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God, Why Won’t You Fix This?
The author reflects on the struggle to understand suffering and grief, using Job's story to illustrate how pain can both challenge faith and deepen one's relationship with God, revealing His presence.
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When You Feel Worthless, Know You are Deeply Loved
From foster care to adoption, the author reflects on feeling unworthy to realizing God’s love is unconditional. No past or struggle can take away the grace we’re given, and our worth is always defined by His love, not our circumstances.
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When You Find Yourself Tired of Hard Seasons
In life's challenging seasons, pain is a transformative process that fosters faith. Change, while uncomfortable, is ultimately God's work, leading to growth and a deeper relationship with Him.
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Is Rest Even Possible?
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (ESV) Driving down the road, I inhale, taking a deep breath, then exhale. My nerves scream, feeling frayed and on fire from battling constant obstacles. Most mornings are the same: get up, get dressed, fight with the children to get dressed, wrestle said children into the car, and go. Every. Single. Morning. Why can’t everyone just do as they’re told? Life would be so much simpler without constant obstacles to hurdle. Yet days are full of obstacles, aren’t they? Obstacles that frustrate and come in forms we can’t control: strong-willed little…
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When You Can’t Take Much More
“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! Psalm 40:17 (ESV) Some days it’s difficult to get out of bed. As a mom, yesterday’s battles weigh heavy, and today’s demands feel overwhelming. Deep down I know I am not ready for more; I’m not OK. I feel my weakness with every step, and before I know it, another day starts running on empty. Can any of the moms out there relate? Not even coffee helps. Even though I’m aware of my need, I fail to own it. Instead, I ignore…
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Goodbyes are Hard
“Jesus wept.” — John 11:35 “Heaven knows we never need to be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.” – Great Expectations, Charles Dickens Goodbyes are not easy. In grief, I snuck away to the grocery store alone and wept all the way home. Thoughts of my fur baby weighed heavy on my heart. Our beloved cat, who had been with us for 18 years, was signaling it was time to say goodbye. On one hand I felt silly. “This is just a pet, an animal we’re talking about. It’s not like someone died.” Yet Bandit’s presence was significant.…
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Anxious Waiting is not Faith-Filled Waiting
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”~ Psalm 130:5-6 I don’t like to wait. Something about waiting always leaves me unsettled—nervous. Waiting feels like it has a 50/50 chance of producing a positive outcome. Because the end result is unpredictable, I war-game scenarios, all of them typically worst-case. What if the test comes back cancerous? What if things don’t heal the way they are supposed to? What if I lose my spouse and I have to raise these kids on my own? What ifs that…
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When You Feel Like Giving Up on God—Lean In
Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. — Isaiah 40:27-28 Have you ever felt disregarded and abandoned by God? Hard seasons have a way of messing with our hearts don’t they? Difficult seasons that don’t pass quickly leave me with complicated questions that lack tidy answers. Some seasons have been more intense than others. Fireflies in June often remind me…
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For the One in Pain: God’s Presence is Joy
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 Have you ever felt like pain would swallow you whole? That somehow you have been marred beyond hope, unrecognizable even to yourself? Despite gallant efforts, perhaps you have been unable to recover from the hurt someone caused you or the grief you carry. I know suffering can radically transform the landscape of our life into a pile of rubble. We ache in despair: hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). Pain can be so deceptive. In my own heart-sick state, I have been tempted to believe a host of lies. Chief of lies…
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Dear Moms: Your Desperate Prayers Matter
I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” —Psalm 142:5 When I dreamed of motherhood, I did not dream of potty training. Or tantrums. Or stubborn, irrational little people that cause hair to grey early. Through the long and painful years of childlessness and infertility, I dreamed of a full kitchen table, ball games and grubby fingers at play. I dreamed of holding little hands and longed to look into dimpled faces as I rocked them to sleep at night. My vision of motherhood was painted with all the richness and warmth that seemed so distant from my…
