Listen. . .I’ve been accused of being an optimist. I believe it. I don’t see the cup half empty. I don’t see it half full. I see it running over.
Isn’t that a great thing, you might ask? Yes, but sometimes I need to step back. Because my cup half running over just might get in the way. (more…)
When you don’t know what to say, say nothing
Have you ever struggled to know what to say? Perhaps a friend is going through a divorce she didn’t ask for, or she just received news that she is struggling to comprehend.
Twenty years ago I found out I had cancer. Many friends rallied around me, making life easier.
But I also remember fielding comments from a few that brought me to my knees–literally.
They cared. I knew that, but because they didn’t know what to say they said things like this: (more…)
In the “wait”I’ve been waiting for over four years for something. At first I asked why.
No answer.
Then I tried to make it happen on my own.
To no avail.
Doors closed one after another. (more…)
Tree speak: How God helps us growIf you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome!
Yesterday I carried off two large sections of my butterfly tree and set them by the curb for trash pickup. The wind had hit my house hard the night before, and evidently it swirled around my front porch, creating chaos.
“It makes me sad,” I told my husband. “I loved that butterfly tree.”
I received more joy from this one tree than anything else in my garden. All spring long butterflies and hummingbirds flutter around the clusters of lilac flowers that grace the tree. When I walk along the sidewalk the fragrance of those flowers greeted me.
“It’s still alive,” Richard reminded me. “You lost a large section, but it’s still standing.”
I looked back at the remnants of the tree. It was fractured and misshapen. Winter has hit and the green leaves were silvery and the flowers dormant.
But I will nurture that tree back to health. Taking away the dead branches is the first step. Next I will feed the roots, mulch them, and shape the remaining branches. It will not be the same tree, but I expect next spring it will bloom as beautiful as ever. And with the dead and weak branches pruned away, it will flourish. It won’t look the same, but I am excited to see what emerges.
In my own life, I do not look the same as I did 30+ years ago when I fell in love with my Savior. (more…)
To live free: shameless audacityI remember the first time my friend Kris said this phrase.
Shameless audacity.
He shared how he longed to come before God in the way that scripture showed that we could, in the way that God opened the door for us to come.
As I read Hebrews 4:16, I saw it! (more…)
Is your faith in God alone?Trials demand wisdom, wisdom demands prayer, and prayer demands faith. ~R. Ellsworth
Sometimes I just don’t have the answer. Am I alone in this? I don’t think so.
Not long ago I had an encounter with someone I care about. Something small turned large in a heartbeat. It made me angry. I wanted to hurt this person back. But I paused.
Just for a second.
Because reacting to feelings often lead me in a crazy direction, the opposite of where I really want to go.
What do I do?
A prayer. Whispered where no one could hear. And then I knew what to do. It was exactly the opposite of what I wanted to do, or would have done 10 seconds earlier. (more…)
