Denise J. Hughes
About the Author

Denise is a lover of words and the Word. She's the author of #DeeperWaters and the Bible study series #WordWriters.

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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
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  1. Denise,
    I can relate to going before the drive-thru altar or bowing before the pantry idol. I am an emotional eater. Carbs for when I’m down. Crunchy for when I’m stressed (I can go through a bag of M&M’s in no time). So true that when we are feeling overwhelmed we need to feast on His Word, not on the delights of this world. For me it takes discipline and obedience to pull myself away from the easy fixes and go to what will truly satisfy. Thanks for the encouragement, here, that I am not alone.
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    ps. Good, old, ugly cries are cathartic. Studies show that they release toxins from our systems. God gave us those tears for a reason. It’s okay to use them.

  2. The right word at the right time always amazes me, even though my confessional theology is all about God’s sovereignty and omniscience. Thank you, Denise, for being the writer and the conveyor of this God-sent message for my heart on this particular day.

  3. As always Denise, your writing speaks to me. Thank you for always writing truth, sharing the less than beautiful and letting us know we are not alone.

    • “Sharing the less than beautiful…”

      ^^I love how you put that, Mary. I think that ought to be my new tagline: Sharing the Less Than Beautiful. (I love it!)

      So grateful for you, friend.

      xo

      Denise

  4. Denise,
    Thank-you for touching on a moment of helplessness.
    Have a blessed day all,
    Penny

  5. Denise,

    Thank you so much. This is so timely so needed for me right now. I am in a transition period of doing away with highly ineffective coping skills for stress and my GAD. Those have lead to many bad health issues which were constantly in a loop of anxiety-physical pain-anxiety-physical pain. I broke one of my bad habits, eating unhealthy foods, to cope a year ago this May. I now first start praying and using the new techniques God leads to me for that day. It’s reassuring to know we aren’t alone in this struggle.

    Blessings, Kimberly

    • Denise, are you willing to share in more detail the techniques that the Lord leads you to for that day? I’m in great need of support and deeper understanding of my eating for comfort. Something in what you said struck a chord with me. It’s time for me to stop eating for comfort, and time to go to the Lord. I have been battling with this for 40 years, and I see it in my children. Thanks so much.

      • Ingrid, your words have encouraged me to write a follow-up on this. Yes, I will definitely share more in depth soon. But for now, I can tell you that I read and write out one psalm a day. The psalms are super honest about all human struggles. In the psalms, we find reassurance that we aren’t alone in our experiences. When I need to turn to God (rather than food or something else), I turn to the psalms.

        I’m for your, friend.

        Denise

    • Kimberly, I love how you put that >> “highly ineffective coping skills”!

      Indeed, that’s exactly what emotional eating is! And I know we aren’t alone in this!

      xo

      Denise

  6. Let this message be a “word to the wise”. Oh, that I would go to Him first and not the pantry!!!
    Thank you for this powerful message.

  7. Dear Denise,

    Ditto to Michele’s message above “Thank you, Denise, for being the writer and the conveyor of this God-sent message for my heart on this particular day.”

    Praying your soul is blessed with His goodness and love!

  8. I can relate!! Even tho it’s been years that I’ve had babies, each age and stage comes with it’s own unique stressors and demands.
    It’s tough work retraining ourselves to change our go-to-for-comfort things: food, media, shopping, etc. But they are such momentary comforts.
    I pray for all of us that new patterns of lasting comfort would become habitual and that we would crave more time in prayer, in His Word and practicing being in His presence. So refreshing to the soul, life giving and calorie free!!!

  9. Hi Denise! Wise words for a hungry and exhausted heart for sure. I completely agree with you, I don’t want to turn to food or other things when the loving arms of our Savior is what I truly need. Thank you for pointing us in the right direction. God bless!

  10. I can relate, daycare and trying to answer the phone is about the same and since i have relatives living her, oooh. Burger King look out. But thankfully, we have matured, right? Go to Jesus first. Burgers later.

    • Oh boy, every mother can relate to this! I laughed about the voicemail. But even when our children are all grown we still revert to the wrong food, and forget there is manna from heaven. Thank you for this reminder to always go to Him first.

  11. Denise,

    Wise words. I can so relate. When stress hits me I eat way to much of the wrong foods. I usually cry & scream. When I settle down I turn to prayer & ask for help. We should run to God & His word first. The evil in this world would have us stay down & depressed. God is there to help us with the stresses of life. “Only when we come to the banquet of the King and dine in His presence are we truly filled.” Yes & AMEN! God is the only true source of comfort in our trials.

    Blessings 🙂

  12. Denise,
    First , you are definitely not alone . These words resonate with myself as I’m sure so many others.

    Thanks for thos reminder, even more so because I’ve been craving a cheeseburger, lol
    Definitely need to keep my priorities straight.

    Have a safe and joyful weekend .

  13. What a precious heart for God, Denise … and a very honest confession about cheeseburgers. We all ha e our cheeseburger moments – having children involved can be optional. ❤️

  14. Swap the crying kids with me crying at my desk at work, and I’m right there with you. My job called for me to learn a new piece of software and use it to create an almost 200 page document. Some days I’d cry, other days I’d shout angry words in my head, but most every day I sought out the comfort of a 32 oz iced cold coke, and the contrast of salty French fries. Yet it was God who got me through those moments, not the drive-thru. Thank you for this reminder.