We all want to believe that we can exercise significant control over the quality, direction, and even duration of our lives. But we cannot fully control what limits us (and how) any more than we can control the wind. But, oh, how we wish to be unencumbered by such restrictions! They feel like walls, blocking us from doing good things, even biblical things.
Read MoreSince fracturing my wrist falling backward on ice months ago, I have occasionally felt discouraged by the slow healing process. Recovery has been hampered by so many complications that I have wondered if my wrist will ever function normally again or stop hurting.
Read MoreWhen I remember what the locusts have eaten in my life through death, illness, rebellion, injury, sin, and more – I feel anger, sorrow, and frustration. But I also feel a longing for it all to be made right. Sadly, what humans unleashed in the Garden still slithers through our lives today, looking for something or someone to devour. In this world, locusts will always eat things.
Read MoreOnce, during a visit to Stockholm, Sweden, I took two of my sons to a golf course an hour north of the city. Getting there was not easy without a car. It involved riding a train and a bus, then walking two miles through rural countryside.
Read MoreI learned (the hard way) about the critical nature of sleep for health and functioning. But it took me a long time to learn that rest is also essential beyond the physical realm. Our souls need rest as much as our bodies. And the consequences of not partaking in spiritual rest can be even more devastating than those caused by sleep deprivation.
Read MoreA unique series of events brought me to a small stone house in the middle of a desert one hot summer day. The old cottage was tired but intriguing with its sagging, dusty floors, shabby furnishings, and curtains that crumbled when touched. With the air of a good poker player holding cards close to the chest, the structure made me wish the walls could talk.
Read MoreSometimes, I miss the daily life I shared with my kids when they were young, with its abundant opportunities to participate daily in their flourishing and be a buffer against the world's harsher realities. Now, every goodbye reminds me of my new role and what it means for my faith.
Read MoreI often plan not out of wisdom and prudence but to reduce anxiety about the future. But no amount of good planning prepares me for "rogue waves," unanticipated and unwanted events that hit me out of nowhere.
Read MoreSheep can become cast on their backs in several ways, and so can we. In the spiritual realm, casting is a state of being discouraged in one’s soul.
Read MoreThough I have spent tremendous energy banking on earthly things to anchor me, I have been known to casually release, or hold loosely, my trust in God.
Read MoreAfter watching a pair of ferns build a nest for days, a strong wind knocked it down. Seeing their little home in shambles made me feel sad that my last child was leaving home.
Read MoreWhile dog-sledding in northern Sweden once, my light went out, leaving my son and me in total darkness. It would have been comforting to have known that, even when I didn’t know what to do or where I was going, they knew.
Read MoreRecently, my family and I hiked a beautiful but rugged trail in the Virginia mountains with a rewarding view at the end. Suddenly, the peace was broken by a primal scream, which apparently came from me.
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