-
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 Receive the Assignment When God Interrupts Your Plans
Three green tomatoes rest on the table in the morning light like they’re just waiting for the golden rays to wash them into ripened red. I admire them with blurry eyes, the weight of my exhaustion hanging overhead like a raincloud. When God interrupts your plans, it can feel like a shock to the system. When God Interrupts Your Plans I spent the night lying awake with a little boy who had a tummy ache—his warm hands patting my face and rubbing my back through the dark hours of a sleepless night. Hours later, I sit in the pewter glow of dawn and consider the day ahead. I had plans…
-
How to Surrender to God When Life Is Hard and Your Calling Feels Hidden
A subtle clacking sound echoes from the black clock on the wall, and I stare into the ashen hues of winter outside. I sit by the window awaiting the roaring engine of the school bus. My calling feels humble, quiet, and hidden in this season, and I’m wondering just how to surrender to God in these hard days of mothering little ones. Opening my Bible in search of encouragement, I find Jesus talking to a wealthy young man. Jesus says to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me”(Matthew 19:21).…
-
Encouragement for Tired Moms: 5 Ways to Add Joy to Your Life
I discovered a meatball under the china cabinet this morning. Suffice it to say, this wouldn’t be a huge deal if we’d dated meatballs in the past few days; however, we haven’t had meatballs for at least two weeks. We haven’t had meatballs for two weeks. As I scrubbed the floor, I felt compelled to offer a few words of encouragement for tired moms everywhere. Ten years ago, I spent my days teaching students with disabilities inside the walls of a respected high school. Each new day brought new challenges and changes in my schedule. During those years, my husband and I traveled overseas often. For fun, we regularly took…
-
Four Ways to Decrease Stress by Slowing Down
It’s autumn in Pennsylvania. Autumn in this part of the world means cornfields that rustle beige in the evening thermals. It means pumpkins on stoops and hay mazes towering in muddy alfalfa fields. It means russet leaves applauding the sky and geese heading south with their human-like voices echoing overhead. For our family, it also means settling into a different routine, one that currently includes soccer games, hunting trips, and longer hours within the walls of our living room. Darkness comes earlier, and we find ourselves racing to fit more into days that seem shorter. It’s the time of the harvest, a time for filling the freezers and picking squash and baking countless loaves…
-
How to Focus on Jesus Instead of Focusing on Your Problems
The seasons are changing in our part of the world. I watch from my window, where I’m lost in stacks of first-grade homework, bills, and messy reminders about the reality of my actual life. I want to focus on Jesus this morning, but I can’t clear my head in the middle of the mess. You probably know a thing or two about messes. You want to live by faith and focus on Jesus throughout your days, but the chaos of your life pulls you away. How to Focus on Jesus I want to learn to keep my eyes on Jesus, but sometimes, it doesn’t feel practical. Here’s what I’m learning:…
-
Discover These Gifts by Slowing Down in Life
I asked Caleb what he wanted to do for his third birthday, and he wanted hot dogs and marshmallows for breakfast and a trip to the sandy beach. He settled for powdered doughnuts for breakfast, but I came through on the trip to the sandy beach. Slowing down in life, for even a day, felt like its own kind of gift. The sandy beach is the name the kids have affectionately labeled a stretch of sandy shoreline along the creek behind our house. We’ve been known to catch bluegills and crayfish in the shallow part of the pool, and surrounded by wilderness, the sandy beach feels like an escape to…
-
Living in the Joy of the Lord: 6 Practical Ways
It’s an overcast evening with light air hanging over the black-eyed susans that blanket the fields behind the house. I’m not thinking about living in the joy of the Lord, but I’m about to learn a lesson that will forever change my life. I’ve spent most of the day cleaning the house, dealing with a frustrating computer issue, and searching the basement boxes for size 3T sweatpants. By the time the food is on the table and the family is gathered on the deck for dinner, I’m weary. Living in the Joy of the Lord We’ve just finished our meal when it happens. Our sweet little girl winds up with…
-
How to Stop Living on Autopilot: 3 Ways
The multiflora rose bushes are exploding with white blossoms when it hits me: I’m living on autopilot again. I claim I want greater joy in my life, but my decisions don’t cultivate the joy I crave. If you want to learn how to stop living on autopilot, you are in the right place. Today, we’ll talk about practical ways to slow down, be mindful, and live with purpose. How to Stop Living on Autopilot Most of us know all about autopilot. We push through our days with no margin time to notice the beauty and thousands of stressors streaming through our minds. How do we stop living on autopilot and…
-
How to Live for God and Find Deeper Joy in Life
The rhythm of the elliptical is like a cadence keeping time with my prayers. I pray while I exercise. Today I’m praying for single-minded focus to help me live for God in a world so full of distractions. I stare at a beautiful landscape background on my computer while a worship mix stirs my soul. I’m listening to Israel Houghton’s moving rendition of “To Worship You I Live” when a question startles me from my daze. How to Live for God I think of Paul’s words: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV). The song prompts me to consider what I live…
