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A Refiner’s Fire Story and a Prayer for the Fires of Life
The snow outside was knee-deep when I counted the days and realized I hadn’t left the house in 28 days. I was living out my own version of the refiner’s fire story. The refining fire was burning away the dross in my life, and it hurt. I’ll share my story from the fire shortly. First, let’s visit the refiner’s fire story as we consider the various fires we face. The Refiner’s Fire Story The refiner’s fire story shares the story of a group of women who were studying the book of Malachi. They came upon Malachi 3:3, which reads, “He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He…
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To the Mom Who Is Barely Hanging on
I drove past you in the dusky light this evening. You looked like you were barely hanging on. With an infant strapped to your chest, the handle of a stroller in your left hand, and the leash of your small and energetic dog nearly yanking your right shoulder out of the socket, your face said it all. Your face told me that you’re barely hanging on. I wonder if you were stuck in the house all day. Maybe the walls started closing in, and you grew weary from changing diapers and cleaning up the same fifteen toys a dozen times. You were barely hanging on, and you needed some fresh…
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10 Anchoring Bible Verses for Uncertainty in Life
Somewhere along the blurred line between the lush days of summer and the frosty mornings of autumn, I stared out the window and realized we were stepping into an uncertain future. I’m a planner, and the uncertainty threatened to make me come unglued. I needed to find some anchoring Bible verses for uncertainty. 10 Bible Verses for Uncertainty Opening my Bible, I began my search. As I scanned the pages, I considered my tendency to cling to control. I reminded myself that my loving heavenly Father holds all things together, and he never worries about my uncertain future. An Uncertain Future You might be facing an uncertain future as well.…
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Where Is God When We Suffer?
There are chickadees at the bird feeder, and the world is quiet as we step slowly into another year. It has been a year of looking for God in suffering and pain, and I’m still trying to make sense of it all. I’ve been wrestling with the question, “Where is God when we suffer?” Last year was a challenging year for our family. We face a few shattered hopes and crushed dreams. Perhaps you can relate. Most of us will face seasons that lead us to look around and wonder where God went. Where Is God When We Suffer? That’s kind of how our last year went. If you’re anything like…
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Seeing God Through Pain and Suffering: 5 Unexpected Things God Is Doing in the Dark
The maples tower grey and unclothed in the valley behind the house. This place looks nothing like the lush sanctuary that enveloped me in its arms two months ago. As I stare out the window, the austerity of the world matches the state of my soul. If I’m honest, I’ve been having trouble seeing God through pain and suffering lately. Seeing God Through Pain and Suffering This season has not come easily here. It has not met our expectations. Some of our dreams have come to life, and some have fallen apart. It’s not always easy to sense God’s presence when you are suffering. But faith isn’t about feeling; it’s…
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The One Truth You Need in Your Darkest Hour
Our little family is feeling just a bit threadbare as we step into this new season of darkness and cold, windy days. We’ve walked through deep waters over the past months, and we are weary. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you need hope in your darkest hour, or perhaps you feel worn down by the daily grind of your life. Let’s take a few moments to find hope to hold onto in our dark seasons together today. In Your Darkest Hour, Turn Here Winter feels like a dark hour for me. This winter feels especially dark. It reminds me of some big bumps in the road of our lives, things…
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The Secret No One Tells You in Your Lowest Moment
My lowest moment came on a sunny winter morning, golden beams of daylight blazing through the smudged windowpane. I awoke with a throbbing head and a list of regrets so long that I couldn’t begin to count them. Reeling from the grief of a crushing relational breakdown, confused about the trajectory of my future, and uncertain of how to move forward, I felt stuck. I wondered if my lowest moment would ever end and prayed for God to take away the pain. Maybe you can relate. Maybe your heart has been torn in two, and you’re living in the middle of your lowest moment today, too. What Is God Doing…
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4 Inspiring Prayers for Hope in Troubled Times
A few years ago I met a woman who smiled more than anyone I’d ever met. She lived with a kind of hope I longed to uncover for myself. My smiling friend had faced hard seasons, losses I couldn’t even fathom, and grief no woman should ever have to bear. And yet she kept smiling. She inspired me to start praying passionate prayers for hope in my life. I want to be a hopeful woman. I want to live with optimism in my heart and a deep belief God is with me in the darkest valleys. Not long ago, I stumbled upon the following words: “Strength and dignity are her…
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3 Empowering Prayers for Strength and Comfort
He presses his face to mine in the silence of the night, and I drink it in. He’s inching ever closer to his fourth year, and I can’t help but wonder how it’s all going so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was uttering prayers for strength as the doctor pulled him from my body. We rock long into the early hours of a new day, and every time I try to put him down, he says, “Hold me one more minute.” I don’t have the heart to put him back in bed with this fever, this cough wracking his little body. I’m content to hold him through it.…
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5 Powerful Truths About Trusting God in the Valley
I weave through a mantle of green rose bushes, wood nettle, and poison oak. It’s growing darker here in the valley behind our house. I’m sure the neighbor boys are still pumping their little legs and racing our children across the backyard in the evening sunlight, but it feels like night in the valley. The shadows prompt me to consider what trusting God in the valley really looks like. Trusting God in the Valley As the valley walls block out the sun’s last rays, I recall a valley we faced when winter’s arms still stretched white over these hills. I rest on a fallen sycamore and watch trout jump as…
