Up before dawn, I can hear that it’s raining… again. Still feeling frustrated with life being in such a holding pattern, I face a new day with dread instead of anticipation. It feels as though the days are mundane. Repetitive and lackluster. In the quiet, I confess my lack of gratitude and ask God to…
Until just recently, the only books written on a pandemic were history books and science fiction novels–neither of which seemed to include “HOW TO SURVIVE” instructions for future generations to follow. It seems to me that there are often two choices involved when we are faced with a situation that we know little to nothing…
“Lord, this is hard. Some days I feel like I have it all under control; life goes along swimmingly until the next thing comes along and I feel like I’m drowning. Just when I think it’s all under control, I realize that I have taken the reigns and am losing my grip. Arms open wide,…
Expecting my first baby, I was suddenly put on bed rest to prevent premature labor. I was only 28 weeks along and was not even allowed to sit up, rising only to go to the restroom (because I refused to use a bedpan!). The goal was to get me to at least 32 weeks– and…
Waiting is often seen as a unwelcome necessity. Time spent in line, in traffic, or in a doctor’s office is viewed as empty moments that are wasted. The allotted time acceptable for a wait is often preconceived and determined only by our own expectations. Though the clock ticks at the same pace 24 hours a…
I’m a list maker. At any give time, I might have a to-do list, a “when I have more time” list or in the back of my mind, a “someday I want to…” bucket list. While most of my blog posts are based on what God is teaching me through His Word, some are just…
I’m not very good at waiting. Especially when I am in not in control of the wait. One of life’s necessities, waiting will sometimes take us down a hard road that affects us emotionally. Fear, frustration, anger, or anxiety can become our new normal, and despite our best efforts we struggle to see the good.…
Standing on the precipice, I am paralyzed by the sound. ~~~ Unable to move or even think, the waves of fear and grief crash over me like a tsunami. ~~~ Overpowering. Taking over and completely subduing, submerging. ~~~ Drowning, I can see through the crystal clear water that wants to fill my lungs with death:…
“What next?” I don’t often start my mornings with such questions on my mind. I often am startled awake before dawn and make a beeline for a programmed coffee pot stirring my senses with steaming hot goodness. My day starts with coffee and prayer. I have a typical spot to settle as I seek the…
Stopping to consider the lessons I’ve learned from my opportunities to travel, my perspective on being an American has changed. I came to realize that I thought was gratitude, was actually a form of pride. Gratitude or pride? I don’t think it was intentional, and at best it was subtle, but this sense of pride…
No matter how dark the night, despite what the future may hold, the voice that I hear whispers a tune.. right into my soul. The music is all around us. Can you hear it? In the quiet I am surrounded by the sweet sound of birds outside my window. Oblivious to the human condition these…
A dying art, the handwritten letter is slowly but surely being replaced by emails and texts. I confess, I just am as guilty of letting this age-old practice diminish in my own life; and yet, reading Paul’s letter to his young charge Timothy in my Bible, I am inspired to write a few of my…
Sometimes saying “yes” to God is the most difficult step we take in obedience. Other times it comes easily, and our response is followed by a joy-filled freedom to step out in faith. What do we do when saying yes is a struggle? “No, Lord” is not an option–it’s a contradiction; and yet, if we…
“All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.” Proverbs 16:2 We plan. We prepare. We shoot our visionary arrows into the future and pray they land at least somewhere near the intended target. But God. He sees. He knows where we have been and where we are…
Surrender. It’s a word that sounds defeated. Discouraged. Beaten. Surrender: verb (used without object) “to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.” [dictionary.com] While the word may seem to carry a negative connotation, in the Christian life is a cumulative word that describes what happens when a person, 1.) recognizes…
