A while ago, I experienced a reconciliation with someone who hurt me deeply. After our interaction was over, I smiled and thanked God for giving me the gift of healing. I gave Him the glory and said, “You did this, God!” And, immediately, I heard His response in my head: “But you LET me.” Then […]

It’s bedtime and I have been striving since breakfast to make time to sit with God. But my day has been hectic, and my “First” has now become my “Last” as night arrives. Jesus, I ask You to take the shackles of performance and hustle off my wrists and bind me to You alone. I […]

I spent the first part of my life not knowing I needed a Savior. I was self-reliant, independent, and strong enough to stand on my own feet. I never considered myself needy until loss demolished my life and I sensed my fragility for the first time. Over many years, God taught me how to depend […]

What do you do when your best isn’t good enough? When your efforts make more of a mess than a solution? You want to withdraw and stop trying. You want to give up. If people don’t like the way you do things, then you’ll just stop doing them at all! Yet you know that reaction […]

There are some lessons you feel you’ve grown beyond. You believe you’ve mastered the message. But if that were true, then why do certain situations still trigger a response from you? When someone or something taps into your deep emotions, it’s a signal to pay attention. God will often keep sending that same kind of […]

The wind is blowing fiercely outside my door. Every gust rattles me and I am scared. My mind drifts to all my past preparations: did I build a foundation firm enough to withstand an attack? Did I fail to prepare wisely? How did I squander my resources? All my attention goes to my flaws and […]

Your mind writes stories based on what little facts you know. You predict what you think will happen when – truthfully – you have no idea because there’s no concrete evidence to support the worst case scenarios you’re convinced are coming your way. Instead of focusing on “what if,” you must look to “what is.” […]

Please, dear God, make this ache go away. And if you can’t make it go away, sit in the muck with me and help me endure. Please bring respite soon! Open my eyes to see the world around me: even dead leaves can remind me there can be beauty in letting go. Where there is […]

Someone I know hurt me with her words and I felt tossed aside and grace-robbed. I quietly began to tend my gaping wound. I begged God to put stitches in it, and He did. But before He could finish, I took the needle and thread from His hands. I kept stitching on my own and […]

There have been times in my life when I acted on God’s nudges and followed Him, not realizing I would be entering a desert season. In my despair and confusion, I wondered why my obedience had such a painful outcome. If I’m following God, then shouldn’t the obedience be rewarded with a happy ending? Lovingly, […]