Entering the Next Chapter

Dear friend of mine,  I know that you are facing a difficult time in your life. I know that things seem overwhelming, confusing, and hopeless. It can be so hard to see God's hand moving at this time.  I wish that telling you that God is in control would make it all better, but part of faith is choosing to believe even when you don't feel it. My heart aches for you. I truly wish I could take this pain from you or help you through this time. Your burden is on my heart and I will be praying for you. I truly believe in the power of prayer and can see God moving in the lives of others as they face times of trial. I love you and am there for you if you need me.  -Faith The last several years have been very turbulent in my life. God has shown me His grace and peace in these times but they were times of great trials. For the last week we have been in a time of peace. It has been a great relief. Sadly, as I am in this time I see all those I love around me in times of pain an...

Tonight my heart is heavy with concerns for mothers who feel insecure, scared, and alone. I don't think that personal struggles are expressed openly in our society and I fear that it is causing more mothers to feel alone in their struggles. For example, postpartum depression is not often talked about amongst friends and yet it supposedly affects 11-20% of mothers. Personally, I wonder if the number would be higher if women did not feel guilt when admitting their struggles.  Let me start by saying that I truly feel that motherhood is an amazing gift from God. I am so blessed to have my children and wouldn't change a thing.  Now that I have said that, I am going to let you in on a dirty little secret. Motherhood is hard... actually it is not just hard. It is physically and emotionally exhausting. It is overwhelming, stressful, tedious, frustrating, painful, and the toughest things I have ever had to do. There are times that I am so overwhelmed that I can't decide whether ...

Let me start by saying that this post is only for those who want or think that they might want it to work. If you have decided in your heart that you are done and that your marriage is not worth fighting for anymore than you will not find much support through what I write. I do not judge you because there were times that I had been there, but I do encourage you to leave just a little room for the possibility and to seek counseling. The fact is even if you do get a divorce you will continue to carry the baggage of a torn marriage around with you until you have resolved it and begun processing it. Again, if you choose to get a divorce I wish you all the best in your life but this post is not meant for you.  When making a marriage work you can start by thinking of it as a war for your marriage instead of a fight. What do I mean about that? There are going to be battles, some that you win and some that you lose, but you can't just surrender at the the defeats. When you start a war yo...

Finding the meaning of Christmas can be difficult when society views the meaning of Christmas as a very materialistic day. Christmas has become about fairy tales, music, baking, family, and presents. I am not saying that any of those things are terrible but when the purpose for celebrating is forgotten what is the rest really worth? So many people have become like those acquaintances who send you birthday wishes on Facebook not because they remembered your birthday but because they saw it posted and saw that everyone else was writing on your wall. They were being kind and were jumping on the band wagon out of convenience not out of true care. I don't want to be an acquaintance of God, I want to be a friend of God or even better yet a child of God. I want to celebrate the birth of Jesus because I have a relationship with Him and am thankful for Him.  As I have been reading through the scriptures that tell of the birth of Jesus I have been a little...

This week I have been focused on what faith is. Faith is a word that I have literally heard countless times in my life. On an average day I see, hear, and say the word hundreds of times.  Faith is the belief in God, in His word, and in His character.  Who is God? He is a triune God, one God in three persons (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). He is the creator. He is omniscient (all knowing) , omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (not bound by time and space). He is both just and loving. He is pure and Holy.  What is His word? His word is the Bible and is also the promises and covenants He made with His people. Since the fall of man God promised a redeemer that would crush the head of the serpent. He also made a covenant to never flood the entire earth again. The Bible tells us that God sent His son, Jesus as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. Jesus is God that came to earth in human form. The Holy Spirit indwells us when  we acce...

Today was a day of attack and victory.  This morning even waking up seemed to be difficult. My body was physically worn down. My eyes felt like little weights sat upon my eye lids. My joints ached and made the sounds of an old wood floor, creaking and cracking with each small movement. My energy was on its last bit of battery. In general it was a difficult day to begin with.  Abbie seemed to be under a bit of attack as well. She was extremely emotional and was crying throughout the day. She had an indecisiveness about everything and filled the air with grumbles and complaints. In general she was just unpleased with life.  Elizabeth must have stolen the energy that I was missing because she, like the Energizer Bunny, kept going and going and going and going and going. She was getting into everything. A trail of mess followed her everywhere along with screeching sounds of annoyance. She must have called me hundreds of times when I was sitting right there with her in h...