Sometimes it feels like suffering surrounds us, closing in until we can barely breathe. We wake to headlines heavy with murder, mayhem, and misery. Images of homelessness line city streets, and we hear of children going to bed hungry. Across…
Have you ever thought, “If God loves me, then why is he letting this happen?” I know I have. In my lifetime, I’ve endured abuse, lived with alcoholism, struggled with and been rejected because of my disability, and grieved over the loss of my son. I’ve also learned about the unimaginable evil and harm humans have inflicted on one another through my love of historical fiction, my education, and what I’ve seen reported in the media. All of this has led me to ask a deeper question. Is it possible to find peace and contentment in the middle of pain, loss, and uncertainty?
I felt like a failure. I worked hard in school with dreams of becoming a doctor. But a medical school recruiter told me my poor eyesight made that impossible. Lost and uncertain, I changed majors and eventually earned a degree in Economics. However, instead of having the high-powered, money-making career the world told me I needed to be successful, I married young and started a family. After years as a stay-at-home mom, I earned my master’s in education and began teaching. But juggling motherhood and work always left me exhausted, stretched thin. No matter how hard I tried, success felt just out of reach. I was always striving but never arriving.
When life is difficult, and you feel lost in your distress and discouragement, have you ever prayed, “Why God? Where are you in this challenging situation? When will you hear and answer my prayers?” If so, then you aren’t alone. Trust me, friend, I have been there, too. I have been the mom, sitting by my child’s hospital bed, crying out to God, wondering why, wondering when God will answer my pleas, and praying that I could take the place of my child. But I can promise you one thing. Even when you are frustrated, your faith feels fragile, and your prayers seem futile, you will survive the fire. Because through Jesus, we are overcomers.
One text changed everything, and for a moment, hope disappeared. “Hey sister, I have some rough news to share.” The doctor’s diagnosis followed this sentence, and it wasn’t good. In fact, it left little room for hope. Maybe you’ve been there too, with the phone in your hand, crying out to God, with tears rolling down your face after receiving devastating news. You wonder how you could possibly hold onto hope when circumstances tell you to give up.
Sometimes life beats us down with its relentless responsibilities and daily routines. The constant pull on our time and energy leaves us not only physically exhausted but emotionally weary. The weight of everything crushes us, body and soul. It can feel as if we are standing in a sun-scorched land. The endless to-do lists and mounting pressures sear us like relentless heat. The pace is unyielding, and the heaviness threatens to suffocate our very souls.
“Not all wounds bleed. Some come in the form of words spoken long ago, planted like seeds that took root in our hearts, growing into insecurity, fear, or shame.
Dear one, if you’ve ever carried the weight of painful words spoken over you, take heart. There is good news. God’s Word reminds us that those seeds do not have to define who we are. Through His truth, we can uproot them and plant new seeds of hope, courage, and love.
“Grr.. this computer is glitching and frozen again!” I cried in frustration. Yep, we’ve all been there. And if you call tech support or ask a computer-savvy friend for help, what’s the first thing they will ask you? “Did you unplug and restart it?” In her book, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, Anne Lamott says, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.” When the worries of the world weigh us down, God can bring rest for our souls if we unplug, rest, and allow Him to recharge us.
Recently, a couple of my followers commented on my social media posts, saying they disagree with what I wrote because God has abandoned them. It broke my heart to hear they genuinely believed this. I have tried to reply and…
Life has a way of reminding you that you are not in control. At any moment, all your well-thought-out plans can crash around you in an instant. Just like a surfer, one minute you are riding the waves of life. The next thing you know, you are thrashing around under the water, fearing you will drown.
