Tag: hope
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God is Sufficient for Your False Guilt
“I feel bad about…” I began. My husband joked it was time for my daily list of “things I feel guilty about that I probably have no control over anyway.” If only he wasn’t right! Too often, I find myself stuck replaying all the ways I could have done better, loved more, anticipated and therefore…
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Good News When You’re Waiting
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’” (Luke 2:10) Most of the time, we’re waiting on good news of some kind. We’re checking our inboxes, hoping for the call or the text, and scrolling our social media feeds….
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When Your Definition of Perfection Is Too Small
“You can never do anything all the way right.” It’s a line I wrote sarcastically while joking with a friend. The trouble is, it stuck with me and my perfectionist ways. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” backs up the notion (Romans 3:23) But those of us bent toward perfectionism…
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Our Hope Is Built On Nothing Less Than…
I laugh at the memes featuring people peeking out from behind their doors, wild-eyed, saying, “what chapter of Revelation are we doing today?” I’ve chuckled at stoic, cynical jokes about bracing ourselves for the last few months of 2020- a year that seems doomed. Humor is good. Laughter helps. But in case, like me, you…
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God’s Creative Answers to Prayer
A sweet friend of mine recently commented that God’s creativity is amazing- not just in nature but in the ways He does things, the ways He answers prayer. This is a picture of that. Over the years, I’ve prayed for a mentor. For deep friendships. For opportunities to encourage others in Christ. For my compulsion…
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Sometimes We Need Rain
On a blistering hot day last summer, I was drawn to the sun room although I knew it would be 10 degrees warmer still. The dog curled up on my lap, insistent he wanted our burning and dehydration to be a shared experience. In the haze of the heat I heard a sweet sound: distant…
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3 Truths for the Overwhelmed
My calendar always ends up a mess. Circles highlight the things I didn’t get to, but need to. Scribbles hide the things that aren’t getting done anytime soon. Dashes check off what I’ve done- and sometimes they cover the whole square for each day. Life is full of little things right now, but: Every little…
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What We Are At The Mercy Of
The superhero show started out as expected. A tragic accident preceded the acquisition of superpowers. With the help of a lovable team, the superhero realized his potential and helped protect others- while investigating unsolved personal tragedy. It was all run of the mill, perfectly enjoyable…and then time travel entered the mix. Out of nowhere. Turning…
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Confirmation After Faith
Sometimes when we beg the Lord for confirmation or a sign, what we’re really saying is that: We don’t want to walk by faith- we want to walk by sight. We don’t find His direction in Scripture enough. We don’t take Him at His Word that He’ll always be with us. His confirmation often comes…
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Hope Your Heart Needs Review
We’ve got a little dog with a lot of character. Every day, I’m reminded of his faithfulness when I get home and he’s happy to see me. I recognize his intelligence when he teaches himself new tricks. I know what he loves as he paws insistently, begging for laps and food and soft blankets to…