I marveled something so small, which I’d considered soft light, shone with such intensity it needed relocating to remoter darkness.
Category: Worry
Do You Have Focus? Go Fish.
Sometimes I feel prayer is like playing Go Fish. I ask for what I want. If I get it, I ask for something else – encouraged God heard and answered. But if I don’t get it, it can feel like what I’m told in the game: Go Fish. Select the next card from the draw pile – do the next…
Why It’s Ok if “There’s a Hole in Your Bucket,” Dear Friend
I still remember an interesting act from an elementary school talent show between two characters, “dear Henry” and “dear Liza.” If you know the children’s song, you already know Henry tells his dear Liza, “There’s a hole in my bucket.” And dear Liza answers quite practically, “Then mend it, dear Henry!” And he asks her, “With what shall I mend…
Expect Attacks, but Also Expect Victories!
For anyone who’s ever defaulted to a straitjacket of fear – reading about Jesus telling his followers they will have trouble can be enough to drive us to hide quivering behind locked doors. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I…
Permission to Be, Not Pressure to Perform
It wasn’t happening. But not because I wasn’t trying. And I felt pressure because I’d given my word that it would happen. I saw great need. I wanted to do my part. But I may as well have been in a hamster wheel. Ever been there? Besides remembering God’s past faithfulness, sometimes we just need a complete reset. We need…
Hidden Treasure in the Crazy-Busy & Silencing My Inner Critic
I have a confession: I am female, and I don’t multitask well. I admire those who do. I admire my friends that aren’t frazzled by the simultaneous chaos of kids’ activities, laundry piles, meal prep, meaningful discussions with company, and who may also work outside the home. I have high respect for teachers, amid constant noise and motion, who juggle…
How to Have a Hope-Filled Struggle When It’s Crunch Time
I’d done what I was supposed to and it still wasn’t coming together. I knew God heard my prayers; I didn’t doubt that. So why was it so hard this week? I had thought that things get easier the more you practice them, not harder. So, I was surprised, after a decade of experience, at the unusual degree of difficulty…
The Best Plan
I enjoy weeding. Our yard may not always reflect this, but there is something rewarding about observing change the instant I affect it. I’ve noticed something that disturbs me though. Since I don’t have a clue what I’m doing when it comes to planting, I revert to weeding. This wouldn’t be a problem except the yard we had at the…