Transformation
Encouragement on how life's trials and struggles can lead to the transformation that will shape your heart to be more like Christ, bring greater joy, and usher in the fulfillment you crave.
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5 Prayers for God’s Guidance in Uncertain Times
Snow falls like a quiet kind of awakening, and when I listen closely, I can hear the heavy flakes gathering. I stand among the beech leaves as they cling to finger-like branches, waving at the dusk like these chilling grey days are not only expected but welcomed. As I listen to the leaves rustle, I begin praying prayers for God’s guidance into the next season. I invite you to join me as I sort through my thoughts in the woods. Afterward, I’ll share five prayers for God’s guidance. 5 Prayers for God’s Guidance On this dusky evening, snow falling like anything but grace from the ever-grey sky, I’m here in…
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How to Be Thankful to God Even When Life Is Hard
It’s a quiet Wednesday evening, and I return home with a truckload of groceries to find an empty house. I have no idea that the evening is about to be a lesson on how to be thankful to God even when life is challenging. After stowing the food in the cupboards, I slip to the deck and discover my family playing in the backyard. They are laughing, wrestling, and chasing the beagles across the wilted wildflower fields. Standing on the deck unnoticed feels like a rare invitation to step back and truly see the big picture of my life from afar. I’m sure other moms can relate: Somehow, the kids…
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How to Find Freedom From Your Secret Sins
A hint of frost rests on the once-lavender heads of the Canada thistle today. I sit at the window with intentions to soak in God’s restorative presence, but what settles upon me sends a chill down the nape of my neck, like frost on a clear winter dawn. The chill is my body’s response to the reality that the secret sins of my life are not hidden from the One who paints the dawn with shimmering ice. Most of us have secret sins. We want to find freedom, but we feel stuck, and we’re not sure what to do about it. This post will help you find freedom. I also…
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How to Savor Life and Find Deeper Joy in the Ordinary
I take my bike to the open road at the end of a too-long day just to feel the air brush up against my skin. I want the breeze to carry my cares across the hay fields, where they might get lost and tangled in the dormant silage stubble. I’m not pondering how to savor life as I speed down the road; mostly, I’m embracing how good it feels to take a break from the chaos of our energy-filled home. I’m three miles into my 12-mile route when I see it. There’s a balloon flogging in the wind, tied to a small headstone in the little country cemetery. It reads,…
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Living in the Presence of God: 3 Ways to Increase Your Awareness
Most mornings, I sit beside our dining room window as first light ascends from behind the eastern tree line. I sit here to get my bearings at the start of each new day. I also sit here because this practice is teaching me about living in the presence of God. I’ve learned that when I begin the day with a few quiet moments spent seeking God’s face, I’m more attuned to his presence throughout the remainder of the day as well. Living in the Presence of God This morning is overcast. There are chickadees at the bird feeder; the colorful songbirds of summer are gone. I watch the tiny birds…
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Finding Rest in God: How to Create Space
The tamaracks are losing their needles again. They fall like golden flecks of rain, a gift from the Father of heavenly lights. I stop in the middle of the country road and let one fall into my open palm. I’m here because finding rest in God often comes most naturally to me beneath open skies. I’ve been longing for a touch from heaven lately, and I’m revisiting an experiment I tried a while back. It’s an experiment in being intentional about seeking God beneath open skies for just a few minutes each day. Finding Rest in God I need space for this weary and burdened soul to stretch heavenward with…
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Why Is Motherhood So Hard? (Encouragement for Weary Moms)
The dim glow of daylight rises over the tree line, and I stare at the light as it ascends mandarin over the shadows. “Why is motherhood so hard?” I whisper. The thousands of quiet struggles of motherhood have worn me thin lately. This morning, I make up my mind not to complain. I will give thanks instead. Nevertheless, I’m still tired. Why Is Motherhood So Hard? There are fleeting moments when I remember life before children: The way my boss affirmed my efforts at work; the way my friends cheered me on for following my dreams; and the public accolades of my teaching career. It seemed people were quick to…
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When Silence and Solitude Don’t Come Easily
A strong west wind rips across the yard, and the last of the lavender aster petals are finally swept away. I sit by the window, searching for silence and solitude, and the churning of this autumn cold front mirrors the chaos in my mind. I am an introvert, and I find silence and solitude refreshing most of the time; however, this doesn’t mean quieting my soul always comes easily. When Silence and Solitude Are Difficult I am also a do-er, a list-maker, and, sadly, a perfectionist. I used to think perfectionism was a trait to be admired, but time and experience are teaching me that the pursuit of perfection generally…
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What Are the Blessings of God?
After praying together as a family, our son recently asked, “Mom, what are the blessings of God? You’re always asking God to bless us, but what does that mean?’ I told him that God’s blessings include peace, protection, comfort, joy, and more. As I reflected, I told him that everything good in our lives is a blessing from God. God’s blessings include family, friends, our home, summer sunrises, wildflowers, and more. Since that day, I’ve been more mindful of paying attention to God’s many blessings. If you’d like to cultivate a greater awareness of God’s blessings, you are in the right place today. Today, we’ll explore the question, “What are…
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A Simple Perspective-Shift for Overcoming Irritability
It might have been the long walk through winter’s dark days that had me grumbling. Or maybe it was the fact that our household hadn’t been healthy for four months, a certain child wouldn’t obey a single imperative from his mother, or the waterline kept freezing. I needed some kind of help with overcoming irritability, and it seemed I was nearing the end of my rope. I’d been barking orders all day, and by the time evening fell, I couldn’t have been happier when they all marched over to the neighbors’ house, leaving me with silent surroundings for just an hour. I turned on the evening news and shoveled heaping…
