-
How to be Brave when God Calls You to Follow
Some conversations remain imprinted on our minds in the precise location where they took place. Hard conversations with friends. Phone calls that change everything in the blink of an eye. Faith-filled conversations that shift paradigms in our minds and call us to learn how to be brave in new ways. As last summer drew to a humid close, I remember precisely where we were walking when a close friend asked how I felt about an impending season of immense difficulty. Our family was on the brink of change, and it wasn’t going to be change that came softly and easily. It was a change that was going to require me to…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Why You Don’t Have to Fear Being an Outsider
It’s a brisk Thursday morning, and as the alarm clock sounds, I consider backing out of the commitment I made last week. I told a friend I’d join her at a new group for moms. Today, I want nothing more than to stay in my sweatpants all day and avoid the awkward feeling of being an outsider. As I lie motionless in bed, I pause to be brutally honest with myself. I decide I’m done wearing a mask, fitting into a mold, and attempting to straighten my curly hair—all to avoid being an outsider in a world of insiders. C.S. Lewis on Being an Outsider Most of us learn about…
-
How to Overcome Sinful Habits: 5 Insights
Do you feel defeated as you continue to stumble into the same sinful habit repeatedly? Maybe you feel like you’ll never find victory in this area of your life. Today, I invite you to join me as we discuss how to overcome sinful habits for good. How to Overcome Sinful Habits: 5 Ways I stand in front of the cupboard and stare blankly. I’m not hungry, but this cupboard is the place where I come for escape when the kids are fighting and the walls are closing in. I admire the cheese curls and decide this is not the night to break a bad habit I’ve carried for decades. I…
-
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…
-
4 Practical Ways to Overcome Perfectionism
Life-sized murals of Sesame Street characters adorned the colorful walls of our pediatrician’s office. Seven-year-old Bekah sat beneath the vibrant cartoons as if she were a part of the show. Meanwhile, the nurse took her blood pressure and did all the routine screenings that come with an annual physical. I watched her little face from the doorway of the examining room. She was poised and serious about getting it right. Our girl is a rule-follower, and while this is nothing short of delightful from a parenting perspective, we realize that it does have its challenges in life. I contemplated these things as the nurse gently asked our sweet girl, “Honey,…
-
How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids (Do This Instead)
Not long ago, I decided I was done yelling at my kids. Ten minutes after I made my commitment, someone dumped a whole box of Lucky Charms on the kitchen floor in an attempt to pick out the marshmallows. If you can relate—if you want to learn how to stop yelling at your kids and feel like you’re failing— you’re in the right place. How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids Most of us want to parent with love and gentleness, but it’s so much easier said than done. The other day, my sweet daughter offered me a powerful example of what to do when I feel like yelling. Her…
-
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…
-
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…
