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Trusting God’s Timing When Life Is Disappointing
Today, I’m sharing a lesson I learned the hard way several years ago when a painful disappointment left me reeling in defeat. If you need encouragement about trusting God’s timing when life is disappointing, these words are also for you today. Trusting God’s Timing Like tears, droplets of the grey firmament fall forsaken on the front step. I watch from the window as they splash with more force than expected. My heart is heavy, and I’ve been having a difficult time trusting God’s timing lately. I’m grieving the loss of a dream that didn’t work out. I know I can trust God’s timing, but the loss still feels like a…
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10 Bible Verses to Calm Anxiety and Fear
The sky glows roseate as the sun ascends silently, and I gaze out the window. Instead of embracing the moment, I realize that my chest feels tight with some unidentified source of anxiety. “Lord, show me what I need to know,” I whisper. Opening my Bible, I begin listing them in my journal: Bible verses to calm anxiety and fear. 10 Bible Verses to Calm Anxiety and Fear As I soak in the words, my mind quiets. The inner chaos settles. God’s presence slowly begins to fill me with peace. If you could use more peace today, I invite you to join me as we soak in these verses to…
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God’s Guidance: 4 Ways to Find His Direction
Standing on the shoreline beneath Alaska’s midnight sun, the hollow clap of clear water against stone echoes beneath my feet. I’ve come to Alaska to seek God’s guidance for my life. I have no way of knowing that God is waiting to offer direction that has little to do with the questions I’ve been asking. I’m 21 years old, and I’m seeking answers about my career, myself, and my faith. I don’t know it yet, but God is waiting to graciously provide answers to all three. How to Find God’s Guidance I’ve been praying about whether to leave my home in Pennsylvania to pursue a teaching career in Alaska. Meanwhile,…
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10 Tension-Easing Bible Verses for Stress at Work
The creek writes its story in splashes of emerald and sandstone brown. I sit beside its clear waters with a heavy heart. The year is 2003, and I’ve just started my teaching career. Much to my frustration, the demands of the job are quickly shattering my dreamy ideals. I pull out my Bible as I sit in the forest, opening it with hopes of finding a few Bible verses for stress at work. Regardless of where we work, most of us face workplace stress. When these times come, God’s Truth can lift our heads and help us press forward. The verses I’m sharing today carried me through my first year…
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What the Fruit of the Spirit Bible Verses Mean for Moms
One of my favorite parts of writing and blogging is connecting with other writers. I’m excited to introduce my friend Stacey Shannon to you today. Stacey has a heart for encouraging women of all ages in their faith. Today’s post on the fruit of the Spirit blessed and challenged me, and I’m confident it will touch your heart too. Here’s Stacey! What the Fruit of the Spirit Bible Verses Mean for Moms 10 Bible Verses and Prayers About the Fruit of the Spirit to Encourage Your Mama Heart About a year ago, I kept noticing the Fruit of the Spirit popping up in various ways throughout my life. Then last…
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How to Empty Yourself and Let God Fill You
The syncopated sound of rain on a metal roof nearly lulls me to sleep on a grey afternoon. Life has been full lately, and this afternoon to rest is nothing short of a gift. Perhaps you need this gift, too—space to empty yourself and let God fill you. Empty Yourself and Let God Fill You Every few years, I reread a book called Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton. I rarely read books more than once. Yet I return to this book because I need its truths regularly. I read the book again this summer, and it reminded me of what it looks like to quiet myself…
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When God Changes Your Plans
As Bekah and I stand at the base of the giant quartzite mountain, I don’t expect our ascent to become a lesson on how to respond when God changes your plans. “I can’t believe the summit is only three miles away,” she marvels. “It looks like it’s going to take forever to get up there.” “I guess it’ll happen one step at a time. This is going to be a steep climb, but we’ll get there one step at a time,” I respond optimistically. When God Changes Your Plans An hour later, we cling to the side of the giant mountain with racing hearts and trembling knees. “Keep three points…
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5 Back-to-School Prayers for Students Who Don’t Love School
Last summer, after a rough start to the school year, I changed how I prayed for our kids. If you know a young person who doesn’t always enjoy school, I pray these back-to-school prayers for students who don’t love school will help guide your prayers as well. 5 Back-to-School Prayers for Students Who Don’t Love School Morning dawned breathless today—the weight of late summer’s humidity hanging oppressively overhead. As I gazed out the window and prayed over our kids, I thought about the upcoming transition to school. “God, help us all this year,” I whispered. I then wrote the following prayers in my journal. If you know a young person…
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Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2, ESV). Lead Me to the Rock That is Higher Than I We sit in the yard as the songbirds swoop beneath the pale blue canopy overhead. It’s hard to believe August has come. The sun is setting earlier, and the nights will soon grow cooler. These shorter days speak of what’s to come, and I’m not sure I’m ready. Long summer days spent sitting in the backyard and swimming in the creek will draw to a close. …
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What Is My Calling From God?
Twenty-five years ago, I vividly remember sitting on a hillside and wrestling with the question, “What is my calling from God?” I wanted to know what I was supposed to do with the rest of my life, and I hoped that if I sat quietly for long enough, God would tell me. God didn’t speak to me in an audible voice or give me an immediate sense of knowing what to do. Yet he began showing me how to find his will over time. If you’re wrestling with this question today, I invite you to join me as we explore practical ways to step into God’s calling. What Is My…
