was the happiest wedding she had ever been to.

I would have loved to have had a harpist and a string quartet. The only other thing I wish had been different was that someone would have taken a picture of our dessert buffet before everyone started. (We only had dessert for our reception.) By the time I saw it, it had been really worked over so I never saw it as it was presented. Everyone told me it was beautiful, but I wish I had seen it for myself.

Things I’m glad we spent money on… Professional video and professional photography. I’ve never regretted either.

So what would you do differently?

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What To Do With Old Journals?


While walking on the treadmill, I’ve been working my way through Monarch of the Glen on DVD. In one of the earlier episodes, Katrina and Lizzie are discussing growing up. Katrina mentions that she remembers Lizzie was always burning her journals. Lizzie replies that it was because she was always trying to make a fresh start.

I thought that was such an interesting exchange and have thought about it several times since. It also struck me because I’ve been debating for a while what to do with my old journals. Yes, they are interesting to go back and read, but I’m not sure I would want anyone else reading them. It is encouraging to see how much I’ve grown and it’s embarrassing to see some of the stupid things I obsessed over in years past.

So if I shred them, will I be sorry I did it in another twenty or thirty years? Or will it be cathartic to read them and shred them and move on in a sense?

Anyone want to share their thoughts on old journals?

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40 Things I’ve Learned By Age 40 | Something I Haven’t Learned


Now that I’ve given you a list of 40 Things I’ve Learned By Age 40, it’s true confession time. One of the things I haven’t completely learned and continue to struggle with is the fear of man.

To a certain extent I don’t really have a problem making decisions and not caring what anyone else thinks. Obviously David and I have made many choices that are out of the mainstream of both the culture and the church in general and we’re quite happy and content with those choices, whether people understand them or agree with them or not. But sometimes the fear of the fallout with people is hard.

David and I had to make a decision last week that we agonized over for days. We knew what we wanted to do and there was nothing sinful or inherently wrong with the choice. But we also knew that the potential was there for our choice to cause problems and not be understood by other people. And so we agonized. We finally made the choice we wanted to make, but not without a little angst regarding the outcome of the situation (which will be sometime in the near future).

We have another choice we are in the process of making. We know what we want to do and what we believe is the best course of action for our little family. The challenge for me is living with the consequences of that choice. We know many people will not understand our choice and some may not even be very supportive. We know it will put us on the “outside” so to speak in a certain setting. And so I struggle. I know in my heart what I want to do and what I am convinced is best. But I also find it hard to make the decision and know people will disapprove and we will probably face pressure because of it. I know we would be better “liked” and “understood” if we made a different choice. But that isn’t the choice we want to make.

The good part is that once I make a decision and commit to a certain course of action, I (usually) do pretty well. I am able to deal with the fallout and not let it get to me (too much). But that initial choosing and stepping out is so hard, especially if I know in advance I am walking into conflict.

I know that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. I know that the fear of man is a snare that can keep me from living out my convictions and calling. But knowing these two things and practicing them can sometimes be very hard.

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40 Things I’ve Learned By Age 40 | #40


I saved this last thing I’ve learned for the end. I wanted to post this on my birthday because it is probably the greatest truth I have learned and witnessed in my life. It encompasses many of the things I have already written about in this series. It speaks of why this blog is named what it is. (Note: At the time, my blog was named A Gracious Home.) It is a statement you have probably heard or even said many times before so it is not original with me. But I do feel as though I have experienced it in significant ways over the past forty years.

40. There but for the grace of God go I.

This quote is attributed to John Bradford during the Reformation. From what I can gather, he said this as he watched a martyr being led to the stake.

I haven’t experienced anything close to what John Bradford witnessed. But I have seen time and time again the evidence of God’s grace in my life whether through my salvation, a protective hand, a restraining hand, a generous hand, or a disciplining hand. God’s gracious hand is evident throughout my life. I cannot look back over my life and see a time He was not actively working, even when it seemed He was not.

I can think of several stories to tell that tie in closely with this. One of the most profound happened a number of years ago. I had been to a get together and while there I was overwhelmed by the futility of the lives most of the people were living. The tremendous amount of spiritual lostness, brokenness, destruction, hopelessness, addiction, and other destructive behaviors was overwhelming. I literally could barely keep myself emotionally in check while I was there because I was so overcome by the emotions God was allowing me to experience. To be so overwhelmed by the brokenness of others is not how I normally react to a situation like this. I do not have the spiritual gift of mercy. In fact, my gifts are more on the opposite end of the spectrum. But this time God allowed me to glimpse something on a much deeper level.

I had a long ride home and I think I sobbed most of the way. It is a miracle I didn’t get in an accident. My heart was broken for those people. And my heart was overwhelmed with – Why me, God? Why am I so blessed and these people are so lost? Why have I been given so much and these people are on the wide road of destruction? I was overcome by the enormity of God’s grace in my life and the realization that if it were not for God intervening in my life, there was no reason to think that I would have turned out any differently than those people.

I can think of so many circumstances that could have turned out so differently if it were not for God’s grace. Situations I was in, choices I made, desires I had… They all could have led to a much less fruitful life (in the best case scenario) or my utter destruction.

I do not know why God has chosen me and I have been blessed with His favor and salvation. I do not know why I have been lavished with His grace and others have not. But I do know that God has chosen me, protected me, guided me, and saved me. I was dead in my trespasses and sin. Dead. And He chose me before the foundations of the world. He made me alive in Christ. And even before I was spiritually alive, He was overseeing everything related to me, guiding and protecting me into a grace-filled life.

I’ve thought about this topic lately because, of all things, the news about Anna Nicole Smith and Brittney Spears. The reason I have felt drawn to those stories is because each of us has a baby the same age. Caroline and the two celebrity babies are all just about the same age. I’ve thought about Anna Nicole’s little girl and what an incredibly messed up life she is already experiencing at just five months. I’ve thought about the same thing for Brittney’s little boy. Why? Why was Caroline born into a loving Christian home and these two little ones were not? Why have the boundary lines fallen in pleasant places for me and these other two women have been racing down the road of destruction?

I realize asking these questions will make some of my readers uncomfortable. They make me uncomfortable. They are uncomfortable because they force us to face facts about God, ourselves, and salvation that we don’t want to look at. We don’t want to think about the fact that we would be on the road to hell if it were not for God’s grace. But that is what the Bible teaches. Yes, there is a human element in salvation. We are not robots. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it weren’t for God’s grace in my life, I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this testimony. I have the same depths of sin in me as Anna Nicole and Brittney. God’s grace is what has set me apart, called me out, and given me a life worth living. A life worth living now and a life worth living for all eternity.

See all of the posts in this series:

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