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Stepping Out in Faith: How to Take the First Step
I have always struggled with new beginnings. Stepping out in faith can feel terrifying when we’re afraid we might fall flat on our faces. Starting anything new often feels awkward, and this is challenging for most of us. Whether I’m launching my first blog post, running the first mile of the morning jog, or starting a new job, I don’t love the first small steps. At times, I feel this way when I sit down to write and have no words. There’s a saying among writers that goes something like this: “Write or do nothing.” In other words, when you designate a time of the day to write, you have…
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Pray Big Prayers for Your Little Ones
How do we pray for our children when the wellspring of words runs dry? How do we faithfully lift them before the Lord with confidence that our prayers match the desires of His heart? When we’re not sure of how to pray, God’s Word enables us to stand in agreement with him and lift our children before his throne with confidence. As a parent, I long to pray for my kids with devoted faithfulness. I long to stand in agreement with my Savior and pray bold and powerful prayers for my kids. But sometimes I get stuck. Sometimes I can’t find the words. Paul’s words to the Colossian church offer…
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Opening Your Heart Is Just as Important as Opening Your Home
“Opening your heart is just as important as opening your home,” a friend reminds me as we chat on the phone. I stare out the window as stratus clouds linger low over the valley. This morning, I invited the neighbors to join our family for an evening of fishing at the creek. Now, as it threatens to rain, I wonder if I’ve made a mistake. I wanted our outing to be perfect. As I watch the clouds gather, my friend reminds me that hospitality isn’t about perfection. It’s about opening our hearts to others. I thank her, put down the phone, and begin packing for our evening at the creek.…
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7 Empowering Bible Verses for Anxiety and Stress
We sit by the lake and cast stones like we’re casting cares. I try to conjure up a few long-ago memorized Bible verses for anxiety because I need an anchor on this clear blue afternoon. I remember a day when I sat by this lake four short months ago. It’s funny how four months can feel exactly like a lifetime. This azure water lapping against an emerald shoreline was clothed in unrecognizable white, and there was no definitive border between the place where the land ended and the water began. Men sat bundled in blue and brown shanties across the white expanse. They entertained themselves by jigging child-sized fishing poles…
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3 Truths for When You’re Searching for God
I walk the country roads because I’m searching for God beneath the sapphire skies. The rolling hills and muddied pastures offer space to listen to my soul’s longings. The farmers are tilling the ground again today. The country roads smell like earth, life, and possibility. I watch the black soil turn and consider the change that will occur in this very place in a few short months. This bare patch of earth will soon birth corn stalks that reach far above my head. As I walk past the tilling tractors, I’m reminded of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples: “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts…
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3 Steps to Take When You’re Struggling With Life
I wrote an entire article with a small child on my back last week. Curious George was talking about birthday parties for the twentieth time in the week on the TV, and I typed while my own little monkey rested behind me on my back. No part of me wants to admit that I’m struggling with life in this season, but there are days . . . Later in the day, I longed for a reprieve, and I went to the basement for some time on the treadmill. Silence. Just the rhythmic rolling of the tread gliding over hard plastic. It felt like an escape. In less than five minutes,…
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How to be Hospitable With Less Stress: 10 Easy Ways
Snow still lingered in the spruce boughs when we went to her house for an Easter crafting party. Her idea was to help the kids make colorful bath bombs using a recipe from Pinterest and dozens of pastel plastic Easter eggs. She had no idea, but she was teaching me how to be hospitable on a very practical and imperfect level. We piled through the door in our winter boots, and she waved her arm in a welcoming gesture as the kids threw their coats in a pile on the floor. That afternoon, three moms began the patience-testing task of helping seven little ones measure perfect portions of corn starch,…
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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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Safe With God: When God’s Will Feels Risky
Throughout most of my adult life, I’ve held onto the maxim that declares, “The safest place in the world is the center of God’s will.” I take it to mean that whenever I’m walking in God’s will, I am also safe with God. A few months ago, our family walked through a tough loss. The loss led me to question much of what I believed about God. For the first time in many years, I didn’t feel safe with God. Following God had led me to a valley so dark that I felt anything but safe. Safe With God? As we navigated our loss, I was struck by the words…
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How to Get Out of a Rut in Life: 4 Ways
I’m sitting along the creek, pondering how to get out of a rut in life, on a cloudy spring afternoon. I feel divided between life as a mother, a wife, a friend, a Bible study leader, a writer, and more. I am weary, and I’m not sure I’m doing a good job in any area of my life. Gazing at the creek, I remember the truth: Before I am a wife, a mother, a friend, or a writer, I am a child of God. I belong to Jesus, and he belongs to me, and this is what matters most in life. I chew on the words and gaze at a…
