Has anyone ever told you, “God will never give you more than you can handle?” This phrase is often used to express encouragement during difficulties and to comfort people grieving the loss of a loved one. But if I am…
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “God’s grace”? My first thought is “a beautiful, unearned gift of salvation and forgiveness.” But recently, God has begun challenging my long-held belief of grace being a one-time gift we receive when we are saved. Perhaps you also desire more understanding about God’s generous gift of grace.
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I do the things I don’t want to do? Unfortunately, for me, it had become a recurrent question. You see, I’d been a Christian for years, decades even. Yet when faced with conflict, I always had a Fight-or-Flight response. I got angry, verbally defended myself, or ran away from the situation or relationship.
t’s easy to imagine that when we become a Christian, our world will become perfect. Or as Katie says in the Dr. Seuss movie Horton Hears a Who, “In my world, everyone’s a pony. And they all eat rainbow’s and poop butterflies.” But unfortunately, this is not the case. Accepting Jesus as our savior means we will one day live with Him for all of eternity, where there is no more pain or tears.
But until we die and go to heaven, we live on Earth, Earth hasn’t been a perfect place since Adam and Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Now, sin and death reign over the Earth. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).
I’ll admit it. I am a control freak. I don’t necessarily boss everyone around. Instead, I try to control every aspect of my life. I strive to know all the details and plan ahead. Then, I fret, worry, and overthink…
Are you a stressed-out, anxious, exhausted mom? Is there a recurrent pattern of “if only” in your mind? If only I could get more sleep. If only I had more time. If only I knew the right way to do this. If only I knew the right words to say. If only I had more patience. If only I could be a better mom like ____.
Why are hugs so magical? Sometimes, all we need is a hug to melt away all our stress, make us feel safe, calm the storms raging in our minds, and reassure us everything will be okay. When life gets tough, we need a warm embrace—not words, not advice, just a hug to make us feel better. Why? Hugs let us know we matter and are loved.
Have you ever woken up from a bad dream that left you unable to sleep? Perhaps our bad dreams are more than our imagination. Maybe the enemy is hurling lies and insults at our subconscious mind.
Sometimes, I wonder how God could ever use me. I have a sinful past. And even though I am a Christian now, I still make mistakes. I’m an average woman, wife, and mom. I am not a public speaker. I don’t have any formal writing or Biblical training. “Who am I to think I could help further God’s kingdom?”
Have you ever messed up and felt unforgivable? Sadly, I have. When my daughter was twelve, I walked into the house with my arms full of groceries and tripped over her backpack, nearly falling. Rather than simply asking her to put it away, I lost my temper and barked at her about being more respectful. As the words flew from my mouth, I noticed the new friend she’d invited over and the look of horror on her face, and I was reminded of David when he wrote Psalm 34.
Whenever I’ve made mistakes, I’ve felt unworthy of God’s love and wanted to run from Him due to my shame. But when I read Psalm 34, I find genuine encouragement because it demonstrates God’s grace. It shows God is with us, helping, healing, and delivering us even when we are at our worst. All that is needed is a humble, repentant heart seeking God.
