Hope On The Road Less Traveled
I have no clear recollection of a life without pain. Although it didn’t dominate my life as a young child as much as it does now, for roughly thirty years, I’ve been housed in a physical frame that’s baseline is one of physical pain and illness. When physical affliction is a way of life, there… Continue reading Pain is a Taste of Hell; Jesus’s Comfort is a Taste of Heaven
Some days, your body is weary of pain. Some days, your mind is weary of the inner battle no one sees. Some days, your heart is weary of this sinful, sorrowful world. Some days, it’s all three at once. And when it is, it can be hard to lift your eyes in hope. Peace feels… Continue reading When the Road is Long and the Way is Weary
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God… Continue reading Trust Beyond What You Can See
Suffering. How can one small word hold so much complexity? Even beyond the complexity of what the circumstances entail, whether or not you believe there’s a God, and whether you believe he’s good and sovereign, will completely change the way you interpret the word. Even in the Christian community, the way each interprets the pain,… Continue reading When Hard Places Become Holy Places
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash “Mom, hurry up and get home,” Carter blurted out before the car door had fully closed. “What’s going on?” his mom asked. This was the third day in a row that Carter seemed rushed to get home after school. “I don’t ever want to use the school bathroom during… Continue reading Walking in Faith in a World of Fear
We, Christians, love a good miracle. We’re moved by the bold prayers of a sick brother or sister who’s powerfully touched by the healing hand of God. We’re inspired by the drug addict who met Jesus at rock bottom, and whose testimony has grown into a powerful ministry founded on the redemptive hope of Christ.… Continue reading When Faith Isn’t a Formula
I slowly worked my way to the window and opened the blinds for the first time in over a week. My world had been reduced to the next time I could take more pain meds, the next time I had to force down a little food or fluids to keep the ER at bay, and… Continue reading What’s the Point if Pain Has No End?
This weekend, my husband and I cautiously drove along the winding, somewhat treacherous, Million Dollar Highway in Ouray, Colorado. Around every turn, the vivid colors of fall burst forth with a glorious array of oranges, yellows, and reds. Little by little, the low hanging clouds of an impending cold front began to cloak the mountain… Continue reading The Clouds of Shame and Unbelief Distort the Glory of God’s Goodness
As we drove away from what felt like the millionth doctor’s appointment for our son, the new prescriptions and prospective treatments felt more like a set up for disappointment than a prospect of future hope. We had lived in this space for a decade and a half, ever since the realization that our son’s challenges… Continue reading Frozen in Grief: The Hidden Pain of Ambiguous Loss
As I recently shared, this past month was one of extreme physical circumstances that left me out of commission, out of family life, desperate for relief, and weary of the battle. There were moments when I was in such discomfort, I could barely think, let alone read my Bible or pray beyond begging God for… Continue reading The Great Exchange: When a Million Little Deaths Lead to the Secret of True Life
Set Apart 