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When You’re Struggling to Cherish Life
Last week, a friend asked what life’s like with three kids. I told her I hadn’t slept more than one consecutive hour since the newest addition to our family arrived on the scene. I was honest about the chaos and the constantness of this lovely little life we’ve created for ourselves. She smiled and said something about how I should cherish life in this season. She had good intentions. It just felt like she wasn’t hearing me. A day later, standing by the sliding glass door as the lemon-hued petals flutter to the deck, all I can see is a mess that will need to be swept from the muddy…
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7 Replenishing Bible Verses for Tired Parents
Ribbons of sunlight dance through the treetops and a dozen shades of green mingle with the dawn. I gaze out the window with a newborn in my arms. He sleeps soundly for the first time in hours, and I open my Bible in search of encouraging Bible verses for tired parents. 7 Bible Verses for Tired Parents Our third child burst into our lives this week, and it feels like we just stepped from one season to another. The change of trajectory has been stark, to say the least. We have leaped into new routines with a new normal that is full and blessed. Nevertheless, we are tired. As I…
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Following God Wholeheartedly in an Unseen Calling
A friend sends a message about walls closing in, sick kids, feeling underappreciated, and how in the world she’s going to make it through this never-ending season. I tell her I understand. It’s been a long season in this house, too. In times like these, following God wholeheartedly in the unseen work of life feels grueling. For me, the calling throughout the past seven months has been to lie on the couch and survive the lingering illness that accompanies my pregnancies. I’ve been called to be still, hydrate, and try to somehow keep pressing on. Sometimes, the calling of a season feels so much like a quiet kind of death…
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10 Bible Verses About the Beauty of Nature
The hills are lavender today. I drove to the lake to sit on the shore where the water laps against sand-colored stones, and the time outside renewed my soul. Spending time in nature is restorative. Let’s take just a few moments to turn to God’s Word as we study 10 Bible verses about the beauty of nature today. 10 Bible Verses About the Beauty of Nature Nature calls us away from the fast-paced lives most of us have learned to accept. Wild places create space for slowing down, making memories with the ones we love, and much more. Let’s look at what the Bible says about God’s created world. 10…
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5 Prayers for Spiritual Healing and Replenishment
Not long ago, I realized I was facing spiritual burnout. As I pursued restoration, I began regularly praying several prayers for spiritual healing and replenishment. I invite you to join me on the morning when I recognized the source of my exhaustion, and I’ll share my prayers for healing. 5 Prayers for Spiritual Healing and Replenishment The rose-colored glow rising from behind the spruce trees reminds me of alpenglow against the Rockies at dawn. Somehow, God’s light shining into our dark places is magical no matter where in the world we find ourselves. As I sit in the morning light, I long to draw near to God. As usual, the…
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15 Attitudes That Cultivate Biblical Hospitality
Ten years ago, I was just learning what it meant to offer biblical hospitality. My husband and I lived in a little home at least a dozen miles from anything worthy of being called a town. Mostly, we kept company with the deer and coyotes that walked through our front yard on cool autumn nights. I’d been investing in the life of a younger woman for a few months, and I finally invited her to our modest little home to chat. As the evening wore on, I wanted to hear more about her life, about the struggles that had shaped her and the truths that defined her. I asked deep…
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How to Receive the Assignment When God Interrupts Your Plans
Three green tomatoes rest on the table in the morning light like they’re just waiting for the golden rays to wash them into ripened red. I admire them with blurry eyes, the weight of my exhaustion hanging overhead like a raincloud. When God interrupts your plans, it can feel like a shock to the system. When God Interrupts Your Plans I spent the night lying awake with a little boy who had a tummy ache—his warm hands patting my face and rubbing my back through the dark hours of a sleepless night. Hours later, I sit in the pewter glow of dawn and consider the day ahead. I had plans…
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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…
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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 Ways to Discover Your Calling in Life
Have you been thinking about how to discover your calling in life? Most of us take a hard look at the idea of a calling at some point in our lives. Then we devise elaborate plans about which colleges will receive our applications, where we’ll find work, or how we’ll chase down our dreams. What if we have it all wrong? What if a calling isn’t about a job or degree? What if our callings are for today? You Discover Your Calling by Beginning Right Here Could it be that my calling is for today, not just for the future? The Bible makes it clear that planning is wise, but…
