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Help, I Feel Like I Don’t Fit in
The scents of vanilla bean body spray and cherry blossom lotion waft through the door before I even enter the room. I hear them laughing, talking about children, and discussing essential oils as I pass through the threshold. It’s my first meeting with the Moms’ Group, and familiar anxiety rises in my chest. I wonder where I’ll sit and immediately feel like I don’t fit in here. I scan the room as I wait in line to fill out my nametag. My box-like letters look like they were penned by an eight-year-old boy, while the other women etch their letters with elegant calligraphy. Awesome. Why did I not take cursive…
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3 Questions to Help You Find Your Calling in Life
Have you been trying to find your calling in life and coming up empty? You’re in the right place. Let’s jump right in and talk about how to find our God-given callings. How to Find Your Calling in Life I remember where I was the moment I decided I wanted to be a teacher. It was my junior year of high school, and I was sitting on a grassy hill watching mist ascend over viridescent fields. It was my favorite season of the year, the season that seemed to awaken every part of me, track and field season. Sitting on the wet earth, I searched my life for the places…
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3 Reasons You Might Have “Misheard” God’s Voice
I vividly remember staring into the forested landscape and wondering how I’d missed it. I’d been planning and preparing and seeking God’s voice for months. When life took a turn in an unexpected direction, it was blatantly clear that the whisper I thought was God’s voice was not his voice at all. Most of us will “miss it” at some point. We will believe we’re hearing from God, step out in faith, and end up slamming into closed doors. Perhaps you’ve been here, too. It might be regarding a job, a relationship, or a risky venture that everyone says is crazy. Most likely, you did all of the right things. …
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How to Overcome Worry Biblically: 7 Insights
I’ve always been a planner and a worrier. Lately, I’ve been learning how to overcome worry biblically by applying God’s Word to my life. Today, I’ll also share a list of practical ways to worry less and enjoy life more. I pray these insights bless you. Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you overcome worry and anxiety. How to Overcome Worry Biblically My journey into this way of thinking began as I stood under a pale crescent moon and took a hard look at my life. I’d been planning and trying to create the perfect outcomes in my…
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Be the Real You: 10 Bible Verses About Authenticity
Do you ever feel like you won’t fit in if you decide to be the real you? Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses about authenticity. I’ll also share a story of a time when God taught me the power of being vulnerable and authentic. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace yourself as God made you. Let’s start by turning to God’s Word. 10 Bible Verses About Authenticity God designs us each uniquely, and when we hide our true selves, we deprive the world of God’s gift. Here’s what the Bible says about being authentic. Bible Verses About…
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How Saying Yes to Life Might Be Your Gateway to Greater Joy
It’s an unseasonably warm spring morning, and we’re hurrying down the road to stay on schedule. There are articles to write, meals to prepare, and towels to fold. Accomplishing these tasks is my idea of saying yes to life today. As the sun rises higher, we set out in search of frog eggs before delving into the work of the day. We’re almost home when little Bekah stops along the road and calls me to look at her treasure. I suspect she’s found another daffodil. “No, Mom! You just have to see this!” she yells. Turning back, I’m astonished by the sight before me. My girl holds a golden flower…
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5 Reasons to Stop Seeking a “Balanced” Life
Do you feel frustrated by the lack of balance in your life? Most of us have had this experience. Let’s talk about why the idea of a “balanced life” might not be God’s plan for us. 5 Reasons to Stop Seeking a Balanced Life Recently, I went for a walk with a friend who was visiting from out of town. She had been serving the least of these in the far corners of the earth, and I had been chasing down the elusive ideal of a balanced life while mothering and writing. She asked how I was doing, and I told her I was feeling a little out of balance. Life…
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4 Things to Do When You Feel Helpless
I remember the way the shadows danced on the walls as I held her through the night, the ulcers in her mouth burning with a relentlessness that made sleep hard to find. I’d bring her to the bed and let her whimper in my arms as her three-year-old body slipped in and out of sleep, and it felt like something in me just might tear wide open. And what in the world are you supposed to do when you feel helpless over the situations that matter most in your life? It was a medical condition that shaped our lives for over a year, and most of the time we felt…
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How to Step Out in Faith When You Feel Uncertain
It’s a dreary winter morning when I realize that the dark, cold days have worn me far too thin. As I begin brainstorming ideas about how to climb out of the rut, I have no idea that God is about to teach me a lesson that will stay with me for years, a lesson about how to step out in faith. “Want to take Caleb to our camping spot along the river?” I ask Bekah, drawing her from screen time that’s lasted longer than good parents would permit. There’s no hesitation. “Yes!” she shouts. In ten minutes, we’re bundled into snow pants, parkas, and blaze orange stocking caps, barreling down…
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Living in the Joy of the Lord: 6 Practical Ways
It’s an overcast evening with light air hanging over the black-eyed susans that blanket the fields behind the house. I’m not thinking about living in the joy of the Lord, but I’m about to learn a lesson that will forever change my life. I’ve spent most of the day cleaning the house, dealing with a frustrating computer issue, and searching the basement boxes for size 3T sweatpants. By the time the food is on the table and the family is gathered on the deck for dinner, I’m weary. Living in the Joy of the Lord We’ve just finished our meal when it happens. Our sweet little girl winds up with…
