Shame is something I have struggled with a fair bit in my lifetime. As with all areas of life, I have tried to find guidance and meaning in the Word - and shame has been no exception. In my journey to being shame-free, I have found verses that have helped me. There are two scriptures in particular that have really been significant in that journey.
Read MoreA few summers ago, in the midst of deep grief and loss, I had hit my breaking point and took an impromptu trip to Orlando to not only visit my friends, but in honesty, to run away from my present circumstances, get some distance, and escape from the things God was calling me to do.
Read MoreIf you see me at work in the month of December, you will find me wearing a Christmas sweater and listening to Christmas music in my office. But let's be honest, I have been listening to Christmas music since October. Yes, I am one of those people. I love the way Christmas, and everything that goes with it, makes me feel better.
Read MoreWhile working out one day, the thought came to me: is this something I am willing to fight for? Is this something I am willing to push myself in? Am I willing to fight for this even when I don’t feel like working out? Am I worth it? What am I willing to fight for?
Read MoreI don’t even know where to start with this, it’s so easy to become lost in emotions. I wanted to pen this letter to women who were failed by the feminist movement. You who sit with these guarded and secret dreams that you are afraid to share. You who want to be homemakers.
Read MoreSome of my fondest memories from my teenage years were sitting at my grandma’s table after school, having a snack, and chatting with her over a hot cup of tea. Looking back, I so cherish those days that I had with her as, sadly, she passed away not long after I finished high school. She was a woman from another generation and time. She didn’t go to work at a 9-5 job; instead, she stayed at home cooking, cleaning, and caring for her families needs. She handmade her children’s clothes and kept her garden immaculate. She was a homemaker and a dearly devoted one at that, which is something I will always admire about her. She was always my favourite!
Read MoreGrowing up in a conservative, Slavic community, I was one of the few women to go to college and graduate, and the only one who graduated from law school. One time, a few guys from my church told my grandmother, “With one degree, maybe one of us would have married her, but with two, no one will.”
Read MoreI went most of college and well into my late twenties dieting (with the exception of the year I was pregnant). There was always something new to try and if results were being advertised, I was on it. However, I would start a diet, cheat (because I’d decided I deserved it due to my impressive discipline!), and then fell off the wagon because I took a mile when I only meant to give myself an inch. I would ultimately decide the diet wasn’t working for me and I’d move on to the next. Literally repeating the same cycle.
Read MoreI took the test last night. I waited all week for it. It was stupid to get my hopes up. I had my first taken away from me last year and each passing month the disappointment stabs a little deeper. I hate being disappointed, so I try not to hope too much. But this time, for whatever reason, I really thought I'd be pregnant.
Read MoreFor my entire life, I’ve been fighting a battle for his love. Each time I look at my wounds, I want the pain to stop. I’ve tried and I try to keep fighting, but the battle keeps getting worse and the wounds are becoming unbearable. I’m fighting for a relationship that I may not ever have. This fight for love and affection from my earthly father has taken a mental and spiritual toll far greater than any physical impact.
Read MoreFor so long, I let the enemy make me believe that my identity was in the fact that I was a gossiper. But that’s not true, for me or for any of us. I am not a gossiper, I am a treasured daughter of the Highest King. I have the opportunity every day from God to speak life or death into people’s lives.
Read MoreI know what it’s like to be harried and hurried. I know what it’s like to be spread so thin you fear that, if you’re stretched another inch, you’ll suddenly snap. I know what it’s like to wake up in the morning exhausted before your feet even hit the floor.
Read MoreEven when we have sinned and are dirty, in God’s eyes, we are worth the same amount as the brand new iPhone just off the conveyor belt versus the used iPhone that needs a few Clorox wipes taken to it.
Read MoreOver the span of a few days I suddenly realized that the phrase “apple of your eye” didn’t come from some story about a kid plucking an apple from a tree and throwing it at a girl’s face to get her attention. “Apple of your eye” means how much God loves us.
Read MoreWho am I? The question pounds from the moment I wake up to the second I fall back to sleep. I open my phone, and I am pestered by a thousand possibilities. Am I a writer? Am I an artist? Am I a linen skirt girl? Am I a leather jacket chick? Red or pink lipstick? Should I be wearing lipstick? Do I care about fashion trends? Who liked my posts? Did those people notice me? Do I need to get my name out more?
Read MoreHaving negative emotions does not necessarily mean you are losing faith. Sometimes, it is God’s way of encouraging you to be more intimate with Him. Because sometimes, it really is okay to not be okay.
Read MoreIt’s not about the time that we used to have pre-child. It’s about the time we have now. Time exists infinitely; therefore, we create the space to allow time into our lives as mothers. We need to stop expecting our time with God to look just like it did before children. How does that time look? Here are five suggestions for you.
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