Have you ever wished you had unshakable confidence? If so, then you’re not alone. For a long time, confidence felt just out of reach for me, especially when I tied it to how I looked, what I achieved, or how others saw me.
That’s where I lived for years, chasing approval, fearing rejection, and striving to earn my worth.
Stress and anxiety don’t usually knock politely—they creep in quietly until it feels like they’re running your life. That’s because we live in a fast-paced society that encourages us to do more, be more, make more, and have more. We try to hold it all together and appear capable and confident. But inside, we feel overworked and overwhelmed. So we look for a quick fix, vitamins, supplements, energy drinks, or medication. We try anything to help us keep going, striving, and achieving. But what our souls really crave is to slow down so we can find peace and build resilience.
I am far from perfect, but I’ve found perfect love. Like everyone else, I have made mistakes, fallen short, and struggled with sin. There were moments in my life when my failures screamed louder than anything else, and the enemy whispered lies to me: “You aren’t worthy. You aren’t enough. You’re too broken for God to love.” But the truth is, none of us is flawless. We all fall short in ways that remind us how much we need grace. Yet the beautiful message of the gospel is this: The Lord freely offers His perfect love despite our sins and imperfections.
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.
