Almost 20 years ago, when my brother and sister-in-law told me they decided to name their daughter Sarah, I wasn’t happy. Fighting back the tears, my voice cracked as I tried to answer their bewilderment. My heart went into a panic and disrupted the explanation that tried to exit my mouth. I was far from clear. How could anyone understand that I had been hurt—dreadfully hurt—by girls named Sarah all growing up? The Seed of Rejection It started when I was about four years old. I skipped up to the popular girl’s house a few doors down. No wonder it was quiet in the neighborhood; all the kids were over at Sarah's house. I wanted to join them. Even at that young age, I felt the pull of wanting to be accepted. I slowly approached the little kids standing in her driveway. They Continue Reading
Made for Brave Sisterhood
"When I called to you, you answered me; you made me strong and brave." Psalm 138:3 No life is untouched by the difficult, the unpleasant or the painful, and every living breath demands the fullness of brave be lived out in becoming who we were created to be. Our stories bring hope and healing in the telling because most of us don't consider ourselves brave. The battles for courage arrive with such force that fear often trumps brave...over and over again. As the years drift by, we find ourselves trudging through the same muck, bound by its chains and unable to experience true freedom. But it was never meant to be this way. When I began developing this series, I knew God was calling me to step into a place of brave I've never traveled fully before. Oh, believe me, I've tried, but Continue Reading
Change Your Password, Change Your Life
Hope is the password to a life of change and growth. Without it, we simply exist, relegated to the mundane and doomed to wander. But how do we hang onto hope? How do we keep hold and access all the power hope holds to transform our heart, our soul, our mind, our will? When life bears down hard, how can we push hope to the surface and allow it to mold and shape us into who we've been created to be? How can we inspire just a glimpse of hope when all we feel like doing is giving up? It's been said that hope changes everything, and I believe it does. But sometimes before the change comes, hope requires a little intention. In my line of work, I utilize passwords continually. Every electronic exam given to students is locked down until the students are given the secure Continue Reading
Above All Else…Guard Your Heart: Identity Collaging
We live with a continual threat of identity theft. The threat is so widespread, there’s even an Identity Theft Resource Center to keep us informed of the latest sneaky scams and the best ways to protect ourselves and our privacy in this online world. We’re told to use strong passwords, only log into secure wireless networks, never save credit card information when shopping online, don’t accept social media invites from unfamiliar people, and the list grows with each new confirmed threat. But, when I think of identity theft, I’m also reminded of how often my true, God-given identity is threatened daily, and has been from a very young age. Truthfully, I’ve struggled with my identity in some form or another my entire life. Who hasn’t? Because life is hard and it’s often not Continue Reading