The good, the bad, and the untamed confessions of a girl lost and found
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved my self-esteem. The above words were recently spoken by my son, referencing our modern-day approach to God’s mercy. Sadly, Joshua’s rendition of the well-known hymn seems more in keeping with how most of us view grace. We make it more about us as the recipient than Jesus as … [Read more…]
You are not hard to love. So read the subject line of a recent devotional in my email inbox. My initial thought came with a slight chuckle as I countered, “Oh, but I am.” The truth is sometimes I am hard to love. I can be impatient and irritable and selfish, and just downright cranky, making it … [Read more…]
While you were sleeping, I stood at the doorway and prayed. I noted the steady rise and fall of your chest settled into sleep’s rhythm. Your body at rest, no longer fighting against the throes of youth. Your breathing slow and calm instead of gasping from the tantrum of earlier in the day. And I … [Read more…]
The apostle Paul entered heaven to the cheers of those he martyred. That’s how the Gospel works. My son recently posted the above meme on a Facebook post, and I couldn’t help but take note. God has been bombarding me with the topic of grace lately. From books I’m reading to Bible verses to conversations, I’m … [Read more…]
I was recently asked the question: “How do you want to finish this year?” Two words immediately came to mind: Peaceful and Expectant. I want to come to grips with who I was in 2021, both my highlights and my less-than-stellar moments. Some things I mastered with finesse; others I barely mustered through.Too often, I … [Read more…]
This request, around which my fingers had been clenched for years, was meant to be delivered palm to palm as I sat on His lap in confidence. — from Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet by Sara Hagerty Palm to palm. The imagery of this intimate interaction captured my heart. Palm to palm — this is how Father … [Read more…]
I have a confession. Sometimes I do not want to follow Jesus. Oh, I want to love Him. I want to lead a life that honors Him. But I don’t always want to follow the path He chooses that causes me to do so. Because sometimes He leads me to places I’d prefer to avoid. … [Read more…]
I often find myself copying phrases from books, scrawling quotes into a journal to be pondered later. Unfortunately, my rush-ahead-to-fill-in-the-blank penchant can sometimes overrun my transcribing skills. While penning words from Alli Worthington, I hurriedly began to scribble, “What does God want you to do . . .” before I realized I was incorrectly completing the sentence. … [Read more…]
It’s no secret that I am not prone to meandering. I tend to outwalk most everyone around me. When I’m moving with a crowd, I find myself pulling ahead if I do not consciously practice the art of slowing down to match the pace of others. Automatic doors frustrate me with their slowness. Probably because … [Read more…]
I was taught a simple bedtime prayer as a young child. It was one repeated each night before I fell asleep. And although I knew it by rote, at times, I switched it up a bit depending upon the daytime experiences with my siblings. The version went as follows: Now I lay me down to sleep,I … [Read more…]