In August 2015, a joyful anticipation of what I thought my college years would look like was shattered into a disheartening reality when the words You’ve been cut from the process pierced my heart through a phone call during the sorority recruitment process.
Recently, I walked through a difficult season in life that involved sorrow, suffering and unexpected disappointment. I wanted desperately to “do this right” and I often prayed that somehow God would be glorified through this process. Then I read about a season in Peter’s life where he was “sifted”.
Recent studies suggest that the most influential person in our lives is ourselves. We can talk ourselves into things and we can talk ourselves out of things.
I have the heart of a gardener…I guess to serve my need to nurture something. I love to watch something grow and I especially love it when a plant grows big and beautiful after a long, hard winter.
I recently had the privilege of watching a color-blind man open a new pair of glasses for his birthday. My eyes filled with tears as he experienced color accurately for the first time in his life.
Few things are as soothing for me as watching waves crash on a beach. But the seamless shoreline of peace and harmony can only be created by an endless cycle of giving and taking.
When I was growing up, my family had a copy of Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I still remember flipping through the childhood illustrations of a crippled girl named Much Afraid, her nemesis Craven Fear, and the kind Shephard Who called her to journey with Him to the distant mountains. If only I’d know then how accurately her journey would reflect my own over the years!
I wish I could have been at the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. The false prophets danced around the altar all day, desperately cutting themselves and begging their false god to pay attention to them.
Most of us don’t think of sacrifice as a place of safety. Sacrifice is where we feel fragile and vulnerable (aka, the opposite of safe). I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an obsession with safety in my life. I pick jobs that make me feel safe, I pick people who make me feel safe, I spend money in ways that make me feel safe…
Oh, my goodness, what joy we get when our two-year-old grandson laughs. It sounds like music to our ears. As he ages, he notices so much more about his little world that makes him laugh – including our mistakes.
Because I directed a First Grade Vacation Bible School class and because I babysat my grandkids in the summer, my two-year old grandson was able to go to Preschool VBS. Even though I called it Bible School. He called it “Bible Church.”
I got caught up in my grandsons’ excitement on a recent trip to the zoo. The oldest one loves the Reptile House so, of course, he made certain we headed there first. He marveled over every snake, lizard, turtle, and creepy crawly thing.
Our detached garage has a step up from the garage floor and a step down into the patio. I get a kick out of our two-year old grandson when he tries to maneuver those steps. As he attempts to do them, he looks up at me and says, “BIG step, Tida.”
Our two-year old grandson started throwing the typical tantrums for kids his age. If he gets irritated with a toy, he throws it. If he gets really upset, he hits his head on the wall or floor or whatever else he can find.
The other day I was taking off my jewelry, and I must have pulled too hard on my ring. It flew off the end of my finger when I pulled it over my knuckle. I heard it hit the carpet. I immediately got on my hands and knees to look for my ring. I must have looked for 20 minutes before I decided to stop and try again later. After looking later, I still could not find my ring. I knew it was there, and I also knew that I would find it with continued searching.
So I have a teenage daughter. I am learning new things by the minute. She is filling my life with laughter and terror all at the same time! It's a roller coaster, and I love it. This week I'm going to catch you up to speed with communication in the style of a teenager.
My daughter cracks me up with all the things she says. One of those phrases is, wait . . . what? This is what she says every time she misses something or wants something repeated.
It is officially spring. The weather and the calendar agree. I am starting to see birds making nests, flowers budding out, and green grass peeking through. Spring marks the beginning of baseball season. One of my favorite things to do is watch my two kids play ball. Of course I’m a fan of these two!
I watched my husband and our daughter paddle out into the surf in a kayak. They moved through the water to look at the array of fish under them. At times they stopped paddling, but they did not stop moving. Sometimes they drifted further away from where they wanted to go. It required intentional effort to move in the right direction. To go where they wanted to go, they had to pursue it. Just drifting was not going to be enough.
