-
4 Encouraging Truths About Spiritual Transformation
We opened the curtains to white flakes on kelly green grass, and the kids squealed like they’d never seen snow. I sat for a while and watched it flutter down like a gentle foreshadowing of what’s to come. The seasonal shift felt like a nudge to assess my goals, priorities, and the spiritual transformation that feels so slow in coming in my life. The changing seasons are an ongoing reminder to try to make certain that my walk with God and my walk with the people I love are where they ought to be. I used to think a time would come when I’d sense that I’d arrived at some…
-
5 Inspiring Bible Verses About Discouragement
It’s a brisk autumn morning with lacy frost whitening the lawn. It’s been a discouraging season here, and I am worn out. As I stare at the never-ending to-do list, I realize I could use a few Bible verses about discouragement. This fall has been marked by big bumps along the usually smooth road of our lives, bumps that make us step back and appreciate the simple things of life, bumps that make us grateful to still be here together laughing and crying and kicking soccer balls across wide spans of green grass. Bible Verses About Discouragement I stare into the hazy coral firmament, lost in thought, when a…
-
Thanksgiving Encouragement for When Thanksgiving Is Hard
The first rays of morning sunlight stretch through the frosted windowpane. For an instant, I forget that it’s Thanksgiving day. On this day when much of the world celebrates, I could use some Thanksgiving encouragement for my hurting heart. Maybe Thanksgiving is hard for you this year, too. You want to embrace this season and give thanks for the gifts in your life, but giving thanks just isn’t cutting it. If this is your story today, I invite you to join me as we stand on encouraging words amid our discouragement. Thanksgiving Encouragement for the Hurting What do we do when our worlds fall apart and the holidays suddenly hurt?…
-
How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition for Your Family
November is here with the grey branches of maple trees reaching heavenward and once-vibrant fields of wildflowers wielding frost-burned tufts in unison. We pull the Thanksgiving decorations from the basement shelves and start thinking about instituting a new and meaningful Thanksgiving tradition for our family. It seems appropriate that this month of transition is also culturally known as the month for giving thanks. We are often most desperately in need of reminders to practice gratitude when the tides are shifting in our lives. November has always felt like a changing of the tides for me. November is the time when the kids bound from the bus wearing feathers in their…
-
When Your Life Gets Interrupted: Navigating Detours in Life
Our daughter, Bekah, was born on a clear November evening. As we celebrate her birthday this month, I reflect on her life. I also remember the long months leading up to her birth, months that taught me what it means to navigate detours in life. Throughout those months, I planned to continue teaching high school students in my Life Skills classroom right up to my due date. My husband and I planned to vacation in the summer. I imagined that I would continue mentoring teens throughout the pregnancy. I was sure I’d be able to keep running five miles a day until at least the seven-month mark. None of that…