When life takes an unfair turn, and we find ourselves in a place we never expected, our faith is often tested in ways we can never imagine. If you've found yourself in this very place, it helps knowing others have been there also. Join Becca today as she shares a bit of her story and how she found the courage to walk through many uncertainties and discovered a deeper faith along the way. We quietly drank our coffee on Sunday morning, stress lingering like a cloud over my thoughts as we had just dumped even more of our personal money into our business. My husband turned toward me, “I have to tell you something.” He took a long pause as I struggled to keep breathing, no clue what bomb was about to be dropped. “Two of our employees just told me this weekend that our manager is 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
Braving Unmet Expectations & Finding Hope – Made for Brave Sisterhood
He left when I was twelve. War, PTSD, and alcoholism left my father a broken man, unable to cope with the responsibilities of family. I visited him summers and weekends, but we never regained the daddy-daughter relationship that my heart yearned for. I so wanted him to acknowledge me, listen to me, and show an interest in my life, but he was overwhelmed trying to survive his own. Then I had my first child. Something about holding my baby and feeling a love so intense I couldn’t breathe caused me to question how my own father could resist loving me. After conversations with my older sister and a couple of visits to Al-Anon, I began to realize that I needed to let go of the expectation that he would be able to show me love in the way I desired. So, instead, I determined to show Him Continue Reading
The Hope We Really Need to Brave Our Deepest Loss
As young women, many of us are still working through negative thoughts about our bodies, misunderstandings about God and His will, and have dewy-eyed expectations for our lives. We’re not prepared for loss and when it comes, even many years later, we’re left reeling. Several years ago, miscarriage and breast cancer were my twin losses—physical parts of me taken against my will, one right after the other, that left me hollow and disfigured. Then menopause, the surprise triplet, slammed shut the door on my hope of having more children. Miscarriage left me grieving for a life unseen. Cancer brought the fear of death up close and an ugly scar in its stead. And the finality of menopause left me sorrowful for what could no longer be. Oh, the pain of loss!—it weighs down the heart Continue Reading