He wasn’t ready for it, my sweet husband. We’d just had a check-in with our counselor the day before, and all seemed well. All was well, really. I hadn’t knowingly concealed anything, but crashing in. The weight of weeks and months of comparison and feeling inadequate had literally brought me to my knees on the…
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV) It’s been a while since I have had the opportunity to get into really deep, personal discussion with anyone about spiritual things, my thoughts on life, ways I could grow or change to be more like Jesus. The kinds of relationships in which…
“Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.” (Galatians 6:6 NIV) I recently worked through my church’s training for small group leaders. Each week, we study the Bible or something biblical that will lead to personal growth in our relationships with Christ, and thereby, in our…
There’s an episode of the much-beloved show This is Us wherein (no big spoilers, don’t worry!) Randall and Beth—the married couple viewers love to love—are fighting. In the stress and strain of trying to launch their respective careers, they both bristle with anger, each feeling unseen, underappreciated, less than loved. In a fit of pique,…
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared…
Recently a friend invited my three children and me to her five-year-old’s birthday party. The kids had a blast jumping on the blow-up bouncy house she’d rented and eating cupcakes, and they were sad when it was time to leave. On the way out, the children were given party favor bags filled with stickers, coloring…