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5 Gifts We Find in God’s Presence
The fields behind the house had just turned beige when life suddenly changed. I stared out the window and prayed that God’s presence would bring me comfort through the long months ahead. I knew I had just stepped into a new realm of needing help from God just to get through each hour. The day I stepped into my third nine-month struggle with hyperemesis gravidarum was both beautiful and terrifying. This medical diagnosis is the term used for a severe and debilitating illness that goes along with pregnancy and generally warrants at least partial bed rest and even hospitalization. The first day of illness was beautiful because, for me, a…
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8 Encouraging Bible Verses About Change in Life
I wrote this post about how to embrace change as we adjusted to life with a tiny new member of the family. If you feel like any area of your life has been flipped upside down lately, these words are for you. Be sure to keep reading to the end of the post for eight Bible verses about change in life. Navigating Transitions (With 8 Bible Verses About Change in Life) Our family recently stepped into a transition that startled us all. After nine months of enduring my couch-bound illness, we welcomed our third child into the world. My illness immediately lifted, and in a matter of days, life…
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When You Feel All Alone in the World
Do you feel all alone in the world? I invite you to read these words slowly. Let them wash over you and shape you from the inside out. When You Feel All Alone in the World The clouds are laying low tonight. Layers of powder blue rest on smoky white. I hold my baby boy in my arms and get lost in the moment. We sway on the glider as blackbirds flutter overhead. They’re headed east, like maybe they’re chasing down the dawn. I glance down at the fuzzy head to see if his eyes have closed. Every time, those bright blue eyes are still open, gazing at me in…
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Thinking of Giving up on God? Read This First
I vividly remember the day I decided to turn away from God. I decided that if he wasn’t going to be faithful to me, I was done living for him. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’re thinking of giving up on God today, too. You’re not alone. The day I gave up on God, I blamed him for my pain, and I was angry about it. Giving Up on God Like me, maybe you’re facing a heartbreaking loss, and you wonder why God seems silent. The instant your life went off the rails, God seemed to leave you alone in your despair. Maybe you feel forgotten, and you’re not sure where…
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God Pursues Us and He Is Carrying These Two Gifts
They say when it rains it pours, and that’s how it felt yesterday morning. First, the coffee pot decided it was done brewing. Next, the Internet crashed, and the channel with the cartoons went pitch black. I sat by the window and reminded myself that God pursues us and offers his peace amid our frustrations. In the meantime, it felt like trouble was pursuing me. There are days when it feels like mishaps and misfortune are chasing us down. Trouble chases us in small ways, such as dead batteries, viruses, and power outages that derail our days. It also comes in more serious ways: health crises, financial fallouts, and broken…
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God Is Enough for Every Storm You Face
It’s easy to assume we have fear, grief, or suffering figured out, only to stumble into a different kind of storm and realize how many layers of understanding still wait to be peeled back. In these times, we need to know that God is enough for every storm. There are layers to hope as well. Just when you start to believe in a deeper kind of hope, life often throws you a harder curveball than you ever expected. You find yourself desperate for a deeper sense of understanding. Hope in eternity feels too far away, and you need hope in something here and now. You need hope that’s more palpable…
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6 Powerful Bible Verses for Times of Trouble and Grief
There are starlings at the bird feeder this morning. Larger and more aggressive than the petite chickadees and nuthatches, they’ve come to wreak havoc on our quiet little world. The squabbling birds remind me of my own current times of trouble. I’ve been stressing out over our budget and our health. We’ve wept over freshly broken earth and grieved lives taken far too soon. Perhaps you are facing trouble or grief today, too. We live in a broken world, and we all face times of trouble. Meanwhile, God offers hope for even the darkest days. He invites us to draw near to him, and he will give us the strength…
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How to Turn to God in Times of Crisis
Shadows flutter on the wall as the candle flickers golden in front of us. We’ve gathered to pray, these three blue-eyed children and their patience-stretched mother. I want to teach them how to turn to God in a crisis, and so I open the leather-covered Book as the oldest pokes at the white wax dripping from the candle. I read the words that have been floating through my mind for the past few weeks now: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,…
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God Has a Plan for You—Even When He Seems Silent
We awoke to a fresh inch of snow on the lawn on the first day of April, and it felt like one more day tacked onto a never-ending winter. Whether you’re facing a long winter or enduring a difficult season that seems like it will never end, it can be hard to hold onto hope. You need to know that God has a plan for you, especially when he seems silent. Most of us don’t wait well. Waiting for a dream to come to fruition or a difficult time to end can be deeply discouraging. God Has a Plan for You While You Wait King Solomon said it well in…
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7 Stress Relief Bible Verses About Worry and Stress
After a long winter, a hint of auburn crowns the tree line on the eastern horizon. The buds are emerging on the maples. I’ve been feeling anxious about some changes that will take place in our next season. In response, I open my Bible in search of stress relief Bible verses about worry and stress in life. I need these Truths to wash over me as I step forward without fear or anxiety. Perhaps you need to soak in these assurances, too. Stress Relief Bible Verses About Worry and Stress in Life As I admire the trees, it seems God is pouring his love out as he pours color onto…
