Tag: anxiety
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The Grace of His Gaze
Wrap presents. Put up decorations. Maybe I need new lights since mine don’t sparkle just like the ones I saw on Instagram? Finish Christmas shopping. Can we all stay healthy for everything we have planned? How can I make this Christmas special for those around me? If you’re anything like me, this might be a…
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Rewriting Our Scars: is there even beauty there?
My son’s scream jolts me out of my thoughts as we walk over the rocky trail on a daily adventure. Sticking out his bottom lip, he looks up at me, “Mommy, it’s red. I’m bleeding. I need a Bandaid.” I reach into my bag and pull out a neon colored Bandaid, pulling off the wrapper…
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From Pressed to Praise
Recently, anxiety got the best of me by attaching securely like Velcro—hanging on my shoulder, pressing my chest, and making it hard to breathe. In that moment, I knew I needed to go to sleep, hopeful the morning would bring peace rather than anxiety. However, when I awoke, I couldn’t dislodge the restrictive strap of…
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Worthy: God’s Whisper in Despair
You know those nights when tears soak your pillowcase leaving behind puffy eyes? Or tossing and turning is a constant companion, leaving you exhausted to face the day ahead? You are not alone; I’ve had those days, too. Take heart, dear one, God’s Word offers us a sweet truth for our worn-down souls. Even if…
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The Satisfier of Our Souls
Do laundry, pick up groceries, clean toilets, vacuum the endless dust bunnies, when was the last time I washed the sheets, and oh yeah, what are we even having for dinner? Does this list sound familiar to you? Often, I find myself believing the completion of this endless to-do list, will provide contentment. But, will…
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We might bend, but we won’t break
As a young child, I vividly remember fearfully peering out our basement window, watching the once tall tree giants bending, almost like Gumby, as tornado-like winds blew across our backyard. They are going to snap, I remember thinking. Now as an adult, I often feel like those trees, thinking, I’m going to snap. Have you…
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When Change Is Uncomfortable
Change makes me uneasy. The kind of discomfort where my stomach swirls and I’d rather run the other direction than cross the threshold of a new season. I want routines, on-time bedtimes, and easily manageable plans. The older I get, the more I realize the impossibility of this checklist. If this is you, friend, I…
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When stillness is hard to find
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a crank-the-music-up-loud kind of girl. My husband often jokes with me, “You were really jamming out in here,” when he hops in the car after I’ve been driving. My son follows in my footsteps as, “Turn it up,” is one of his favorite requests. So, today, when his…
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Five Truths For Our Weary Souls
Two weeks ago, during a string of rough days, intrusive thoughts blared across my mind, leaving in their wake, a tear-stricken face and warped mind. I’m not sure what your hard season looks like—job loss, heavy-hearted loneliness, a difficult diagnosis, grief from losing a loved one, a broken relationship, anxious and depressive thoughts, an eating…
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Because of His Death: “the old has gone, the new is here!”
Have you ever felt like spring’s beginning is just plain yucky? As we squelch through muddy backyards, wipe filthy dog paws, or dig in dirt to plant hopeful seeds, it is easy to focus on the dirt caked upon our shoes or underneath our fingernails. In doing so, we often forget the new creations breaking…
Refuge of Grace 