If there’s anything I’ve realized by tracking my raw emotions and unglued moments this week, it’s that I don’t want to be this way forever–I don’t want to stay the same. As I’ve explored my self-inflicted labels and recognized my exploding and stuffing tendencies, I realize what a mess I really am. Don’t get me […]
Unglued {Lesson 2} & (in)couraged to hope Link-up!
This week it was no surprise that making wise choices in the midst of my raw emotions proved difficult for me. Slow steps indeed, requiring lots of grace. There was the person at church who rudely made an unreasonable request… My husband, who tried to help me, but in my opinion was taking too long… A […]
Unglued {Lesson 1} & (in)couraged to hope Link-up!
Coming unglued seems to be an epidemic … I can’t begin to count all the times I’ve been unglued… When she wrote with Sharpie all over her arms and legs. Twice. When we spent a lot of money on his orthodontics and he didn’t “want” to wear his retainer. When she failed to follow through […]
For When You Need the Approval of Others :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 23-24}
I’ll admit it. I’ve been guilty. Longing for the approval and compliments of others… Wanting them to acknowledge the good I do and the way I serve… And if you’re gut-level honest, you’re probably been guilty too. Because most of us, as human beings, struggle with the issue of significance. We long to matter—to be […]
To Welcome Suffering is to Say Yes to God
If there’s one thing I’m learning lately, it’s that suffering is inevitable in this life. That no matter who we are, no matter what we have, and no matter where we live, we will have hard things to face. And yet it’s such a challenge to welcome the suffering–to embrace adversity… To look forward to […]
When Our Heart Aches, He Meets Us Even There
I cry the ugly cry and can hardly type through the blur. My heart is aching and I know the ache is nothing compared with what some others may be facing. But my tears only know my ache, the reality of my situation, and there’s nothing more real than my very own heart. I’m alone, yet I know God is here. I’ve heard […]
Dear Me … A Letter to My High School Self { Graceful }
Today I’m joining Emily P. Freeman and others to celebrate the release of her new book, Graceful, by writing a letter to my high school self. Her first book, Grace for the Good Girl was so rich and full of truth for women, and this book, Graceful, is just what a teenage girl needs. Dear me, I […]
How to Be Still and Trust, Even In the Pain
He is still and he trusts me and looks up at me like I’m the love of his life. And how can I resist that smile? With those steel-blue eyes and small gap between his teeth. And I’ve been falling for him since my eyes first met him that January morning over six full years ago. He’s calm […]
The Change of Learning to Love Like He Loves :: Sermon on the Mount {Week 20-22}
I am so far from perfect. And I won’t lie. There are many people who annoy and irritate me. People who are inefficient and unresponsive, and not likeable at all. Then there are people who offend me or hurt me, sometimes intentionally. And it is so difficult to tolerate them, exert patience with them, and ultimately love […]
Only God Can Change Tragedy Into Beauty
Only God can change tragedy into beauty. And it is only because of Him we can give thanks in everything, and by doing so find joy. I first met her 2 years ago when she became my neighbor. I’m really not the bold and brazen type who randomly knocks on a door. And I’m certainly not a door-to-door evangelist, but […]
