None of us escape physical suffering, either facing this hard in our own life or in the life of someone we love. With difficulty, we witness a sharp and clear mind trapped in a body that crumbles from disease or aging. Or the opposite, with a confused, fading mind in a physical body that remains strong. We wrestle with the “why” of such affliction, and struggle to understand the rightness and fairness of circumstances played out before us. And when...
January 16, 2020
The Secret to Enduring Physical Suffering
January 9, 2020
When Normal Wanes, Where is God?
One of the great things about the string of pearl activities from Thanksgiving to New Years is the change of pace and scenery. They bring sparkle, glitter and delight into the ordinary; flooding our days with specialness. Yet, one of the difficult things about the holidays is also the change of pace and days flooded with specialness. We haven’t lived “normal” for weeks. Routines are smashed and drug through the mill. We’re snatched from our intentional, thought-out schedules and thrown...
December 12, 2019
When All is Cut Away, What Remains of Christmas?
While many scramble to conquer the chaos, yet warm with excitement anticipating celebrations of the Christmas season, sometimes an opposite scenario befalls us. Life has dealt a blow and nothing is normal. The season drags by, filled with pain and loneliness. Uncertainty and dread are our companions. We hear no echo of laughter. Carols have lost their warmth and sparkling lights mock the darkness swirling around us. Numbness escorts us to gatherings. Fear replaces peace. Sorrow deadens joy. When all...
December 5, 2019
Crushing Christmas Chaos
Ah, the holidays. We dream of a season filled with gentle snows, glittering lights, enticing smells, carols streaming, gifts wrapped with perfection, a flawless tree filled with memory-inducing ornaments, and hugs, smiles and laughter spilling over in endless traditions and activities. Ah, the holidays. Well. Shelf that Hallmark movie, because the reality often paints quite a different picture. Across the country, women are tasked with expectations and responsibilities that would turn any action-hero into a blubbering wimp: Pinterest-laden projects, tradition-building...
November 28, 2019
Give thanks? Even in “this”?
Thanksgiving. A crushing hard. How do these mesh? God’s Word encourages us to “give thanks in all circumstances” and to “always give thanks for everything”. Does that include this mess? This pain? When darkness seeps in and our dreams lay shattered. When finances are wrecked, our hope stagnant, our bodies diseased and broken. Being thankful seems a far stretch and somewhat ludicrous. Nothing in our circumstance stirs thankfulness. Yet, living with a thankful heart is important to the Lord. In...
November 21, 2019
Does Your Life Align with God? How to Live Cruciform
One hard we all share is keeping our lives aligned with God. Bombarded with choices and tasks, our focus slips off Him, and we soon assume mastery over our life. We sideline the Holy Spirit and march through our days, and therefore our lives, making one decision after another without consulting the One whose perspective remains true and all-encompassing; whose wisdom holds both our eternal best, and the best for His Kingdom, in hand. As we move on, out of...
November 14, 2019
3 Steps to Bust Through Roadblocks of Inadequacy and Jealousy in Serving God
At times the hards we wrestle are not circumstances, but questions. One of those questions asks, “How can I, with all my shortcomings and issues, be effective in the kingdom of heaven? How can I, with my background, life experiences, and limitations, serve God and others?” Two roadblocks hindering our service are feelings of inadequacy and jealousy. Apprehensions of “not good enough” can stem from what we perceive about ourselves, or perhaps others have told us. We lack in education...
November 7, 2019
4 Steps to Avoiding the Marital Pit of Sexual Sin
Few among us have lived untouched by the fall-out of sexual sin in a marriage, either directly or indirectly. Many forms of sexual sin exist that haunt a family, including but not limited to: pornography, lust, emotional attachment, adultery. Whatever weapon Satan uses, the resulting inflamed wounds are the same: betrayal and broken hearts. (If you are this one, feeling the sting of betrayal and picking up the pieces of your broken heart, you can skip to the last paragraph...
October 31, 2019
A Springboard Truth toward Forgiveness
A hard brought on by the actions of another leaves us gritting our teeth and fighting feelings of vengeance. A hard brought on by a fellow believer adds a whole different level of hurt, perhaps coupled with disbelief and anger. Knowing we share this journey with real people who have real issues, just like we do, comforts us. However, when an attitude or weakness in them hurls pain our way, the sting is a bit sharper and the hurt a...
October 24, 2019
Holy Tension; aka, How to Wrestle an Alligator
What difficult thing do you wrestle? Against what hard do you struggle? Does a task God has given you appear to rise up with gnashing teeth and slashing tail? Is there a stress-causing challenge you wish removed so life would be pert near perfect? What seeming impossibility keeps you exhausted and fearful in its grip? Bottom line: what alligator are you wrestling? When my husband texts early in the week and asks “what’s up?” and the response is “wrestling alligators”,...