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Empty Inside? Take These 3 Steps Today and Get Filled
Fog hovers over clear water this morning. I sit in silence as my soul waits for the Healer to reach out and touch these empty places inside of me. When’s the last time you stilled your soul long enough to be real about the places where you feel empty inside? King David penned these words: “My soul waits in silence for God only.” I could use this reminder every day of my life. Because we all have empty spaces. Places where we’re longing for someone to reach out and offer something substantial – something that lasts. David continues his song like this: “From Him is my salvation. He only is…
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How to Draw Near to God: 3 Simple Tips
My family bought me Gerber daisies for Mother’s Day last year. The coral blossoms stood like beacons of hope on a dining room table cluttered with puzzles, markers, and an array of toys that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. This morning, I sat at that table with hard questions about how to draw near to God in the middle of my messy life. The disorganized table was the perfect metaphor for life that spring: piles of chaos with hope for new beginnings rising out of the mess. Sometimes this is what we all need most: a reminder that from the chaos, God will bring something new and vibrant…
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7 Bible Verses for Weariness (Plus 5 Tips for Weary Days)
The snow blows past like a horizontal wall of white. I stare at the thousands of tiny flakes like maybe this is heaven’s way of touching this muddy earth. I’m running on fumes all over again this morning, and I open my Bible in search of a few Bible verses for weariness. Maybe you can relate. You might be weary from the demands of a career that is wearing you down, children who rely on you day and night, or something else. Today, we’ll look at seven Bible verses for weariness and explore five tips for tired days. I encourage you to soak in these truths and draw strength from…
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Igniting Your Spiritual Passion: 3 Ways
“What would igniting your spiritual passion look like right now?” a friend asks as we sit in her living room. “If I knew, I’d be doing it,” I admit. “Why don’t you ask God what you need to do?” she asks. I’m about to tell her I’ve already asked him, but I realize she’s onto something. The slow and steady rhythms of life have led me to a season of spiritual dryness, and I haven’t stepped back to ask God what he wants to do in me through this time. In the days that follow, I begin seeking his face, asking what it would look like to run to his…
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3 Ways to Draw Close to God When You’re Weary and Worn
I’m feeling weary and burdened as we make the long walk to the end of the driveway to wait for the school bus. I know my soul longs to draw close to God. Sadly, setting aside the time feels like work, and work is what’s worn me thin. Ann Voskamp’s words pass through my mind: “It’s never the things you carry that hurt you, but how you carry those things.” Meanwhile, when I’m honest with myself and with God, there are times when it feels like I’m carrying an unbearably heavy load, and there’s no way this load could do anything other than crush me. Truth to Help You Draw…
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10 Bible Verses for Burnout (Including Practical Ways to Recover)
Most of us will face burnout. When this happens, God’s Word can help us find refreshment. Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses for burnout and explore practical ways to apply these truths to our lives. I invite you to join me as I sit in the forest and reflect on the state of my soul. 10 Bible Verses for Burnout August stretches her long arms toward autumn, and it’s hard to believe these barefoot days will soon be over. Summer is a full season for our family. I often feel stretched too thin by summer’s end. I think of this as I sit by bubbling water and consider how to…
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How to Ignite Your Faith When You Feel Spiritually Stagnant
We’re driving through farm country when I hear my little boy singing with the radio in the backseat, “I gotta get that fire, fire back in my bones.” He’s three, and he’s not easy to understand, but I hear him loud and clear. His words get me thinking. I want to be a woman of fiery faith. Maybe you want to learn how to ignite your faith in a dry season, too. You are in the right place. The idea of fiery faith lingers in my mind for days after our moment in the car. I consider it as I sit by the sliding glass door in the early morning…
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7 Empowering Bible Verses for Anxiety and Stress
We sit by the lake and cast stones like we’re casting cares. I try to conjure up a few long-ago memorized Bible verses for anxiety because I need an anchor on this clear blue afternoon. I remember a day when I sat by this lake four short months ago. It’s funny how four months can feel exactly like a lifetime. This azure water lapping against an emerald shoreline was clothed in unrecognizable white, and there was no definitive border between the place where the land ended and the water began. Men sat bundled in blue and brown shanties across the white expanse. They entertained themselves by jigging child-sized fishing poles…