Overcoming Trials
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6 Promises for When You Feel Abandoned by God
“I feel like I’ve been abandoned by God,” my friend whispers through tears as we sit by the creek and watch flies rise from the water. She’s been in a tough season, and I tell her I can relate. Fifteen years ago, I uttered the same words. Since that time, I’ve uncovered a few valuable lessons about God and life. I share from my heart as the sycamores lean in with listening ears. I don’t know if she feels encouraged as we leave the water, but I pray she finds the faith to keep walking with God. When You Feel Abandoned by God Later that afternoon, my little boy stirs…
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12 Scriptures About Being Victorious in Life’s Battles
The Window Trail leads me through a stand of tall hemlocks, and I pause on to peer through the feathered branches. The valley beyond this veil is vast, shrouded in cyan blue like a mystical otherworld. I’m in the woods today because I’ve been feeling discouraged. I’ve brought my Bible, and as I walk, I meditate on several Scriptures about being victorious. Scriptures About Being Victorious in Life’s Battles Perhaps you’ve also been feeling discouraged in some realm of your life. If so, here are the Scriptures that encouraged and inspired me on my walk and in the days beyond. I also invite you to read to the end of…
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10 Bible Verses About Overcoming Challenges
When challenging times arise, we face various options. We can run from challenges, face them head-on in our human strength, or turn to God to help us overcome them. Today, we’ll look at 10 Bible verses about overcoming challenges as we turn to God for help. I’ll also share some practical insights for overcoming challenges with God’s help. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you rise above challenges by turning to God. Let’s begin by turning to Scripture. 10 Bible Verses About Overcoming Challenges God is with us and wants to help us through the challenges of life. When…
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6 Miscarriage Prayers for a Friend or Loved One
Several years ago, our family walked through one of the most difficult losses we’d ever faced. We lost a baby through a miscarriage. Today, I want to encourage you as you support a loved one or navigate your own loss. The following miscarriage prayers for a friend (or for yourself) can help you find healing in the arms of our heavenly Father. 6 Miscarriage Prayers for a Friend or Loved One Parts of this post are taken from my book, Lean Into Grace, where I share the full story of my miscarriage. I’ll invite you to read the entire chapter for free at the end of this post. First, let’s…
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10 Scriptures About Trusting God in Difficult Times
I slip into the woods on a Saturday evening as the golden sun kisses the horizon. Sitting on a rock at my turn-around point, I stare at the still water and pull out my Bible in search of Scriptures about trusting God in difficult times. I feel like I’ve slipped into a bit of a valley lately. There aren’t any life-shattering losses unfolding. Our little family hasn’t huddled over the freshly broken earth of a gravesite lately, but there have been challenges. 10 Scriptures About Trusting God in Difficult Times There are always challenges. You have them, too. They might be so huge you can’t miss them. Or they might…
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5 Things to Do When You Feel Stuck in Life
There’s just something about the long walk through winter. There’s something about the piles of muddied snow, the grey days, and the darkness falling early. It all makes me feel more than just a little bit stuck in life. What to Do When You Feel Stuck in Life It doesn’t have to be winter in your world for you to feel stuck in life. There are about a million ways to fall into a pit and find yourself clawing at the walls with no worldly clue of how to climb out. I know because I’ve been there. One thing I’ve learned is that the worst thing I can do is…
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When the Walls Are Closing in: 5 Suggestions
There’s a pileated woodpecker pounding at the bird feeder, and Caleb stands entranced at the window. The vibrance of autumn is a distant memory, and there are long, dark weeks until the first signs of spring. As I watch Caleb by the window, I admit it to myself: The walls are closing in, and I’ve discovered no helpful escape route just yet. What do you do when you’re in the middle of a long, dark season and can see no way out? Today, I’ll invite you into my journey with this. We’ll also explore some practical suggestions for when it feels like the walls are closing in. Be sure to…
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How to Have Faith in God During Hard Times
February came in waves of smoky grey. Patches of blackened snow lined the country roads, and overcast skies cast dim shadows. I was desperate for a quiet reminder about how to have faith in God during hard times. I went to the woods to find hope on a monochrome afternoon. Perhaps God’s created world would somehow breathe life into my faltering faith. Beneath the oaks, my mind drifted to the words penned by Henry David Thoreau: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when…
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What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Empty: 5 Steps
Are you struggling with what to do when you feel spiritually empty? Most of us face times of spiritual dryness. The disciplines that once helped us feel connected to God stop working. Instead of feeling life-giving, they begin to feel empty and dry. Today, we’ll talk about what to do when you feel spiritually empty. I invite you to join me as I gaze out the window feeling apathetic and disconnected from God on a cold winter morning. What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Empty The golden abundance of autumn has been swallowed by the monochrome grey of winter now. As I gaze into the ashen landscape, I wrestle…
