My knee-jerk reaction to suffering is to research, scrambling for solutions, aiming to find a way to make things feel more comfortable. I want to fix things and quickly. I want an answer. Back when my illness was the worst, my desperation for health had crossed the line into idolatry. Read more…
When suffering seems endless and despair kicks in, thoughts of “why” and “how long, oh Lord?” can permeate our thoughts. We fixate on circumstances, trying to understand them, and then stress multiplies even more. Our songs of praise feel out of tune, inauthentic, cacophonous, ugly, filled with discord underneath. Sometimes Read more…
Does it seem like the powers of this world are taking over? Is fear nagging under the surface of your thoughts? We do not need to be afraid, believer. Easter actually happened, right?! Jesus is alive and reigning as King right now, and He is fulfilling His kingdom purposes right Read more…
Did things go differently than you expected this year? Did life take a turn into a new season for you? Are you in the middle of one, not knowing its outcome? Does that feel unsettling? Me too, on multiple fronts. Many days this year, the Lord has taken me back Read more…
It is the holiest of weeks as we look to the cross. As we sigh heavy in our own suffering that overlays this week, we look to our Lord and Savior, grasping His grace in suffering. I chose this hymn because when trials scream and cry loud, its words become Read more…
Is today filled with sorrow, beloved? It is for many of us, dear readers. Our Man of Sorrows, our suffering Servant, our Savior Jesus Christ understands our suffering, sadness, and loss. This week, let’s remember Jesus who is so near to us in our sadness because He is our Man Read more…
In suffering, I’m instantly tempted to focus on myself. The pain overtakes my every thought and everything becomes so inward, fixated on my hurting. When it becomes days and years, with no end in sight, it’s easy for me to become self-absorbed. Me, me, me. But Jesus beckons us: “If Read more…
Do you ever talk to your soul? The Psalmists did this a lot, reminding themselves of truth in God’s Word, truths about who God is and what He is doing…even when we can’t see it. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within Read more…
It’s a week of love. Valentine’s Day celebrated it and the beginning of Lent points us to Love crucified. “But how could I be suffering so much if God loves me?” Sometimes our enemy forces this secret question into our pain. In that same experience of anguish, the blind hymnwriter Read more…
My rings are precious possessions, white and yellow gold blended with diamond sparkles, representing the deep love of my dear husband. He is a treasure from God to me and the gold rings continue to endure after so many years of marriage…and lots of messy cleanups! I Peter reminds me Read more…
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