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Finding God when Prayers Go Unanswered
We’d reached the frayed edges of autumn, where flurries told us winter had come, and yet the calendar told us the winter solstice was not yet upon us. I wasn’t really thinking about seeking God when prayers go unanswered as I jogged down our quiet country road. I pushed my aching body down the road in my weekend routine of a long jog down the dusty roads, and the black dog with pointing ears came at me so hard I screamed in an angry and primal way. I wondered if our long chain of unfortunate events might culminate with an attack from a defensive German shepherd. I questioned whether I…
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For When You’re Disappointed by God
I climb onto the elliptical as a new day dawns, and I have no motivation to follow through with my usual routine. I’m feeling disappointed by God, and I’m not sure I feel like going through the motions today. I don’t feel like working hard, sweating, or watching a motivational message about God and all of his goodness. Maybe it’s the lack of energy lately. Maybe it’s the early morning cries from the little boy’s room that drew me from sleep three hours earlier than usual. Or maybe it’s the disappointment. Lately, I’ve been disappointed by a shattered dream. Everything I had planned for and hoped for has been thrown…
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5 Bible Verses for Strength and Healing
We watch chickadees flutter above the deck, and the snow melts all over again for the sixth time this winter. Just when we start to believe things are looking warmer, a bitter north wind descends and everything alive turns back to ice again. I open my Bible in search of Bible verses for strength and healing at the end of this long season. 5 Bible Verses for Strength and Healing The storms just keep rolling in, one right after another, and I wrap our little boy in a blanket on my lap as we watch the chickadees out the window. I find that in winter, I like to place my…
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10 Comforting Truths for Your Storms in Life
The winter wind beats hard against the western wall of our house, and I stare out the window at the bands of white as they tear across the yard. These unrelenting gusts remind me that we all face storms in life, and sometimes the best we can do is hunker down and hold fast to the One who promises to hide us in the shelter of his wings. Most of us know how it feels to be plodding along the even road of good health, blessing, and prosperity, only to ride straight into a storm that changes everything. Storms in Life This fall, I wrote a post highlighting all the…
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Why Struggles in Life Are Some of God’s Greatest Gifts
“We often overlook the fact that struggles in life are some of God’s greatest gifts,” my mentor tells me as we talk on the phone on a warm autumn evening. I know she’s right, but I don’t want to hear it. Life has been hard lately, and I feel like these struggles are suffocating me. I’ve been wrestling with unanswered prayers and processing some difficult disappointments. I find it hard to believe that these struggles are God’s gifts. Struggles in Life Most likely, you have a few struggles in life, too. Maybe you’re praying for a child who turned away from the Lord or a friend who has never turned…
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Six Promises for When You Feel Abandoned by God
“I feel like I’ve been abandoned by God,” my friend whispers through tears as we sit by the creek and watch flies rise from the water. She’s been in a tough season, and I tell her I can relate. Fifteen years ago, I uttered the same words. Since that time, I’ve uncovered a few valuable lessons about God and life. I share from my heart as the sycamores lean in with listening ears. I don’t know if she feels encouraged as we leave the water, but I pray she finds the faith to keep walking with God. When You Feel Abandoned by God Later that afternoon, my little boy stirs…
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Feeling Broken Inside? This Is for You
The lingering daylight leads us to the woods again, and I sink into a moss-covered log while the kids throw sticks into the water. Something about the scene feels alive in the most organic way. It’s like a gentle reminder of how to have hope when you’re feeling broken inside. I’m thinking about life and fresh starts as the moisture of the sphagnum moss permeates my thin pants. It seems the rotting log is absorbing my weight as I enhance the decomposition and press into the dirt. The moss is all around me now, sucking its life from the rotting log’s decomposing nutrients. My mind shifts to Christ and his…
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Overcoming Obstacles With God: 4 Steps
The cold mountain wind rips at me while the sun scorches my chapped hands with desert-like heat. I spit out the gritty sand and continue my ascent. I don’t realize it just yet, but this ascent is teaching me about overcoming obstacles with God, a lesson I’ll need when different obstacles arise on different kinds of mountain climbs. Overcoming Obstacles With God Glancing upward, I’m only 60 yards from the summit. Sixty grueling yards of rough rock outcroppings and sheer drop-offs of over 1,000 feet stand before me. It seems there are cliffs on both sides of this journey. I’ve barely begun the decade of my twenties, and I’m certain…
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The God of the Valley Is Still With You
I slip into the woods on a Saturday evening as the golden sun kisses the horizon. Walking through the emerging skunk cabbage bulbs, the scene gets me thinking about trusting God in those moments when I start to wonder if the God of the valley has left me all alone. The sinking sun blinds me to the west, but to the east, the ponds reflect perfect paintings of cobalt skies and grey hills. The hills are on the brink of bursting into glory like maybe they’re waiting for redemption. Geese linger in a pond to the south, and I follow the winding valley to its deepest place. This part of…
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5 Things to Do When You Feel Stuck in Life
There’s just something about the long walk through winter. There’s something about the piles of muddied snow, the grey days, and the darkness falling early. It all makes me feel more than just a little bit stuck in life. What to Do When You Feel Stuck in Life It doesn’t have to be winter in your world for you to feel stuck in life. There are about a million ways to fall into a pit and find yourself clawing at the walls with no worldly clue of how to climb out. I know because I’ve been there. One thing I’ve learned is that the worst thing I can do is…
