It was a busy, hectic day. And right in the midst of it, I received a message from someone that troubled me. The more I ruminated on it, the more I worried and fretted. I told myself to stop thinking about what was bothering me. I tried to distract myself by focusing on the details and duties […]
(Photo courtesy: Lisa Tarplee Photography) Sitting in my room one evening, enjoying some quiet, one of my children burst in through the door and said, “Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” I asked. “That sound. It was a boom or something,” he said. He stared at me with eyes wide while one hand clung to the door […]
I prayed the same prayer for almost ten years. Ten years. Some days I prayed on my knees with tears streaming. Other days I prayed the prayer merely out of habit. Sometimes I prayed with great faith in what God could do and other days I prayed with barely any faith at all. And then […]
I never realized how much of a worrier I was until I had children. Being a parent seems to magnify the sins we already struggle with and in the case of worry, having children brought that hidden sin out into light, revealing to me how much my heart focused on all those ‘what ifs’ of […]
As I prepare to turn the page and begin a new chapter in my life, I wonder, what will this new year hold? 2015 is the year that I turn forty, a signpost marking midlife. What new joys await me this next year? What challenges? What trials and heartaches? What new lessons? What dreams will come […]
What are the top three prayers on your prayer list right now? Perhaps there’s a prayer for God’s provision or one for a loved one’s healing. Maybe there’s a prayer for a friend’s salvation or for someone whose marriage is struggling. When it comes to my own prayers, most of them center on the things […]
You know those sweet commercials about baby products where mom and baby are bonding over bath time? Those always make me tear up. I’m a sentimentalist. It doesn’t take much for me to cry. It never has. Sometimes, it’s been a source of frustration for me, the way my emotions lie just below the surface. I never […]
Sitting in my room one evening, having my quiet time, my son burst in through the door and said, “Did you hear that?” “Hear what?” I asked. “That sound. It was a boom or something,” he said. He stared at me with eyes wide while one hand gripped the door handle like his life depended on […]
It’s getting close to that time of year again. The stores are stocked with school supplies. My inbox is filling with emails about all the after school activities that will start up before too long. The busyness of the school year is nearly upon us. And with that comes a cluttered calendar and more often than not, a […]
When I give people directions to get to my house, I tell them to veer left when they get to a “Y” in the road. Sometimes I wish there were such clear directions for my life. I often get to places in my journey where I am just not sure which way to go. There […]