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Letting Go and Trusting God: 8 Reasons to Trust Him
This morning, I was startled to find the wood line painted grey. Nevertheless, the bleak scene matched the state of my soul. I sat by the window and wondered, What is God doing in my life? Letting go and trusting God felt nearly impossible. Above the hardwoods, a lavender cloud arched its back into the shape of a question mark. Perhaps the heavens were questioning God’s purposes as well. Later in the day, I took a walk beneath the naked arms of the maples, oaks, and sycamores. I let my mind trace the footprints of a handful of recent disappointments—disappointments that felt far heavier than a dismal shift of seasons. …
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7 Ways God Uses Brokenness for Good
The first storm of fall comes with gusty gales and breaks loose the brittle branches and untethered leaves. I have a deep sense of my own brokenness as the leaves scatter across the yard, and a question stirs in my heart: If God uses brokenness for good, how do we turn to God and find beauty in the brokenness? God Uses Brokenness Perhaps it comes with remembering the ways God uses our brokenness. The world tells us to avoid suffering, failure, and brokenness. However, Jesus offers a different invitation. He invites us to embrace suffering, failure, and brokenness. We cannot become spiritually mature without adversity. This truth is difficult to…
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A Calming Prayer for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear
The hollow growl of a thunderstorm awakens me well past midnight. I turn to look out the open window and watch the skyline flicker white. Four sleepless hours later, I lie on my back and utter a calming prayer with the hopes of quieting the noise inside my head . . . A Calming Prayer for Anxiety, Worry, and Fear My calming prayer goes like this: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” The prayer is from Isaiah 26:3. It’s a promise for peace to cover us as we place our trust in God and keep our thoughts fixed…
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Your Pain Has a Purpose, and This Is Part of It . . .
A wide arc of geese honks overhead like a black thread woven through the grey. I watch them from the deck and remember a similar evening several years ago. I sat on this same deck and let these words wash over me: “Your pain has a purpose. Don’t rush through this valley of suffering.” I was at the end of a long season of suffering, and most of the time, I couldn’t see the purpose of the pain. It seemed entirely unnecessary. Maybe you can relate. You want to know your pain has a purpose. Meanwhile, for the most part, it seems unnecessary. Your pain has a purpose, and this…
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5 Hope-Filled Prayers for Grieving Families
A few months ago, a family in our community endured a heart-wrenching loss. Every time I read updates about their painful journey, I felt like my heart was pierced, and tears flooded my eyes. At the culmination of their awful journey, I visited the Facebook page where they had been posting updates. As I read through the kind and encouraging words written by those who were supporting them, the pain of entering into their story was almost more than I could bear. I was about to close the Facebook page and move on to something different—mostly to assuage the torrent of emotions I was feeling—when a quiet voice whispered, “Stay.”…
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Trials of Faith: 3 Promises for Tough Times
We all face trials of faith. When these times come, we can respond in a variety of ways. Some people blame God for trials, take offense, and turn away from him. Others try to fix the broken circumstances as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, some of us numb ourselves or escape into work. Today, we’ll talk about how to grow through trials of faith instead of being thrown off course by them. Trials of Faith Last year at this time, the valley behind our house flooded. After three days of rain, the ice encasing the creek finally gave way, and the whole valley was swallowed in the icy torrent. Standing at…
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Teach Us to Number Our Days: When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV). Snow falls heavily—a white veil making our world feel close and small for the morning. After the school calls off classes for the day, after the eight-year-old loses another baby tooth, and after an argument over the TV, I close the bedroom door to pray. “Father, how would you have us use these unexpected hours together?” I pray. I had plans to meet with friends, work on a writing project, and take the youngest to the dollar store. Never one to embrace interruptions, this snow day has thrown me for a loop. I…
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Combating Anxiety with the Power of Intentional Moments
I’m thrilled to share the wise words of my friend Nichole Suvar with you today! Nichole and I met in the world of online writers, and every time I read her words, they touch my heart deeply. Today, I’m honored to share a post from Nichole about combating anxiety with the power of small, intentional moments. Nichole recently released a new book called Numbering Our Days, and this book is helping me slow down, consider my thoughts, and make the most of my moments in light of eternity. It’s exactly what I needed in this season. This wonderful book contains 49 short devotions challenging us to overcome anxiety and embrace intention…
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How to Overcome Storms of Life: 10 Insights
Not long ago, we awakened to a world encased in a silver sheen of ice. Crystal droplets, frozen in time, hung from the railing of the deck like daggers waiting to fall. The wind howled, and frozen shards flew from the jostled branches of the poplar tree. The scene prompted me to think about how to overcome storms of life. How to Overcome Storms of Life The storm raged all day. When I came home from getting groceries in the evening, our daughter, Bekah, was outside attempting to feed our three pet beagles. Our beagles are hunting dogs, and they are happiest living in a well-insulated kennel in the backyard;…
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A Sneak Peek into Our New Mother-Daughter Tween and Teen Devotional Book
Calling all moms and daughters! Today’s post will be a bit different! Bekah and I are just dropping by to share an excerpt from the mother-daughter tween and teen devotional we wrote together this year! In case you missed our announcement last week, it’s called Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith. The book is designed for mothers and daughters to read the devotions out loud together (or aunts and nieces, grandmas and granddaughters, or mentors and younger women), and we’re excited to share one of our devotions here with you today. The book will go on sale in mid-November, but we want to…
