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The Blessing of Endurance
Isn’t it interesting that we tend to count our blessings most when hard things happen? It is after a major accident that we are glad to be alive, or post-loss that we are grateful for those who truly love us. It seems that we need disruptions to remind us that life isn’t actually in our…
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Has This Already Been Paid For? (Mini-Series Part III)
One time, I accidentally stole. I was a kid in a bookstore and someone else was paying for my bundle. Reaching my hand up to the counter, I slipped a bookmark in the stack. Later, looking over my treasures, someone asked where I got that bookmark. Apparently, it wasn’t paid for. I still feel bad…
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What Does It Cost Me? (Mini-Series Part II)
He plucked at his fingernails with his arms crossed. Defiant young eyes averted and glazed over in anticipation of another scolding. At the end of a long work day, in the midst of an already stressful week, I felt certain my patience-tank was too empty to be as loving as I ought to be toward…
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Who is Paying the Price? (Mini-Series)
When my guy and I were first married, we lived and worked in an inn. Our “front” door opened into the front office. Guests checking in smelled whatever I’d made for dinner, and co-workers would have needed earplugs to not overhear what was said in our living room. The proximity to others was a privilege-…
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Withstanding Ruthlessness
The headache that comes back again and again. A chronic illness that knocks you off your feet without regard for where you’re headed or how much pain you’re already in. The thought in your head that you are not good enough, no matter how hard you’ve tried. A lie, on repeat, that you can’t ever…
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Don’t Flush!
Rushing down the sidewalk after a few too many hours on road with stops, I couldn’t wait to reach the bathroom. Slamming the stall door shut, I suddenly found myself distracted. The rest stop caretakers had posted the most specific sign I’d seen in a loo. What’s happening that you need to flush your undergarments?!…
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Seeing the Hand of God in Joseph’s story
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28 This verse is one of those we cling to. We cling to it when “all things” feel really hard or hurt deeply. When we can’t make sense of anything and when we can’t imagine there’s…
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Do You Think About These Things?
“Bethanyland is a magical place,” I like to say to my husband when he calls me back to reality because I stopped listening and got lost in thought (again). The truth is, I spend a lot of time thinking. Most of us do. We dwell on things in the shower, in the car, at work,…
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Don’t Quit Praying When It’s “Over”
We pray before we eat. Before our days begin. Before we go to sleep. Often, we pray before big events and decisions. We pray as loved ones face difficulties. But we don’t have to stop there. We can keep praying after. God doesn’t say “cease praying” after the test results suggest the worst or the…
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Prospecting for Treasure
It was 1866. The Yogo Gulch in Montana was full of prospectors. They came for gold, but found disappointment. All that stood out in their sifting pans were the numerous little blue pebbles in the area. They threw them away. One man, Jake Hoover, took a different approach after some time. He sent them away.…