As my family and friends were celebrating and praising God for every hurdle overcome with the most significant physical battle of my life fought, there was still a long way to go. But it was a battle full of hope. God was going to be…
Introverted and bashful, I was not a particularly brave kid. To stay in the background was way more comfortable for me. But as I look back over my youth, I do see several moments when I summoned the courage to stretch myself to make a…
My mind was spinning. “You’ve had a liver transplant,” my husband explained as he leaned over the hospital bed to welcome me back to the land of the living. Psalm 116:8-9 As the info soaked in, the ultimate dread came. Weight of guilt and shame…
“God didn’t save you; doctors did.” This sentiment came from someone convinced of their truth. I look back I’m so sad to think how hopeless things must look when we are dependent on human knowledge and that’s it. I acknowledge I am a recipient of…
I remember vividly the first time I was “yelled” at on the job. I’d made a mistake. But, instead of owning it and admitting it to my manager, I thought I’d try to fix it myself. Hiding something that reflected poorly on me was my…
The words meant well. The terms “strong” and the phrase “things would be okay” came from a heart that wanted to help. My head might have nodded, and my mouth might have attempted a polite smile, but inside, I knew it wasn’t true. That was…
I’d try and try, but my no’s to myself didn’t last. As I’d steel my resolve to fix myself, my willpower “rules” were a stop sign that would last for a couple of weeks, but honestly, it worked more like a caution sign I’d blow…
I was determined. Finally, with my problems in the rearview mirror and the newfound emotional space and freedom to get disciplined, I would take charge plus find willpower again. [Big exhale.] But how would I do that? Hmm. [Puzzled emoji here] Have you been up…
I couldn’t wait. I had made my plans, and I was ready. It did feel a bit like an escape. But I didn’t care. The freedom I envisioned was my driving motivation. Whoosh! A clean slate with a new state and new surroundings would create…
“Is there more to my spiritual life than this?” [furrowed brow, puzzled emoji here] Before my genuine relationship with Jesus, my sporadic intermittent talks with God resembled a vending machine Houdini-fashioned escape strategy type praying. “Lord, if you could just let me slip out of…
