Sometimes the difficult truth of self-acceptance is best learned from the heart of a child. She was about 6 years old with thick, brown ringlets draped across her pillow as she lay with folded hands to begin her nightly prayers. Her prayers were nothing grand. She spoke plain and simply to the God she knew very little of but trusted that He was as real as her best friend sleeping in the trundle next to her. This was her time to thank God for the largest and smallest joys of her day, and nothing was left to chance. Thank you, God, for my friend, for my grilled cheese sandwich, for my bubble bath, and for my new polka-dot socks. Thank you for mommy and daddy, my bubbies, memaw and pappy, and for all of my pets - turtles, beta fish, hamsters, rabbits, and dogs; the order never changed Continue Reading
Back-to-School Identity Series
Many of us will be sending our kids off to school in the next couple of weeks. We'll spend plenty of money, time and creativity to make sure everything is in place to set them up for a great school year. And after all the supplies have been purchased, organized, and labeled, we'll start slaying the fear dragons and calming the anxiety butterflies that come with the first day. We'll reassure them of how far they've come and where they're going. Each scribbled lunchbox reminder will encourage them to step out and believe in themselves, to make a friend, and trust that awkwardness will pass quickly. Through it all, we'll go above and beyond to make sure they know they are seen, understood, and known. Because that's what we do as parents. And we'll believe all the words we plant in Continue Reading
When the Hardest Grace is to Be Still
I am not one to sit still. Anyone who steps into my shadow for a day needs to rise early and lace up their most comfortable running shoes. From the moment my feet hit the floor, my to-do list begins cycling in my head. I would be the first to admit that I like filling my shoes with capable and self-sufficient. But what I've experienced is that my strengths can quickly become my downfall. Simply put, I struggle with being still long enough to let God work. I wrestle with not taking things into my own hands, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. As I write this, the struggle continues. In my core, I know I shouldn't take back what I've surrendered at least 100 times. But in my head, it plays out differently, and harnessing those thoughts chomping at the bit to take Continue Reading
When You Need to Brave a New Job
I was ready to take on the world when I graduated from college with my communications degree. I had an internship lined up with a Christian magazine, I had been a copy editor for my university’s newspaper, and I had my first article headed to print for a real magazine. Yes, I felt on top of the journalism world for a fresh-out-of-college kid. Until I received an email from my internship stating their magazine was going under, and, therefore, my internship was gone. Just like that. I remember the immediate sinking feeling. At the time, I was working as a seasonal camp director for a Christian summer camp in Indiana. My summer had been carefree in the sense that I didn’t have to apply for any jobs. But in one email, my plans crumbled, and my stress level rose. In the midst of Continue Reading