when you can’t fix it

January 7, 2010 | Dear Friend,Nurturing Family

Dear Suzie:  I have a daughter who will not talk to me.

The blessing I do have is that she lets me talk to my grandchildren. We live several states apart, so the only communication we have is that I talk to the children. 

It is so hard, I love her so very much, but she just rejects me. The last time I saw her was at her sibling’s wedding. I hugged her, told her I loved her, she said nothing. I just want to fix it. I’ve asked if hopefully she and I could go somewhere alone and try to get things sorted out. Her answer to me has been complete silence. I don’t know what I have done, because no one will tell me.

Of course I made mistakes when she was growing up and I will assume all responsibility for that. But I really feel its time for us both to forgive and to just love each other. Please help me, I am at the end of my rope. I love her so much and really need her in my life. 

Any advice? I hope so.

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why Christmas?

December 23, 2009 | Dear Friend,Knowing Christ

Dear Suzie,

Why Christmas? (more…)

Dear friend: we can’t fix anyone else

August 17, 2009 | Dear Friend

I get a lot of e-mails from women who were raised in a dysfunctional past. Some are obviously hurting. Others have learned to hide it well. They look put together, composed, maybe even perfect. But the common desire is, “I want to get past this”.

This week I received this note:

I am 62 years old and I really don’t know where to start. I have been mentally and emtionally abused by my Mom. I am a Christian and I have tried turning the other cheek and forgivness and she still is always doing her stuff. Now my oldest daughter has called me a hypocrite and I am a mess.

Dear friend, I love your honesty, and I think your first question is the most important: where do I start? (more…)

my daughter won’t talk to me

July 29, 2009 | Dear Friend,Nurturing Family

Thank you for the thousands who visited this site yesterday and for the e-mails pouring in through comments, facebook messages, and e-mails.

One beautiful new friend asked this:

I always read my devotional from Christianity.com, but this one touched me. My daughter and I have a problem
getting along. I am always wrong and she will go for long periods without talking or seeing me. I pray about it and it hurts me deeply.

Please pray for us.

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Dear Friend, we love Him, we love Him not

February 13, 2009 | Dear Friend,Knowing Christ

Dear Friend,

You ask me if we have made Christianity a sappy love story, where God allows us to do whatever we want and yet he’s standing there with open arms. That doesn’t seem like love to you, you say.

And you know what? I agree with you. I believe in God’s love. I know that the sacrifice He gave was based on love for humanity. I don’t understand it always. I know that we don’t merit it most of the time, and these words from Romans 8 convince me that He loves me when I least deserve it:

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing–nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable–absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

But I also struggle with the way we love Him sometimes. Like He’s a convenience. Pull him out in the hard times. Tuck Him away when Scripture seems to ask us to go against feelings, desires, or wants. Argue and debate with others, as if we are superior and faith is all about us or our opinions, when the reality is we should be pointing the way to Him. (more…)

Dear Friend,

December 23, 2008 | Dear Friend

Suzie, This is the question I have been struggling with lately and I thought maybe you could help. The phrase… God so loved the world he gave his only son. Now as I reflect on it. I think… didn’t God really take his own son back. Jesus died and rose into heaven. God is in heaven. Aren’t they together now? If so, then how can ite be said God gave his son. He really took him back. Heidi (more…)