Tags: christianity, encouragement, faith, hope, motherhood, parenting, Peace, prayer
31 Days of Prayer – Week 4
Prayer is so simple, yet we complicate it. We bow in corporate worship. We bow at breakfast, lunch and dinner. We bow to say a bedtime prayer. Do we bow when we are alone? Do we pray when no one sees? Do we recognize God’s voice when He speaks into the awkward silence? Sometimes I hold back the parts of life that seem too difficult to talk about. It’s too messy. It’s too emotionally exhausting. The silence is uncomfortable. If I bring everything to God and lay it down, it’s terrifying. And in that moment, it’s so complicated that I
Stepping Beyond My Fears to Faith
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 It was clear. I heard God’s voice. I knew I should take the next step, but I was afraid. Fear cripples me and tells me lies. Fear pins me to the floor and says things like: You are not capable. You will never succeed. It is too difficult. People will laugh at you. There are others more qualified. The task is too big for you. Your strength will fail. It does not make sense. I stand face to face with
31 Days of Prayer – Week 3
God is into details. I’ll never forget the moment in college when I knew God heard my prayer and answered me. It felt amazing! The God of the universe reached down into my tiny world and answered my prayer. I knew God answered prayer. I heard all my life about God doing amazing things and even saw it in my own family. But when I experienced it for myself, on my own, away from my family and the comforts of home, I knew in that moment, God truly cared about me. It was not a big prayer, but the answer
Mercy, More Than a Game
I was a child when I first cried out for mercy. I turned face to face with my brother. We intertwined our fingers, grasped tightly with both hands and in unison chanted, “On your mark. Get set. Go!” The war began. We both had one goal in mind to squeeze, twist and turn the others hands and wrist hard enough for the other to holler out in pain the word, “Mercy!” As soon as the word was spoken, the game was over. The one who spoke the word lost. We played repeatedly. The game would start out fun with much
31 Days of Prayer – Week 2
I want to know that my prayers are going farther than my voice can reach. I want to know that even my faintest thoughts of hope and desires for peace are heard and cared for. I want to know that the prayers I think and utter are rising much farther than my living room ceiling. We all have moments, days, even weeks that our hearts are burdened with things that we cannot control. It’s in these moments that we are often reminded to pray and to lift our burdens up to God. We desire relief. We want an answer or
Why Worry?
Worry is not desirable, yet I often choose it, even fight for it. I actually despise the feeling I get deep in my gut when something is disturbing my normal. It’s hard to articulate exactly what ignites this feeling. Sometimes it only takes a word, a sight, a smell or a sound to bring up memories of past problems that make me feel physically ill. The feelings of worry are familiar. I don’t want to feel this way, but I don’t know how to escape. If I could break free from worry I would feel so much better. The weight