If you’re an American like me and at all paying attention, you were probably up late last night watching the election results roll in–to your delight, dismay, or bewilderment depending on your point of view (and if you’re grieving today, I’m truly sorry, and please take your time processing).  (This reminds me of how there is a massive construction project carving up a whole hill down the street from our house–a new “luxury living” university student housing development...
I have written about fear before (here and here and here, and here), and here I am again. We get into the car and I fear that we’ll get into an accident. A friend of a friend has cancer. What if that happened to me? What if we go to war and my son gets drafted one day (currently reading a World War 1 novel)? Little nagging fears, just sparks really. As I write, a wildfire still burns over...
It has become clear to me that I have a problem (okay, more than one, but let’s focus here!). I don’t know if it’s my creatively-bent brain, our social media age, or the natural consequence of being a mom of multiple children, but I have lost the ability to focus on one thing for any length of time. My friend Katie and I were just lamenting about this recently, so I doubt I’m the only one. Have you ever...
I remember getting scared of the dark as a little girl. I’d call for my mom, and she’d come and sing a little song based on Philippians 4:8. She hates for anyone to hear her voice, but to me it was the sweetest comfort. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these...
For those of us who struggle with anxiety, the simplest situations send us into a tailspin of worry. For example, occasionally, I get a phone call or text on Sunday morning saying that someone is unable to serve with the children at church and we need to find a replacement. This used to make me very anxious, but God has been graciously working on my response to situations like these in the last few years. I’m trying to read...
I probably shouldn’t write blog posts when I’m sleep deprived and occasionally have trouble remembering my new son’s name, not to mention the time I last fed him (don’t worry–he’ll remind me). But if I cannot let the Bible and its good news speak in even the most stressful of times, then when will it speak? You know the saying “too blessed to be stressed”? Yeah, that’s cute, but I’m more like this: I’m a little tense these days,...
November 25, 2014
anxiety•burdens•depression•hope•joy•neediness•satisfaction•trials•waiting
How I deal with depressing days
I have days when I’m just sad. Depression is just a part of the rhythm of my life. It comes and goes. Sometimes I can figure out the source (physical, situational) and others times I can’t. I feel sad or oppressed by life, weighed down. I get quiet and weepy. I feel extra needy and don’t know why. One blessing of having been very low in the past is that I know a few things: I know God will...
I am not a great pray-er. I am a desperate, scattered pray-er. I desperately need HIM because . . .I could think a thousand thoughts and feel a thousand feelings. But what is true?I could attempt many things.But what would please YOU?C.S. Lewis described the battle for our thoughts this way: “It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning...
First of all, Baby Boy is fine and kicking. I’m fine too, and I have the brain scans to prove it! The thought occurred later that I should have asked them if they could tell if I was super-smart . . . but I forgot. Yesterday was a weird day. I had some unusual vision things going on and numbness in my hands in the afternoon. The doctor couldn’t diagnose over the phone so around 9:00 my husband and...
