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Overcoming the Spirit of Failure and Trusting God
A placid lake shines silver beneath the sinking sun. As we sit along the water, a friend tells me I should share my writing with the world. I want to take her advice, but overcoming the spirit of failure feels daunting. I’ve been writing all my life, but this time feels different. It feels less like aimless wandering and more like a calling. Sometimes it’s hard to know the difference. Sometimes you just want God to write your next step in the clouds or dampen a sweatshirt on dry ground at dawn. You wish he’d tell you exactly what to do and when to do it. I tell my friend…
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10 Bible Verses About Trusting God’s Plan
Are you facing any fears when you look to the future? Today, we’ll dig into God’s Word and unpack 10 powerful Bible verses about trusting God’s plan. First, let me share the story of a great fear that threatened to paralyze me. 10 Empowering Bible Verses About Trusting God’s Plan Our first child was born on a Tuesday. I could barely believe she was hidden within me for all those months. After the hyperemesis diagnosis and the months of lying on the bathroom floor in a cloud of nausea, I couldn’t comprehend the love I felt for her. I never knew love like that was possible. In the months following…
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A Prayer for God to Take Control in a Situation
Snow falls like a million answers to all the wishes cast on shooting stars. I made a wish while the moon shined white last night. I whispered it in the quiet part of my heart where child-like hopes mingled with prayers. On the surface, it seemed to be a wish for everything to turn out okay. On a deeper level, it was a prayer for God to take control in a situation that was weighing on my heart. A Prayer for God to Take Control in a Situation It was a prayer for my child. Long story short, I feel like I’ve been failing this child. Most parents have this…
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3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Failure With God
A sycamore leaf falls into my hand—brittle and tawny, the color nutmeg. The creek unfolds in shadowy shades of black, and I breathe deeply as my cares fall away. I’ve been feeling like a failure in a few important areas of my life lately. The forest offers space to examine how I might overcome the fear of failure with God. I imagine you know a thing or two about feeling like a failure in the places that matter. Feeling Like a Failure Maybe you feel like you’ll never find freedom in an area of your life where you feel stuck. (Read more on this right here.) Maybe you feel like…
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5 Secrets for More Peace in Life
Dusk was just beginning to fall when my husband began building a small campfire in the backyard. We’d been talking about ways to uncover deeper peace in life, and he bought the fire ring because we’ve always found campfires peaceful. Sadly, nothing about bundling all three kids into winter gear felt like an invitation to greater peace. Nevertheless, when the scent of wood smoke wafted toward the house, I pulled out the mittens and started bundling the youngest. I had no way of knowing it at the time, but that little fire ring would become like a sanctuary: a place to slow down, unplug, and be present with each other.…
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How to Feel God’s Presence in Your Life
Not long ago, I texted a friend and told her about long days in a house filled with noisy children. “I want to know how to feel God’s presence when life mostly feels overwhelming,” I vented. Her response came seasoned with wisdom. First, she reminded me that regardless of whether I feel God’s presence or not, his presence is always with me. “Feelings are futile,” she offered. “Instead of aiming to feel God’s presence, what if you aimed to be fully present to the moments unfolding around you?” She then offered the following six words: “Breathe deeply, love deeply, laugh deeply.” These words have echoed in my mind since she…
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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…
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How to Overcome Fear With Faith
Not long ago, our family faced a battle with fear that surpassed any fear we’d ever known. As we wrestled with fear regarding the life of our child, I wrestled with God as I asked him to help me overcome fear with faith. On a cognitive level, I knew the answer: Faith pushes out fear and reminds us of where we find our hope. On a heart level, I had much to learn about walking by faith. How to Overcome Fear With Faith In the months following our child’s frightening medical diagnosis, I turned to God in desperation. I asked him to show me what it looked like to rise…
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How to Find Strength in God When Life Is Tough
Winter was bearing down on us with a stranglehold that left me breathless at times. Every morning, I sat beside the window and wondered whether our family was about to walk down the most broken road we’d ever known. Day after day, I opened God’s Word in hopes that I might to discover how to find strength in God as we faced our storm. There was a medical prognosis on the horizon, and I was terrified. I’d been standing on Truth that held the power to slay the giant of fear. I’d been rebuking, taking back ground, worshiping, and fixing my eyes on the pure and good. Nevertheless, as I…
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Plant Your Feet Here When You Face Fear of the Future
I sit among the aspen as they flutter quaking hands toward heaven. They remind me that Heaven really did reach down to touch this muddy earth. All that’s broken in this world will one day be healed. This gentle reminder comforts my soul as I admit to my fear of the future. Life is full and bountiful for our little family this summer, but the journey that led us to this place was anything but a peaceful walk through quaking aspen. I was downright strung out on the bad days and paralyzed with fear on the worst. None of us are immune to the fear of bad news. We pray…
