-
When You Feel Broken: 4 Ways to Find Hope
When you feel broken inside, it’s not easy to find hope to hold onto. I’ve lived through some broken seasons, broken in a thousand different ways. I invite you to join me on a difficult day, and we’ll talk about where to turn in these moments. When You Feel Broken It’s a grey March afternoon, and I drive down the Interstate feeling numb. I’m on my way to a doctor’s appointment that will offer glimpses into our family’s future. Our unborn child has a heart defect. Today, a pediatric cardiologist will determine how serious the defect is and offer a prognosis. I’m terrified. A Psalm comes to mind, and I…
-
10 Calming Prayers for Anger: Pray the Word
We were several weeks into a winter that felt like it might never end when I realized I needed help. I was angry and irritable almost all the time. On a cold January morning, I pulled out my Bible and began reading God’s Word as I let it guide me in praying calming prayers for anger. Today, I’m sharing the biblical prayers for anger that helped me shift back to peace. Biblical Prayers for Anger I pray these words bless you as well. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God and walk in his peace.…
-
4 Ways to Have a Christ-Centered Christmas
December has arrived, and I’m not sure I’m ready. I’ve been staring down my to-do list and feeling anxious. I want our family to have a Christ-centered Christmas, but my to-do list is stealing my focus. Sadly, the demands of this season feel more like an invitation to stress than an invitation to worship. Advent is the season for fixing our eyes on the coming Christ, the One who came in the flesh two thousand years ago and will come again to reign forever in glory. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised there is an enemy out to distract me throughout this season of anticipation. After we cut down the…
-
How to Have the Joy of the Lord: 7 Tips
It’s an unseasonably warm Thursday afternoon, aspen leaves covering the ground with a golden blanket. It’s as if they’ve absorbed every ounce of joy in life and put it on display for the world to see. I admire them as I consider how to have the joy of the Lord. Ten minutes later, I rush through the aisles of the discount grocery store, filling my cart to the brim as other shoppers scurry to get in front of me. I’ve forgotten all about pursuing joy and think only about knocking out my to-do list for the day. When the last loaf of bread is scanned and placed gently on top…
-
How to Embrace Change: 8 Mindsets to Help You
It happened on a balmy August evening with locusts droning on like a reminder that the earth would keep spinning, even if my world had shifted in an uncomfortable direction. It was time to learn how to embrace change, and it wasn’t going to be a lesson that came easily. We will all face seasons of drastic change in life, and that August evening threw me like few others. In a matter of minutes, every dream I’d been dreaming – every plan I’d been carefully laying down like a piece of some giant puzzle – fell to the wayside, and I was left alone with a radically shifted set of…
-
Rewire Your Brain and Get Unstuck in Your Life
A menagerie of black walnuts has fallen from above and is crushed on our gravel road. I walk over the coffee-colored streaks and consider the months ahead. When the walnuts fall, summer is nearly over. Looking ahead, no part of me is ready for the long winter months to come. Just how do you rewire your brain when your future feels bleak? I cringe at the thought of long evenings inside the house, whiteouts rolling in from the west, and evening walks down this same country road with toes numb from the cold. How to Rewire Your Brain I’m mulling it over when the words of Dr. Caroline Leaf come…
-
15 Bible Verses About Attitude: Why It Matters
My high school volleyball coach often reminded our team that the most important factor for success was attitude. I’ve carried his words with me for 30 years, and they hold true. Today, we’ll turn to another source of wisdom as we explore the importance of attitude. We’ll look at 15 Bible verses about attitude and learn why a positive attitude is so vital. I’ll also share some mindsets that lead to unhappiness as we aim to apply these verses to our lives. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you align your attitude with God’s attitude. Bible Verses About Attitude…
-
10 Bible Verses for Burnout (Including Practical Ways to Recover)
Most of us will face burnout. When this happens, God’s Word can help us find refreshment. Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses for burnout and explore practical ways to apply these truths to our lives. I invite you to join me as I sit in the forest and reflect on the state of my soul. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find rest in God’s presence. 10 Bible Verses for Burnout August stretches her long arms toward autumn, and it’s hard to believe these barefoot days will soon be over. Summer is a full season for our family. …
-
How to Ignite Your Faith When You Feel Spiritually Stagnant
We’re driving through farm country when I hear my little boy singing with the radio in the backseat, “I gotta get that fire, fire back in my bones.” He’s three, and he’s not easy to understand, but I hear him loud and clear. His words get me thinking. I want to be a woman of fiery faith. Maybe you want to learn how to ignite your faith in a dry season, too. You are in the right place. The idea of fiery faith lingers in my mind for days after our moment in the car. I consider it as I sit by the sliding glass door in the early morning…
-
Feeling Broken? 7 Truths to Lift Your Head
I’m rushing to make the house presentable before slipping out the door for a Wednesday night meeting. It seems I can’t stop the frenzy of hurry that’s overtaken my body. I have no way of knowing this flurry of activity is about to be a hard lesson on what to do when you start feeling broken in life. I hurriedly shove a white porcelain cup on top of a clumsy stack of plastic children’s dishes, and then it happens. The cup slides straight out of the cabinet and onto the kitchen floor. It breaks into a handful of tiny pieces, white shards that threaten soft little feet. I hear the…
