When you feel like you “should have” known better… 🎧

Happy Sunday, beloved!

I’ve been thinking about something lately, and I wondered if you might be bumping into your own version of it too.

Btw, if you’d rather listen than read, listen to this mini podcast message here. 🎧

Do you remember ever being told, “Why didn’t you ask?”

…when the honest answer was,

I didn’t even know I had a question?! 😦

I’ve been in one of those seasons again.

For us, it’s been some frustrating, disappointing school stuff with my eldest.

Nothing dramatic—just one of those back-to-back moments where you suddenly spot assumptions you didn’t know you were making. I thought certain things were going a particular way… and they weren’t.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Sometimes you don’t even realize you have questions because it never occurred to you that those were questions you needed to ask.

It’s humbling.

It’s frustrating.

And at the same time, it can be strangely comforting to remember:

Learning curves aren’t failures—they’re just part of being human.

One thing that helped me last year (and is helping again now) is reminding myself:

“This is my first time doing this.”

• First time parenting a child in this grade.
• First time navigating this version of school.
• First time walking this path in this season.

“Of course, I don’t know everything.”

Of course it’s bumpy – we’re navigating new territory together!

Of course we’re figuring it out together.

And the same may be true for you, in whatever version of “new” you’re walking into.

• Maybe something you expected to be simple suddenly has layers.
• Maybe you’ve done this before, but the season or the dynamics or the people involved are completely different.
• Maybe you didn’t know what you didn’t know… until you did.

Wherever you are: you’re not alone.

God meets us in places where we didn’t even know we needed His help.

May you feel that nearness this week.

With love,

Cortney

PS: If you’d rather listen than read, here’s the mini podcast version. 🎧

P.S.2 If the holidays already feel a little noisy, here’s a gentle place to land — a completely free Advent Calendar with easy prompts for families and couples. It’s my gift to you. ✨

👉Get your free Advent Calendar​

Cortney Loui

I’m Cortney, a recovering over-achiever and God’s beloved who loves helping fellow Christian women like you embrace your God-given gifts so you have the confidence to live authentically.

I’m also a full-time mama to two sweet little boys, wife to my best friend, motivational speaker, and part-time Christian life coach. Chai lattes, strong coffee, podcasts, yoga, dance, and fairy tales nourish my soul and add sweetness to life.

Discovering the joy of embracing my God-given gifts and who He created me to be was a game-changer—a journey that brought freedom, unexpected delights, and relief from guilt. Finally, I felt free to be myself and ditch the pressure of being someone I wasn’t.

Incorporating those gifts into my day—from weekly planning to deciding on commitments, nurturing my marriage, and parenting—transformed everything. Now, I can’t imagine life without the perspective of fully embracing who God created me to be. I was missing so much without it!