Did you ever think of love as a choice? We usually talk about love like it’s a feeling that happens to us. We fall into it. We fall out of it. It shows up or it doesn’t. But what if love is something we choose, on purpose, especially on the days it doesn’t feel like... Continue Reading →
Ask yourself: are you a forgiving person? On the surface, we want to answer enthusiastically. Yes! But get hit with one of these, and we might change our answer: A drunk driver kills your only child.Your husband cheats on you.Your best friend steals your life savings.Gossip is spread around the community about your family.You lose... Continue Reading →
There’s a habit I’m still working on. When something goes wrong, my first instinct is to fix it myself, or worry about it, or vent about it to whoever will listen. Prayer is usually my last resort, not my first response. But Scripture keeps nudging me toward a different order: Instead of worrying — pray!Instead... Continue Reading →
I’ll admit something about myself. I have a hard time making choices over simple things.There, I said it. I’m not proud of it. My husband walks in and says, “Honey, I know it’s been a long day. Where would you like to go eat?” “Oh, I don’t know. What do you want?”“I asked you first!”... Continue Reading →
I am not a good “waiter.” Doctor’s offices are some of the worst.Waiting in line. Waiting on someone to text back. Waiting to catch a flight.The list goes on and on. If I can plan for a wait, that’s a little different.Bring a good book, or remember my Bible study, and I’m good to go.... Continue Reading →
We make choices every day. Some are small.What to wear. What’s for dinner. Some are heavy.Whether to stay in the job, the relationship, the town. Choices are as old as the Garden.God gave Adam and Eve one simple boundary, and the serpent convinced them they knew better. I know that temptation well. Joshua 24:15 hangs... Continue Reading →
My daughter and I were driving home from an event when she pointed at the sky. "Mom — do you see the face?" It took me a minute. Then I saw it too — a figure in the clouds, looking up, one arm reaching toward Heaven. I keep coming back to two ways of seeing... Continue Reading →
I used to tie myself in knots before every family gathering. The menu had to be right. The seating had to be right. The conversation had to stay in safe territory. I would spend days anticipating every possible tension and quietly maneuvering around it before anyone even walked through the door. If things stayed calm... Continue Reading →
Nobody puts this one on a t-shirt. We've seen "Blessed" on farmhouse signs and coffee mugs and tote bags all over Pinterest. But I have yet to see anyone screen-print "Blessed are those who mourn" across their chest and head out the door. And yet here we are. Beatitude number two. Jesus is not finished... Continue Reading →
"Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation." — Psalm 71:18 Have you ever walked through a season so hard that you wondered if God had forgotten you or the ones you loved? I have. I watched my mother battle Alzheimer's.... Continue Reading →
