"What are you good at? Is there something you would love to do?” I listened as the facilitator of our team-building exercise asked these questions. And when she asked us to go around the circle and share our answers, I panicked on the inside because I didn't have an answer. So I listened closely to others share their dreams, hoping I might ...
I checked my email soon after I woke up. Made breakfast, ate, looked at my phone, and checked it again. Fifteen minutes later, I decided to read my Bible and my devotional. When I was finished, I sat down at my desk and checked email and Instagram. Ran a few errands, and while waiting in line at Target, popped into my inbox and scrolled through ...
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7 NIV Finding Strength in My Struggles All throughout the Psalms, we see a man who struggled with fear of his enemies, the betrayal of his friends, and the selfish sin of his own heart. Yet King ...
I used to be hesitant to pray and sometimes I stumbled over my words when talking to God. Yet I desperately wanted to say the right things because I thought if I prayed the right way, God would listen and answer my prayers, the way I wanted Him to. Eventually I got up the courage to talk with a friend about my fears and struggles. She assured me I ...
It's been a decade since Andrew told me, but I'll never forget the words that spilled out of my little boys heart so effortlessly. Words that changed the way I pressured myself into believing I had to be the perfect mom. Driving through carpool line, Andrew held his bag of Valentine treats and asked when they’d be passing them out in class. Code ...
I sat across the table listening to their laughter and admiring the bond between two older women I’d just met at a luncheon. Their friendship was uncommon and my heart craved the kind of connection they had. The way they loved each other, how well they knew each other and how much they enjoyed being together reminded me of a Hallmark commercial. ...
“Should I be honest?” I wondered. “What if I start crying? What if she doesn’t really have time to listen? What if she is just asking to be nice? I could keep it simple and tell her I’m fine.” There I was, standing in the lobby at church waiting for my husband, when an old friend walked up and asked how I was doing. Our then three-year-old ...
Christmas was only days away but we still didn't have a tree. Living on a college-student's budget with our first baby due in a few months, my then 23-year-old husband and I were barely scraping by. Every time we passed the tree lot, we slowed down and looked. But then one of us would remind the other why we couldn't afford to spend that much ...
"Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods." {Psalm 95:2-3} When Thanks Is Hard to Give I dropped my body into my favorite chair and stretched out my legs, hoping the soft embrace of my chaise lounge would comfort more than my tired ...
It’s usually very subtle. Sometimes I’ll think about something I want to do or sense God calling me to, and I’ll just get that awful, insecure feeling. Out of the blue, uncertainty will wash over me as doubt whispers to my heart, You can’t do that. You’re not good enough. Too many times I’ve gone along with my doubts, without realizing what I ...
